How to Wash A Wig 2

Washing a synthetic wig is a lot like washing your own hair. The main difference is that you don’t get shampoo in your eyes and you don’t have to wait for your hair to dry before you go to bed! Another very important difference is that you have to use cold water when shampooing synthetic hair. In this case, heat is the enemy.

Begin by squirting a small amount of shampoo (about the size of a quarter) and swish it around in a basin or sink of cold water. Gently twirl the wig in the water without tangling it. Think of it like the hair equivalent of folding egg whites into a recipe.

After twirling for a minute or two, leave to soak for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove the wig from the water and gently squeeze out the excess moisture. Drain the soapy, grubby water and rinse. If you do not have good water pressure, put your hand under the cap of the wig and hold it under the bath tap to rinse it really, really well. If your water pressure is okay, you can simply rinse it under a strong flow in the bathroom sink.

As the water runs over the wig, just squeeze, never rub. If you don’t get rid of all the shampoo, the wig will turn out all gummy and horrible, so it is essential to be through. Wrap a towel around the wig and squeeze, just like when you wash your panty hose, to get rid of excess moisture. By now, the wig should look and smell clean. That’s right. Give it a little whiff.

Now, take some conditioner. This is very important because it keeps it from frizzing and helps it retain the style. Gently squeeze the wig to get the conditioner all over. On synthetic hair, with a synthetic conditioner, we never, ever rinse it out.

Make sure you spray the conditioner at the base. This is where the curl starts, it’s where the silhouette starts. Use about nine spritzes.

If it is a smooth wig, lay it on the towel and let it dry. If it is curly, spiky or has a lot of little things going on, turn it inside out to maintain the integrity of the style. If you want, you can place it in the sun, where it will dry in about half an hour. The sun will never fade these wonderful colours. Alternatively, you can leave it overnight.