Our guide to curling your wig – without the heat damage!

Mixing up your style is one of the many advantages of wearing a wig. With curls in this season, many may want to experiment with their own effortlessly, bouncy looks. But before you reach for the heated styling tools, read this!

Heat styling is one of the activities to avoid when wearing a wig, especially if your synthetic wig isn’t heat resistant. It is possible to style your wig without heat. Just like your natural hair, you can enjoy heatless curls and a fabulous, on-trend look, here’s how…

Rollers

Rollers are an easy way to achieve a curled look, and you don’t have to use them in the traditional way (i.e. with a blow dryer).

After washing your wig, separate it into small sections. Place a roller at the end of each and wind up until it meets the base of the wig. Let the wig air dry thoroughly before removing the rollers. Spritz your new curled style with some styling spray or wig hairspray to help your heatless curls hold.

For smaller, more defined curls, use your fingers to separate the sections and style. Your choice of rollers will also help you get the curl size and style you want. Large, bendy rollers for instance are perfect for achieving that voluminous look.

Plaits

You don’t have to invest in rollers to curl your wig at home. Plaiting your damp wig section-by-section and allowing it to dry will create a similar look.

There are lots of different types of plaits to experiment with and each produces a different style of curl. Depending on your plaiting skills, classic 3-strand braids, rope braids and cornrows can all be used to get a curly look.

Simply wash your wig or spritz with water until damp, plait and leave overnight. Come morning, unravel your plaits gently, finger comb and set with wig hairspray.

Bun wrap

Using a doughnut bun wrap to style your wig is a look all by itself – find more funky accessories to transform your look for autumn – but it can also be used to create heatless curls on longer wigs.

Put your wig in a high ponytail, using an elastic band to secure the wig but not wrapping too tightly. Next, dampen the ponytail and add the doughnut bun, wrapping the hair in place. Leave to dry naturally for a few hours and unwrap to reveal those beautiful, heatless curls.

If you don’t have a doughnut bun wrap, you can use a headband to wrap the hair in sections at the front of the wig. Again leave to dry for two to three hours before unravelling and setting with wig hairspray.

Using heat with caution

If you own a human hair or heat-resistant wig it is possible to use heated styling tools to curl your hair, but you should always do so with caution.

Whilst these varieties of wig are less prone to heat damage than synthetic wigs, it’s important to remember that their condition and quality can still become impaired. Here Breastcancer.org details how to use heat to curl properly:

“Be sure not to leave heat on the hair for too long. Let the curled hair down slowly into your hand and allow it to partially cool. This will ensure that your curls hold. Complete each section until all the hair is curled. Finish off the style with hairspray… make sure to apply a leave-in conditioner spray and heat-protecting spray before styling to keep the hair hydrated and protected.”

You should never heat style a human hair or heat-resistant wig that’s wet. Always make sure your wig is thoroughly dry before curling with heat.

Before applying any kind of heat to your wig, always check the label. You should also perform a heat test on a less visible part of your wig to check that heated styling tools don’t damage the fibres.