The Ins and Outs of Human Hair Wig Maintenance by Custom Wig Experts

Human hair wig maintenance is a must if you hope to keep your hair piece, wig, or hair extensions looking their best for years to come. With proper maintenance of your wig, the hair will retain its sheen, you can prevent individual hairs from coming out of the cap, and the hair will fall just like natural every time you wear it.

The most important reason to maintain your wig is to protect your investment. With many wigs costing hundreds or thousands of dollars, you will want to take good care of the hair and cap so you can get the most use out of them.

So that you can keep your wig looking terrific and to ensure your investment is sound, here are seven ways to maintain your wig for added sheen, bounce, and longevity.

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7 Wig Maintenance Tips

1- Invest in the Right Products

When buying shampoos, conditioners, and other hair care products, only buy and use those that are meant for human hair wigs, like Amani hair care products.

It may be tempting to use standard hair care products from the drugstore, but the chemicals they contain can strip your wig of its luster and decrease its lifespan.

Products designed for human hair wigs like Amani have special ingredients that are designed to nurture the hair and protect the follicles from damage while helping them look and feel natural all day long.

Look for Amani keratin enriched shampoos and hydrating cleansers that will help your wig and hair extensions retain their sheen.

Best Products for Your Human Hair Wig

2- Wash Your Wig Once Per Week

With natural hair, the individual follicles are moisturized by oils from your scalp. Since you don’t have this luxury when you wear a human hair wig, you will have to add the oil yourself.

You can do this with regular washing but never wash your wig too much. Doing so can cause hair to fall out and can diminish the quality of your wig severely.

It is best to wash your wig once every six to eight days at most, or roughly once per week. Before giving your wig a good wash, give it a thorough detangling.

Use a wide-toothed wig brush or your fingers (fingers are sometimes best when dealing with curly styles) and move from the top of the wig down in a single motion.

With the tangles removed, hold the piece firmly in one hand so that your fingertips lay across the inside center of the wig. With the hair dangling down as it naturally would, run warm or cold water through the hairs in a downward motion. The water pressure should be on a medium setting. Don’t forget to give the inside a good rinse while you’re at it.

With the wig completely wet, wring out the excess water by squeezing sections of the wig and continuing downward. Repeat as often as you need until all the excess moisture is removed.

Next, use a small amount of dedicated human hair wig shampoo like Amani shampoo. You wash a wig the same way you wring out moisture, by gently squeezing sections of it and proceeding downward to the hair tips. You can even use your fingertips to get in between the hair wefts.

If you have an oily scalp, gently turn the wig over and with the palm of your hand swirl the shampoo around the inside of the cap area.

If during the shampoo process that there is no foam lather, repeat the entire shampooing over again to yield the best results.

Rinse the wig the same way you wet it, by running warm or cold water across the wig in a downward motion.

Let your wig air dry by placing it on a wig stand. While the wig dries, you can spritz it with a conditioning agent to make the hairs clean and malleable for styling.

3- Deep Conditioning

Every so often, you can improve the appearance of your human hair wig by applying a deep conditioning treatment. To begin, apply a deep conditioner starting at the bottom of the wig and working your way up.

You sort of wringing the hair by squeezing sections, just like you did with the shampoo. Leave the conditioner on the wig for fifteen minutes or more.

Comb out the hair and allow the wig to dry for approximately twenty minutes. You can then apply a moisturizing product along the entire length and apply any extra to the tips of each hair. Next, apply a dime-sized amount of thermal product to protect the hair during the styling process.

For a front lace human hair wig, you are encouraged to add the deep conditioning agent starting at the bottom and working your way up. The only condition is to be about halfway to the base.

Never condition all the way to the base cap, as doing so can cause the hairs to become loose.  Then rinse the hair out gently with warm or cool water set on medium pressure in a downward motion.

Squeeze the excess water out by gently wringing it in sections moving from the top downward, then wrap the hair in a towel and continue squeezing from the top down.

To deep condition hair extensions, wash the hair with a moisturizing shampoo, then rinse the extension thoroughly. Squeeze out excess water so that it is not sopping wet.

You can then apply a quarter-sized amount of deep conditioner. Make sure the conditioner is distributed evenly, then leave it in for around five minutes. Rinse the hair thoroughly with cool water and gently squeeze to remove any excess moisture. As usual, let the hair air dry.

4- Style with Care

The way you style your wig will depend on which type of human hair wig you own.

Wigs with a lace front cap can be styled away from your face, which means you can curl or wave the hair back, making the cap undetectable, even if you don’t wear bangs.

Lace front wigs usually come with pre-cut lace. If your wig wasn’t cut already, you will need to have the lace cut at a wig salon-like Newport Hair Loss Center or by visiting your hair replacement specialist.

To style your wig, you will first want to define the part. Use a wide-toothed comb and create a part on one side of your hair. For best results, consider having a professional hairstylist fashion your wig.

If you are doing the styling yourself, put the wig on your head and do your best to center the part so it fits with your head shape. You might want to try a few different options before you commit to being sure.

You can also style the wig while it’s being kept on a Styrofoam or metal wig stand. Regardless if it’s on your head or on a stand, a wet wig will be easier to style. Wet styling is also a good idea if you plan to opt for styles like roller sets.

Be gentle when styling to your preference. When finished, gently blot the hair dry with a towel. You can use a blow dryer, curling iron, or flat iron on low settings only. Electric rollers can be used on a medium setting.

Once your hair is styled, add a human hair wig shine serum to smooth the hair out and add some natural sheen. This step will also extend the life of your wig.

Full lace wigs and hair extensions are styled the same way as front lace wigs without all the cutting. Use cool blow drying and at least the lowest setting on all heat styling tools to avoid drying out or damaging your wig.

Read more about How to Style Human Hair Wigs.

5- Don’t Sleep and Beware of Showering with Your Wig

We have discussed the things you should do with your human hair wig to keep it well-maintained. Now let’s discuss what you shouldn’t do. Here we are discussing two no-no’s: Never sleep or shower with your wig on.

It’s tempting to want to get home after a long night out and collapse on your bed until sleep finds you. You’ll just take your wig off in the morning, right? What’s the harm?

The harm doesn’t come from the actual wearing of the wig. Instead, it’s all the friction while you are tossing and turning at night that can do immense damage to the wig and each individual hair.

It’s only when you wake up in the morning with a dry, tangled mess that you will realize the errors of your ways. Don’t learn about this mistake the hard way.

Instead, always store your wig at night. If you don’t, your wig will have a shortened lifespan, you might lose hairs on your pillow through the night, and you will have to spend extra time moisturizing your wig to prevent the hairs from becoming brittle.

Besides, your scalp needs to breathe at some point, so storing your wig through the night is always the best idea.

It might also be tempting to shower with your wig on. Just jump in, give it a quick scrub down as you would with your natural hair, and go about your day. What could go wrong? The fact is, showering with your wig can work. As long as the pressure isn’t too strong.

For example, if you are at an outdoor pool or beach and you want to shower while wearing your wig, by all means, go ahead. As long as you stay away from heavy water pressure and high levels of heat, both of which can cause damage to your wig.

6- Let Your Natural Hair and Scalp Breathe

While wearing a human hair wig can be convenient for all-day, everyday wear, you should take some time to let your natural hair and scalp breathe. If you have no natural hair, your scalp still needs oxygen. For that reason, it is always best to take breaks from wearing your wig now and again.

If you do have some natural hair, get regular trims and deep condition your hair to keep it healthy. This is good advice for anyone coming off of cancer treatment like chemotherapy when wearing a wig helps to hide your short hair until it grows back more fully.

Giving yourself a scalp massage every time you remove your wig can also help to keep the blood flowing freely, which will keep your scalp healthier.

7- Store Your Wig Safely

After wearing your wig all day, you might sometimes want to strip it off and toss it into a corner. While that is the easiest way to store your wig, throwing your wig anywhere is not ideal.

You will get much more out of your human hair wig by buying a mannequin head or Styrofoam head.

Storing your wig on an object that is shaped like a human head will help the hair retain its shape and style. You should also store the hair away from any heat source, as that will dry the wig out and make it look dull.

For best results, store your wig in your bedroom closet to keep it out of the way and far away from anything that can harm it.
When going on a trip with your wig, use a freezer storage bag or secured container to help your wig retain its shape during your travels.

When storing hair extensions, always make sure the clips are closed when putting them away. You should also brush the hair before storing, as doing so will keep the hair fresh for the next time you plan to wear them.

Store the extensions in a cool, dry place away from sunlight (again, your bedroom closet should do the trick), and make sure the hair is completely dry when storing to prevent mold and bacteria from growing.

Get Wig Maintenance Tips by Scheduling a Private Consultation

At Newport Hair Loss Center, we help clients who are experiencing hair loss find human hair wigs that restore their appearance and confidence.

If you find yourself experiencing hair loss or you simply want a human hair wig that lets you show off your unique sense of style, it sounds like you’re ready to schedule a free consultation.

Our consultations are conducted in a private and comfortable atmosphere, and we are sure to answer your questions and alleviate your concerns. We can help you find a human hair wig that is just your style, and we’ll even give you tips for proper wig maintenance.

Now that you know a little more about what it takes to maintain a human hair wig, get the wig for you by calling one of our three locations in Newport Beach, San Diego, and Los Angeles, California.

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970-442-8340