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Washing and styling human hair topper/wig
I know this topic has probably been previously discussed in detail, however, I am still struggling with trying to find the best way to wash and style my human hair topper. It is shoulder length, good hair quality, but I am terrified of washing it and can never seem to get it styled just right. Is it best to wash it on the styrofoam head or just soak it in the water. What is the best shampoo to use or do you just use conditioner? Should you blow dry it or let it air dry? I have heard that you can wash it every two weeks to 3 months. Right now, I have such anxiety over the whole washing thing, I take it to the place I bought it and they clean and style it, but it is expensive and I would like to do it myself. I am just not sure what the best way to go about it is. Does anyone have a fairly simple way to wash and style. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by chris for hair on
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It is easy. Use cold to luke warm water, hold the piece in your hand and let the water from the tap move down the piece. Once it is fully wet, place a small amount of shampoo in your hand, rub them together, pick up the piece and work the shampoo in a downward motion. Do not rub up and down, only down.Once the shampoo has been worked through the hair, rinse the same way you got it wet, by running the water down the piece. Do the same with conditioner but also use a wide toothed comb to comb the conditioner through the piece. wrap in a towel, wring the towel ou to get as much water out as possible then SHAKE the piece hard to further facilitate water removal. Air dry. I put it on a hanger and let it dry either over night or outside. Once it is dry, place it on your styro head, pin in place and restyle. Finished!
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Permalink Reply by Emory on
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That's exactly how I wash my European wigs. I use the same shampoo/conditioner I used before I had AU (L'Oreal Serie Expert) and my wigs are very happy with it. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Christine on
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I'm fairly new to the wig myself but I've had it since August, the first time I washed it was a disaster, I thought I ruined it. but now that I've got the hang of it I wash it once a week or more often if it starts to feel heavy. I have a child sized Styrofoam head which I use to wash it, I pin it at the temple area and then using lukewarm water I soak it down from the top allowing the water to run downward I then wash it in a downward motion rinse well and condition it I try and keep the conditioner off the lace top comb it through and rinse. I use shampoo for color treated hair. I then wrap it in a towel and wring it out to get it towel dried. I will sometimes slightly dry the inside of the cap with a warm blow dryer and put it on my head, because of the length and style of mine it is easier that way, I wear it in a chin length in front fairly short in the back, I sort of smooth it into place and let it dry on my head, after it is dry I will take a large round brush and shape it up with the blow dryer. The first time I washed it I tried to blow it dry right away....what a mess, the hair looked damaged, but fortunately it wasn't. I also found that some leave in conditioner works great when I'm shaping it with the blow dryer. Good luck.
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The hair pieces are not as fragile as many think, but it is a good idea to use sulfate free products on your hair as well as additional hair. Leave in conditioners also help.
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Permalink Reply by Starshine on
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Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I am going to give it another shot. Christine, do you think it is easier to work with by pinning it to the styrofoam head? Do you wash the cap with shampoo or just smooth it down from the top. I think that my mistake at styling was the same as what you did. I tried to dry it right away and the hair really dried out. Do you put in leave-in conditioner, then let it mostly dry and then blow dry? Do you use a flat iron or curling iron? Sorry for all the questions, I am really terrified of ruining the hair, I think. I was really good at styling my own hair, but this seems so different.
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I never wash on styro head, you can stretch the cap that way. If you have distributed the shampoo correctly both the cap and hair will be cleaned. If the hair dried out by hanging it overnight either the hair is worn out, over processed. Remember this hair is already very old when it is cut fron a head or several heads. Leave in conditioners help a great deal but once the hair is damaged past a certain point nothing will truly revive it. (Think bad perms)You can use any heat implement depending on what style you want. Flat irons however give the hair a shine that most curling irons do not. Be sure to not let it get too hot. Flat irons can also curl hair. hope this helps. C
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Hi, the Styrofoam head that I was it on is very small, most Styrofoam heads are big, and would probably stretch the cap when wet, I pin it on because it doesn't slip around I just use two pins, and have washed it without pinning too, doing it this way allows me to use both hands to suds it up, before I place it on the head I wash the silicone (I have a gripper wig) but not the cap itself, it gets clean just by washing the hair. I always use conditioner after the shampoo, and allow it to almost completely dry before styling, I will use a leave in conditioner on the ends sometimes when styling, its a 10 leave in conditioner works well, Ive also used purelogic color max, I would like to try the Moroccan oil that some have said works really well, but haven't tried it yet. My wig has a bit of natural wave to it, which I don't want to encourage as I'm use to super straight bio hair, so I smooth it down while it is wet and it works really well, also because the back is pretty short taper it will flip up if I don't encourage it to lay flat against my neck. Hope that helps.
PS I have used a flat iron but mostly just use a big round brush to shape it after its dry, it works along the line of hot rollers just quicker and easier.
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Thanks Christine. I am going to try it your way first. My hair is a topper so I am not worried about stretching the cap. I have also heard about moroccan oil, but there are a million different kinds and I have not purchased it yet. Thanks for the great advice. Hope you are doing well otherwise with your new hair. My hairloss pattern sounds a lot like yours, and I may go the same route someday if it does not improve.
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Hi, someone told me to order the moroccan oil in the blue container with the orange M on it. hope that helps, I've seen some in the stores but don't know if they are all the same, some have other ingredients? I'm thankful everyday for my "new" hair, it may sound crazy but the few patches of regular hair that I still have, I almost wish were gone, if its not all coming back now, I would rather not have those thick dark patches on my head, funny how that works. Let us know how it turned out when you washed it???
Christine
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Hi- I've been e
Reading the blogs just to get familiar with the site and ran across this discussion. Starshine, I used maroccan oil even before my alopecia. It's great product. Christine is right - the blue bottle with the orange M. I use the shampoo and conditioner on my wigs along with the hair serum and styling cream. A little bit goes a long way so be careful. It's good stuff but it also costs more than many brands. So again use it sparingly.
Good luck with the washings
Carol
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