Any girl who has been dressing for more than a few weeks will know how important the wig becomes. Also these things don't come cheap and so you need to look after them. I know when I first started dressing and using wigs I was always very nervous about washing them and their general care and recently I watched another girl brush a wig out and nearly fainted when I saw how she was treating her prized possession. Hopefully this guide will teach you a little bit of how to care for your wigs. This article only covers synthetic fibre wigs NOT human hair. OK the first things you will need for your wig care kit are a head to stand the wig on some basic combs and shampoos and conditioners plus a wig holding spray. No rollers at this point, I will cover curly wigs a bit later on in the article. Many girls can't have their wigs on display at home so later on we'll cover care of the wig when it has to be packed away. This is never ideal but sometimes its all that you can do. Now the most important thing here is that most of us wear synthetic fibre wigs. NEVER EVER use anything except specially formulated products for synthetics, Even mild shampoos like baby shampoo can have a disastrous effect on some synthetic fibres. Its simply not worth trying to save a few pounds and as a result wrecking an expensive wig. I use Revlon Wig Shampoo and conditioner and a holding spray which all come from Dramatic Differences. Also you will need a wide toothed comb ( see the pics at the right) and a wig brush for certain styles. A straight wig like the one shown only really needs the comb. WASHING Most synthetic wigs need washing approximately every 12-18 times you wear them. If you have been out in smoky nightclubs or in summer when your scalp will be sweating more they need more frequent cleaning. To wash a wig is very easy no matter how complex its style and you shouldn't worry about basic washing as you cant really damage the wig if you are careful. Fill a sink with luke warm water and add in two tablespoonfuls of wig shampoo ( if your not using the Revlon one follow the manufacturers instructions),. Agitate the water around to mix the shampoo in and then simply drop the wig in. Agitate very gently and allow the wig to soak in the shampoo solution for around 1 minute, agitate again gently and remove the wig. Now at this pint the wig will be very heavy so handle it quite gently otherwise you will risk damaging the cap or pulling hairs out. Now fill the sink again with luke warm water - re-immerse the wig and agitate gently - you will be amazed at how much makeup will be coming off the wig at this point. If the water becomes very cloudy repeat this process until after agitation the water is clear and clean. Remove the wig and place it on a dry towel and gently dab it with another towel. This is just to remove excess water NOT to dry the wig. Now the wig must be allowed to dry, some wigs prefer to be placed on a head, others should be placed on a wig stand to avoid the cap stretching and curly wigs are often best hung by the nape of the neck to preserve their volume. You should refer to the wig manufactures advice here. If none is offered then dry the wig on a stand. I usually use a tall hairspray tine to put the wig on while its drying which gives the air lots of space to circulate. NEVER comb a wet wig and NEVER use anything like a hair dryer or heated tongs etc. While the wig is still wet spray on the wig conditioner. This will help keep the wig free of tangles when you comb through later and also makes the wig smell lovely as well. I generally apply this very liberally onto the wig while its still quite wet. Curly wigs - most synthetic wigs with curls will retain their curls through this process but some, over several washes, will loosen up. If your expert enough with putting curlers in put them in while the wig is wet. You may need to experiment with how much tension you apply to the curlers. If you cant do this yourself then most hairdressers can do this without too much trouble so you shouldn't need an expert wig setting service. Try a decent mobile hairdresser. (As a note here, Chelsea my red curly wig, needs to be put in curlers each time. I have just learnt how to do it over a bit of time although sometimes I get too busy and let a hairdresser friend sort her out). Most wigs will dry overnight in a warm environment - don't put them on top of radiators and such. COMBING / BRUSHING Once the wig is completely dry place it on a head for styling. I usually lightly spray on some more conditioner and then start brushing and or combing while the conditioner is still damp. If the wig has been in curlers remove them at this point. Curly wigs may not require brushing. Some curly wigs require just a shake and arrange the curls by hand. Brushing out a curly wig will loosen its style considerably and shouldn't really be done unless you really know what you are doing. For straight or only loosely styled wigs comb the wig starting at the BOTTOM start about 1-2" above the bottom of the strands and work around the wig and then up, small sections at a time. If you come across tangles slowly tease them out don't RIP them out using brute force. A wigs styling is based on the tension of the fibres in the cap and if your too rough you can easily damage the wigs styling plus pull out strands. Remember these hairs won't grow back so be gentle. Work you way slowly up the wig, if its a longish wig and you are working too slow you can add a bit more conditioner as you go. Finally 'tweak' the style a little bit to make sure the fringe and or any styling details are correct. The conditioner will help a lot and will also make the wig easier to comb through between washes as well. Finally I usually apply some wig holding spray at this point. NEVER use hairspray - the chemicals in it will melt the fibres on a synthetic fibre wig. Holding spray for wigs is water based, wont harm the wig at all and will wash out when the wig is cleaned. After cleaning and styling I place all my wigs on stands an cover them with a loose polythene bag to keep them free of dust and smoke etc. Now a wig really should be left on a head to keep it at its best but I know many girls are just unable to do this. So carry on down the page to see how to pack a wig properly. This next section is also useful if you need to travel with a wig packed up. PACKING This is really simple but seeing how some girls care for their stuff through lack of knowledge I thought it would be worth writing up. First take the wig and pack a small amount of non-acidic tissue paper into the cap. You don't need lots, just about a fist sized piece of paper. This is the sort of paper that dresses often come packed in. Now fold the wig in half - left to right. The second picture on the left for instance is the right hand side of the wig folded onto the left hand side. No take a hairnet and gently insert the wig into it. The net should be tight enough to keep the wig under control but loose enough to allow the wig to shift a little bit. Finally take a polythene bag and place the wig inside. If you need to store a wig like this then its best to get something like a shoe box to place the wig in so that it isn't crushed. Stored inside a box and cleaned and prepared like this the wig will be fine. Its how manufacturers store them after all. Of course any fine styling will be lost so the wig will require brushing and styling before being worn again depending on style. Many modern styles like shags and similar will just need a gentle shake to revive them. Once you gain a little confidence about washing and styling you will be surprised at how good you become at styling a wig up with things like back combing and even small changes to the cut. Girls in Portsmouth who need a good stylist to handle their wigs - mail me and I will put you in touch with my hairdresser friend who is really good and can cut, style and re-set wigs quite quickly. There you are a simple guide to caring for your prized possesion, hope its of use.   Back to Articles Back to Main Page