How To: Wash Your New Wig!

You've gotten the wig and you've been wearing her. Not only do you need to maintenance it with each wear (finger combing or combing - have you tried our comb?) you do need to wash it.

A general rule of thumb is to wash your wig every eight 8-hour wearings (every 64 hours). Depending on the kind of activity that you have during the wearings and the wig style you may need to do this sooner or may be able to push it beyond that.

The more wigs in your collection the more rotation your wig will have and you the time between washings. However, it is SUPER easy to wash your wigs! We have video tutorials to assist you besides the fine print instructions on the synthetic safe shampoo and conditioner bottles.

Washing your wigs will restore your wig to like-new. Curls, so long as no heat has been applied to them, will return and they will smell fantastic. Washing a wig is significantly different than washing your hair, even outside of the fact that you aren't in the shower or in the salon chair!

To prep for your wig-washing adventure (just kidding, it's easy!), you should make sure you have on hand:

•  Container for water (I use a 15-quart container)
•  Towel for drying wigs (one for each wig you plan to wash
•  Synthetic-safe Wig Shampoo
•  Synthetic-safe Wig Conditioner

Directions:

1. Start with a properly prepared wigs! Comb out wigs gently prior to washing.   Start combing from the bottom length of the wig and work your way up.
2. Run lukewarm water in plastic container.  (You do not want HOT water -  remember that heat changes the molecular fibers of the wig).
3. Mix 2-3 caps of wig shampoo into lukewarm water while water is running.  It is best to wash each wig separately.
4. Let wig soak in the shampoo water mixture for 3 minutes, gently moving her around until all the fibers are covered in shampoo solution.
5. Remove wig from the water and dump out the old water out, rinse container, and replace with clean lukewarm water.  
6. Take the soapy wig and push in the clean water and lift up, gently placing wig in water, turn wig, place back down in water, rinsing again until the wig is clear of shampoo.
7. Place a towel folded in half on the counter beside you. Do not squeeze your wig dry.  
8. When you place on the towel, fold the towel over the wig and press down and blot. Dry as much as possible without adding any friction.   
9. Once damp dry, gently apply conditioner (squirt into your hand and rub into palms of hands). Gently squeeze into the wig and work your way from the ends of the wig up toward the root area. Remember not to go all the way to the root. Leave about one inch free from conditioner. You will likely use more conditioner than shampoo which is why you can be more generous with  shampoo.
10. Leave the conditioner in for two to four minutes once you have completed the conditioner process. For deep conditioning you can leave your conditioner on for 4-6 hours.
11. Run more lukewarm water in the clean container. Never brush or comb a wet wig!
12. Take the wig with conditioner on it and gently rinse the wig in the container until you have approximately 90% of the conditioner rinsed out. You will see the conditioner cloud up the water; this is normal. Let her soak for a minute or two until you feel most of the conditioner is rinsed out.  
13.  Dump the water out.
14. Gently Shake out the wig and let her hang upside down to dry or you can place her on a wig stand. I weave a hanger through the nape and hang it in a shower or a doorway. Be warned - the wig will still be dripping so make sure if not in the shower that there is a towel beneath where the wig is drying.
15. Wigs typically dry within 2 hours.
16. Give your wig a shake or a finger comb or combing and place her on your head or back on her stand or gently back into her box.