While there are some similarities in the way you wash synthetic and human hair, you need completely different products to care for them. In this blog post, Georgina will outline how to wash human hair toppers and wigs, and offer advice on the different products you will need – plus things to avoid!
How often should I wash my piece?
Less is more! I wash my human hair pieces as little as possible. In fact, I only really wash them if the cap/base is smelly (from head sweat) or has a build-up of hair spray/styling products. Probably once every 6-8 weeks. If you wear the same piece every day, you might want to wash it a little more often.
The follicles that house the hair that grows out of our heads produce oils to keep the hair in good condition. Human hair toppers and wigs obviously do not have follicles and so there is not a regular supply of natural oil.
When you wash a human hair piece, you are stripping away the oil on the hair and so it is important to use a gentle and hydrating shampoo and conditioner. We have our own range of Hydrating Hair Care Products that have been specially formulated for use on human hair wigs and toppers.
We have also created an Argan Oil Treatment to use on the lengths and ends of your topper/wig after washing or between washes.
How to wash
- When washing your human hair topper/wig, make sure any clips are closed before you begin and gently brush any knots out of the hair.
- Run the piece under running water to wet the hair. Lukewarm water is best.
- Get a 2p size blob of shampoo and gently massage it into the hair. Don’t rub or scrub the hair, as that will make it tangle. Don’t worry if you get shampoo on the cap/base, it won’t damage the knots. Plus you can use the shampoo to clean the cap/base.
- Rinse well under running lukewarm water. This might take longer than you would normally rinse the hair on your head.
- Next get a 1p size blob off conditioner and put it through the lengths and ends of the hair. The most important thing to note here is that you should only put conditioner on the lengths and ends of the hair – not on the roots. You must keep it away from the knots as it can make them come loose and hair might fall out of your topper/wig.
- I like to leave the conditioner on the hair for about 10 minutes and then rinse it off under running water. The reason for rinsing this way is to prevent tangling. If you submerge the hair in water and try to wash off the shampoo or conditioner it is much more likely to get tangled.
- Never try to dry your piece from soaking wet with a hairdryer. You can pat the hair dry with a towel, but again don’t rub it! I leave my pieces to air dry on an open plastic stand. If you try to dry your piece on a closed wig head, e.g. polystyrene or canvas, it will take longer to dry and might make the cap and stand a bit smelly and soggy.
- Do not brush the hair when it is wet, as it will damage the hair. You should be fine to brush it once it is 80-90% dry. Then you can also style it with a hairdryer. Make sure you use heat protection spray whenever you use a heat styling product on your piece.
For more tips and tricks on washing toppers, check out my video!
