Wig Shampoo vs Regular Shampoo on a Wig
Do I Need to Use Special Products on my Wig?
Yes, you need to use a wig shampoo for your synthetic wig and for your human hair wig. What will happen if I use shampoo bought for my natural growing hair on my wig? Bottom line: If you decide to use regular shampoo on your wig, it will get very dry and brittle. Shampoo products from a drug store or big box store will have harsh chemicals additives that will damage and dry out the hair.
Your scalp produces oils constantly. That oil production keeps your scalp moist so it keeps your hair from drying out. Regular shampoo removes the oily build up from your hair. Wigs for cancer patients do not grow from your head so they do not get oily.
Synthetic hair wigs or human hair wigs are not attached to your scalp. Therefore, they do not have an oily build up. They get dirty just like your favorite sweater after wearing it a few times. Because this is environmental dirt not greasy hair, it doesn’t require the same products.
How to Wash a Wig?
Before you wash you a wig, you need to know whether it is a human hair wig or a synthetic hair wig. Watch our youtube videos on How to Wash a Synthetic Wig and How to Wash a Human Hair Wig.
Wash A Synthetic Wig
Wash a synthetic wig in cool to room temperature water. You don’t want any heat, as it may change the style of your wig. Place two cap fulls of the wig shampoo into the basin of the water container and stir it until it is mixed into the water. Now turn your wig inside out, supporting it with an open hand, and dunk your wig into the soapy water without swishing or swirling, allowing it to submerge. Then, lift your synthetic wig straight up out of the water, allowing gravity and water to pull any dirt from the wig without swirling or swishing. Repeat this six times, and on the final soak, let the water run free to remove any excess suds, before placing the wig on a towel. Remember, there is no need to scrub it or make it lather like your regular hair.
Now empty your basin of the shampoo water, and refill it with cool to room temperature water that has no shampoo in it. With clean water, repeat the dipping process until you have removed all the shampoo from the synthetic wig. Then, put two cap fulls of the wig conditioner into the basin and repeat the dipping process, followed by putting the synthetic wig back on the towel. Finally, empty the basin of conditioner water, and repeat the dipping process with clean water to remove the conditioner from the wig. This time only dip the synthetic wig 3-4 times, to leave some of the conditioner in the wig to prevent static cling.
Follow the video for carefully drying the synthetic wig and combing it out again.
Wash A Human Hair Wig
Using regular shampoo on wig can cause many problems. If you have a synthetic wig you are essentially washing a delicate fabric in a detergent made to strip oil. All the shampoo will do is strip away at the fabric. If you have a natural hair piece and use anything other than wig shampoo it will make the hair start to deteriorate or change the color. If it is a highlighted unit, regular shampoo will strip the color or make it start oxidizing and change the color. It will also make the hair in your cancer wig dry out since it does not get greasy like natural hair.
If you have already used regular shampoo it may not be too late for damage control. First, stop using these products and switch to wig shampoo immediately. Then the use of a deep conditioner might restore some of the moisture to a human hair wig. For more information about what kind of conditioners to use on your chemo wig or to make an appointment please call us.
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