How to Tame a Wig

Clean your wig as often as you would clean your own hair.

Wig frizz is never a good thing. Just like when your natural hair is out of control, wig hair that is wild is rarely an attractive look. However, wig frizz is relatively easy to tame and wig owners usually have most of the items needed in their beauty products arsenal to control the fly-aways. Taming wig frizz is easiest when you start with a clean wig.

Things You'll Need

• Wig stand
• Sink or bucket
• Wig comb
• Wig shampoo
• Wig conditioner
• Towel
• Wig spray

Instructions

Clean Your Wig

1. 

   When combing a wig, make sure to get the hair on the underside.

   Comb all the knots and tangles from your wig. Start at the hair ends and work your way up to the roots to reduce stress on the hair.

2. Fill a sink or bucket with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of wig shampoo to the water. Mix it well.

3. Place the wig gently in the water. Swirl it around for a few minutes with a light touch. Leave the wig to sit in bubbly water for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the wig from the water and drain the sink or bucket. Rinse out the shampoo bubbles. Refill the vessel with clean, cold water. Submerge the wig in clean water and swirl it around for three minutes. Let the wig sit in the water for five minutes.

5. Remove the wig from water and drain it. Refill sink or bucket with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of conditioner. Return the wig to water and repeat the steps above that you did with the shampoo but do them this time with conditioner. Swirling and soaking times are the same.

Taming the Clean Wig

1. Remove the wig from the clean water once the conditioner is completely removed. Spritz the wig with leave-in conditioner.

2. Place the wig on the towel and gently roll it up. Make sure not to twist the towel or roll it up too tightly. Leave the wig in the rolled towel for 15 minutes.

3. Shake the wig out gently once the 15 minutes is up. Place it on the wig stand to air dry, preferably overnight.

4. Spritz more leave-in conditioner on the completely dry wig. Style the wig as you normally do.

5. Spritz the wig with wig spray if there are any remaining frizzy hairs. Spray as much of the product as you need to completely tame the wig.

Tips & Warnings

• Only use styling products and tools -- including combs -- that have been specifically designed for wigs. Using items intended for natural hair is not the best choice for wigs.

• To remove make-up stains from a wig, use a soft toothbrush to gently rub it away when the wig is submerged in the shampoo water.

• When the wig is one the wig stand, keep it out of direct sunlight to maintain its healthy appearance.

• If the wig is treated too roughly during cleaning and taming processes, you can damage the hair.

References

• Surviving Hair Loss: Ways to Proper Wig Care
• Hair Care: An Illustrated Dermatologic Handbook; Zoe Diana Draelos