What Is a Human Hair Blend Wig?

Whether you are interested in buying a wig for the first time or are an established member of the wig-wearing community, we appreciate that human hair blend wigs can be mystifying for the uninitiated. While these hairpieces are a diverse option with numerous benefits for occasional and everyday wear, their particular composition warrants further investigation before committing to their purchase.

In this article, we will explain what human hair blend wigs are, highlighting the positives and potential drawbacks of their design, before offering our insights on how to care for these unique hairpieces.

What Is a Human Hair Blend Wig?

As their name suggests, human hair blend wigs are hybrid hairpieces that combine human hair with synthetic fibres to improve their style retention as well as their resistance to heated styling tools, so that their owners can experiment with different hairstyles. The composition of human hair blends varies from wig to wig, with some hairpieces having lower ratios of human hair to synthetic fibres and others featuring 70–80% Remy human hair.

The ratio and quality of the hair used in the wig will be reflected in its cost and lifespan, with higher-priced human hair blend wigs lasting much longer, provided they are properly maintained.

Heat-friendly synthetic fibres

Remy human hair

Virgin or raw human hair

Pros and Cons of Human Hair Blend Wigs

Before you decide to purchase a human hair blend wig, it is important to be aware of the pros and cons posed by this type of hairpiece. While their ability to retain their style, paired with their heat resistance, has made them popular with experienced and beginner wig wearers alike, even the best human hair blend wig will be unable to match the durability of a pure human hairpiece. At Simply Wigs, we encourage our customers to evaluate these factors to ensure they choose the wig that is best suited to their lifestyle and styling preferences.

The pros of human hair blend wigs include:

Style Retention – During the manufacturing process, the synthetic components of human hair blend wigs are heated to specific temperatures such that they hold their style after being washed. This makes them ideal for wig wearers with busy schedules, as they can achieve the same look time and again without having to use styling tools.
Styling Freedom – Many human hair blend wigs are comprised of heat-resistant synthetic fibres, such that they can be curled and straightened using heated styling tools. This makes it much easier to achieve different hairstyles without the fear of damaging your wig or the expense of purchasing a different hairpiece.
Affordability – While the price of human hair blend wigs fluctuates depending on their ratio of human to synthetic fibres, they are usually cheaper than pure human hair wigs. This makes them an excellent option for anyone looking to diversify their style without going over budget.
Lightweight – As synthetic fibres do not retain moisture like natural hair, these wigs are typically lighter to wear than their human hair counterparts. This makes them an excellent option for everyday wear, as you are unlikely to feel weighed down or overheated while at work or out in public.

Lightweight

Hold style well

Natural look

Affordable

While we try not to dwell on the negatives, there are some cons of human hair blend wigs that you should consider:

Less Natural – Although the shape and texture of human hair blend wigs are incredibly similar to real hair, their synthetic fibres can lend these hairpieces an unnatural sheen after repeated styling.
Regular Maintenance – Despite their style memory, human hair blend wigs require much more maintenance than synthetic hairpieces to ensure their human hair fibres retain their softness and shine.
Shorter Lifespans – With diligent maintenance and minimal heat styling, human hair blend wigs can last between 6 months and a year, which is roughly half the lifespan of pure human hair. It is important to note that the synthetic elements of these wigs can degrade faster than human hair, resulting in certain sections losing their lustre faster than others.

More complex maintenance

Uneven wear over time

How to Care for Human Hair Blend Wigs

On the Simply Wigs blog, we have discussed how to wash human hair wigs and techniques for washing synthetic wigs extensively in the past, emphasising the importance of using specific wig care products that are designed for either type of wig. As you can imagine, this process is complicated when your wig combines two different types of fibres, but we believe we have found a solution that addresses the needs of its natural and synthetic components.

While synthetic fibres benefit from less intensive wig care products to prevent them from becoming matted or greasy, as the natural oils of human hair wigs need regularly replenishing, we recommend using wig shampoo and conditioner designed for human hair. That being said, you should only wash your human hair blend wig when it is absolutely necessary to prevent the synthetic fibres from being prematurely damaged, while employing the soak, rinse and gentle squeeze technique to avoid breakages.

For more information about how to care for human hair blend wigs, or for more insights on the differences between human hair, human hair blend and synthetic hairpieces, please get in touch with our wig experts today!