When it comes to buying your first wig, the question that often comes to mind is how long do wigs last? Depending on how you care for your wig and whether you want a synthetic or human hair wig, the lifespan of your wig can vary greatly.
Today, we will be looking at how long human hair wigs last compared to how long synthetic wigs last while offering some of our best wig care tips so that your wig can maintain its flawless style for as long as possible!
How Long Do Wigs Last?
To determine how long your wig will last, you have to consider two factors. Firstly, and most importantly, how you treat your wig will greatly impact how long your wig lasts. Whether you have a synthetic or human hair wig, you should be as delicate and gentle as you can be whilst wearing, caring and storing it.
Secondly, your personal opinion on when you need to replace a wig will dictate how long you are willing to stick with it. Of course, you want your wig to look and feel as gorgeous as when you first bought it, but the quality of your wig and how it was constructed may affect how long your wig feels comfortable to wear.
How Long Do Human Hair Wigs Last?
For many, a human hair wig is an investment that the wearer hopes to use for a long time. With the proper care, human hair wigs last between one and three years, with their lifespan increasing the more occasionally you wear them.
How Long Do Synthetic Wigs Last?
Synthetic wigs can comfortably last between 4 to 6 months when worn every day. They tend to have a shorter lifespan than human hair wigs as they are prone to tangling which affects their day to day resilience.
If you’ve noticed that your wig doesn’t hold its shape, the synthetic hair has shed, or that there is too much frizz, it may be time to look for your next wig style. To make sure your wig looks and feels fantastic, it’s vital to invest the time and effort into your wig care routine.
How to Make a Human Hair Wig Last Longer
A human hair wig doesn’t receive the oils and vitamins from the scalp like your natural hair would in order to keep it rejuvenated after styling and daily life. So here are a few hints and tips to keep your human hair wig in the best condition possible:
Wash delicately
Delicately wash your human hair wig with extra attention and be sure to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. To prolong the lifespan of your gorgeous human hair wig, please take a read of our guide on how to properly wash wigs so they are given the extra TLC they deserve.
Style when damp
It’s best to style your heatless wig when slightly damp to make sure the hair doesn’t become too brittle. For example, if you want to achieve a heatless curl, it’s best to put rollers into the hair when wet rather than using heat styling products.
Styling products
When using wig styling products such as hair straighteners and curlers, always use them at a low temperature. When you do use these products, make sure to use a heat protection spray and avoid using styling products near the roots of your lovely human hair wig.
Blow-dry your wig with caution
The individual hair strands of human hair wigs tend to be attached to the cap using a tying technique. If you overuse a hairdryer, this can cause the knots to become loose and in turn, result in the human hair shedding..
How to Make a Synthetic Wig Last Longer
A synthetic wig can look as natural as a human hair wig when you put the following wig care tips into practice. Luckily, synthetic wigs are easy to care for as they are intended to hold their shape with minimum effort required.
Keep it clean
It’s normal for your synthetic wig to get dirty with everyday wear. So, it would be best if you took the time to wash your fibre wig properly, ensuring not to use too much force on the delicate fibres.
The right products
A hugely important factor in keeping your wig in the best condition is using the right wig care products. If you don’t use specialist wig care products, you’ll damage your synthetic wig and shorten its lifespan.
Wig rotation
A top tip is to have more than one wig on rotation. Not only does this help to extend the lifespan of your wigs, but it also reduces the number of times you need to wash them and allows you to experiment with new wig styles!
Wear with care
Just like you need to wash your wig gently, you also need to wear it with care. Be especially delicate when putting on your wig, especially with a lace front wig as you don’t want to damage the delicate layers. Try and refrain from pulling or tugging on your wig with force as it can be difficult to feel exactly how much pressure you are using.
Use with care
To keep your synthetic or human hair wig in tip-top condition, we recommend storing your wig on a wig stand away from excess heat and direct sunlight. Storing your wig correctly, especially when travelling, will ensure that it remains in the best shape and that the hair fibres won’t become damaged or tangled.
Why do Human Hair Wigs Last Longer than Synthetic Wigs?
The origin and processing
Human hair wigs are great for everyday use as they tend to last longer than synthetic wigs due to the quality and origin of the original hair. Typically, a higher-quality manufacturing process will result in a superior product. Once the human hair has been sourced, it has to go through further processing. The hair has to be chemically stripped back so that the manufacturer can determine the end product. This processing will determine the hair’s overall strength as the chemicals needed to clean and strip the original hair can vary between manufacturers.
The quality
In better-quality human hair wigs, the hair has had the least processing, colour treatments and will not include silicone additives (used to make the hair softer). Remy human hair is a type of of human hair which is considered a premium option. Hair follicles are kept running in the same direction when collecting and crafting the wig. With all the cuticles running in the same direction, tangling is greatly reduced, and the hair looks and feels silkier.
The treatment
A common reason synthetic wigs don’t last as long as human hair wigs is because people unknowingly treat them the same as human hair wigs. For example, unless you have a heat resistant synthetic wig, you could permanently damage the synthetic fibres if you use a hairdryer, straightener or curler on them.
Concluding on How Long Wigs Last
And there you have it! We hope you now understand how long synthetic and human hair wigs tend to last, and how you can prolong the lifespan of your beautiful wig with the proper care. For all our best top tips in one place, you may find our ultimate guide to wig styling a useful read!
The problem with my synthetic wigs is, that even before they get frizzy the elastic inside them gets overstretched and they become too loose to wear. My scalp is very oily, perhaps this is the issue. Any tips?
I am using the human hair wig since long time. Its totally perfect due to care because wigs also needs proper care and maintenance services for long term usage.
Hi
Great website and great selection of really useful comments.Has anyone found the answer to wearing hair pieces in the wind?I buy human hair toppers,but although brilliant when you open the box,weather makes them tangly and matted.I would like to wear a hat but that causes friction and matting!Help please.Thanks
Thanks Kathleen, Thanks for your suggestion.
I do have a steamer and I do ‘steam curl’ my wigs.
The point is that with HD wigs, the frizz has to be hot ironed out first, before you can curl the fibres.. It won’t smooth out with steam, as it would with a normal synthetic wig.
I find that frazzled ends build up very quickly on HD fibres, despite the products used – nothing to do with heat, just friction where the fibres touch clothing or skin.
This is why I say that HD wigs are lovely and very versatile, but time-consuming to maintain in comparison with human hair or ordinary synthetic wigs.
Just read your comment. Go on you tube and see how to steam curl you hair piece or wig. Great results. You tube is great for sharing everything you need know about wigs. x Kathleen
There are pros and cons. I have been using all types of wigs for years. Generally, I prefer human hair. I have made many mistakes over the years: mainly using standard hair products rather than the recommended ( and very expensive) specialist wig products. You just can’t use standard dyes, cleansers, masks or conditioners on modern wigs, although I can remember dyeing human hair wigs 40 odd years ago, with good results. Everything about human hair is expensive: everything about human hair is time-consuming. I cherish mine now. I buy 2 or 3 and they last me a year.
I wash the wigs T-pinned to a polystyrene wig block. I then put large rollers in and blow dry. Gisela Meyer and Ellen Wille products are good.
If you wish to dull down a bright blonde, the Jon Renau violet toner is excellent and doesn’t damage the hair.
I have recently tried heat defiant synthetic. I had one Racquel Welch and one Jon Renau. Both frizz badly and then need straightening before being re-curled and washed. We are talking about a couple of hours here!
If you can afford human hair, I do recommend it. However, having said that, I will always be seduced be the gorgeous colours and styles in synthetic wigs.
That was a long lecture! Sorry! X
I’m somewhat confused!
I’ve been buying toppers which are made from Remmy hair for a year or so and in that time I’ve had to buy about 6 of them! They are lovely and silky smooth the start with but after their first wash they start to look like badly cared for hair – generally a bit frizzy and as if the hair has been dyed too many times. As they are toppers my own hair is visible and is in much better condition that the hair on the topper.
I follow all advice as above and as they get a little worse I try to add styling products like smoothing crème but the effect is short lived. I also use the conditioner sold on here after washing.
Last week whilst on holiday I accidentally got into the shower whilst still wearing my topper.(it is extremely comfortable!) As I put my hands up to wash my hair I realised straight away and whipped the topper off and placed it on a towel to sort out later. I’d only been using it a couple of weeks and it was just about ruined.
So my experience is that they don’t last very long at all!
Hi
I have my human hairpiece over 45 years. It’s been permed, bleached , coloured back to my own colour. I wore it on Sunday and every one admired my hair.
It’s not perfect but it hasn’t lost its shine or bounce. It may help I was a hairdresser.
I love my human hairpiece.