Once you have invested in a real hair wig that you love and wear with confidence, it’s important that you know how best to care for it. Understanding how to wash a human hair wig helps to keep it looking and feeling flawless for longer, and it’s extremely simple to incorporate into your wig-wearing routine.
Washing a Human Hair Wig
If your real hair wig is in need of a little TLC, one of the first steps you should take is to wash it. If your wig is especially dry or frizzy, have a look at our previous blog on making a human hair wig soft again. For day-to-day maintenance and care of your human hair wig, check out the video below and follow our easy steps to wash your human hair wig.
- De-Tangle
Before beginning to wash your human hair wig, gently de-tangle it using either your fingers or a wig brush or wide-toothed comb. This is an important step as it helps to get rid of any nasty knots or tangles before the washing process begins. You might be tempted to brush it through when you are shampooing or conditioning, but brushing while wet can cause damage to the fibres, so make sure you do this first!
- Soak Your Wig
Start by placing your wig under lukewarm water. It’s easiest to do this under the tap of a sink, so you can keep all the necessary products next to you. While soaking your human hair wig, make sure that the water runs in the same direction as the wig hairs, as this will help your wig to remain tangle-free throughout the process.
- Shampoo Your Human Hair Wig
Once your wig has been soaked, apply a fair amount of wig shampoo to the crown of the wig. Gently disperse the shampoo throughout the wig using your fingers, starting from the top of the wig and working the product down to the ends.
Remember, you only want to work the product in gently – avoid scrubbing or harshly rubbing the wig.
- Rinse Away the Shampoo
Gently rinse the shampoo out of your human hair wig by running it under the tap, remembering to keep the water flowing in the same direction as the hair lies. The running water tends to remove most of the product, but you can make encourage the process by gently running your fingers through the wig whilst it is under the tap.
- Condition Your Human Hair Wig
Next up, it’s time to condition! Using your wig conditioner, apply this to the crown of the wig and, like before, gently run the product through the wig so that the conditioner isn’t concentrated in one area.
- Rinse Away the Conditioner
Just like you did with the shampoo, return your wig to under the tap and allow the water to rinse off any remaining conditioner.
As an added treat for your human hair wig, you could also follow the Jon Renau wig care plan and spray it with the Argan Smooth Treatment Mist – this will help to strengthen the hairs and reduce the wig’s drying time.
- Dry Your Human Hair Wig
Drying your human hair wig has to be done with absolute care to prevent any unwanted damage. To get rid of any excess water, gently squeeze the wig with your hands. Start from the top of the wig and make your way down to the bottom.
Next, lie your wig down with a towel under it and on top of it (this can be two towels or one towel folded). Carefully press your hands over the top towel to encourage excess moisture to leave the wig and be absorbed by the towel. This should help to take away enough moisture that your wig is no longer dripping wet.
To allow it to dry fully, place your human hair wig onto a wig stand and keep it out of direct sunlight. This allows the wig to sit in its natural shape while it dries.
Check out our wig stand guide to find a wig stand that will work best for you and your wig; we find them to be extremely useful and effective in storing a wig whilst it dries.
And voila! You have a lovely and squeaky clean human hair wig! It really is as simple as it sounds. As long as you’re careful throughout the whole process, your wig will look better than ever.
How Often Should I Wash My Human Hair Wig?
Generally, we would recommend washing your wig every six to eight wears. This allows you to maintain a clean, fresh wig and prolong the life of your wig without over-washing it, which can lead to a lifeless, dull wig, or even cause damage to the fibres.
If you prefer to wear a wig every day, one tip is to buy a couple of wigs – these might be several of the same style or all different styles if you like to mix it up. That way, you can swap between your wigs to avoid wearing one out too quickly (and you won’t be stuck when you’re waiting for your freshly-washed wig to dry!).
Products for Washing a Human Hair Wig
Once you know how to wash a human hair wig, make sure you have the right wig care products that will make the process even more effective. It’s important that you only use products specifically developed for human hair wigs, as synthetic wigs have different care needs. You can learn how to care for a synthetic wig over on our blog.
We have developed a collection of reputable and lovely wig care brands, all of which are suitable for washing your human hair wig. Browse our wig care collection to find the right products for you and your wig.
Can I wash my human hair wig without wig shampoo?
There are companies out there which suggest using baking soda, dish soap, baby shampoo or even laundry detergent to wash your wig, but we do not recommend these methods. They may permanently alter or damage your wig, reducing its quality and lifespan.
We have also seen misinformation being spread that you can’t use wig shampoo on human hair wigs, because it’s only for synthetic wigs. This is not true. There are specialised wig care products for both synthetic and human hair wigs, such as the Ellen Wille Pure Power Human Hair set, including shampoo, conditioning balm and Care’N’Repair. Alternatively, check out our guide to human hair wig care with Jon Renau.
Remember, you should definitely never use regular shampoo on a wig, as it can be overly harsh on the fibres. It’s important that you use the correct products to maximise your wig’s lifespan and looks.
Daily Maintenance and Care for a Human Hair Wig
Keeping your wig clean is key for its longevity and to ensure it remains in top condition for as long as possible. Have a look at our other blogs on wearing wigs every day and fixing wigs with damage to ensure you keep your wig looking fabulous, or contact our friendly team for advice or guidance.
You can also browse our collection of human hair wigs to find your new favourite style. Happy wig-wearing!
Very Informative añd Helpful learning tips on How to care for Your Human Hair Wigs
Very helpful and informative .Have just bought my first real hair wig so good to know how to care for it .