Wigs Wig Maintenance: Care, Washing, Cleaning and Storage of Wigs

You can certainly brush/comb wigs--in fact, after awhile they really need it. With a long wig, I comb it a section at a time starting at the bottom so I don't yank hair out. Generally when I first get wigs they look nice and sleek, because they've been in a hairnet to keep them smooth. I store extra wigs in their hairnets to try and keep them nice. Wigs from different companies will have different textures and some tangle more easily than others, some are thicker than others, etc. My personal favorites are Monique, Volks, and Leeke World, but you might end up liking completely different companies. I've never gotten a wig from Mint on Card or DOD, so I'm not really sure what they're like.

 

Thank you so much, this has helped me alot!

 

Okay. I've had my boys wig for almost a year now. It seriously needs a washing. But I don't know what to wash it with. I don't want to ruin it. Does anyone know how to wash a faux fur wig?

 

In a sink of cool/cold water. A little bit of detergent (woolite or similar.) Not too much soap, or it'll take forever to rinse it out. Swoosh it around a bit and then rinse it well. (I would refill the sink with clean water and then swish the wig around a few times, for rinsing. Repeat with clean wash baths until it's free of soap. I'm used to working with wool, which risks felting if you hold it directly under running water.)

Then find a nice safe spot for it to air dry (where it's protected from pets, being mistaken for a giant dust bunny, or at risk of falling on a hot surface.)

Never ever try to "help" the drying along by using a hair dryer. Not even if the hair dryer is set to "cool".

 

Okay! That was very helpful. Thank you very much!

 

Box fans make nice hair dryers.

 

wow.
which shampoo would you guys recommand for washing?

 

I know curls in wigs can be restored with hot water, but... how do you restore a crimped wig? My youngest nephew somehow decided brushing out one of my doll's wigs would be a good idea, and now Saki's hair has gone from crimped and smooth into a hugely poofed flyaway mess! Help?

 

Hi ^^. I have this problem with my dollfie's wig, its curly in curls and its quite messy and smelly. I want to wash it but I'm afriad to do so. What shampoo do you use or advise for me to use? Conditioner? I was thinking to use Pantene but will it hurt the wig? How do you clean it? Please help! Thanks!

Edit: It's a volks wig btw! XD

 

I have/use Volks shampoo you can buy it on their site.
Or you can go to a beauty salon like Sally's and find a wig shampoo. You'll probably have to reset the curls though. (If you use a pick instead of a brush the curls should stay in though)

 

Thanks! How do you reset curls and stuff? Sorry for being ignorant
I never have had curls as a hairdo in my life. It's a nightmare now

 

You use the pick to be able to re-bunch the curls. You might also need to just pull them separate and pick each curl together again. They are usually not too hard to bring back into place (On real hair at least they aren't).

 

Use warm water, not hot, and any mild soap. Human shampoo is not the best, because it usually contains things to treat your hair, not just wash it, and whatever is on your doll's wig is probably from your hands, so soaps you wash your hands with are more appropriate. I think the two times I've washed wigs I used dish soap or glycerin hand soap.

 

I haven't had to use shampoo on my wigs yet... usually a rinse in warm water does the trick. For conditioner I use a spray conditioning product that's actually designed for human wigs. But since doll wigs are made from the same materials, it works just fine. ^_^ It's a Revlon product for Synthetic Hair. You just spray in and comb with a pick, and it works wonderfully.

Link to the product at the Sally Beauty Supply site:
http://www.sallybeauty.com/Conditioner-Synthetic-Hair/SBS-172597,default,pd.html

One bottle cost me about $7, and it'll last me a LONG time. I've been using it on cosplay and doll wigs for a couple of years and still have plenty to spare.

As for the curls... I have used the spray conditioner on curly wigs, you just have to comb gently, slowly and kind of in the direction of the curl. I comb it in locks, separating each spiral and combing it separately. It takes some patience, but it'll make a world of difference in some wigs.

 

I use a product called Mane and Tail on my human wings (kanekalon fiber) for cosplay, but will this be good the dolls?

I'm not sure if the product contains any oils that would be damaging to the resin, but the detangler works wonders on my Chrno wig and it's about 2 1/2 feet long.

Another question: Fabric soaps, like Woolite Zero Darkwash and other products. Some people say they're good, others say they're bad, same with regular shampoo for humans. The basic care instructions for the Sepia cosplay wigs says to use a quality shampoo, but I'm not sure if human shampoos will be alright for a doll's resin.

There has been confusion on this subject and lots of conflicting stories. People use it, but is it really good for your resin?

 

On restyling curly wigs: I was skimming page one of this thread when I found Nikita's spot-on explanation of how to curl wigs. It reminded me of something, which may be able to solve one of the main problems - finding curlers tiny enough!

When I was a kid, I had one of the American Girl dolls. She had a kit of incy little rollers and perm papers so you could curl her hair. Now, I'm not sure since Mattel took over the company, but the old AG dolls had the same type of hair that BJD wigs are made out of. Even if it's different now, the little curlers would still be perfect - and more or less in scale for photoshoots, just as a bonus!

Off I went to the AG website, and sure enough, they sell not one but FOUR styling kits that include rollers. The cheapest is only $15.

AGD Care Products

 

I think read somewhere on DoA about uber-cheap setting rollers made from drinking straws and pipe cleaners. Basically your thread a short length of straw with a length of pipe cleaner about twice as long. Roll up the hair and bend the pipe cleaner to secure. I recall something about spraying with setting solution, too, but I thought perhaps hot water or a warm hair dryer might have a similar effect. I haven't tried it yet but I love ideas based on easy-to-find stuff around my house.

 

hello everyone! I have recently purchased 3 tibetan mohair wigs for my new Narae and was wondering if anyone had tips on how to care for or style? I love the slightly curled look the wigs have but am unsure how to keep it that way

 

Alrighty, it's been a few days now, so I'm gonna ask again:

Does anyone know if the Mane 'n Tail detangler and Leave-in Daily Conditioners are bad for the resin? The ingredients list doesn't look like it contains oils, though it does have a lot of flower extracts that I've never heard of.

Thanks for any help. :3

PS: I recently used it on my cosplay wig, and there doesn't seem to be any oily residues or anything, and I had to practically soak the wig in the detangler. ^^;

 

I bought my Kid Delf Aru girl her wig 2nd hand from e-bay and it arrived looking rather frazzled (a combination of frizz & looking fried). I want to wash it to make it look nicer/softer. So is it really ok to use human shampoo (I don't have wig shampoo or anything) and fabric softener? It is curly of a sort, but not the ringlet type...and I don't really want riglets. Here are pictures to show what I'm talking about.





And here are the little clip on extras that came with it. These actually aren't as frazzled and are more the look I want for the whole wig. It looks like they have gel or something in them.



So I was thinking a leave in conditioner or a very small amount of gel or mousse would work?? I have sauve mousse (for curls ironically), but when would you put it on? While it is damp or dry? Any and all tips would be appreciated! Oh, I have not tried combing or brushing this wig since I was afraid it would just make it worse.

 

I got a wig from Luts (KDW-45, I think) and I really like it and all. The back is soft and easy to work with, but the bangs are stiff like there's hairspray in them. It's fine for now, but in case I don't want him having emo bangs that won't move from over his eye in the future, can someone give me tips on how to safely wash it out without damaging the wig? It's a really nice wig and I definately don't want to end up ruining it (especially after getting over the stickershock for the shipping). Any help would be very much apreciated.

 

I've read you can wash wigs with warm water and a bit of dish soap, just swish them around and gently go through it to see that all the spray or whatever is out. They should be allowed to air dry, since heat can hurt wigs.

If the wig is curled, you need to take more care with it, since warm or hot water can soak down the curls.

 

If it really is just hairspray, you can just dip just the bangs in water and massage the product out with your fingers. You don't have to get the whole wig wet. ^^

After your done, be sure to arrange it on something that won't mess up their shape, like a ball on a stick. =3

 

Thanks! I don't know if I'll even wash it out right away. I just wanted to know, just in case. I'll try just water, first, and if that doesn't work, I'll try a little dishsoap. I wonder if baby shampoo would be good/better? I have most of a bottle from when my cat was just a kitten and had fleas but was too small for flea shampoo or any treatment. I haven't really had to bathe him since then, so I still have most of the bottle.

 

Hi! I don't have my boy yet, but I've decided that I'm going to order this wig with him. - http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step1.php?number=1582

I wasn't really thinking about washing it, but a lot of people have said that dark colored wigs can stain the doll's head.

I don't have a problem with washing it, the only thing that is bothering me is if the wig will dry to be the way it was before it got washed. So my question is, is it safe to wash this kind of wig without messing it up?

Oh, and it would be alright to wash it with human shampoo right? Just want to get the facts straight so my little boy doesn't have to be bald and waiting for a new wig.

 

Okay, I was wondering what type of cleaning soaps would someone use to clean a wig? Not that I plan on getting any dirty but I need to clean them every once in a while, right? So how would I go about doing that?

Thankies for any help!


​

 

To a certain extent it depends on what the wig is made of. If the wig is made of the same sort of stuff as 1/6 scale doll hair (barbie, jenny, momoko, etc...) then you can use a gentle dishwashing liquid and follow that up with a light soak and rinse with fabric softener. I've used this method with several wigs and had excellent results. The dishwashing liquid cleans it and the fabric softener is like conditioner!

Now if it's a mohair wig I'm not as certain. Since mohair is a natural fiber you may want to use something more like shampoo. All I can tell you for certain with Mohair is DO NOT USE ANYTHING WITH OXYCLEAN in it. Oxyclean will destroy animal based fibers like silk and wools.

 

What about a human hair wig? Can I just use normal people shampoo and conditioner?

 

Wow, that was extremely informative! Thanks!

 

I'm afraid I've never owned one so I really can't say for sure - but if you google human hair wig cleaning you'll probably find plenty of sites with info

 

I heard baby shampoo works well on wigs

 

Newly merged Washing wig threads

 

I washed my BC wig with a little bit of dishwashing detergent in a bowl of warm water, then rinsed it in a bowl of cold water (by moving around in circles and figure 8s). It's turned out really nicely! It's a lot less messy now, and smoother . The wig was wavy, and I was afraid the waves would straighten in the water, but it turned out fine ^^.

 

Oh my,

I have been washing my wigs with dish detergent, got some from eBay which stank so badly cigaret smoke, so regular shampoo did not take the smell of. But good old Joy did, glad I did not ruin the wigs, now that I am reading this thread.

I think I am going to order the wig shampoo now that I realized it is available.

 

I wash my wigs before ever putting them on my dolls head (this ensures no staining) and use a gentle mild shampoo - baby shampoo - in lukewarm water . . . all my wigs though I bought directly from a company and not second hand - so I would double check to make sure that your wigs are in good/new/decent condition.

 

I was actually thinking about starting a 'wig care' thread since there doesn't seem to be a specific location of information about doll wigs.

Then I found this thread.

I think it'd be awesome if someone could summarize the main points in the thread and sticky it as a kinda 'newbie' guide.

 

I second it. It would be easier to look for answer to common questions on wigs. I need to wash my girl's wig got all the curls all frizzy and there were countless knot.

 

I too would like some care tips on fur wigs. Hope I didn't miss anything in this thread. Please and thank you

 

A sticky would be great! Since some tips are repeated and some are proved wrong.

 

question: Has anyone ever dyed or otherwise intentionally changed the color of a wig? If so, do you have any pointers on upkeep of said wig?

Since the style/size I want is almost never in the right color (the one that is the right color is way too big for the doll I'm buying) I have considered getting the wig in white or light blond and dying the wig with kool-aid and vinegar. I know this works on real hair (lol tested it on my own head), but I am not 100% certain it will work on a synthetic wig.

 

I think there is a wig dyeing thread somewhere here at DoA. If I remember correctly, you can't use Kool-Aid to dye synthetic hair, and don't even think about using sharpies.

Personally, I would like to know if a wig, either synthetic or fur, could be overdyed to look like it had a rinse of color. I want a dark brown/black wig to have a burgendy/purple cast to it, like the hair had been rinsed in wine. Any ideas?

 

I just put a hairnet on them, then put them in a plastic bag & store them in one of my large trunks. I have a LOT of wigs so I also have them sorted by type (synthetic, mohair, faux fur), size and color. Makes it much easier to find what I'm looking for.

As far as cleaning, on synthetics it's best to use a mild soap & a fabric softener first rinse. Human shampoos & conditioners aren't really of any use as you're dealing with a fiber, not real hair. For mohair/Tibetan wool you can use human products as they actually are hair, animal hair but still real hair. Just be careful when drying them as they can shrink. It's best to put them on a form the size of the head. And to keep the curl, just gently scrunch them with your fingers as they dry.

 

Okay, so there are many threads and posts about the upkeep of wigs, and how to "defrizz" them, but what about simply having one or more too many "flyaways"?

I just recently got a nice new knee-long sky blue wig for my soon to be doll, and afraid it might stain, I went looking over DOA and happened across quite a few threads about defrizzing and softening.

So I tried the fabric softener, and biosilk methods, but while these made it sweet smelling and somewhat softer, when I brushed it out and let it dry, some of the ends of the hair strands had curled up and looked almost fried. Not satisfied with this, I went to google, and found something even better!

Leave in conditioner (I used Aussie, which had heat-protection too!) and the lowest setting on my conair curling iron (it has 25 settings, and on the first one its not too hot)

Now I know they say keep away from heat, since it melts the plastic, but plastic only melts at a certain temperature, and this must not have been hot enough, because it didn't melt! It actually made my dolly wig softer then with the fabric softner, straightened it some, and tamed most of those straggly flyaways. So to be sure it wasn't just a fluke of my wig (I'm wasn't sure if it was heat resistant or not >_>) I tried it on a frizzed and damaged cosplay wig of mine, and though its not perfect (there were some flyaways, but I think this is the cut) it feels much softer and doesn't look so horrible anymore ^^

Here's the site if you want to check it out: http://jeezlouise.net/how-to-defrizz-a-synthetic-wig/

 

My university major was theatre, and within my major, my focus was costume. As head of wardrobe for productions I've participated in, one of my duties was to be sure all costumes, costume accessories and wigs were cared for and cleaned correctly. I have washed and styled more than my share of natural and synthetic wigs. I hope that my past experience can benefit you all. This is how I care for synthetic wigs (including my own). There are commercially-sold products to wash your wig with, but I've not seen an appreciable difference between using them and the products listed below.

Recipe: Synthetic Wig Care

Ingredients:

A clean basin or tub of some kind that isn't used to store chemicals etc
Mild, diluted soap without oils/lotions/moisturisers
- One part soap to two parts lukewarm water
Mild, diluted fabric softener
- One part softener to two or three parts warm water; this mixture can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Absorbent, colourfast cloth towels
Wig brush for doll-sized wigs
Shaping products of your choice (miniature curlers, mini crimping board, etc)
Wig form or other object to wrap your wig around
Hair dryer (not recommended in excess but useful for a 'quick fix')


Allow the wig to soak for a short time (five-to-ten minutes) in this mixture. Swish the wig a bit, rinse in lukewarm water and spritz the wig with your fabric softener mixture. If a spray bottle is unavailable, sprinkle the mixture over your wig. Rinse wig in lukewarm water and blot-dry with an absorbent towel. You want your wig to be damp after this process is complete.

Place wig on wig form/other object. The reason you do this is to help prevent any possible shrinkage during the drying process. You don't see as much shrinkage with drying a synthetic product as you would a natural-fibre one, but this is a good step (especially if your wig is a little small for your doll's head/a very tight fit).

At this point you want to carefully straighten out as many out-of-place strands as you can by hand. If there are any large tangles, very gently and carefully pull them out. Brush your wig in sections starting from the bottom; use a gentle hand and slowly work out any extra snarls.

Now, you can style your wig as you like. If a wig is styled whilst damp, it will hold that style better (and longer) than if it is done dry. Some people will process their wigs with a small amount of heat in order to attain a specific style. With the exception of very crimped styles, I would not recommend heat processing as wigs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and processing times would certainly vary. A small amount of heat from a good-quality hair dryer on a low setting would likely suffice.

I don't recommend excessive heat processing for doll wigs because often, these wigs are going to be used long-term, perhaps indefinitely. You want to be sure that you are keeping the life of the item in mind when practising any sort of maintenance on a synthetic wig. E.g., if you are wanting a huge crimped red wig for a saucy swimsuit photo-shoot and you have no plans of using it in the future, heat and crimp that that darn wig as you like, keeping the melting/warping point of plastic in mind.

Generally if you place a damp wig in curlers, you can use a good hair dryer on a cool air setting for a -short- time to dry the curls and help set them a bit.

When your wig is dry, stuff the cap with dry paper or lotion-free tissue paper (cheap toilet tissue is amazing for this) and carefully place the styled wig inside a wig net. The reason for using a wig net is to help keep your style set and in place without causing excess stress to the style during wig storage. If it is an intricate/poofy style, you may prefer to place the wig on a stand and put the wig net around the wig, resting the opening near the bottom of the wig stand.

In these measures I speak from my experience caring for human and doll-sized wigs. I hope that your endeavours to maintain and style your wigs pleases you, and that you can maximise the beauty of your product whilst protecting its longevity.

 

i'm glad i found this thread. I've been nervous about getting too many wigs since i know they can be a hassle to maintain. At least my friends cosplay ones are. I always get stuck brushing the long ones out *shivers*

 

I have the following wig:


I wish it looked as good as the picture. With minimal handling (because I'm afraid to touch it), the wig is quickly becoming a rat's nest of snarls and it's shedding hair fiber before I even try to comb it. It feels a bit crunchy, so I'm thinking it has some product on it that keeps the ringlets separated.

What to do? I thought I might comb each ringlet and just accept the hair loss, but I am curious if there's a better solution before I booger up this wig irreparably.

Thanks in advance!

 

Luxuria - I'll have to try this out, the default wig my girl was given looks a bit mangled at the bottom >__<

 

The most I do is toothbrush comb it & when put away, put it back in its original packaging (netted in a ziploc bag). ^^;;

 

Well I've been looking for a while now, and I can't find anywhere as of yet that compiles everything on caring for your dollies wigs! I know there are certain requirements for synthetic wigs especially. Mods, if this is a duplicate please move/remove. ^_^

So! Post here:

~washing--what to use, what not to use
~styling--tips and tricks?
~storage--what temperature, conditions

What I really want to know is about washing a synthetic wig. My boy's hair is a dark red, and I've heard that can stain the resin. So since I don't have any wig caps or anything, I want to wash it before I put it on him, just to be safe. :3 Helporz, plzkthx!

 

I'm such a bjd noob, so yes any info here would help.

 

~washing- usually just warm water is fine. i personally wash them very rarely and dont use any detergents/shampoos since wigs my dolls wear don't get that dirty..theyr not human enough to produce oil at scalp XD

~styling- if the hair is misbehaving and doesn't want to obey my fingertips dry, i sometimes spray just a small amount of water with a bottle that has a nozzle for the water to go out in "mist", so not too much water. i know sometimes other doll owners use some hair wax, just a small amount of it, that afterwards can be washed off with water, but i personally dont use wax.
also, if you want to straighten/curl the hair, you should better use low temperatures to not damage it, and some wigs can not even stand that. >so must be careful with that! if you really like to curl/straighten hair, think about purchasing heat-resistant wigs. (e.g. luts have those, and i dont know about different wigs of other companies that might stand heat as well) those special wigs still cant withhold high temperatures, but you know they will be fine using low temp.

~storage--i wouldnt worry too much about temperature, room temperature is fine. I mean, nobody stores wigs in freezers or ovens as far as i know. you might want to worry a bit for humidity, so that its not too humid, but even that rarely affects wigs too much.


thats as much as i know... have had dolls for last 3 years.

 

Washing: you can wash any symthetic wig with soap or gentle shampoo, just dont use any conditionner except wig conditionner. do not use boiling water or it will damage the wig. You can find wig conditionner ar any store where tey sell wig or extensions.

Styling: depnd on what you want to do but the best thing for styling is hairspray and cisors. the hairspray can be anything, the super cheap stuff is actually the best since your working with plastic.

Storage: temperature does not matter much except extreme heat. if it's a long wig i recommend braiding it so it won't tangle. Putting them in tissue paper help with static and tangles then just carefully store them in a plastic bag ot a box.

hope that helps !

 

Any tips on taming curly wigs that have gotten a little frazzled?
(besides wig conditioner spray, I use that now)

My tips on washing: On dark wigs I soak in warm water and vinegar to set the color. Then rinse well and hang it to dry.
I've used a very small amount of mild liquid hand soap before too because I've gotten secondhand wigs before that have a bit of odd smell or if I can't seem to rinse the vinegar smell out.

Storage: wig nets ( I bought a package of like 50 or something because they get stretched easy.) Most of them I put a ball of tissue in to keep the shape, put a wig net on and put in a plasic bag. Some more delicate ones I use cardboard around or keep in a box.

 

Thanks guys, that really helps.

 

I went to a wig panel at a con that recommended shampoo for horse hair, we were warned that it didn't exactly have a pleasant smell. I've never tried the shampoo but I do use and have revon's shampoo for synthetic hair, which you can get for less that $10 at Sally's. They also make a conditioner that I also use as a leave in and it's been working well for me.

Tip: Bed Head's Health Goddess can work for a substitute conditioner if you have it. I would NOT advise buying it for that purpose only. And Got2b Shine Spray will work on synthetic.

You may want to avoid mooses and gels because they're useless however waxes are fine. Do not buy scissors for hair, too expensive and the acrylic fibers will just be pushed away instead of being cut. The small, pointed (embroidery) scissors work perfectly.

 

Wow thanks for all the advice everyone! This is really really helpful.

@Silver Faction: Not all horse shampoo smells bad...in fact I've never found one that DOES smell bad lol! My horses always smell wonderful after their baths. I've used Cowboy Magic (personal fave, it has rose hips or something in it~ ) and Mane 'n Tail, which you can find even at some Walmarts. That smells really good too. :3

 

Oh and besides Luts, Leekeworld also sells heat-resisting fibre.

Toothbrush also works quite well for combing wigs. xD;

 

This is really helpful But my girl that's coming has curly hair. Will they fall out if i gently wash them?

 

Moontouched - Well, to be honest I'm not all that surprised. That particular panel was conducted by morons and the tip about the horse shampoo was only advise that they mentioned that could possibly be true.

 

For washing, just fill a sink with warm water, mix in some shampoo, swirl the wig around in the shampooy water, rinse, and then let airdry. Dont blow dry or use any heat instruments, it will melt the fibers or unset the styling.