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

Mohair or faux fur?

Mohair can be hand washed with shampoo, and left to air dry (you might want to put it on the dolls head while it dries, as the leather shrinks. It would need to be resoaked to stretch it back out)

Fur wigs can be washed like any fabric, just in cold or warm water. You can either hand wash them with detergent, or toss them in the wash with some clothes. Just don't ever put faux fur in the dryer, as the high heat can melt the fibers together and makes the wigs gross and irreparable.

 

I'm kind of new to this. I'm not sure what this wig is made out of but I think it's faux fur. I have several wigs actually. I think I'll wash the one that I don't like as much first and see how it turns out before I wash the one I like. lol
Thanks though.

 

Well mohair has a leather cap, is slightly curly, and long, while faux fur has a knit fabric base.

 

mohair can also be wefted and sewn on a base, it doesn't always have leather.
you should be safe with cold or slightly warm water. Use a gentle soap or detergent and swish it around a bit in the soapy water, rinse and blot dry with a towel.
mostly avoid heat and too much agitation so that the wig doesn't get tangled if it's long.

 

Thanks guys. Your advices are very helpful, I really appreciate it.

 

Maby my computor's stupid or maby it's me... but I looked every where for anything on how to care for a wig!

I got a second-hand doll, and she is in perfect condition, no complaints. the wigs that were sent with her though... blah

One is a short heavy bang wig that has this weird curl in it. It looks like they had part of it up in a clip and it just got stuck like that. I don't know how to flaten it and make it look normal, it's synthetic so direct heat is a no. Also I'd like to trim the bangs a bit so you can see her eyes and eyebrows.

The other is a longer (just past the shoulders) wig that is just boring, and has this weird wave at the bottom, like its been in storage too long, i just want to try and style it, to make it more "mine".

I was hopping some one had advice for fixing bent/mis-shaped wigs, or tips for trimming and styling wigs??

If theres already a place for all that, please tell me where cuz, I'm lost...

 

thank you!
I wasn't sure where to post cuz it looked like it could go either way! but now I know!!

 

So I've been reading this tread for a few hours but haven't found my exact answer.

I have two wigs that came with my first doll, but they are a bit mis-shapped, they were originally straight.

A short blonde wig with funky wings (a strange curl from how the wig had been styled) in the front.
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/Zilvmay/IMAG0023.jpg

And a long-ish Brunette wig that swirves at the ends, seemingly from beeing in storage for too long, I think.
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/Zilvmay/IMAG0025.jpg

I'd like to know how to return them to their straight shape, or how to style the brown wig to have either braids or plaits/pigtails.

Is straightening as easy as washing and letting it dry right?

How do you style your wigs,what do you use, and how do you keep it still (do you pin it to something?)?

 

I wash my wigs and doll clothes every so often. While those dry, I do dolly maintenance: string tightening, cleaning, and (possibly) re-sueding and touching up any blushing, and then organizing my doll supplies box. Yay!

 

The only type of wig I don't wash is mohair. As it stands I only wash my doll's wigs if needed, I can never seem to get the same shape as before. During the spring time, I go through all my dolls and have a 'Spring cleaning dolly spa day'.

 

I dunno where to ask this, but does anyone have any tips on getting this wig to look somewhat like this (the wig I purchased)? My sister is thinking about using thinning shears, but most doll wigs don't have /too/ many layers so I'm nervous and tempted to give up. ^^' I'm no good with styling or anything, so..

 

I had two wigs that looked badly. So I decided wash them, and did it with a mild soap. After that, I combed the wig carefully, putting all hair into the right shape, and put them to dry over a bottle. They became shiny and well styled. Try this.

 

Do you happen to know what kind of synthetic fiber it is? Some are a lot more sensitive to heat than others.
I have used a hair straightener to fix my wig by getting a damp towel and placing the wig fibers i want to straighten between the layers and then pressing it, slowly and carefully pulling the wig free from the straightener. The fibers i did that on were Nylon hair fibers though.
If you wanna try it, test it on the very ends of the hair so that if it does react badly it can be trimmed.

Another thing you could try is washing the wig and getting it brushed into the style you want it to be in and letting it dry that way.

For the weird curl in the second one, i'd give it a nice wash first, while it's still wet, weight the ends of the hair (i use chip clips, to keep them from kinking the hair, fold up paper towels to cushion the edges of the clips against the hair)
When it's all set up put it on a bottle or something slender enough the fit the wig on and let it dry then brush it out. This is what i do when i take my wigs out of storage and they aren't at their best.

 

I have a 1930's style curly wig that needs washing, and even though it is acrylic I have been avoiding it, as it will mean brushing out each curl when wet and then rolling on a pencil and pin-curling it to dry. Otherwise it will become a frizzy mess. I am tempted just to buy another one.

 

I recently purchased a Monique Gold Label wig (an 8/9 Taylor in golden glaze) and it's gorgeous! But I'm concerned about keeping my lovely wig in the best condition possible because I'm just honestly not familiar with Monique Gold care and maintenance.

Does anyone out there in dolly-land have any tips, tricks, do's/don'ts for caring for a long and curled synthetic mohair wig?

Thanks in advance for any help you have to offer - I appreciate it!

 

most of the monique gold wigs i have get tangled easily! when they are on try to avoid tangling and when off keep them in the hair net. and when you do wash them be gentle!

 

I'm afraid of it getting tangled or frizzy, too.

Thanks for sharing your experience, every little bit helps! :3

 

With some more digging around on the internet I found that the wigs are (possibly) modacrylic and designed to repel water in order to retain its shape. Cool-warm (but not hot) water and gentle squeezing with light soap to wash. After a thorough rinse, a gentle squeeze/air dry, and very very very gentle brushing/combing one gal said her wig's curls bounced right back.

I'd still love to hear about other people's experiences with washing/maintaining their wigs if anyone would care to share.

 

Hey guys - I have some questions about my wigs, and I figure this is as good a place as any to ask! Firstly, I have a wig on my MNF from LeekeWorld, and it has a weird...residue? on the hairs, making it feel really weird to the touch, and it leaves an odd feeling on my hands when I brush/touch it. I was wondering if washing it with baby shampoo would fix this? Or is there anything else that would help (something that I'd maybe have in the house - my younger sister is 19, we're well past having baby shampoo in the house!)
My other question is will washing get rid of musty smells? My last flat was rather...icky, and one of my dolly wigs has aquired a slight musty smell to it, and I just want to get rid of that!

 

I've noticed this on human wigs too. The feeling is really gross and chemical-y. :/
Anyway, it's suggested to wash the wig with a gentle shampoo (doesn't have to be baby) and water and let it air dry, repeating as necessary.

As for the musty wig, I looked up how to remove musty odors, and it's suggested to *either* soak the wig in a diluted vinegar solution for 30mins, or douse the wig with baking soda & keep it in a Ziploc bag for a few days (the wig should be completely dry in this case to prevent further fungal/bacterial growth).
source: http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Musty-Odors

Hope this helps! :3

 

Thanks for the advice - I'm going to see if we have any really gentle shampoo in the house, or I might go and find the smallest bottle of baby shampoo I can! As for the musty odor, I've had it sitting out in my parents nice warm house, and it seems to have lost most of the smell, so I'm going to see if the baby shampoo washes the last of it out, and if not, we'll go for one of the options you've listed!

 

I'm not sure if this belongs here or not and I couldn't find this question anywhere
if this is in the wrong place or a duplicate thread I'm sorry, mods feel free to move/merge/delete.

I've had my girl for almost 2 weeks now and her wig is beginning to get frizzy
I've tried combing it lightly with my fingers and a small doll comb that I found around the house and even gently brushing with a tooth brush but nothing seems to get rid of the frizz (if anything I think it's getting slightly frizzier)

does anyone have any tips/advice?


she has a VOLKS straight fiber wig if that helps at all

 

oh great question because I have this problem to so I am looking forward to seeing the replies...

 

Monday BUMP~

 

How is it frizzy? Are the fibres kinked or is it more of a static cling thing going on? If the fibres are warped you may have to do some hot water straightening but if it is just tangles or static you might try wig spray made to de-tangle and smooth them. I know a lot of cosplayers that use a silicone spry to keep their wig manageable I have not tried it on dolls but as long as you are careful about the ingredients I think you should be fine. Also you may want to get a comb because bristle brushes tend to snag and pull at fibre wigs and can damage the hair tho they seem to work better for mohair.

 

I have my first doll on the way still, so I don't know how much help this will be, but...I wear wigs myself, so I think similar concepts can be applied. Wash the wig in water with mild shampoo (such as baby shampoo), wig shampoo, or fabric softener with gentle swishing motions. Let it completely air dry before brushing it. It will help soften the fibers so they don't get frizzy as easy. Another thing you could try is adding some anti-frizz serum to the wig (but be careful to not overdo it!). I've heard of a lot of people doing that to normal wigs with great results, tho I haven't tried it myself.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

 

Stella Twilight: there are some fibers near her face that are kinked but sometimes when I move her it seems like some static is making her hair flare out weird on one side. There are no tangles that I can see.
when I tried brushing it with the tooth brush it really did nothing at all (barely lifted the fibers) but all the comb did was go through the hair without helping the frizz at all (I was using a fairly large tooth comb so I'll try a finer tooth comb and see if it's any better).
I'm pretty sure that her wig is not heat resistant so will the boiling water melt it? also, should I submerge it in boiling water for a few minutes or dip it in boiled water? and to dry should I let it drip dry or lay it on a towel?

sorry for all the questions, I'm really nervous about ruining her wig

ETNsilverstar: her wig is super soft already (much softer than any of mine were even after washing), and I'm really terrified of putting some product in her wig that might mess up her resin or faceup if I don't get it all out. I will try it if nothing else works though, thank you for the tip ^^

 

If it is static try gently rubbing it with a dryer sheet. I have uded that before wje my cosplay wigs were frizzing out.

 

that's awesome, I have a ton of dryer sheets left over from an art project
I'll try that and if it doesn't work then I'll try the boiling water straightening next week
thank you for the tip ^-^

 

Sorry if I'm late but honestly try washing the wig with baby shampoo. I do that with cosplay wigs all the time and they hold up well.

 

Hey there! I heard a rumour about getting frizz out of wigs... I heard using argon oil is good for dollie wigs. Has anyone else heard that or am I just the weird one?

 

well, I can always test it on the wig my rabbit "styled" and post the results.

 

I need help with washing a mohair wig...is there a different way of washing it then a fiber wig? help please lol

 

I have a long heat resistant fiber wig from ForMyDoll and it's very curly. I like it that curly and that's it style. So my question for you is since I want to wash it make it more soft and natural looking will I have to do anything special to it so it keeps its curl? I plan on using the baby shampoo and water method and letting it air dry. But I don't want to do that and have it kill the curls it was suppose to have!

wig->http://www.formydoll.com/shop/step1.php?number=1717&b_code=B20090308035539&c_code=C20090308035710

 

I wash wigs with warm water and soaps. Hang in the washroom to air dry. It works good for straight wigs, but curly wigs need extra care. I rolled up the curly part onto a wood stick, put it flat and air dry.

 

Would a braid work?

 

Braids in wet hair don't produce curls, they will possibly set waves, large loose waves.

 

I made a wig stand out of styrofoam and skewers. Lol. It only really works for size 7-8 wigs though. I couldn't find the balls big enough for my SD wigs

 

I generally keep my wigs in a hair net and then in a plastic bag. I store dolls in their boxes, so the wigs only get as much use as the dolls do. (There is really no need to wash them).

 

Synthetic fiber you can just wash with dish washing liquid. Use pretty hot water for synthetic. For a mohair and Alpaca wig I’d use baby shampoo and lukewarm or cold water and rinse with cold water with a bit of fabric softener. But make sure your wig is sewn or has a latex cap. Do not wash pva glued caps or your hair could come undone. Wet mohair can be combed carefully with a wide tooth comb. Do not let it dry tangled and after combing use a bit of curl cream to reshape the curls. Alpaca should never be combed wet, it breaks pretty easily when wet. So let it dry and use a human hair brush to carefully comb afterwards, you can also use a bit of untangling spray when combing.

And I use a wig stand made of a jar filled with sand or small stones, a wood dowel and a aluminium foil and baked polymer clay ‘head’ on top of it.

Also when travelling with wigs I keep them in a hair net. They are the same as the hair nets that come with synthetic wigs when you order them, but since I make my own wigs I didn’t have any but I found that bun nets for dancers are exactly the same and can easily be found online.