I know many people have difficulties in taking care of their wigs. In this article today, we would tell you how to take care of your wigs without them being too cumbersome or damaging to your wig.

Wigs And Their Types

Wigs are artificial hair made into the shape of a cap to fit the head, they come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. They have been embraced by the global market since their production, becoming one of the most important and popular accessories wanted by both men and women.

There are different types of hair wigs, these include the ones with a closure, no-closure, bundles, and clip-ins. 

Closure in wigs is a method or technique used for making the appearance of the wig better or more realistic. The closure of a wig makes or breaks one.

Some wigs come without closure, this is due to the type of hairstyle to be created or the management of the budget. It is easier to produce a wig without closure to fit your budget but bears in mind that it won’t be better than a wig without closure. 

Another form of hair wig extensions is clip-ins, which are strips of hair that make use of clips to stay in place on the head. Clip-ins are more like strips of hair or falsies. They come in different colors, textures, and lengths and can also be used by men.

Hair bundles also have a similar look, usage, and attachment patterns, only that hair bundles do not use clips to stay in place, they have to be sewn into the hair to sit properly. Hair bundles come in different colors, lengths, and grams. You can buy in grams depending on the volume of hair you are trying to achieve.

Step-by-step process to clean your wig/human hair

There are rules governing the step-by-step processes involved in cleaning a wig. Wigs look simple but can be tricky to clean. This is because its simple nature accounts for its fragility. Below we have consulted experts to show us the best steps to be followed when cleaning a hair wig.

1. Detangle
2. Soak in Lukewarm water
3. Apply shampoo 
4. Rinse out shampoo
5. Apply Conditioner
6. Rinse again
7. Brush 
8. Air Dry
9. Blow Dry
10. Hot Comb 

Detangle

The very first rule to adhere to when preparing to wash a wig is to first detangle your hair. 

Detangling allows you to brush out any matted or knotted hair on the wig. When detangling you should only start combing from the root to the top or crown of the wig.

Detangling with a comb or brush from the tip to the crown allows tangled hair to get loose without breaking. Starting the Detangling process from the crown to the tip would lead to hair loss. Comb gently and avoid pulling the hair strands with force, this would make hair strands snap.

When combing ensure that you partition a line of hair and secure it with a hair clip. This allows you to concentrate on one row at a time. Combing the hair without paying attention to the individual lines or tresses in a wig would make the hair stay tangled and bulky.

The type of comb or brush you use in your detangling process matters a lot. Some brushes come with either sharp or blunt bristles, both bristles are good but you have to know when and how to use them in order not to cause your wig to shed or lose form.

Sharp bristled combs are good for really straight and silky hairs, this comb is best for detangling the wig from the root of the hair. While blunt bristles are best for curly hair or hair wig with an attitude. LOL

Before combing your hair wig, find out what comb or brush best suits your hair wig.

Combing should be the very first thing you should do before cleaning up a wig. Without combing your hair wig, washing it would be a tedious task. This is because the hair strands will knot up when left for long making it harder to comb out.

Soak In Lukewarm Water

Get a  large bowl or bucket and pour lukewarm water into it. Make sure the water is not too hot, to be safe, let the water be warm enough for drinking coffee. Get your already detangled wig and place it in the bowl of lukewarm water.

Next is to soak it in lukewarm water for three to five minutes. This is because lukewarm water is good for hair wigs, it helps the grease in the hair to loosen up gently.

Do not use hot water, this will damage your hair by altering the texture, curl pattern, or form of the hair wig. Lukewarm water is best for this as it allows the grease and dirt to gently free themselves from the wig.

Swirl your hair in water in a circular continuous motion or flip it with a bit of force, slapping it on the surface of the water from side to side to loosen up caked grease. Hair wigs hold a high amount of grease over time because of regular use.

Regular use of a wig causes the hair to become bulky and look less shiny. The swirling or slapping technique allows you to wash your hair without excess force or wringing.

Never wring your hair before or after washing.

After soaking your hair wig in lukewarm water to get rid of the excess oil, the next step is to remove the hair wig and get rid of the first wash of greasy water. You notice that the water is already colored from washed-out hair products.

Apply shampoo

Apply shampoo to the hair wig spreading it evenly in all lines of the hair and on the inside of the cap too. Use your fingertips to gently work the shampoo into a rich lather. Do not wash your hair wig like you are washing a dirty fabric, this will ruin it.

The same technique used in getting off the grease in lukewarm water should also be used when washing with shampoo. Add lukewarm water to the hair wig and swirl or flip the wig left and right or side by side in the bucket or bowl. 

When you swirl your wig in a wide bowl or bucket with lukewarm water and shampoo, the continuous swirling motion acts like a washing machine to the wig, the flipping motion from left to right or side to side is enough to force needed to wash the hair properly.

Wash the hair wig as many times as required to get grease and dirt out of the hair. Sometimes one wash is not adequate to get rid of the dirt in the wig. But remember that excess washing of a wig ruins its tresses with time.

Rinse Out Shampoo 

After washing the hair wig with shampoo, rinse the wig with some lukewarm water to get all the shampoo product out of it. Using cold water would easily cause broken-down grease to harden back up on the hair strands.

You have to rinse and remove shampoo from the wig properly. Inside, the wig cap area needs more lather and shampoo, and it is advisable to turn the wig inside out when rinsing. Don’t manage water when rinsing, you have to be generous when doing this.

When rinsing out a hair wig, it is important to note that you are not under any circumstance to squeeze or wring the wig. Rinse the wig by dipping it in water and flapping it side to side of the bucket to get off the excess water.

Apply Conditioner 

Did you know that your hair wigs cannot be complete without a good conditioner? Just like the name implies ‘conditioner’ is a cream or lotion-like liquid used for conditioning hair and hair wigs. A conditioner is a must-have for any wig owner.

After rinsing out the shampoo, the next step is to apply conditioner to the wig. The hair has to be dripping wet during this process, as the conditioner works best on wet hair. Starting from the tips of the hair to the crown of the hair wig, gently and evenly rub in the conditioner.

Allow the conditioner to sit and soak in the hair for ten minutes. Flip the hair from side to side in the bucket or bowl making sure that the product froths like cream with air bubbles. Follow this by using a comb or brush to brush it out.

Avoid pressing out all the conditioner in the wig before combing or brushing. Conditioner helps the wig to be soft so that it doesn’t break. 

Take out the hair wig and comb from the tips of the hair to the crown with a comb or brush depending on the form, type, or nature of the wig.

Remove Excess Water

Getting rid of water from hair wigs after the washing process has to be done carefully. This is because squeezing your wig to get rid of water after washing is bad and damaging to your hair wig. Squeezing is not good for your hair wig, it makes it lose its form, becoming prone to damage.

Instead of squeezing your wig to get rid of water, slap your wig from side to side or left to right in a bowl or bucket that is empty. Do this action continuously but gently enough not to break hair strands or loosen the wig cap.

Additionally, you can get rid of water is flapping your hair wig like a little shirt in the air. Yes, I know why I said flap wig like a little shirt, ever remember or seen someone wash a little piece of clothing and flap them to get rid of its excess water to enable it to dry quickly? That action is called a flap.

Flapping works to remove excess water from a cloth and a wig as well, just ensure to do it carefully and more gently than an actual shirt. A wig is more fragile than a shirt, so handle it with so much care.

Brush Again

Brush or comb your hair wig after getting rid of excess water. Put your hair wig on a stand or flat comfortable surface available to you. Use a hair clip to hold up the entire hair, then from the bottom, pick out lines of hair individually in a row, brushing one row at a time.

Brushing each section carefully, separating each row with clips. From tip to crown comb the wig starting by loosening visible knots on the strands. Brush through until you achieve desired texture.

Ensure to use the right brush or comb for your hair wig, the wrong brushing tool can give your hair another look, feel, or texture thereby ruining its initial tresses. Check up on what comb or brush works best for your hair wig.

Air Dry

The best way to dry is to air dry, this allows your hair wig to dry naturally. Drying your hair regularly with a flat iron would speed up its degradation. 

Hanging your hair wig to dry naturally is a better way to preserve its life span.

When drying your hair wig, it is best to place it on a wig stand, wig stands help the wig stay in place without altering its shape after drying. All you have to do is to brush the hair wig properly and leave it to dry on its own or blow dry with cold air.

In the absence of a proper hair stand, you can improvise or make use of anything you deem fit and comfortable to use. Note that you cannot use anything bigger than the hair wig or too small. Anything too big for a stand would make the wig have a different shape after drying.

Big stands would alter the size of your wig or loosen your threads if you use them. It is best to use something befitting the size of your wig, without pressure on the structure of the wig cap and hair.

A simple DIY hair dryer can be built using a rope to make a line, placing your wig on the line, and using a peg to hold it in place. Don’t clip the hair alone, this would cause some wear and tear on your wig, fasten a chunk of the hair together with the cap. 

You can hang multiple wigs out on a line to dry. But the con is that you cannot style or get a full view of what the shape of the wig looks like on a line. This is because the wig I spread out like a fabric.

A wig stand is better because it allows your hair to dry without altering the shape of the hair or experiencing wear and tear. It allows you to dry and style on the same stand, this is like a two-in-one package for a wig lover.

Blow dry

After your hair has dried, use a blow dryer to straighten the strands of hair, this should be done only if your wig requires it for arrangement. 

Blow drying can be done for different purposes such as changing the looks. A blow dryer can be used for drying hair and styling as well. This is a very handy and important gadget for hair and wig lovers.

Use a large or wide-tooth comb when blow-drying hair in the initial stage. It helps the hair to dry faster without over-combing or roughing up the hair. Hair is more delicate once it’s wet, lengthy hair can easily break when wet depending on how you care for it.

Make sure you do not comb out your curly hair with a blow dryer, this would ruin the naturally curly nature of your hair wig. 

These types of hair include wet waves, baby curls, Afro curls, and hair that are meant to be curly.

The wigs you can blow dry are wigs that can be combed out by the nature of design and style. A blow-drying brush is often needed to do the smoothing job. A finger comb can also be used in place of a blow-drying brush.

As long as your wig is straight hair or needs to be straightened, you can use a finger comb to achieve a more tamed look in place of the blow-drying brush. The wig needs to be on a stand to remain firm for this purpose. Remember to hold the dryer away from direct contact with the skin.

Hot Comb

The hot comb is a more intense method of styling your wig. It allows the wig to remain straight and silky in appearance. You should only straighten hair straight or hair that has its curls created from a regular hot instrument to produce and keep its curls.

The only hair you should not straighten is curly. Straightening curly hair would ruin the curly tresses of a curly hair. Hair like baby curls, jerry curls, and Afro should be left without heat. A conditioner is the best fit for curly hair, it helps hair wig to regain its shine, curl, bounce and luster.

The type of hot comb you use depends on the type of hair you are to work with or even the style you want to achieve. We have a hot comb or flat iron, which is used for making hair silky straight, just exactly how the Asians have them.

A hot comb acts like a stretcher also, and a flat iron surface. While a hot comb has bristles made of iron. You can use this to directly Comb the hair to have a smoother appearance.

A curl crimper is used to make straight hair appear in a uniform wave, its blade comes with steep patterns in its metal face to give the hair its pattern on direct contact. Its effects on hair are reversible if you use a good steam stretcher. 

The reason why I said you can reverse curls with a good steam stretcher is that excessive high heat, in the long run, would cause your hair wig to break. A steam stretcher is controlled which would help to regulate the heat because of the presence of moisture.

Does Igbo (marijuana) grow hair? 

Marijuana or Igbo as popularly known by Nigerians is a recreational drug that also possesses medicinal purposes. Scientific research has suggested it helps anxiety patients, with pain, seizures, glaucoma, muscle spasm, loss of appetite, and anti-cancer properties. 

Many people want to know if marijuana aka Igbo grows hair, come on let’s know this together.

Marijuana contains over a hundred cannabinoids, a chemical containing THC and CBD. These chemicals replicate a group of chemicals found in the human body known as endo cannabinoids which attach themselves to our receptors in various organs and hair follicles.

As for the impact on hair, some regular smokers claim it thickens their hair while others report no significant changes, positive or negative. One can find evidence to suggest that marijuana use sometimes triggers hair loss. People have vastly different physiological and emotional responses to marijuana, including how hair follicles respond to it.

THC fix’s itself to our receptors, living in the human hair five which promotes growth according to a 2007 study conducted by the University of Debrecen. Cannabinoids promote the growth of the hair follicles and shafts, including hair loss.

THC also increases cortisol in the human body triggering telogen effluvium, this is when there is hair loss because of hair follicles entering the premature telogen stage of the cycle. THC can also cause hair loss.

Marijuana has different names, some call it marijuana, Igbo, cannabis, weed, or kush. Excess use of marijuana or call it any name you like to lol, can lead to poor diets which would cause a lack of nutrition. 

Without a proper diet, there would be a lack of essential vitamins and minerals which would lead to poor hair, breakage, dryness, or thinning. Stop smoking if you can and eat a well-balanced diet. Before you use or ingest marijuana edibles or oils, it is best to consult your healthcare providers.

Conclusion 

Wigs come in human hair and synthetic form, and caring for both hair types requires different techniques but the same process. Wigs are fragile in nature as such should be handled with care to avoid shedding, breakage, and loss of shape.

To prolong the life span of your wig, proper care should be taken. Always remember that there are a few trusted processes you can carry out to successfully revamp your hair wig. Starting from detangling, where you make loosely knotted hair.

Always remember to soak them in lukewarm water to enable the caked grease to loosen up. Sectionally apply shampoo so that you can reach all corners. It’s more effective this way.

Rub in conditioner and leave for a while to soak it up, flip from left to right to get off the excess conditioner, brush out with the desired comb and blow dry or hot comb as needed.