How to Care for Human Hair Wigs and Toppers

Human hair wigs and toppers can cost from £1000-£2500 and upwards depending on the length and construction and whilst they are indisputably the best you can buy, you NEED to look after them and care for them just as you would your own hair.

Here's the products you're going to need:

• Human hair wig safe shampoo (I recommend the Ellen Wille range for these - available at Highland Trichology in discounted kits)

• Human hair wig safe conditioning balm

• Human hair wig safe conditioning spray

• Human hair wig safe intensive conditioner (love this!)

• Human hair wig safe oil for ends/tips

• Wig tree or stand (for drying)

• Thermal protectant spray (for styling)

• Wide tooth comb or brush

• Polyhead or mannequin head for styling on (optional)

If you are wearing your wig or hair topper every day full time then try to wash it a couple of times a week particularly in hot weather or if you've been to the gym - you may need to wash it more than this to keep the mesh cap base clean as well as your scalp.

If you're not a frequent wearer, just a few short wears per week then you could wash it every week.

Lightly mist your wig or topper with conditioning spray and use a wide tooth comb to gently detangle before washing. Never brush a wig wet (the same is for your own hair - it is weakest when wet)

Use your wig safe shampoo, fill a basin of lukewarm to cooler water, add a small amount of your wig safe shampoo, swirl around in the water then add your wig or topper and leave in for a few mins to soak. Then you can gently massage the inside of the cap base to clean it CAREFULLY then resubmerge for another few mins. Then rinse. If you wear a wig band or cap then wash too.

Next the conditioning balm, again add a capful of your conditioning balm to a lukewarm basin of water, lightly swirl around then add your wig or topper - if you have long hair it's easier to leave the ends in the water but aim to leave the base of the cap itself just lightly out of the water to avoid too much conditioner going onto the cap in case it loosens some of your knots, particularly if they are hand tied. Steep for 5-10 mins then rinse clean in cool water. DO NOT WRING YOUR WIG OR TOPPER OUT!!! This will cause damage, Gently squeeze and return to your wig stand to dry - this will allow the air to flow throughout the hair better than a polyhead and ensure it dries evenly.

Even if you wouldn't condition your own hair it's important not to miss this step. Your wig or topper doesn't grow from your own scalp so it can't benefit from the natural oils in your sebum like own own natural hair does. It's only way for conditioning is what we do to it. Coincidentally Jojoba Oil is the closest oil to our natural sebum and is used in a lot of hair and skin products for this reason. I actually use Organic Baobob Oil daily on my own hair and it's massively transformed my hair that it now holds a curl for days on end without any styling products or hairspray - I can't hail this enough as a wonder product for dry ends and it's so light I can't tell it's there unlike other heavier oils such as coconut oil which is best suited to intensive treatments for damaged hair. Look out for an upcoming blog post on hair oils...but back to the hair and topper help now!

Swap out this normal conditioning step every few weeks for an intensive conditioning treatment and follow the above step using that product. This will feed the hair and give it a lovely healthy natural shine again, and battle any dryness, snags or frizz starting to appear just like our own hair. Things like this will prolong the life of your hair.

Now...human hair is like....human hair! If you leave it wet for too long the pH of water naturally raises the cuticle on the outside of hair shafts and over time can rough up the cuticle meaning you lose that lovely smooth shine and the damage is done. Sometimes this damage can be on par with blasting your hair with a hot hairdryer with no thermal protection - crazy but true! Lightly mist throughout the hair with thermal protection spray and blast off the excess water in hair til about 80% dry. Now you get to think about styling...!

If you are styling curls and want them to last it's generally best to dry them from damp hair to dry - the hydrogen bonds in human hair love this and a style will generally last days longer and be a stronger hold than anything curled from dry using heated appliances. Think on 'heatless curls', how they work...they can last ages! Use rollers to be kind to your hair rather than a curly blow dry where 20 round bristled brushes attack your hair from every angle and pull your hair within an inch of it's life - this can destroy your wig or topper over time, it just isn't designed to be manhandled by a prickle of angry hedgehogs! Look up 'on-base' and 'off-base' depending on the level of volume desired and dry in a hood or using a gentle setting on your hairdryer til rollers are dry throughout. BUt the magic doesn't end here....leave the hair to COOL COMPLETELY for 10 mins or so. If you remove them whilst warm your style may (read: probably will...) lose shape. Leave it until they are cool to remove and lightly run your fingers through your new curls with a little wig safe hair tips oil to help seal the ends and create a lovely shine.

If drying straight you can use a large paddle brush with wide spaced ball tipped bristles to be gentle and not tug at the root whilst still training the hair to lie flat and smooth. I use and stock Ibiza white boar bristle brushes here at Highland Trichology sometimes as they are safe for extensions and delicate fine hair needing the gentle touch. Just avoid the root area.

It's always a good idea if your hair is medium or long to use a daily conditioning stray just to help detangle it and avoid friction damage from rubbing on your clothes or getting trapped and pulled under shoulder bag straps. Remember that some fabrics such as wool actually pinch some of the moisture from your hair and skin so in winter it's a good idea to pick silk or satin lined hats or scarves to help. Bonus points too if your conditioning spray has UV protection in it too - or I love Mediceuticals Defend Leave-in Conditioner because it has thermal protection and UV protection in it altogether, meaning you're not overloading your hair with products and you don't have to worry about photo-degradation from the sun fading your hair colour or drying your highlighted hair out - because YES, human hair wigs and toppers can be highlighted too! Ooohh a story for another day....

Brush your hair every day. Wear protective styles or hats/headscarves where you can if you foresee galeforce winds on the horizon....this will prolong the life of your hair. Ooooh and don't store your wig or topper on a mannequin head long-term as it may get stretched out of shape over time. And don't forget they might need a trim too - more on this in another post!

Basically, your hair is an investment. Look after it...but LOVE it....LOVE YOU!

If you'd like another post on tips and tricks for making wigs and toppers look more natural, how to fit them, how best to store them, how to trim them yourself and avoid frazzle then watch this space!