How to Clean Your Wig (and Make It Last Longer)

A good wig is an investment, and the way you clean it decides how long that investment lasts. With the right routine, a human hair wig stays soft, shiny and easy to style for a year or more. Skip it, or wash it the wrong way, and the same wig can turn dry, tangled and frizzy in a few months. Here is how to clean your wig properly and the everyday habits that help it last.

How long does a wig last?

It depends mostly on how often you wear it and how well you look after it. As a general guide:

• Human hair wig worn every day: about a year
• Human hair wig worn a few times a week: often two to three years
• Synthetic wig worn every day: about four to six months

Because the wig is not attached to your scalp, it does not get the natural oils your own hair does. Everything it needs to stay soft has to come from the way you wash, condition and store it. That is why care makes such a big difference.

What wears a wig out

• Wearing the same wig every day with no rest
• Washing it too often, which strips the hair, or too rarely, which lets product and sweat build up at the cap
• High heat from blow dryers, flat irons and curling irons
• Sleeping in it, which rubs the hair at the nape and crown
• Sunlight, which fades color and dries the hair
• Pulling on the cap or the lace when you put it on or take it off
• Leaving glue, makeup or oil sitting on the lace

How often should you wash a wig?

For most human hair wigs, wash about every 7 to 10 wears, or every two to three weeks. Wash sooner if you use a lot of styling product, wear it while working out, or it starts to feel heavy or smell. Wash less often if you only wear it for a few hours at a time.

What you need

• A wide-tooth comb or wig brush
• A sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Sulfates strip moisture, and a wig cannot replace it on its own. Try the UpCircle Shampoo + Conditioner Crème Duo or the Sleek'e Silk'e Repair Therapy Conditioner, or browse Hair Care.
• A soft towel
• A wig stand, such as the Folding Wig Stand or a Canvas Wig Head with Table Clamp Stand for longer wigs
• Lace Paste Remover if you wear your wig with glue

How to wash a human hair wig, step by step

1. Clean the lace first. If you wore it with glue, remove the adhesive with a glue remover before you wash. Never pull glue off the lace.
2. Detangle. Comb from the ends first, then work your way up to the roots. Tangles that go into the water get tighter.
3. Wet it with lukewarm water. Hold the wig by the inside of the cap, not the lace, and let the water run down the hair in one direction. Very hot or very cold water can cause matting.
4. Shampoo gently. Put a small amount of shampoo in your palms and smooth it down the hair. Do not scrub, twist or rub the hair together.
5. Rinse well. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear and no suds are left.
6. Condition the lengths and ends. Keep conditioner off the knots and the lace, because it can loosen the knots and cause shedding. Leave it on for the time the bottle recommends, then rinse with cool water.
7. Blot, do not wring. Wrap the hair in a towel and press gently to remove water.
8. Detangle again. While it is damp, comb gently from the ends up.
9. Air dry on a stand. Place the wig on a stand and let it dry completely, usually overnight. The cap takes longer to dry than the hair. Lay the front lace flat so it does not fold or curl.
10. Style once it is fully dry. Use a heat protectant and the lowest heat setting that works.

Have a synthetic wig? Use cool water and a shampoo made for synthetic hair, and never use hot tools unless the wig is labeled heat-friendly.

Everyday habits that make a wig last longer

Taking off a glued wig safely

If you wear your wig with glue, how you remove it matters as much as how you wash it. Spray glue remover along the glued edges, let it sit for a few minutes to break the glue down, then lift the lace slowly. Wipe away any leftover glue from your skin and the lace. Do a patch test on your skin the first time you use any remover.

Signs it is time for a new wig

• It will not hold a style, even after washing and styling
• It keeps shedding every time you comb it
• The ends stay dry and tangled no matter how you condition them
• The cap has stretched or the lace has torn

When that day comes, browse our wigs. New to wigs? Start with our beginner's guide to glueless wigs. To keep your wig in shape between wears, read How to Store Your Wigs, and before your next trip, read How to Travel With Your Wig.