Washing a Wig
Washing a wig can be a very important part of cosplay. It can prolong the lifespan of your wig, clean out harmful products, and make it easier to style. Even so, if you don't wash your wig properly, you could damage it. In this tutorial, I will show you the way I found is best.
First, grab your wig and the necessary supplies. You should have the following:
-Wig
-Shampoo (preferably baby shampoo)
-Conditioner (optional but recommended)
-Towel
-Comb
-Wig head/stand
After gathering what you need, it's time to start. Start to comb out your wig, if you can. My wig had a sticky and oily product in it when I got it, so I wasn't able to brush it out much. Make sure you use a comb, because brushes have the potential to damage or pull out wefts.
Next, fill up some sort of basin with lukewarm water. I used my sink. Any other temperature of water could damage the wefts or the cap they are sewn to, so make sure your water is as close to lukewarm as you can get. After filling it up, put some of the shampoo into the water and mix it with your hand. Then, place your wig into the water. Use a gentle squishing motion to mix the shampoo in. Make sure to do this gently and to reach all parts of the wig, which means you will have to keep flipping it over. Once you think you've covered the entire wig, let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Take out your wig after 15 minutes and drain the water before rinsing your wig out with lukewarm water. You can just run the tap and rinse it out under there, but make sure to only use the gentle squishing movement when rinsing your wig.
After rinsing it clean so that no shampoo is left, fill up the basin once again with lukewarm water. Now add a bit of conditioner and mix it in. Repeat the same process we did for the shampoo. Squish it, let it sit for 15 min, and then rinse it.
Now, place your wig on a towel and lightly dab at it. Do not rub it! Rubbing it could destroy the wig. Dab it enough so that the water is no longer dripping, and then grab your wig head or stand. Place it on the stand and put it in a spot where it won't matter if it drips. Now, let it sit there until it dries, which will probably be around 24 hours.
Note that you want to touch your wig as few times as possible during this process so you don't damage the wig. Although I say this, you can still hold onto it to put it on the stand, don't worry, touching it a bit won't hurt the wig. Also, don't brush out you wig! The only time you should brush out your wig is before the cleaning process. Don't even comb through it with your fingers! Doing this could pull out or destroy the wefts of the wig. After your wig is cleaned and COMPLETELY dried, brush it out, with a comb.
I promise you that this process will be worth it. For this wig, it probably took me less than an hour to clean, and maybe around 20 hours to dry. This process got all of the nasty product out, and after I brushed it, it was really soft. I kept wanting to touch it because it was so soft.
Thanks for looking at this tutorial, I hope it helps!
