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Heat styling a synthetic wig
Wigs are a blessing when it comes to no fuss hair, with a style that’s set to perfection. However that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with different looks. Sometimes, you just love the colour but wish you could have some big, bouncy curls or waves instead of the sleek look it came with.
The good news is, all Lush Wigs are heat resistant, meaning they can be styled with a heat tool safely up to 140°C (284°F). This is a low setting on most hair tools, and if the hair tool you have doesn’t have adjustable temperature we don’t recommend you use it to style synthetic hair.
How to prepare synthetic hair for heat styling
The synthetic fibers in our wigs, need to be protected. To prolong the life and condition of the fibers. We recommend a leave in conditioner and heat protection spray for synthetic hair. These are sprayed and combed through the hair before applying heat.
NOTE:- Be careful to not apply these products and heat directly to the roots of the wig, as these factors can cause the synthetic hair to loosen away from the construction cap. As with your own scalp treat this area with care.
Note:- Many are available for human and synthetic hair, meaning you don’t have to double up on products for each. And some leave in conditioners act as a heat protector, so always check the label.
Styling accessories
If you’re using a polystyrene or canvas wig head to style your wig, its handy to use a couple of dressmakers pins, insert two at the front, but be careful with lace front wigs as we don’t want to damage the lace, so apply pins further back. And a couple at the nape of the neck. To keep the wig in place as you style it.
Curling irons, wave wands and tongs.
If you’re creating curls, once you have wrapped the hair around the tool and released it. Pin it into a curl using a bobby pin or clip until the hair cools completely.
If you want looser curls, just hold the curl in your hand as it cools for a softer wave.
Flat irons
Fancy straight hair for a change. Our curly and wavy wigs have been transformed into sleek looks, with the use of a straightening iron. Just run the iron throughout the hair to smooth and create a sleek finish.
Hair Dryers
When using a hairdryer it must be on the lowest setting for heat. Ideally with an air concentrator fixed to the nozzle for better control. You can pin curl, braid or do the classic blow out, for sleek styles. Apply heat with the hairdryer to set the style, and allow to cool.
Steaming
A hand held steamer can be used to set styles for synthetic hair. And are excellent for reviving and conditioning a wig.
Pin curls, metal rollers, pin waves, or combing a wig straight while applying steam, and then leaving to cool overnight, will set any style.
NOTE:- Metal combs, brushes and rollers are used as they are smoother for synthetic hair.
NOTE:- When using heated hair tools NEVER EXCEED 140.C / 284.F
Please take a look at our instagram page and enter the name of your wig along with @lushwigs to see what others have done with the styles for further inspiration.
Please note that this is always done at the customer’s own risk.
Returns cannot be accepted should any damage occur due to customer styling.
Dying a synthetic wig (at your own risk)
We regularly get emails asking us whether it’s OK to dye one of our wigs. We usually reply to these with a “well we wouldn’t recommend it…” but we know there is a way that has been proven to work, and has been endorsed by our own customers, so we thought we would tell you how it’s done!
You’ll need:
A light coloured wig that is heat resistant (all Lush Wigs are) – one of our light blondes is most likely to take dye, never try and put colour into a wig that already has colour in it. It will just ruin the wig.
Fabric dye – look into a brand that others have used on wigs, this differs worldwide. NEVER USE REGULAR HAIR DYE ON SYNTHETIC HAIR – it will melt!
A large pot – big enough to stir the wig around in with plenty of room for all the hair. If the hair is crammed in, you might not get even colour coverage.
Put some old clothes on just in case!
Put your pot on the stove, and fill with enough water to completely cover your wig. Bring this water to the boil, then drop in your dye. You can control the colour at this stage, the more colour you add, the darker it’ll come out. If you want a washed out/pastel vibe, just a little will do.
As the water reaches boiling, run your wig under a tap to get it wet, this helps the dye take properly. Take the boiling pot off the heat, and put your wig in the water. Give it a mix around with a wooden spoon to make sure the colour gets to all the strands of hair. The longer it is in the water, the more of the colour it’ll take in. If you’ve made your water quite coloured and you only want a tint, take it out fairly quickly. It’s important that you keep an eye on the wig during this part, as it will determine how it looks, so remember not to leave it in too long if you don’t want an intense colour.
Once the wig looks the right colour, remove it from the water and rinse it under the cold tap. Do this until the water runs clear, like you would with regular hair dye. You can then lay your wig out and leave it to air dry.
This process is risky, factors like how well your wig has been looked after, the quality of fabric dye used etc. can all have an effect on the outcome, so please be careful, and as we said above, don’t do this on a wig you aren’t OK with potentially ruining. Having said that, it’s a great way to revive old styles you don’t wear anymore, and the boiling water can smooth out old synthetic hair, if your wig was styled in curls when you boiled it though, these curls will not still be present after it dries. This process removes any style the wig had been set into.
Have fun – if you do try it, good luck!