Human hair toupees are expensive, but they are definitely worth it. Because they are made from real hair, they are much more resilient than toupees made from synthetic fibers when it comes to straightening, curling, and dyeing. Just like synthetic wigs, human hair toupees need to be washed regularly. Because of how delicate they are, however, you need to be extra careful with them.
Step 1: Washing the Toupee
A. Brush or comb the toupee starting from the ends.
Gently comb out the ends of the toupee first. Once they are free of knots, work your way up towards the roots until you can run your brush or comb through it without snagging. Use a wire wig brush for straight or wavy toupee, and a wide-toothed comb or your fingers for curly toupees (including natural/African-textured).
B. Fill your sink with cold water, then stir in 1 to 2 squeezes of shampoo.
high-quality shampoo that is suitable for the hair type you are washing. For example, if you are washing a curly toupee, use a shampoo made for curly hair. If you know that the wig has been dyed, try a color-safe shampoo instead.
- You won't be applying the shampoo directly too the toupee fibers. Instead, you'll be using the soapy water to wash the toupee.
- Do not use 2-in-1 shampoos that contain conditioner. You can use conditioner on your toupee, but you don't want to place it too close to the roots.
- If possible, use products that are made specifically for washing human hair toupee, as they will have less damaging chemicals than traditional hair care items.
C. Turn the toupee inside out and place it into the water
Use your fingers to turn the toupee cap inside out and leave the toupee fibers hanging loose. Place the toupee into the water and press down on the fibers to submerge them. Give the toupee a gentle swirl to help distribute the shampoo throughout the strands.
- Turning the toupee inside out will make it easier for the shampoo to reach the toupee cap, which is where most of the dirt, sweat, and oils collect.
D. Soak the toupee for 5 minutes.
Make sure that the toupee is completely submerged in the water. Do not move the toupee around during this time. Too much thrashing, squeezing, and swirling will cause the fibers to get tangled.
E. Rinse the toupee with cold water until the shampoo is all gone
You can rinse the toupee in a bucket filled with fresh, cold water, or you can do it in the sink or shower. Depending on how thick the wig is, you may have to rinse it twice.
F. Apply conditioner to the toupee
Simply drizzle some conditioner onto the hair, then gently finger-comb it. If your wig is a lace front wig or a ventilated wig, take care to avoid the toupee cap. The strands are knotted onto the lace. If you apply conditioner to them, the knots will come undone and the strands will fall out. This should not be a problem with a regular, wefted wig because the fibers are sewn on instead.
- Use a high-quality conditioner.
- You can also use a leave-in conditioner instead if that is what you prefer.
G. Wait 2 minutes before rinsing the conditioner out with cold water
Leaving the conditioner on the wig for a few minutes will allow the nourishing oils to penetrate the hair and hydrate it—just like the hair that grows out of your head. Once the 2 minutes are up, rinse the wig with cold water again until the water runs clear.
- Skip this step if you are using a leave-in conditioner.
Step 1: Drying the Toupee
A. Turn the toupee right-side-out and gently squeeze the water out
Hold the toupee over the sink, and gently squeeze the fibers in your fist. Do not wring or twist the fibers, however, as this can cause them to tangle or break.
- If the toupee is long, make sure that the strands are smoothed out and not bunched up.
B. Roll the toupee up in a towel to remove the excess water.
Place the toupee down on the end of a clean towel. Roll the towel into a tight bundle, starting from the end that has the wig on it. Press down on the towel, then gently unroll it and remove the toupee.
- If the toupee is long, make sure that the strands are smoothed out and not bunched up.
C. Apply your desired products to the toupee.
Spray the wig with some conditioning spray to help make detangling it easier later on; be sure to hold the bottle 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) away from the toupee. If the toupee is curly, consider applying some styling mousse to it instead.
D. Allow the wig to air dry on a toupee stand out of direct sunlight.
Do not brush the toupee while it is wet, as this can damage the fibers. If your toupee is curly, use your fingers to "scrunch" it every so often.
- Scrunching is where you cup your hand under the ends of the hair, lift it upward, then curl your fingers inward. This causes the curls to bunch up and take form.
- If you are using a Styrofoam wig head, make sure that it is mounted onto a stable toupee stand. Secure the toupee to the toupee head with pins, if needed.
E. Allow the toupee to dry upside down if you want more volume.
Turn the toupee upside down, then clip the nape part of the toupee cape to a pants hanger. You will have to move the pins on the pants hanger closer together in order to achieve this. Hang the toupee up in the shower for a few hours so that it can air dry; don't use the shower at this point.
F. Re-wash the toupee when it gets dirty
If you wear your toupee daily, plan on washing it ever 2 to 4 weeks. If you wear it more seldom than that, wash it once monthly.
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