How do you moisturize human hair wigs?

It’s difficult to top the natural and effortless look that human hair wigs offer, which is why they make a popular choice of wig. For many wig wearers, a human hair wig is an investment; you’ll want to wear it and look fabulous time and time again. But, over time, your wig will inevitably become dry and stiff, which is why we want to share our advice on how to make a human hair wig soft again.

It’s super important to understand how to repair a damaged wig. So, in this post, we’ll explain the main reasons why human hair wigs become dry and give you tips on how to restore a human hair wig that has lost its bounce.

Why Do Human Hair Wigs Become Dry?

Before we dive into how to revive a human hair wig, we’re going to explain why human hair wigs become dry in the first place.

With natural hair, your scalp produces a natural oil called sebum which helps to keep natural hair moisturised. Natural oils are what human hair wigs unavoidably lack, which causes them to become dry over time, even with the best human hair wig care.

However, there are additional factors that contribute to human hair wigs becoming dry and stiff and can lead to needing to restore a wig. These factors are:

• Hard water

• Chlorine

• Seawater

• Prolonged sun exposure

If you reduce your human hair wig’s exposure to these elements, you’ll be able to keep it moisturised, full of body and wearable for a longer time.

Another point to note is that wearing your human hair wig to bed can cause it to dry out and become damaged more quickly. It’s important to keep your human hair wig free of tangles when possible to maintain its condition, so we advise against sleeping in your wig. If you have cotton pillowcases and bedding, they will dry out your human hair wig and cause unnecessary friction. 

How to Restore a Human Hair Wig in 5 Steps

If your human hair wig is starting to feel brittle and stiff, then there’s no need to worry. Simply follow our five steps on how to revive a human hair wig below, to get your wig feeling soft and fabulous again.

Step 1: Pre-Wash Your Wig with a Natural Oil

Our ‘how to revive a human hair wig’ guide is all about injecting some much-needed moisture. So, it makes sense that the first step to restore a wig is to coat your wig with a conditioning treatment.

We recommend gently applying a natural oil, like Moroccan oil or coconut oil, all over your human hair wig. The Jon Renau Argan Smooth Treatment Mist will work excellently here to restore moisture and leave your wig feeling and smelling incredible. 

You’ll want to leave your product of choice to moisturise your wig for about 30 minutes under a shower cap.

Step 2: Shampoo Your Wig

The next step in how to restore a wig is to wash your wig, making sure to rinse out all of the pre-wash oil. When washing, don’t forget to keep the water running in the same direction as the hair to prevent tangling.

Then, carefully lather your wig with a moisturising human hair wig shampoo, such as the Argan Smooth Luxury Shampoo from Jon Renau.

Step 3: Moisturise Your Wig

After rinsing out all of your moisturising shampoo, you’ll need to apply some moisturising conditioner, like the Argan Smooth Luxury Conditioner from Jon Renau. Cover your wig thoroughly with a human hair wig conditioner, bringing it from the front of the wig right to the tips.

When moisturising with conditioner to restore a wig, you should pay particular attention to the nape and tips of your human hair wig and apply extra conditioner here. When a human hair wig becomes dry and loses its bounce, it’s often most noticeable in these areas. So, focusing on the nape and tips will help you with how to revive a human hair wig.

Let the moisturising conditioner sit and work its magic for three to five minutes before thoroughly rinsing it out.

Tangles will likely have formed during this step, so remove them with care. To do this, gently run a comb or your finger through your wig until the knots are removed.

Step 4: Deep Condition Your Wig

Next up in our how to restore a human hair wig guide is applying a deep conditioner to your wig. Again, you’ll want to ensure that your conditioner of choice coats the entire wig, and remember to add extra product to the ends. Our top deep conditioning picks include the Ellen Wille Hairpower Human Hair Intensive Recovery Mask and the Absolute Repair Human Hair from Gisela Mayer.

Step 5: Dry Your Wig

Once you’ve rinsed out all of your product, you need to dry your human hair wig. It’s important to take care when drying your wig to avoid damaging it and to avoid creating tangles.

Gently squeeze your wig to wring out excess water before laying your wig onto a dry towel. Then, cover the wig with the other half of your towel, and gently press out excess water.

Finally, place your wig on a wig stand for it to air dry, which is the safest way to dry your wig. However, if you do want to style your restored human hair wig, then you can blow-dry using low heat and a comb. Just remember to apply a heat protectant spray first!

There you have our 5-step guide on how to restore a human hair wig, with advice on how to carefully and effectively revitalise your stunning, human hair wig.

If you have any more questions about how to make a human hair wig soft again, please get in touch with our team of experts. And, for more wig care guides and tips, please check out the other posts in our blog!