How To Detangle A Costume Wig

If you lot've e'er worn a long wig for a cosplay, this problem volition sound familiar: wigs tangle quickly, and brushing them later can often accept longer than the photoshoot itself!

Every bit abrasive equally information technology is, yous should go far a habit to detangle knotted wigs earlier yous wear them again. In this tutorial, I will commencement explain the procedure for straight and heavily matted wigs, followed by tips for curly and wavy wigs.

German language version: Dieses Tutorial erscheint auf Deutsch als Gastbeitrag in SajaLyns Cosplay Blog.

How to brush a wig

To brand your task a whole lot easier, spray the wig thoroughly with wig conditioner first and let information technology air dry. Y'all tin employ a product specifically for synthetic hair wigs – such as „Wig Wonder" from myCostumes – or any „oil sheen" spray from an indigenous beauty supply shop. These products leave a slippery movie on the fiber, only won't rub off onto your clothes later.

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My 120cm long Sailor Pluto wig. I've worn and detangled this wig about a dozen times and information technology'southward still in top shape!

Impatient wig wearers will frequently endeavour to comb through the wig with forcefulness, because they but want to get washed with it. Unfortunately, this makes the tangles worse.

Section off one strand at a time for detangling and clip the remaining hair to the side with a sectioning clip. Try detangling the wig with your fingers first in gild to separate major knots. Start at the tips and work your manner upwardly, then you won't end upward pushing the tangles from top to bottom.

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  Tools to detangle a wig: Extension brush, tangle teazer and wide-tooth rummage

Only then practise you starting time using a brush or comb. The right tool is key: I recommend using a wide-tooth comb or a detangling castor (Tangle Teazer) with short, parallel bristles. Fine combs are OK for styling, just they tear too much at the fibers when you use them for detangling. Also, most brushes for humans are less than ideal for synthetic hair wigs, because they are meant to brush out loose pilus. Synthetic hair, however, is fabricated of plastic, which stretches, deforms and snaps when pulled too hard.

Castor the wig carefully and do not use brute strength. (Photos from my book: Wigs 101)

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How to straighten a wig

You should snip out or straighten any kinked and damaged fibers. To straighten constructed hair, oestrus information technology briefly with a flat atomic number 26, pilus dryer or hot h2o. 70–85°C (160–185°F) is the prophylactic temperature for Kanekalon (a common synthetic fiber), while extra heat-resistant wigs can tolerate more.

If you use a straightening atomic number 26, pull it swiftly over the fiber and never terminate, otherwise yous risk causing rut harm.

A blow dryer is safer, especially for beginners, considering the air doesn't become as hot. Direct the warm air onto the wig fiber from above, while gently pulling it taut with a comb or brush. Don't pull on the fiber too much in the process, or you hazard stretching it. Brushing gently while the hair is yet warm is enough to smoothen it out.

In one case the whole wig is untangled enough for the pilus to hang freely, you may apply hot water to straighten the wig in one go. Rut h2o to 85°C (185°F) max, and pour information technology over the surface area that yous want to straighten. Leave out the bangs and the height of the wig, otherwise they will exist flattened.

Let the wig air dry earlier brushing it. If it is still wavy, echo the procedure with slightly hotter water, or cease the piece of work with a hair dryer or flat iron.

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Straightening a wig with a flat iron, blow dryer heat and a brush, or hot water. (Photos from my books: Wigs 3D & Wigs 101)

How to intendance for curls

When curls and waves are heavily matted, they are more difficult to detangle than a straight wig. That's why it'southward even more important to care for them later each wear.

As a offset aid measure, lightly spritz the curls with water or liquid conditioner for synthetic wigs. Choice a single ringlet and run your hands over information technology to shine out the wing-away hair. If that's non enough, brush the strand start until the hair is aligned, and so smooth it out with your hand.

At present wrap the strand around your fingers to return the curl to its original shape. Once you allow the curl slide off your finger, you'll have a beautifully divers whorl again. Since curls are rut-formed, the memory of the plastic fiber ensures that the curls will bounciness dorsum into that shape, fifty-fifty when they become wet.

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  Speitz with wig conditioner or water to control fly-away hair

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  Run your hand over the wet strand

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  Wrap the strand effectually your fingers

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  …to reset the shape!

However, if your wig is badly disordered, you'll need to comb out each individual curl and smooth out the frizzy ends with a blow dryer or straightening iron. And so wrap the hot fiber effectually your fingers to reshape the curl. Concur it in shape for a few seconds while it cools.

In astringent cases, it'southward sometimes faster to untangle and straighten the unabridged wig – as shown with the direct wig – and and then restyle information technology from scratch. You lot can apply plastic rollers and hot water or steam to ringlet an entire wig in one become.

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Utilize hot water or steam to put curls or a body wave into a whole wig. Step-past-step tutorial in my volume, Wigs 3D.

The perfect finish

When you're done restyling the wig, prepare the manner with a generous amount of hairspray or hair lacquer. This will proceed information technology neat and defined for longer. And don't forget to coat the tips and the underside of the wig with hairspray. This is where your wig is nigh likely to tangle because it's constantly rubbing against your costume. Hairspray holds the fibers together and protects against static.

When you shop for wigs, keep in heed that high-quality wig fiber is by and large easier to untangle. Don't skimp on quality for long and thick wigs!

Option the fiber that works best for you and your project. Some wig brands have extra smooth and glace fiber that makes for easier detangling, like Arda Wigs' „silky" line. While coarse fiber is by and large easier to tease, spike and fashion with hairspray, it is also more than prone to tangling. You can't accept it all…

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For footstep-past-step guides to wig styling, check out my latest book, Wigs 3D!

Source: https://wigs101.com/how-to-detangle-wigs

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