Have you ever wished that you could curl your synthetic wig? Have you been told it's impossible because heated styling tools will damage your wig? Well we have good news. Although synthetic hair cannot withstand heat styling, you can add body and curl to your synthetic wig using the right tools, some patience and some practice. Read on for our step by step guide to creating gorgeous waves in synthetic hair.
First, you'll want to gather the following tools:
- Wig stand
- Wig comb
- A spray bottle filled with clean, cool water
- Wig styling spray
- Hair clips with “duckbill closures” (and bobby pins depending on the type of foam rollers used)
- Foam hair rollers (not the heated kind)
Step 1: Set Up & Detangle
To begin, you will want your wig to be freshly washed and air dried completely. Some wig stylists recommend using a wig mousse after washing to create volume and aid in shaping the hair as it dries. We like Brandywine Wig Styling Mousse for this purpose. Place your dry wig on a wig stand to help keep it in place and allow you to see the entire wig as you work and easily manipulate the strands. Next, brush your wig through completely using a wig comb or wig brush. Take care to gently remove any tangles while avoiding stretching out the synthetic hair fibers. Use short strokes starting at the ends of the hair and working your way up. Avoid brushing too close to the wig cap itself.
Step 2: Divide hair, clip & spritz
Separate the hair into four large sections and secure using hair clips. You will want one section in the top center, one in the back center, and then a section of both the left and right sides of the wig. Beginning with the top center section of hair, release the hair from the hair clip. You will want to work with separate one inch sections of the hair at a time. Separate the first one inch section from the rest of the top center hair. Lightly spritz the one inch section with cool water from root to ends. Be careful not to saturate the hair, just dampen it.
Step 3: Roll & repeat
Place the roller at the end of the strand and wind the hair around by rolling the hair and roller toward the base of the wig. Clip the curler in place once the strand is completely rolled up. Be careful not to let the clip or pin puncture the wig cap. Repeat until the entire wig is rolled into curlers. Work your way from the top center section of the wig to the sides, and finally the back center of the wig. This way, as you roll the top strands, you will be moving them out of the way for the strands that are underneath to be rolled.
Step 4: Air dry & unroll
When your entire wig is rolled, you will need to let it air dry until the hair is no longer damp. Work from the bottom of your wig up to unroll your curls in the reverse order of which you put them in. Undo the clips or pins holding the roller in place and slowly remove the roller. Take care not to stretch the curl out during this step. During this step, you can lightly spritz the strands with wig styling spray as you unroll them to help set the shape.
Step 5: Finishing touches
Once your entire wig is unrolled, you can lightly work your fingertips through the style to manipulate the curls and position them where you want them. Just be careful not to pull on the curls too much or they will straighten back out. You can lightly spray the entire wig with wig styling spray at this point if desired.
About Foam Rollers
Foam rollers come in various shapes and sizes. The type of foam rollers that you choose to use will depend on what you would like your curls to look like. Larger rollers will give a loose, beachy wave and smaller rollers will give a more tightly curled appearance to your synthetic wig. You can also mix and match rollers of different sizes to create a fun, free flowing curl style.
The direction that you roll the hair in will also have an impact on the type of look you achieve. You can experiment with different directions to see what appearance it gives you. For example, rolling the hair inward with the roller vertical will give you ringlet curls. Rollers in the horizontal position will give you fuller, softer curls.
Some foam rollers have clips already attached to them that will lock into place and keep the shape of the curl while your hair dries. Other foam rollers will require a bobby pin to keep the hair in place around the roller.
As we've learned, curling your synthetic wig isn't impossible. However it does require heat free styling techniques to avoid damaging the synthetic fibers.
