Hair Care
How to avoid excessive shedding?
Shedding is a common problem with lace closures, frontals and full lace wigs!
Everyone will experience this with their wigs, although some shedding is normal, there are a few ways you can avoid excessive amounts of shedding/balding of your lace pieces.
- Never use products that contain alcohol on your lace piece!
(Many store bought products contain alcohol which is extremely drying to the hair, the hair will eventually become brittle and it will break off)
- Never scrub the knots harshly, you can use a towel, water and a neutralizing shampoo to remove excess residue and build-up!
- Do not scratch your lace pieces this can cause bald spots on the lace!
How to avoid tangling?
Tangling can be a common problem with wigs, here are a few tips to avoid excessive tangling!
- Never sleep in your wig while it is wet or damp; when you wash your wig please allow the wig to air dry completely.
- Braid or twist your hair at night before bed.
- Always sleep with a satin scarf or bonnet this is good fo both your natural hair and wigs.
- Always use a wide tooth comb to detangle the hair before styling or washing the wig.
- When washing your hair do not scrub or rub the hair in circular motions, gently run your fingers through the hair downward in one direction.
How to wash your wig!
This refers to custom handmade pieces that are ventilated by me, however please keep in mind that all lace pieces must be handled with great care, these steps are to ensure that you are well informed on how to care for your pieces.
What you'll need:
- Styrofoam head
- Ribbon or elastic band (cotton)
- Hair pins
- Large basin
- This step is to ensure that the lace is protected; you then will secure the wig onto the mannequin head using your elastic band or ribbon as a barrier between the lace and the pins, insert the pins an inch apart along the entire hairline.
- Gently detangle your wig using a wide tooth comb starting from the ends and working your way up.
- Get a large basin and fill it up with lukewarm water and add a little of shampoo to the water, saturate the hair into the mixture and let sit for 3 minutes you don't have to run your fingers through the hair yet.
- Using lukewarm water rinse out the hair allowing the water to flow in a downward direction, you then can squeeze out the hair and proceed to the next step.
- Now take your conditioner and repeat the same steps, please be sure not to saturate the knots with conditioner, when using your conditioner mixture you then can run your fingers through the hair or use a wide tooth comb and start from the ends and work your way up, you can also let the conditioner sit on the hair for a few minutes and then rinse.
- After the hair is washed please allow time for it to air dry.
How to care for curly hair?
Curly hair requires some maintenance when it comes to keeping the hair detangled, moisturized and refreshing the curls.
Here are a few tips to follow when caring for your curly hair:
- Follow the same steps listed above when washing your piece.
- Never attempt to detangle or comb the hair while it is dry, when washing curly hair you want to use a spray bottle of water and little bit of conditioner to dampen the hair to soften the curls then you can detangle the hair stating from the end and working your up using a paddle brush or wide tooth comb.
- Our curly does not require a lot of product to keep the curls defined, once you go through and define the curls; the curls will be refreshed and defined throughout the day.
- To achieve defined curls you will first secure your wig on a mannequin head then you will saturate the hair with water and begin to part the hair in a few sections to begin the process, you can apply a curling cream or mousse to each section (avoid applying conditioner to the base of the knots) then begin to use your paddle brush to detangle and define the curls starting from the ends and working your way up after that you want to leave your wig to air dry. I also have a video on my instagram page that you can check out to see how I define curly hair.
What should I do with my hair before bed?
Always put your hair into some loose braids or twist and wrap your hair with a stain/silk scarf or a satin/silk bonnet, we recommend this material for both your extensions and your natural hair because this material doesn't dry out your hair.
How should I store my wig when it's not being worn?
Properly storing your wig away when its not being worn is a very important step to ensure that the hair is well kept.
Using mannequin heads or styrofoam heads are a great way to store your piece, this will keep the shape of your wig and the style, please make sure your hair is completely dry before storing it away.
If you don't have a mannequin head you can either use a satin bag or box to store it in, and just be sure to put the hair into some loose twist and apply a hair net to keep the hair intact you can also stuff some packaging tissue paper on the inside of the wig to keep it shape, if you don't have tissue paper you can gently fold the wig in half and before storage, however when choosing this last option you will have to place the wig on a mannequin head and restyle it to get back the shape and style.
Brief Description of Lace:
Lace Denier: (Definition)
A unit of measurement that is used to determine the fiber thickness of individual threads or filaments used in the creation of textiles and fabrics.
Higher Denier = Thicker lace
Lower Denier = Thinner lace
- Base Lace
- Opera Lace
- French Lace
- Swiss Lace
- Fine Swiss Lace
- Film Lace
Some of these laces such as (base lace, opera lace, french lace) have a heavier denier because of the weight and thickness (typically 35 denier or higher); The thinner lace such as (film lace, fine swiss lace, and swiss lace) have a thinner denier ranging from 15-30 denier.
Film Lace: (15% denier)
Extra Fine Swiss Lace: (20% denier)
Swiss Lace: (30% denier)
Swiss Lace: (40% denier)
Please keep in mind the film lace and extra fine swiss lace isn’t recommended for everyday use this lace is very delicate, however the client can always do what they like and prefer with their custom pieces.
Swiss lace (30% - 40% denier) is thicker than film lace and extra fine swiss lace this lace is very commonly used and is also advertised as transparent swiss lace, although they can be worn everyday and it will still blend beautifully into the skin.
Overall all lace is delicate and must be taken care of and stored correctly to ensure longevity of your lace.
35% – 55% Denier
Can be utilized as fronting lace and will need blending together with foundation, concealers and make up. This is the selection which is generally supplied by numerous suppliers. The majority of conventional lace front wigs offered at retail beauty supply stores are 35% – 40% denier.
10% -30% Denier
This choice requires minimal blending mainly because the lace is going to vanish once the adhesive is applied. In many instances, the material will disappear immediately once applied against the skin. This is an incredibly professional lace. Desired by knowledgeable wigmakers. Not recommended to be used by wigmakers that are just starting to learn how to use or make lace systems.
Personal Favourite Laces:
(30% - 40% Denier) Regular Swiss Lace
(15% - 20% Denier) Swiss Lace (HD/Film Lace)
I like to use these two laces the most for creating custom lace closures and frontals, the 30%- 40% denier swiss lace is a bit thicker but still blends beautifully into the skin and is recommended for beginners. As for the 15% - 20% denier swiss lace (film) is thinner and blends into the skin seamlessly, however this lace is recommended for people that have more experience with wearing wigs.
If you have anymore questions please feel free to contact us!