So you are out with your husband and friends, you are wearing your wig that is only a couple of months old. You start to feel that your hair is getting big, tangled and dry looking. Why is everyone looking at you as if you haven't washed or brushed your hair in months? What is going on with this wig? Well there is an explanation and many times it has nothing to do with you.
I will start by explaing what causes tangling, it is a manufacturer default or is it just the quality of hair that was purchased. It can be either, to understand wigs you will need to separate synthetic and human hair because it can happen with both but for completely different reasons as well as understand the quality of wigs and how it plays a role.
So first lets look at synthetic wigs. What is a synthetic hair made from? Plastic... Yes the same plastic that is used for a bag or a cup except it is processed to look like hair. So what happens to plastic when it is near heat? It melts, not only extreme heat causes melting of plastic but constant friction, sun, cooking and plain sweating can cause it as well. With time, depending on your usage, the wig will get frayed and not very attractive. If you are spending on a synthetic wig, make sure you know what type of synthetic you are gettting, because protein synthetic and heat resistant will last longer and be easier to restore then a regular fiber synthetic. Also, the longer the hair the faster it will damage. Price is also a factor, if you pay a low price for your wig, you are getting what you paid for.
So now that we understand synthetic hair and why it can act up, we need to now understand human hair which is a bit more difficult to grasp. First of all, like a car, wigs come with different qualities and durability. Why would it be any different for a wig? Some people think that wigs come in human or synthetic hair, but that is far from it. If you go into a wig store and they show you human or synthetic and they do not know the origins, the type of fibers amongst other details you should definately leave, because chances are they don't know what they are selling or they know and they are afraid to tell you the truth.
So let's start now with the human hair. Human hair comes in 3 categories: 1. Processed 2. Remy 3. Virgin Now you need to look at the origin of the hair, usually you will come across Indian and Asian hair. They are the most common but far from the highest quality. Remember that Indian and Asian hair are always very dark so that means they need to be extremely processed to reach lighter colors. Other hair you will find on the market is mongolian and malaysian which are slightly higher in quality and more fine but still need to be a bit less processed to attain lighter colors other than very dark brown or black. Then the top of the line quality will be European and Russian Hair, which we can find in all colors ranging from dark to blondes.
1. Processed hair tangles the most and why? Well first of all if we microscopically look at the hair shaft we will find cuticles. The function of cuticles are do avoid tangling of our own hair. It kind of works like a puzzle so that the hairs glide with each other without causing too much friction. When hair is processed it is usually because the hair is dark and the hair has been sweeped off the floor or taken from people's hair brush (many times companies cut corners and use animal hair from horses tails and yak a well) When cuticles aren't properly put it the hair will tangle. By stripping the hair of color and cuticles with an acid bath the hair becomes cuticle free. This causes extreme tangling as well, except now we can put special products to coat so that the hair glides without tangling, at least at the beginning when you first buy the wig. Usually after a few months, the product subsides and the hair starts to tangle. Common hair types found in processed hair are Asian and Indian mixed with either synthetic or animal hair. These are usually lower in price and marketed as 100% Human Hair... So next time you find a "100% Human Hair wig" for less than 450$ start really wondering what you are buying. (Sometimes they are sold at over 1000$ at that point it is a whole other issue)
2. Remy hair means that the cuticles are aligned. The hair can still be processed the only difference is that the hair is kept in the original ponytails that they were cut in, so the cuticles stayed aligned as explained above and the hair is processed without stripping all the cuticles off. This allows the hair to still move together with less tangling. All the hair mentionned above can be remy. These are usually mid ranged priced (again price is higher depending on the origin of the hair and how it was made) and marketed as 100% remy human hair.
3. The best is virgin hair. It means the hair hasn't been processed at all... Wow, so the hair is taken again from the original ponytail and sewn into the cap carefully. This 99% of the time means the hair stays beautiful, soft and tangle free! (exceptions do happen, but usually a good reliable company will garantee manufacturer defaults with the higher end wigs) All the hair above can be virgin, but only the Russian (virgin) hair can be found in almost all colors. RL Moda Hair, which has built its reputation with its high end hair, are one of the ones carry this quality hair in Canada.
Let us look at possible damages that you yourself could have done to your own wig, read carefully, this may save you from having to change your wig so early. Now, if your hair is tangling or has become a knot that is impossible to remove, and your wig has been amazing up until now, except now you decided to wash it on your own. You scrubbed it and made sure all the dirt is off. That is great except that a wig, especially one that is handmade, is made differently then your own scalp. It may mimic your scalp but it is knotted into the material and our real hair, well it is coming out of a root in our scalp. When we scrub too vigorously or use conditionner on the base of the wig we can cause the hair to stick together and make it impossible to untangle.
Another dont are certain oils and other very oily products that you may be putting on the wig, especially near the base of the cap. This causes the knots to feel slippery and then loosen, eventually opening. Hair falling out can cause major tangling. Again it could be a manufacturers defect, but more often than not, it is the products and the treatment the wig is getting from the owner that causes these specific issues. However, it usually is a problem that can be fixed if you go to the right experts.
Knowing this I hope you are now more informed about your own wigs and possibly future wigs. If you need any services or you have any questions you can always contact us at 514-907-3322 or our website at www.OrderQualityWigs.ca.
Laurie Brown
Professional Wig Maker