How to detangle a human hair wig

Q: Why is my human hair wig matted?

The three reasons your wig could be tangling: Youre wearing the wrong type of wig cap. Youre using human shampoo and conditioner. Youre washing your wig too aggressively.

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When wearing a wig in your daily life, it is common to encounter some tangles. With a few products and correct detangle ways, you can bring your tangled wig back to life.

Things You Will Need

1. A wig head or stand.
2. Wide teeth comb.
3. Wig brush - DO NOT brush your wig with a normal brush! Get a specific WIG brush.
4. Wig detangler spray - If you can't get the wig detangler spray, you can make it by mix hair conditioner and clean water.
5. Some conditioner.
6. Flat iron - If the hair on your wig is straight, you can use it for a quick fix.

Steps to Detangle Your Human Hair Lace Wigs

1. Put your wig on your wig head or stand and separate your hair into manageable sections.
2. Spray a detangler all over the wig.
3. Detangle with your finger first, separate it into a smaller section. Beginning from the easy parts which are sides, then tackled the back. Avoid loss of hair strands.
4. Slowly detangle your hair with wide teeth comb. starting at the ends, then move up toward the top.
5. Repeat these multiple times, continue spraying and combing or brushing, use a brush to further smoothen it out until the fiber tangle-free.
6. Wash and deep condition the wig.
7. Use the cool air set of hair blower, not hot air. Or let the hair air dry.
8. You can comb your wig hair and use styling tools and curlers if you want.

Notes:
1. Comb through the hair with your fingers, but work slowly and gently until the tangles are removed.
2. If your hair is straight, gently brush the hair, then divide it into sections and run a flat iron through each section, following it with a brush.

Tips - If you want to avoid your wig from tangling for a long time, you need to care it well.

1. Do not sleep with the wig wear on.
2. Store it properly in its case or hang it on a wig head when you are not using it.
3. Use the proper mild shampoo and conditioner, wash it regularly.
4. Moisture it, and minimize its exposure to sunlight and wind.
5. Use hot tools less.

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Whether you cosplay on the weekends or you wear a wig in your daily life, you are bound to encounter some tangles. Don’t throw that tangled wig in the trash! With a few inexpensive products (and a lot of patience) you can bring your tangled wig back to life. By taking some time to prepare, combing out your wig, and giving it some time to dry you can have your wig looking like new.

1
Gather materials. The best part about this method is that the materials are easy to find and inexpensive. All you really need is a comb, a spray bottle with water, and some conditioner. Using a wig head can be helpful, but it’s not crucial.[1] Gather the following materials:
- A wig comb or wide-tooth comb
- A fine-tooth comb (if your wig has bangs)
- A spray bottle filled ¾ of the way with water
- Conditioner
- A wig head and a way to mount it (optional)
2
Mount your wig. Place your wig on your wig head. If possible, mount the wig head onto a camera tri-pod (or another tall object) to make it easy for you to work on it. This is especially helpful if the wig you are combing is very long.[2]
- If you don’t have a wig head (or a tri-pod) simply lay your wig on a table or counter.
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3
Prepare your conditioner. Fill your spray bottle about ¾ of the way full with water. Then add conditioner to fill the bottle the rest of the way. You are aiming for roughly 3 parts water to 1 part conditioner. Shake the mixture well.[3]
- You may also choose to use a leave-in conditioner, or a product designed specifically for untangling wigs. These products do not need to be diluted in water.
- On synthetic wigs, you can also try using fabric softener. Just like with conditioner, use 1 part fabric softener to 3 parts water.[4]

1
Soak your wig. If your wig is really mangled, you may want to give it a warm water soak. To do this, fill a sink with warm water. Remove your wig from the wig head (if using), and leave it to soak in the water for 10-15 minutes. Carefully wring the excess water from your wig and return it to your wig head.[5]
- If the wig is very dirty, you can add a squirt of shampoo to the water. If you do this, be sure to rinse the wig with clean water before you begin combing.
2
Saturate the tips of your wig. Take out your spray bottle, and squirt conditioner-water onto the bottom tips of your wig, until the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig is fully saturated.[6]
- If the conditioner begins to separate from the water, give the bottle a shake.
3
Comb out the tips. Using your wig comb (or wide-tooth comb), begin combing out the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig. Hold the hair firmly with one hand (just above where you are combing) as you comb with the other hand. If the hair is quite tangled, you may need to do this in small sections, until the entire bottom of the wig is tangle-free.[7]
4
Continue spraying and combing, making your way up the wig. Once the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig have been combed through, saturate the next 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) with conditioner-water, and resume combing. Continue this process until the entire wig has been combed through.[8]
- Depending on the length of your wig, this process can take a long time (up to an hour).
- Be careful not to yank on the wig, as this only makes tangles worse. Instead, carefully comb out each tangle.

1
Comb out the bangs and style the wig. If your wig has bangs, use a fine-tooth comb to untangle these, and position them the way that you want them. With the wig wet, carefully position the hair into the overall style you desire.[9]
2
Give the entire wig a final spritz with water. If you have used quite a bit of conditioner (and especially if your wig is not synthetic), you might want to give the whole wig a spritz with clean water. This helps to further dilute the conditioner and reduce greasiness.[10]
3
Let your wig dry for several hours, combing every 30 minutes. Leave your wig on the wig head and give it some time to dry. Every 30 minutes, give the wig a gentle comb-through. In 2-3 hours, your wig should be completely dry.[11]
- If you’re in a hurry, you can use a blow dryer on low heat. Be careful, because it is very easy to damage your wig this way.
- For best results, allow your wig to air dry.

Add New Question

Question
What do I do to untangle a 20-inch human hair lace wig that is tangled into one hard ball that I cannot get to the ends?

Try wetting it, then applying conditioner. Apply the conditioner all over the ball of hair. Then, try to break up the ball with your hands. Once you get it slightly looser, apply more conditioner and brush.
Question
What if I don't have a spray bottle?

You can get your brush wet or just have a bowl of water to dip your hand in.
Question
What can I do when I have followed all the directions and my silver wig is now a dingy looking off grey?

I would recommend using an ink and water mixture to dye it to a better color. You won't be able to lighten it if it's synthetic, but you can make it a new color. Also, if you want your synthetic wig to look and feel more realistic, add a little bit of fabric softener to the conditioning mixture.

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Article SummaryX

To untangle a wig, first, soak your wig in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes before wringing it out and placing it on a wig stand. While your wig is still damp, fill a spray bottle with 3 parts water to 1 part conditioner and spray the tips of your wig until the bottom 3 to 5 inches are fully saturated. Using a wig comb, untangle the tips in small sections. When the bottom is tangle-free, keep spraying and combing sections, slowly making your way to the top of the wig. To dry your wig, let it sit for 2 to 3 hours, combing every 30 minutes to help it keep its shape. For more tips, like how to dry your wig with a blow dryer, read on.

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Reader Success Stories

"If the conditioner begins to separate from the water, give the bottle a shake."

Did this article help you?

How do you untangle severely matted wig?

Detangle a Wig Step by Step.

Put Your Wig on a Wig Stand. ... .

Divide the Hair into Sections. ... .

Spray Detangling Products on the Hair. ... .

Detangle the Worse Tangles with Your Fingers. ... .

Detangle the Hair Using a Wide Tooth Comb. ... .

Wash & Deep Condition Your Wig. ... .

Dry Your Wig. ... .

Style Your Wig..

Why is my human hair wig matted?

The three reasons your wig could be tangling: You're wearing the wrong type of wig cap. You're using human shampoo and conditioner. You're washing your wig too aggressively.