How to restore a cosplay wig!

So you may have decided to let your cosplay wig sit in your room for several months. Or worse, your wigs are rotting inside a plastic bag! Whatever the situation may be, you probably ran into a scenario where your cosplay wig ended up in bad shape for various reasons. But whatever the outcome, I’m here to help! Today I am going to help you fix your cosplay wig.

But first let’s answer the question…

How do you restore a cosplay wig?

In most cases, you should be able to fix and completely restore your cosplay wig to an optimal state. Depending on the state of your wig, you can apply various techniques such as washing or detangling to remedy the cosplay wig. Preventative maintenance will also ensure your wig will stay in the best shape possible for years to come.

In this article, I’ll give you the 5 best ways on how to restore a cosplay wig. These methods will save your wigs and ultimately your money as well! You will find these techniques very useful.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

1. When your cosplay wig is tangled

Things like Mane ‘n Tail Detangler: The Tangles and Knots Solution work wonders for fixing cosplay wigs!

Doesn’t it suck when your cosplay wig gets all tangled up? Not only is it an absolute pain to fix, but it looks terrible when it does happen! When we’re walking around and about a convention, there are so many things that can mess up and tangle our cosplay wigs, especially a powerful wind outside.

Fortunately, you don’t need to cut any wig hair or throw it out. There are products specifically made to detangle. One particular product is called Mane ‘n Tail Detangler: The Tangles and Knots Solution. This product is actually meant for horse hair, but it works especially well for cosplay wigs! It’s a great solution to detangle those annoying wig tangles.

Another way you can detangle is by using a travel steamer. You do this by carefully steaming the plastic and carefully detangle stuck strands.

So try these two methods if you have any tangled cosplay wigs and your wig should be good afterwards!

2. Removing dirt and dust

If you’re like me and leave your cosplay wigs in the room for a very long period of time, then inevitably the wig will collect some dirt and dust. You should definitely clean your wig if this happens.

But if you’re dreading the fact that you need to completely wash your wig and re-style the wig again, then don’t worry. There are products you can use to not need to use any water while also cleaning the wig. One product is called On Organic Natural Water Free Cleanser for Wigs and Weaves – Synthetic & Natural Hair. This spray helps you clean your wig quickly and easily! That way, you can skip the process of completely washing your wig.

But if you need to fully restore your cosplay wig…

3. Washing your cosplay wigs

Unfortunately, there may come a time where you’ll need to give your cosplay wig a complete washing. But it’s not the end of the world, as the process is pretty simple. All you need is:

  • A basin to place the wig inside
  • Water to fill the basin with
  • Shampoo (lightest and gentlest possible)

So all you need to do is fill the basin with water. Add a little bit of shampoo into the water (a dab of shampoo is more than enough). Then place the wig into the basin and gently rub the wig to get the soap inside. Take out the wig, rinse the basin and fill it up again with fresh water. Place the wig back into the new water and rinse all the dirt and grime off of it. Be very gentle!

Once that is done, hang the wig onto a stand to air dry. Do NOT use a hair dryer as a wet wig is very fragile. Although it may look like a disaster, don’t you worry; the wig will be just fine after it dries up. And once it’s dry, the wig will be fresh and clean! Almost as if it’s brand new. 🙂

4. Re-styling a cosplay wig

Using a bunch of tools to style a cosplay wig is totally fun!

So if you had to completely wash and clean a cosplay wig, then you’ll have to re-style it again. But in terms of keeping the cosplay wig in good shape, you can use certain products that are better for making the wig last as long as possible.

Generally speaking, you’ll want hair products that hold the strongest, yet also being the gentlest as well. Because cosplay wig strands are more fragile than real human hair (i.e. we can afford to be rough with our own hair but not with wigs), you want something strong but gentle. I recommend using Got2Be for styling and gelling. It’s a perfect balance between a strong hold and being gentle on the wig!

5. Storing your cosplay wigs

Mannequin heads are the best way to store cosplay wigs!

Last but not least, in terms of restoring your cosplay wig, maintaining and storing them properly is just as important. You can do all these things to help restore them, but if you’re not storing them properly, then you’ll be giving yourself a lot more than you should.

Keep your cosplay wigs on a stand or mannequin head if possible. Not only does it keep the shape of the wig intact, it also keeps the styling as well. They’re pretty cheap to buy! If you have a shorter wig or a wig with very little styling, then you can also store them in a sealable plastic bag.

Summary

To summarize, here are the 5 best ways on how to restore a cosplay wig:

  1. When your cosplay wig is tangled
  2. Removing dirt and dust
  3. Washing your cosplay wigs
  4. Re-styling a cosplay wig
  5. Storing your cosplay wigs

And there you have it; 5 things to know about restoring a cosplay wig! I hope you found this post useful. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep using your cosplay wigs for a very long time.

If you enjoyed this post, check out my other guides related to cosplay wigs:

Do you have any cool cosplay wig techniques you want to share? Let me know in the comments below!

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