"Tips & Hints"....... Caring For Your Wig
Of all the things feminine that I have bought over the years, the scariest purchase I think I have ever made was my first two wigs, wayyy back when I was about 15!. After going through all the stress I had to get the first ones, where to have it delivered, what if someone found it, no way was I about to start asking questions about how to take care of it. Like how to take good care of them. Well, 25 years later, you can guess what shape my wigs were in!
It was the fall of 2000 when I started meeting people like me on the internet, and found people whom I could ask some of these questions of without any worries at all. I have Suzie Peterson to thank for letting me know it really is OK to be myself, and that yes, there were other people I could talk to:-)
It was such a relief for me, to finally after 25 years, find out I wasn't the only guy who liked to dress like a girl! Once I started to accept this part of me as special, and not strange, things were becoming easier to deal with. However, for my two "mops" it was a little too late
. Almost feeling proud of myself, and after many hours deciding on a style and color, I walked into Mario's in Polo Park one day, and bought my current hairpiece, and instantly fell in love with it!! When I first put it on, I felt so much more confident about my appearance, and didn't want to loose that at all! So this meant learning to take care of my new wig right from the start! And what better place to ask how, then the place I got it from. The staff were very helpful and explained just how to go about it. So I'll share it with you here.
First, fill a sink with water, more on the cooler side to the glue holding the hairs into the cap don't loosen. Then put a dab, about as much of what you would use on your own hair, of a shampoo designed for color treated hair into the water and swish it around to mix it with the water. Then place your hairpiece into the water, making sure it is submerged, and let it soak for about 15-20 minutes. Don't move it around, you'll just get it tangled.
To rinse it, lift it out holding it in the "as-worn" position, and run it under water to rinse out the soap. Let it drip dry for a few minutes, then lay it on a towel overnight and let it dry. The best way is to place it on a wire wig stand to dry, which lets air all around it. However, everyone HAS a towel*S*. Once it is dry, you can brush it carefully and the style will come right back, like magic!!
If you find you are getting a lot of static, after the rinsing, place a dab of conditioner suitable for color treated hair, in a sink full of cool water, soak the hairpiece in it for a few moments, lift it out, let it drip dry, then lay it on the towel to dry overnight. You will find it is very easy to brush after using the conditioner.
To restore the shine and get rid of frizzy ends, I use a "hair varnish" which the friendly staff at Mario's showed me. After I wash and dry my wig, I place a dab of hair varnish on my fingers, then run my fingers through the hair, repeating the process until I'm happy with the look. I was amazed at how much of a difference this made. My hairpiece was almost like new again!!
Stay Pretty :-)
Sabrina
E-mail me at sabrina_markes@masquerade.ca
Member of the Winnipeg support group - "Masquerade"