Wigs are an essential part of my healthy hair regimen. I wear them when I need to give my hair a break from manipulation and over-styling, or during extended periods of extreme weather that can cause my hair to dry out. Wigs and extensions are part of my arsenal of protective styles, but in order to reap the full benefits of wearing them, I have to steer clear of the following unhealthy practices.
Wearing them for excessively long periods of time
Don’t worry, I get it – wigs are convenient! I love the fact that I can wake up with frizzy plaits and 2 minutes later walk out the door with my hair looking laid. Wigs are time-savers, but if worn extensively they can actually cause more harm than good by neglecting the health of our actual hair. Having access to wigs doesn’t mean we should give up on our real hair. We need to maintain the health of our curls and kinks while wearing wigs if we want to reap the full benefits of using them for protective styles. Remember to give your hair a break from wigs about every three weeks.
Using heavy adhesives to install your wigs
Wigs can be fantastic protective styles when we can fully tuck in our natural hair underneath them. However, in an effort to have all strands tucked away, sometimes we may take things a little too far. Gluing wigs directly to our hairlines is a recipe for disaster and actually beats the purpose of protective styling. Glue can rip our hair out from the roots or cause breakage along the shaft. Whenever possible, use glue-less wigs that you can easily pin along your hairline.
Over-manipulating your wig using heat and color
Being able to whip out a funky, pin-curl blonde look is lots of fun! As a natural hair blogger myself, I love switching up my looks. One day I’m retro-glam and the next I’m classic-chic. Wigs and extensions give us versatility. However, just like our real hair, wigs need to be cleansed and conditioned, particularly if they’re made of high quality human hair. Remember, synthetic wigs tend to be cheaper because they can hardly be manipulated using color and heat. To keep your human hair wig looking fabulous, keep heat use and color alterations to a minimum to prolong the life of your hair.
Do you wear wigs as a protective style? What have you learned not to do when you’re wearing them? Leave us a note down below, we’d love to know!
