Styling a Wig: Heat-friendly Synthetics

but it’s possible! First things first, make sure the synthetic wig you want to heat style is, in fact, heat friendly (aka heat defiant, HF, or HD) - if it is not, you’ll just kill your wig with a curling iron. :( Most HD wigs can withstand temps around 350 degrees, but check with your manufacturer to be sure.  

Before you begin, secure your wig on a block head and gather any supplies you plan to use. I typically end up using a few clips, my curling iron (with digital temp display) and a heat glove. I like to section the hair in halves or thirds (top/crown, middle, bottom/nape) as I work, but this is entirely up to you. If you’re planning to curl a straight piece, you’ll need to be able to slide the hair off of the curling iron while maintaining the curled shape, so plan accordingly. For me, this means using the curling iron pointed down (cord side up), but do whatever is most comfortable for you. 

Take a section of hair (how big depends on the style you’re hoping to achieve) and clamp the hair in the curling iron about halfway through the length. Curl the hair around the curling iron once, then slide the curling iron down so that it’s closer to the ends of the hair. This will give you more control compared to starting at the ends and curling all the way up.

You don’t have to leave the hair in the curling iron for long; the magic is in the cooling not the heating with HD synthetic wigs. Once you have a section of hair in the curling iron, gently slide the hair off the curling iron (this is where a heat glove comes on handy) and hold it in the desired shape as best as you can while it cools. Feel free to blow cool air on it or hit it with a blow drier on a low cool setting to speed things up. If you’re trying to straighten a curled piece, just run the curling iron down the section of hair and hold it straight down until it cools. 

A few things to keep in mind…

1. Your wig will maintain this style until you heat style it again, even through washing or getting caught in the rain
2. The more more heat-style a synthetic wig the shorter its lifespan will be, so use the lowest temperature possible and avoid over-styling
3. Heat friendly wigs have a shorter lifespan in general (2-3 months) compared to regular synthetics (3-4 months)

You can also check out this wonderfully informative video by Heather Hershey, founder of Cysterwigs, to see tips on how to style a wig with steam