Hair Care

(Important notice to current customers – please make sure you wash and condition your hairpiece before sending it in for repair. the factory will start charging $25 per unit if it needs to be washed before it can be handled at the factory)

Care Instructions for your new Hairpiece

As time goes on, there will be daily wear and tear to your hairpiece just like wearing the same garment all day, every day. If you frequently sleep in the prosthesis, expect the weight of your head rubbing the hair against the pillow to cause hair breakage. Rubbing your head against a car headrest or playing with the same piece of hair in your fingers will also cause hair breakage.

  • Wash your scalp and the inside of your silicone cap daily
  • It is essential to wash both your own scalp and the silicone cap lining every day. This maintains the grip of the silicone cap and helps avoid unpleasant odours.
  • Use a small amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid and rinse off. (Just wiping with water alone won’t remove perspiration oil, and slippery silicone and odour may result.)
  • Should odour develop inside the cap, mix two tablespoons of baking soda in a cup of warm water and leave applied inside the cap for three to five minutes a saturated cloth will keep the solution against the cap lining. Then rinse off.
  • Wash your hair once a week

Like growing hair, your hairpiece should be shampooed at least once a week. This can be done under the shower while wearing it or by hand. Because most shampoos are formulated to remove oils from the scalp (which would dry out a hairpiece) we recommend shampoos and conditioners formulated for dry, coloured or permed hair. Many shampoos are fine to use although a shampoo for color-treated hair will help you to keep your hair from fading in the sun and under flourescent lights. We like Pureology Anti-fade in the purple bottle.

  1. Before you wet the hair, gently brush out any tangles. Use a wide-toothed comb or vent brush, starting at the tips and gradually working up the hair length to the crown.
  2. Wash the inside of the cap as you do every day (see above).
  3. Using tepid or lukewarm water never hot hold the hairpiece under the faucet and allow the water to run gently over and through the hair in the direction the hair flows (a hand shower is perfect for this).
  4. Once saturated, apply a capful of shampoo. Spread the shampoo down the hair length with your fingers and gently squeeze to work the lather through the hair. Do not rub or scrub the hair. Rinse thoroughly under the running faucet. Alternatively, you can premix the shampoo in a glass bowl in lukewarm water, dipping the hair piece in and out of the soapy solution and running your hands down the hair. You can repeat this process with the conditioner.
  5. Squeeze the hair (not the cap) in a towel to remove excess water and apply conditioner. (If the hair is saturated with water, it can’t absorb the conditioner).
  6. Spread the conditioner down the hair length with your fingers and gently squeeze through the hair. Use a wide-toothed comb to gently work the conditioner through, leaving it on for two to five minutes no longer.
  7. Rinse out under running water thoroughly and towel dry. Pat or squeeze the hair with the towel to blot up the water be sure you don’t rub the hair or the prosthesis scalp with the towel as it risks hair breakage.
  8. Put your hair back on and style normally!