How to Untangle a Wig

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 2, 2021

Whether you cosplay on the weekends or you wear a wig in your daily life, you are bound to encounter some tangles. Don’t throw that tangled wig in the trash! With a few inexpensive products (and a lot of patience) you can bring your tangled wig back to life. By taking some time to prepare, combing out your wig, and giving it some time to dry you can have your wig looking like new.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Mounting Your Wig and Preparing Your Conditioner

1
Gather materials. The best part about this method is that the materials are easy to find and inexpensive. All you really need is a comb, a spray bottle with water, and some conditioner. Using a wig head can be helpful, but it’s not crucial.^{[1]
X
Research source} Gather the following materials:
- A wig comb or wide-tooth comb
- A fine-tooth comb (if your wig has bangs)
- A spray bottle filled ¾ of the way with water
- Conditioner
- A wig head and a way to mount it (optional)
2
Mount your wig. Place your wig on your wig head. If possible, mount the wig head onto a camera tri-pod (or another tall object) to make it easy for you to work on it. This is especially helpful if the wig you are combing is very long.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you don’t have a wig head (or a tri-pod) simply lay your wig on a table or counter.
Advertisement
3
Prepare your conditioner. Fill your spray bottle about ¾ of the way full with water. Then add conditioner to fill the bottle the rest of the way. You are aiming for roughly 3 parts water to 1 part conditioner. Shake the mixture well.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- You may also choose to use a leave-in conditioner, or a product designed specifically for untangling wigs. These products do not need to be diluted in water.
- On synthetic wigs, you can also try using fabric softener. Just like with conditioner, use 1 part fabric softener to 3 parts water.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Combing Out Your Wig

1
Soak your wig. If your wig is really mangled, you may want to give it a warm water soak. To do this, fill a sink with warm water. Remove your wig from the wig head (if using), and leave it to soak in the water for 10-15 minutes. Carefully wring the excess water from your wig and return it to your wig head.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If the wig is very dirty, you can add a squirt of shampoo to the water. If you do this, be sure to rinse the wig with clean water before you begin combing.
2
Saturate the tips of your wig. Take out your spray bottle, and squirt conditioner-water onto the bottom tips of your wig, until the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig is fully saturated.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- If the conditioner begins to separate from the water, give the bottle a shake.
3
Comb out the tips. Using your wig comb (or wide-tooth comb), begin combing out the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig. Hold the hair firmly with one hand (just above where you are combing) as you comb with the other hand. If the hair is quite tangled, you may need to do this in small sections, until the entire bottom of the wig is tangle-free.^{[7]
X
Research source}
4
Continue spraying and combing, making your way up the wig. Once the bottom 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) of the wig have been combed through, saturate the next 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm) with conditioner-water, and resume combing. Continue this process until the entire wig has been combed through.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Depending on the length of your wig, this process can take a long time (up to an hour).
- Be careful not to yank on the wig, as this only makes tangles worse. Instead, carefully comb out each tangle.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Styling Your Wig and Letting it Dry

1
Comb out the bangs and style the wig. If your wig has bangs, use a fine-tooth comb to untangle these, and position them the way that you want them. With the wig wet, carefully position the hair into the overall style you desire.^{[9]
X
Research source}
2
Give the entire wig a final spritz with water. If you have used quite a bit of conditioner (and especially if your wig is not synthetic), you might want to give the whole wig a spritz with clean water. This helps to further dilute the conditioner and reduce greasiness.^{[10]
X
Research source}
3
Let your wig dry for several hours, combing every 30 minutes. Leave your wig on the wig head and give it some time to dry. Every 30 minutes, give the wig a gentle comb-through. In 2-3 hours, your wig should be completely dry.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- If you’re in a hurry, you can use a blow dryer on low heat. Be careful, because it is very easy to damage your wig this way.
- For best results, allow your wig to air dry.

Community Q&A

Question

What do I do to untangle a 20-inch human hair lace wig that is tangled into one hard ball that I cannot get to the ends?

Community Answer

Try wetting it, then applying conditioner. Apply the conditioner all over the ball of hair. Then, try to break up the ball with your hands. Once you get it slightly looser, apply more conditioner and brush.
Question

What if I don't have a spray bottle?

Community Answer

You can get your brush wet or just have a bowl of water to dip your hand in.
Question

What can I do when I have followed all the directions and my silver wig is now a dingy looking off grey?

Community Answer

I would recommend using an ink and water mixture to dye it to a better color. You won't be able to lighten it if it's synthetic, but you can make it a new color. Also, if you want your synthetic wig to look and feel more realistic, add a little bit of fabric softener to the conditioning mixture.