We’ve all had our moment with a synthetic wig or hair. Especially if you are a 90s kid, there is a high chance you know what I am talking about. We have been in trouble way too many times with synthetic hair and wigs.
Synthetic hair has been a lifesaver for a lot of us when it comes to styling our hair a certain way. This helps people to wear their desired look every day. These hair make up the look that most people struggle to achieve with their actual hair.
Synthetic hair is widely used all around the globe. It is used for extensions, braids, various hairstyles, and whatnot. They come in handy when your hair is not on point for the style you want.
If you wear synthetic hair, you might have thought about straightening it out at some point, because let’s be real, synthetic wigs often get too tangled. They need to be brushed out properly to keep them looking good.
If you are wondering whether flat ironing synthetic hair is the right thing to do or not, you have found the right article. In this article, we will discuss everything that has to do with flat ironing and synthetic hair.
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Can You Straighten Synthetic Hair?
Straightening your natural hair is an everyday thing. You don’t really have to think much about it unless you are about to straighten your wet hair. To straighten your natural hair, you just have to use your flat iron to do the task.
On the contrary, straightening synthetic hair can be an ordeal if you do not follow the right steps. You must have thought about flat ironing your synthetic wigs because of how frizzy they can get.
Unless you have had the first-hand experience of the disaster of flat ironing your hair, you shouldn’t proceed with flat ironing it.
Flat ironing your wigs has a process, and most importantly, you have to know if you can flat iron your synthetic hair to straighten them.
Most synthetic hair is made of plastic fibers which melt immediately when they come in contact with high temperatures.
If your wig is anything like that, then you must not straighten, curl, or style it in any other way using a hot tool. Doing so may result in melting your wig fibers, the damage of which is irreversible, and you will have to discard your wig in the end.
So, to simply answer your question, you need to identify whether or not your wig is made of fiber that melts when heat is applied.
If your synthetic wig is made of heat-resistant fibers, then there is a high chance it will not melt, and you can use a certain amount of heat to straighten your hair using a flat iron.
How To Flat Iron Synthetic Wigs?
Flat ironing a synthetic wig can be a challenge if you haven’t examined your wig or thrown away the manual that came with it.
Usually, expensive wigs give you the benefit of straightening them compared to the cheaper ones as they are made of heat-resistant fibers.
To straighten your wigs you have to follow the simple steps that are mentioned below to get the best results without burning your precious wig.
Step 1: Detangle
The first step to straightening your synthetic wig is to make sure that it is absolutely tangle-free. You have to brush out all the knots and tangles and make it as neat as possible.
To detangle your wig you will need a hairbrush and a wig stand, you can also use a mannequin head if you do not have a wig holder or a stand.
You will then place the wig on the holder and gently brush out the tangles. Brushing out the tangles and knots helps in flat ironing your wigs with ease. The flat iron can glide easily over your smooth synthetic hair.
Step 2: Prepare
Before you start straightening out your hair with a flat iron, you must prepare it. It is almost like preparing your natural hair, but in this case, you have to be a lot more cautious.
Synthetic hair is more prone to melt if it is exposed to extremely high temperatures, so to make sure you do not damage your hair, you have to take a few precautions.
You have to use a good heat protectant for your synthetic hair. The heat protectant is the most essential product for your hair at this stage because it will somewhat protect your wig from getting ruined.
Step 3: Straighten
Now that you have prepared your hair, you can use a flat iron to straighten your hair. It will be best if you use a ceramic flat iron.
The ceramic flat iron dissipates equally over the area that the plate moves over. It uses the ionic technique to keep your hair looking better.
The ceramic flat irons have negative ions which cancel out when they come in contact with the positive ions present in the hair follicle. This results in the hair becoming neutral which allows it to remain in one place without the static.
Now, to straighten your synthetic hair, you have to pretty much follow the same steps as you follow for your natural hair.
You have to section your hair in four individual sections. Before you start straightening your synthetic hair, make sure the heat is set between 200 degrees to 250 degrees. Your synthetic hair can take this much heat without getting ruined.
You have to part each of these sections into two and then place them between the ceramic plates of the flat iron.
You will now have to run your flat iron over the same strands about four to five times to straighten each strand. You have to repeat this process for all sections until all your synthetic hair is straightened.
Once the entire wig is nice and straightened, you will notice a huge difference from where you started off.
Step 4: Style
Now that your synthetic hair is straight and not frizzy, you can style it however you want it. You can either make curls at the front that will help frame your face or give your wig a little haircut to make it look entirely new.
It all depends on how creative you want to get with styling your synthetic hair. I’d say go all out on it and let your creative juices flow.
Now that you know all the steps to successfully straighten your synthetic wig, you won’t need my help anymore. So, I will leave you to it and let you enjoy your alone time with your wig. Just remember to keep the temperature between 200 to 250 degrees, or you may ruin your beloved wig.
FAQs
This article has well-rounded information about the dos and don’ts of flat ironing synthetic hair to straighten them.
You will find almost everything you need to know about this topic in detail. Below I have tried to cover some of the common questions that people ask; read below to know what you’re missing out on:
Q1. Reasons to flat iron synthetic hair?
Ans. You should flat iron your synthetic hair to make them reusable and style them in different ways than just one. You can make your old wigs look fresh and new if you can successfully straighten them.
Q2. What is the exact temperature to use when flat ironing synthetic wigs?
Ans. There is no exact temperature for this particular purpose, but you have to make sure that you do not go above 250 degrees as it may result in melting your hair.
However, some synthetic hair may melt in temperatures below that as well, so it is best that you buy a wig that has heat-resistant fibers.
Conclusion
Flat ironing synthetic hair might have been an issue back in the day, but with better technology, we have the benefit of heat-resistant synthetic fibers.
These fibers can endure heat up to a certain temperature, and luckily for us, we can straighten and style them however we want.
These synthetic wigs last longer and require less effort when it comes to managing them. So, I think you better not waste more time and get to work with your flat iron and the wig that you love so much.
