The Best Wigs to Wear in Summer
No one wants to wear their hair down during a heatwave, but mastering summertime wig updos can be tricky.
Anyone who has tried to put their wig in a ponytail and created a bulky, everyone-can-definitely-tell-I’m-wearing-a-wig-right-now look knows what we’re talking about.
But just because wig updos are tricky, that doesn’t mean they aren't worth the effort. You’ll be a whole lot happier this summer with your wig hair up off your neck rather than having it stick to your back.
With the start of summer just a few short weeks away, it’s time to memorize our 5 Commandments of Summertime Wig Styles and start practicing one of our three recommended summertime wig looks.
The 5 Commandments of Summertime Wig Styles
#1 Thou Shalt Only Style Your Wig When It is COMPLETELY Dry
There’s a reason you dip your wig in a water bath when you’re washing it. Your showerhead or faucet would put too much pressure on your wig cap, causing it to rip or snag.
Washing your wig is critical when it gets hot out because sweat builds up in wig fibers. Just make sure you’re waiting to style it until your wig has had time to dry, so you don’t accidentally rip out strands while you’re styling it.
#2 Thou Shalt Secure Your Wig With a Chin Strap Before Styling
We’ve all been there. You’re trying to style your wig and it keeps sliding all over the place, or you’re holding your wig with one hand and trying to style it with the other.
Well, ladies, there’s a better way.
Chin straps are designed to keep your wig in place while you style your wig so that you can use both hands to complete your look.
No slipping, no ripping, just a funny little chin strap you can laugh at when you’re looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror.
#3 Thou Shalt Style Your Wig With a Wig Brush
We can’t tell you the number of times someone has called us because they used a hairbrush designed for human hair on their wig and ripped the wig.
Wig brushes are made to be extra gentle on wig hair, just make sure you’re buying the right wig brush for your wig type.
Human hair wig wearers should go for a boar bristle brush, like the Mason Pearsons that are forever on our Christmas lists...
Synthetic wig and heat-friendly synthetic wig wearers should use a wig brush like the Wig Brush by Envy.
NOTE: If you have a curly wig, you should use your fingers or a pic comb to brush out your wig regardless of the type of wig fiber.
#4 Thou Shalt Only Use Wig Styling Products on Your Wig
The same rules apply to styling products as brushes.
Human hair styling products just weren’t made for wigs (yes, even human hair wigs). You can’t do the kind of aggressive rinsing to your wig that you can with natural hair, so traditional products will build up in your wig. Not only that, but the harsh chemicals in conventional styling products can degrade the wig fiber, causing your wig to break down well before it’s time.
Make sure you're using wig styling products to maintain the longevity of your wigs.
#5 When It is Too Hot to Be Outside for Longer Than the Walk to Your Air Conditioned Vehicle, Thou Shalt Wear a Scarf Instead of a Wig
Why bother styling your wig when that style is just going to fall apart?
Every woman knows that when it’s hot out her style just won’t hold, no matter how much wig setting spray she uses.
Besides, wearing a wig in a heatwave is the same as wearing a heavy hat: you will overheat.
A silk scarf is a stylish option that can wear in place of a wig when temperatures are high. Not only will a scarf keep your head cooler, but you don’t have to style it.
DIY Summertime Wig Styles
French Braids
French braids are a great option for women who wear medium to long length wigs. They don’t require pulling your hair directly back off of your head, so you won’t have to worry about your wig cap being visible.
How to Put Your Wig in a French Braid
Step 1: Separate your wig hair into two sections, top and bottom half.
Step 2: Divide the top half into three equally sized pieces. Hold the right piece in your right hand, the left piece in your left hand, and the middle piece between your thumb and any other finger of either hand.
Step 3: Cross the right piece over the middle piece, then repeat the same move with the left piece. Don’t pull the sections too tightly as it could cause your cap to rip or sections of hair to pull out. You’re going for a loose french braid.
Step 4: Repeat step three, adding small pieces of hair to the right and left pieces as you go. The pieces of hair you add should all be roughly the same size. Otherwise, your braid will look lopsided.
Step 5: Secure the braid with an elastic band at the bottom (plastic see-thru bands work the best as they’re least visible) and set the braid with some wig hairspray.
Ponytails
We’ve all heard the rumor: “You can’t wear your wig in a ponytail.”
Want to hear a secret about the people spreading that rumor? They’re women who just don’t know how to put their wigs into a ponytail.
There are some wig ponytail guidelines you need to follow to accomplish this white whale of an updo, but if you follow them, you’ll have the classic I-put-a-lot-of-effort-into-this-ponytail-but-don’t-want-it-to-look-like-I-did ponytail down.
#1 Start with a thinner wig rather than a thicker one. This might sound counterintuitive, but trust us. Too much hair will look bulky and unnatural.
#2 Your wig cap needs to fit extremely well. If you’re still figuring out which type of wig cap and which brands fit you best, now is not the time to attempt a wig ponytail. An ill-fitting cap will either be bulky or tight, both of which will make your ponytail look unnatural.
#3 Fasten your wig to your head with wig glue, wig tape, or a wig grip. Putting your wig in a ponytail will cause your wig to slide back slightly, so you need a stabilizing product to keep everything in place.
#4 You need to have at least a little bit of natural hair to pull out of the sides and back of the wig cap.
Step 1: Attach your wig to your head, leaving a few loose strands of your natural hair poking out of the wig cap on the side and the back. You aren’t going for a slicked-back, cheerleader style ponytail. The idea is to create a mid-to-low ponytail that’s loose.
Step 2: Gather all of the hair on one side of your head and gently pull it towards the spot on your wig you want to position your ponytail.
Step 3: Repeat step two with the other half of your wig hair, and secure your wig with a cloth hair band. Plastic or metal hair bands will cause the wig to snag.
Step 4: Spray your wig with setting spray.
Step 5: Gently position the loose pieces of your natural hair around the wig to create an ‘undone’ look.
Buns: Advanced Wig Styling
Once you’ve mastered the wig ponytail, you can attempt the wig bun.
To style this look, you need a bun donut and a long-haired wig.
Putting your wig in a bun will only work if you have a longer style because you need that long hair to wrap around your bun donut. If you typically wear a shorter wig and want to wear a bun, buy a longer synthetic wig.
How to Style Your Wig in a BunStep 1: Follow all of the steps for How to Put Your Wig in a Ponytail EXCEPT Step 4 and make sure your wig is secured very well.
Step 2: Place the hair of your ponytail through the center of the bun donut, and secure the donut to your wig with one or two bobby pins.
Step 3: Wrap your hair around the bun donut and secure with bobby pins.
Step 4: Set your look with wig hairspray.
Still not sure what to do about your summertime wig style? Read our FAQ post about Wearing Wigs in Summer.