straightening wigs

Not sure where to put this so I'm putting it here on this thread. I have a few Leeke and Volks wigs that I would like better if they were straight. How can I do that? I did try the wet towel over wig and then ironing but it did nothing other than giving me a warm wig.

I straighten my wigs the same way I straighten my hair, I use an iron straightener. (You can probably get these for ~$10 at the convenient store) I use heat-resistant spray on my own hair but I skip that for the wigs since they are supposedly supposed to be heat-resistant already. (Not all wigs are heat-resistant! If you are not sure, make sure you only iron a very, small inconspicuous part of the wig to check if it curls and fizzes out when heat touches!)

 

Follow instructions on the box and your wigs should get straight soon.

I have a hair iron like this that I use http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/chi_ceramic_flat_iron.jpg

 

I just set it to a lower temperature, and then use it on the wig to straighten whatever I want, one smallish lock at a time. You'll want to know for sure if your wigs are the heat resistant kind, though. Leeke wigs should be fine, but I don't know about Volks. I just got some new wigs today that needed some ironing ^^ The hair curved awkwardly around the face and needed to be smoothed out. I didn't take before and after pics, though.

 

I've heard of people using boiling water to straighten doll hair, you could look into that too.

Thanks Nekopon and Yukamina, that's what I'll do

I've done all 3 methods. From my personal experience:

 

1) Wet towel + iron does work, but ideally you need a thinner towel and an iron capable of producing a very high level of heat. I've also ironed through other pieces of cloth like sheets and pillow cases. This method doesn't work well on heat-resistant wigs, because they're designed to take quite a bit of direct heat. It works better on wigs that are not heat-resistant. Probably my least favorite method, because it's easy to accidentally iron a crimp into the wig...

 

2) Straightening irons work the best on heat-resistant wigs. I do apply a heat-resistant spray to wigs before I use the iron, but I think that's personal preference. Test the iron frequently to make sure it's not so hot that it's melting the wig, work in small sections, and be prepared to make repeated passes on stubborn sections.

 

3) Boiling water works very well on non-heat-resistant wigs, and works very poorly on heat-resistant wigs. Probably the best method for delicate wigs that hate heat (least likely to melt or burn anything). It also requires a lot of boiling water poured slowly down the wig, and will generally relax curls more than straighten them completely. This works for me because our hot tap comes our near-boiling anyway, so sometimes I've just stuck the wig directly under the hot tap for a few minutes.

Thanks Cauldroness, your explanation is very helpful

I only use Leekewigs with all my dolls and simply ironing it with a normal hair straightener its fine

 

Here is a photo of my Soleil in my mini salon lol just inside my room after straightening her hair I also styled it

 

 

Boiling water works very well on non-heat-resistant wigs, and works very poorly on heat-resistant wigs. Probably the best method for delicate wigs that hate heat (least likely to melt or burn anything). It also requires a lot of boiling water poured slowly down the wig, and will generally relax curls more than straighten them completely. This works for me because our hot tap comes our near-boiling anyway, so sometimes I've just stuck the wig directly under the hot tap for a few minutes.

 

I second this statement from Cauldroness, this is the method I use for straightening wigs or hair that is attached to other dolls.

 

It's a great method if your wig has got a bit frizzy too I tend to boil a kettle of water then pour it down the hair over a sink being careful not to burn myself. I then give it a gentle brush with a metal comb to straighten it out and remove any tangles, again being careful not to get burned. I have a bowl of ice cold water on the side which I dip the wig into fully, this sets the hair into the straight style. I will then give it another brush before putting it on top of a bottle to dry. Let it dry naturally don't use a hair drier as this can cause the wig to either go very fuzzy or it could melt.

I'm not sure with Volks, but I think all Leeke wig is heat resistant so I'm pretty sure you can use iron straightener for this. But it's not bad to try at the edge of the wig hair first, to make sure it's really okay.

If it melt, you can just cut the little burn edge and use the hot water method, just like how other member reccomend

Thanks everyone for you wig straightening input. I still haven't purchased a straightening iron so have been getting by with the regular iron and the pouring hot water method. I did discover that the Volks wigs are not very heat resistant. Saying that because the hairs are a bit crimped from the hot iron.

Thanks everyone for you wig straightening input. I still haven't purchased a straightening iron so have been getting by with the regular iron and the pouring hot water method. I did discover that the Volks wigs are not very heat resistant. Saying that because the hairs are a bit crimped from the hot iron.

Some of their new renewal wigs are actually heat resistant, but not all of them.