Busting The Strangest Wig Myth 

It works perfectly on the plastic hair fiber barbies and my little ponies have. Wigs have evolved to better fiber types, so you really should test this on carnival/halloween wigs that can be seen from mile away they are wigs.

As a drag queen with 6 years of wig styling experience I don’t use fabric softener unless im trying to add a lot of teasing. The reason is the softener leaves a film on the hair fiber that gives it a texture which makes it much easier to tease, hence why it tangles easier. the fresh wig is slippery and fresh, that’s why it doesn’t tangle as easy, and I would use a wig like that for flat wigs or sculptural wigs. Hopes this helped!

A tip from BobbiePinz - if you are thinking about getting a steamer for your wigs, please be sure to find one with a plastic head rather than a metal head. The metal will heat up more so than the plastic and you run the risk of melting your wig if you touch it. Metal steamers are really only meant for natural fiber clothing.

Safiya x Sarah is the crossover episode we didn't know we needed until now.

“In the name of Nygaard-san, welcome to Bad Wig Science” best RU-vid intro I’ve ever seen.

I've done this on my Arda wig styled into Sailor Moon. The pigtails tangle like mad and are super difficult to untagle. I let it soak in one cap of fabric softener mixed with water overnight. I then combed it while wet and the comb would glide through for the most part and any tangles I found were easily picked apart. The difference between detangling without fabric softener and with fabric softener was night and day. But you have to soak over night and comb while wet.

As someone who found you through cosplay and has no idea how to sew: If I see a Sarah Spaceman video I click

i spray my wigs with silicone spray and mane & tail detangler. the silicone helps prevent it to get tangled and the mane & tail helps brushing out if needed. it does make the wig a little bit oily if you spray too much. i think its great for long wigs :)

I will 1000% recommend unscented fabric softer for those whose want to use this trick that are sensitive to smell. It really helped me not give myself a headache at con’s from the wig’s smell. Also I recommend 6-8 hrs personally. Any more and it’s just overkill😋 Edit: Also yes I’ve only found the tricks works better on cheaper wigs. And it’s still depends on the the draw. Worked amazing on my black wig from party city but didn’t work well on a green one from the same place. But, it won’t damage the wig if you try it so it always safe to give it a go.

i think the softener wig was simply more tangled because it already got tangled in the water while the control wig wasn't washed....also most tutorials i have seen and what i have done before myself was to brush them wet on the flat service with a towel under...and than again when dry while on the wig head...the shininess doesn't change yeah...and i haven't really played with styling much so no idea there

you have such a beaming personality! I'm not even into cosplay or anything, mainly sewing content, but your personality is such that i just enjoy hanging out with you when i watch your videos lmao

man i would love to see this topic expanded upon for other wig hacks spread around. the quality of budget-friendly wigs you can buy now has drastically improved since the 2000s/2010s. how effective/helpful are the wig hacks of yesteryear?

I think it really depends on the wig fibers. I always do this to anything that isn't Arda for shine and I have had amazing successes and also it do absolutely nothing like what happened to you. I go in with the expectation that it will do nothing and am pleasantly surprised when it does. I think it works better on older wigs or Halloween wigs, I definitely had more successes in ye olden days of cosplay struggle so maybe there's something to that. Even wigs that cost under $10 now are so much better than the $50+ halloween wigs we had to use 20 years ago.

The cat running up and down the stairs with you is amazing lmao

I fell in love with wig science and now I need more of it.

I have a Spirit Halloween wig and some Amazon wigs that I've had to do the fabric softener/water spray stuff to in order to detangle them. It worked well enough but as you said, the smell was overpowering. Then a blog tutorial for a cosplayer mentioned using food safe spray silicone on badly, badly tangled wigs. It worked surprisingly well without a smell but...boy you should do that outside. It makes any surface that gets sprayed with it slicker than a 70's disco hall floor.

I tried the trick to use a spray bottle with a mix of half water and half fabric softener to detangle a wig and I almost scrapped it after using it. I put the wig aside for like 5 years without touching it and just restored it recently with castor oil, that thing is so much better!! I've got rid of almost all the tangle and the wig look so much better now!

For me, it definitely makes the fibers less stiff and itchy. Especially wigs with lots of teasing around the hairline for volume. (EpicCosplay does this a lot) and the fabric softener makes the fibers less coarse. I have also noticed that it does help cut the shine on darker wigs. I haven't noticed a lot of difference on my blonde wigs, but my black wigs looks much better after.

14:05 HARD AGREE. My hairdresser used them on me when I was a kid (like 6) and my mom bought me one. I hated getting my hair brushed as a kid so it make the task so much easier! Im 19 now and refuse to use anything besides a wet brush.

The best advice I can give as someone who has cosplayed since when Amphigory was relevant: buy the brand that suits the purpose. I like Epic for long and loose as those don't tangle as easily although they are a slight bit shinier. Also their lace fronts are boxier so they suit my face better. For short wigs I like Arda since they are matte and have color mixing so they photograph beautifully and almost indentical to natural hair and have a ton of fiber for giant anime styles. They also have a very round shape to their lacefront if that suits you. Assist is where I go for ultra long (Medusa, Fate series) or very specific wig colors. They have less fiber, are shinier and tangle easily but they have their use! I actually like the sparse fiber for more natural styles as it more closely mimics real people's hair in that regard.

I honestly I'm also grumpy abou it. BUT i noticed that if i use fabric softener on the wig they get kinda "gummy" gross, but all this grossness turn into slippery bless once i use an flat iron on it. So everytime i mess up a wig i soak it in fabric softener and then flat iron it once it's dry. Has been helped me a lot.

I stand by the fabric softener hack but ONLY for specifically Party city or generic brand cheap wigs. I don't think it helps with detangling but I do stand by the softening and less shiny affect it gives

I worked for an ice show for a certain rodent themed company for several years. Here's my wig tips. Wig clips/toupee clips sewn into the cap of the wig is a quick way to put on and secure your wigs. Oil sheen spray for synthetic hair helps to keep them detangled. Baking soda to remove hairspray buildup. Steaming and brushing them out will help defrizz and return the shine. Listerine watered down 3:1 parts water spritzed into a sweaty wig kills bacteria and freshens your wig. Edit: We did not use fabric softener on wigs. 😂

FR THOUGH, I'VE BEEN USING WET BRUSHES FOR SO LONG THAT USING ANY OTHER BRUSH IS JUST SO UNCOMFORTABLE AND I HATE IT

im currently taking apart shorts to try and make a pattern for my future hu tao cosplay, im gonna try and get over my needle fear and actually start my cosplaying journey, but i’m glad i have sarah to watch and help me through the tremendous amount of learning i have to do lol

As a pro cosplay wig commission artist. I prefer natural heat crimping it makes your wig softer, less shiny, not as tangle prone, thicker and just more professional I can make any wig look top notch with this technique I love it 😍

I think the nuance of "You can still do this thing. But just don't tell other people they can ONLY do that thing instead of also choosing their own different things" is great. Especially with cosplay, there's almost always more than one path to a high-quality solution. And a willingness to experiment is good. Breaking out of whatever is trending (or in the case of how long this has gone on with wigs) is standard practice often brings us new techniques and methods! Such as the pigtail protector. I remember when worbla first surged in popularity, too, for example (even though it's been around as a product for a long time).

The pour over did make a good dramatic bit! Hope the clean up wasn't too harsh and it all stayed in the plastic!

as someone who can only afford super cheap amazon wigs, fabric softener is a godsend. not only does it just make the wig feel cleaner, but i also really does help with de-shining and un-tangling. i had a semi-curly wig i bought for catra and it took me over 8 hours to fully detangle it- after a 30 soak the next time only took 1.5 hours also, tbh i just love the smell and it makes your hands super soft 😊

I have used the fabric softener for a wig that was tangled. And it worked perfectly fine. I reused the same batch for all of my ponyfalls and had no issues. Like 2 gallon of water and a tablespoon of softener for an hour then hang up and detangle let dry. I didn't rinse them. But a carding board for fiber craft is the best way to detangle in my experience. That is lay the wig down on the board and then brush it over the board. The wig was a cheap party city style wig, 😂

Hello Sarah, Thank you so much for all your wonderful Videos.... My name is Thom, and I have been doing wigs for Broadway/TV/and film for 30 years now. On my shows we use Downey on our synthetic hair wigs, and I usually put some Downey in a tub of water and then just dip the wigs a few times into the mixture. In a way of saving money for a show, paying $25 or more for a nice conditioner for synthetic wigs is a waste. Yes, on our human hair wigs the best conditioner for those wigs I feel is "Mane and Tail". I think of it as if your washing your clothes, you don't leave the clothes in the wash for 24 hours to make them softer...synthetic wigs have no follicles for the conditioner to get trapped in so just dipping the hair in is good. And on the lace front wigs you would never let it soak in the water, that only loosens the knot on the lace... Also instead of the T pins, which I hate also....I use "Bank Pins" from Manhattan Wardrobe supply...they are T pins without the T part....they are more like a small nail head... Love them... Thank again for your wonderful videos...

I guess the cheap wigs available really have come a long way in ten year, even 10 $ ones, i never did cosplay but i would Watch so many RU-vid videos and follow DeviantArt pages in like 2010 -2013 and i remember people take horrible quality wigs and not only soak them in softener but also powder the shit out of them With baby powder or cornstarch . And yes sometimes It would work and sometimes not but i believe Is an useless tip now ,it's too outdated for the wigs we have now, even the worst ones.

I believe you're not soaking them long enough! I use this method for most of my wigs and it tends to get rid of shininess but I have no idea where the detangling idea spawned from though. For reference the longest time I have soaked mine for was 6 days. I've found that 3 days + a wee bit of baby powder will obliterate the pesky shine.

The reason why it might de-shine a wig if it's made of the right material is because all fabric softener does is add a thin coat of wax over everything. I think that means any light that will hit the wig will have to go through a layer of wax that will make it appear more matte due to the nature of wax being more matte usually. It most likely depends on the brand of fabric softener too, cause I would assume different brands have differing levels of wax content.

My understanding of why fabric softener started being used on wigs from back in the day was because it's basically the same as wig shampoo... But wig shampoo was like £30-£50 for a tiny bottle minimum back in the early to mid 2000's... Whereas, you probably bought fabric softener anyway, or you could get a litre+ bottle for like £3-£5 from the supermarket... And we used washing up liquid just as often as fabric softener, which was usually even cheaper... So for a bunch of teenagers, that was more affordable. I think the "it makes it less shiny" is because it does on party city/smiffy's polyester wigs which are truly awful. But they were all most of us could afford or get hold of easily 20 years ago. It does make them a bit less crispy. But not super soft or owt. And maybe people moving from those to kanekelon wigs when they started becoming available/affordable were used to using fabric softener on their old wigs and assumed that the difference it made transferred over? I mainly still use it because of habit from not buying separate wig shampoo because I have loads of allergies and know I don't react to the (unscented, hypoallergenic, plant-based) fabric softener/washing up liquid we use anyway. Whereas wig shampoo is a chemical minefield I do not wish to tread on. And the "it tangles less" a) long soaking badly tangled wigs makes a little difference to fibre loss and b) if you wash your wig and detangle it wet, it's easier to detangle with wig shampoo, fabric softener, or washing up liquid... But I've never found much difference in dry brushing tbh. So just making the wig wet and using a tangle teaser brush/comb might work just as well without anything else added? I dunno, I've mainly just used it because I used to get a lot of facepaint/makeup in my wigs. And when I reuse a wig, getting the hairspray/gel/PVA glue out of it required something more than water (usually that's when washing up liquid was better though). It feels like some of the later claims were more exaggerated and about it being an "exciting new lifehack" for content/clout/clickbait than any massive difference though? But we used it purely because it was cheaper than wig shampoo. And tbh, I know a lot of folks just used their own shampoo on their wigs (and still do) for the same reasons, or because they prefer the smell of it. Some people use fabreeze or a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water (only if you haven't dyed the wig obvs). Sometimes you do need to wash a wig. But there's no 1 true, right way. Just what works for you.

This video is so validating to my baby cosplayer who tried the fabric softener so many times with so many failures and was so frustrated when that was the MAJOR tip for detangling, and then I had to learn to just use a nice comb and brush 😭😭😭

Honestly I cannot thank you enough for this video - specifically for turning me on to Wet brushes! I was always told not to use brushes that have nubs on the end when brushing wigs, but my life has CHANGED from this freakin brush! It's so much easier than it was with my old wig brushes, it's such a relief to make such a difference so quickly. Now I sort of get why you can buy them at every store ever. I liked it so much that I bought one to travel with, and ended up get THEM to buy one too.

just want to drop some tips i have for keeping the wig on the stand (as someone who is currently styling a 40 inch long wig...): 1. if you're a drummer, take your crash/ride cymbal off the stand and put the wig head on that!!!! insanely niche tip but literally the best way to do this it never comes off. ALSO if you have a music stand you can use that by taking off the part that holds the sheet music! 2. BOBBY PINS you can pull apart the bobby pins, stick one end through one hole of the mesh wig cap and the other through another, piercing into the styrofoam head...this is so secure its insane, i could brush it all the way through with no wobbling at all 3. adding "ears" to your wig head actually helps it stay on so much! what I did was model some ears with aluminum foil wrapped in masking tape then hot-glue them on, tighten your wig as tight as it goes and it stays in place so well 4. grip tightly onto the hair while you brush or style each part, this makes sure the force of brushing doesn't reach the wig cap and it won't wobble!

I had a hideous tangled extremely long wig from a 2019 danmei cosplay that I just could NOT detangle (and also had some old hairspray bits in the front), so I did a long soak in hot-from-the-tap water (about 55C), a little laundry detergent, and a little fabric softener (I didn't measure, but maybe 1/2 a cap full). I don't remember how long it was in there, but it was long enough for the water to cool, then i rinsed it out well & hung it up to dry. That thing brushed out like a DREAM, and it didn't feel oily at all. I also had some tangled wefts in the same cleaning batch, and they also all combed out super easily. These were all from Arda.

I feel like the wig they use often comes from china (taobao etc). The ones manufactured in china often have the fresh wig more tangled, quite literally after combing it straight out of plastic (mostly long wig). Reason for this is the fiber are more sensitive to heat and gets damaged fast. Often SEA based cosplayers and wig stylist wash their wigs half soften conditioner + laundry soap and steam it once it dry. It does proven to be effective. So it really depends where you get your wigs from

I have committed my whole cosplay career to debunking the "fabric softener makes your wig less shiny" myth because I was told this in like, 2005, tried it, and was like ".....that didn't do shit!" XD

Oh man, and I just rinsed out a new secondhand wig this morning after soaking it in a tub overnight with just a teaspoonful of Downy fabric softener after a soak and wash with even less detergent. It’s drying now on a towel. This would’ve made such an excellent watch beforehand, what timing! 😆🖤 Oh well, better late than never to learn!

There are fabric softeners without perfume. I would probably recommend using that so you don't get a headache or respiratory issues from the amount of perfume. Edited to add that you could always rinse out the wig after it's been de-tangled.

I mostly use it to get rid of the smell of wigs. Whether they're fresh out the bag, old & smelly from sweat, restyling them or bc they're second hand and people dyed them etc. and they have a heavy chemical smell. I'm sensitive to scent, so I only use one specific softener that I jnow I can stand and follow the amounts on the back of the bottle xd For "preventing" tangling I mostly just crimp the wig and brush it throughout the day when I feel like it needs it and braid it when I'm on the way/leaving the con has been a lifesaver, especially when there's wind!

I've been a wig stylist for about 10 years now, and I FAR prefer taking a dryer sheet and running it over the wig to smooth and reduce frizz on the outer layers only. It's a total game changer for bob styles on dancers, anything that has to move and fall back into place. No film, no frizz

As a doll collector I tried fabric softener a few times on synthetic hair and it did absolutely nothing. Just wash the wigs with conditioner it works better, quicker as you don't need to soak, and they also don't have as much fragrance.

I'd be interested to see this test with you washing the control without softener. Because it seems like the washing aspect would effect the fabric softener wig more than the fabric softener itself does.

My first wig experience was/has honestly been the most upsetting. I purchased a wig from KasouWig and right out of the bag was a giant matted knot on one side. I've never done anything with wigs before and waited before taking anything out (other than confirming that my items were correct in my shipment) until my friend who has experience in all things cosplay and wigs to assist me. We work in the same industry, but different stores, and have a massive charity event coming up so I really wanted to push the fun and cosplay this year. My wig, sadly, was not on the same page. My friend and I spent 4 hours trying so many different methods, detangling sprays and brushes, soaking in laundry detergent, conditioners for wigs from Hairhouse Warehouse just down the street. I've honestly been a mess since this all started nearly 3-4 weeks ago. I sent a support email to the company asking for assistance and haven't heard back yet. This isn't a jab at KasouWig's, just a saddened comment about how I've had a rough patch with my first go with wigs 😢

Thank you for this video

the safiya shoutout yesssss!! i've only used fabric softener to try and take the shine out of cheap wigs, and even then i think it was more about just trying to do some diy on a bad wig to say that i tried. any effect would have probably also come from just washing and re-brushing it with no softener added, but obviously it's such a widely-heard cosplay tip i thought it might do something. plus my housemates always had fabric softener around before they realized it doesn't really do much in general so i didn't have to buy any for that.

This video actually came out on my birthday, and 10/10 incredibly birthday! I'm planning on an Ahri cosplay for dreamhack dallas, and your videos are a good starting point for that.

I've found that the fabric softener method works the best with super cheap REALLY Shiney wigs. Like I bought a $5 wig that basically glowed in the dark with how shiny it was. I've bought a few super cheap wigs for last minute costumes and it worked great for making it less Shiney. BUT I also don't rinse much out and keep it a little oily. It's the oily layer that dulls it.

I've bought some of those cheap Amazon wigs before, and the fibers are much nicer than the ones on my old American Girl dolls. The fabric softener really helped with detangling the really matted doll hair! I think it probably works better with even cheaper wig fibers than what you can get on Amazon these days.

I have done this technique on a party city wig once and it did help reduce the *extreame* shininess. It still didn't look good, it looked like a wig but not a wig so horrible its distracting so there's that

I'm allergic to fabric softener so I've always been scared to try this. Glad to know there are other options!

I’ve used this method on doll wigs (American Girl in particular), and with warm water and brushing, it definitely smoothed and helps vastly in detangling my childhood doll’s hair.

Its suppose to be for old wigs that you want to bring back to life not a new one. Basically everytime i've seen this used it was because someone had an old wig that was tangled and messy that they considered throwing away. Using fabric softener is a way to bring those wigs back to life and make them easier to detangle. Not prevent tangles.

Leaving the wig overnight seems silly. Plastic doesn't absorb anything, which is why we use plastic for packaging. I'm early in your video, so I have no idea what the results will be. Fabric softener seems more logical than hair conditioner, at least it's not made for hair.

Im not sure if it's because im a newer cosplayer so i missed out on being in the trenches of sharpie wig dyeing and such, or just the circles ive been in, but ive only really seen it suggested for bringing down the shine on particularly shiny cheap wigs. It really is a mixed bag how well it works, ive seen it matte down some really cheap party wigs but ive also seen it do nothing on wigs, so it was interesting to see what it did with your wigs, thank you for putting it to the test!

For shine and tangle control, good (not dollar store) fabric softener works best to get a Halloween/Party wig to look a little more like a cosplay wig. As to detangling, it is not really necessary for regular wear tangling. Where fabric softener really shines is removing back-combing and perma-tease with a lot of product (especially with drag wigs). Boil the wig, remove from heat, add fabric softener, stir, and leave overnight. Pat dry a little with a soft towel and gently detangle without rinsing while mostly wet. When fully detangled, rinse very well. You can use a gentle wig shampoo if desired. Hang to dry then spray with wig detangler and style as usual.

There's also wig specific detangler like the brand Nicole & Alyssa Synthetic Wig Detangler spray you can get for $10 so fabric softener is basically an obsolete technique now for detangling

Before fabric softener was popular, another wig hack from back in the day to help detangle/reduce shininess was using apple cider vinegar/white vinegar! Similar method of soaking wigs in mix of water/vinegar solution for hours/days. Fabric softener trend probably caught on much more since it did leave your wig smelling better 😂… but it was an alternative for people who had a sensitivity/reaction to fabric softener. Another odd wig styling tip if you wish to continue testing these myths!

I always rinse the cap out super well and leave it on the ends, just so I don't have it on my face, but also because every wig I buy, I cut a ton of the hair off the ends, so it doesn't matter. I've found the fabric softener method makes it easier to tease and style into anime styles, but I never noticed a difference in shine. Dry shampoo is great for reducing shine if that's a concern. :)

i literally have a convention in 3 weeks and i have to take care of 2 wigs so i am so glad you dropped this video rn

I didn't expect to get called out to brush my long wigs 😅

I've had success with fabric softener when it comes to detangling very, _very_ tangled wigs, such as those that has been teased [namely one of my Peridot wigs from coming up on two years ago]. I believe I used WikiHow's "How to Restore a Synthetic Wig" tutorial so I didn't actually soak the wig in fabric softener - I started by soaking it in plain water, let it dry somewhat, then used a spray bottle with 50% water and 50% fabric softener to help get out the rest of the tangles. It was a real lifesaver in that case and was quite successful in getting the knots out. Honestly the fabric softener made it pretty gross and stiff, so I had to wash the wig out again after that, but it worked out in the end since it was going to be heavily styled again anyways.

I tried the fabric softener "detangling" method on my old ratty Bee and Puppycat wig, it was a long curly epic cosplay wig that I had unfortunately let fall into the "trunk and shoes for 6 months" state. It was BAD. So i tried the soaking overnight in fabric softener, I took it out, rinsed and dried it. When I tell you it took me all day to comb that thing out, it took ALL DAY. It lost so many fibers in the detangling process, and it was so much more hassle than the end result was worth. Again, a mixed bag kinda thing lmao ¯\_₍ッ₎_/¯

From what I have seen this is more for those really bad party city/Halloween Spirit style wigs I think you just have a better eye for quality wigs then most people.

I've seen fabric softener used on like, Halloween wigs from Party City or Spirit Halloween, wigs from places like Disguise or Rubies. I love MOB and I still use em and not once have I ever considered using fabric softener for them lmao

I remember the original reason for fabric softener was because it left fabric with a slight tackiness. So we removed the tackiness with talcum/baby powder, which also dulled the shine on wigs.

I have used hair softener in much the same way, on old dolls from the Eighties that were very much played with... worked like a charm! (Think Barbie-like hair)

Fabric softener breaks down fibers. It makes it softer but it also ruins the integrity of both your clothes and the wig.

I’ve used a couple drops of argon oil or leave in conditioner spray and then spray it with dry shampoo or sprinkle it with baby powder I ultimately gave up on wigs because they would get tangled during use but hearing your take on it makes so much sense the tangled stuff does indeed add volume, maybe I should give it another try plus I would really love to try cosplay again ☺️

i've used fabric softener to help with shine on particularly shiny wigs, but i soaked them for around 24 hours before removing them. i honestly had no idea people were using it for detangling, i'd only ever seen about shine! motions oil spray or similar silicone-based sprays are what i usually see recommended for longer, tangle-prone wigs. also, arda has comments turned off on all their videos, have done for a while.

For a real control, you should have soaked the control in water for 1 hr as well, because you can't separate out the effect of the water on the fabric softener wig without it. The water soaking could have caused changes in the wig that caused more tangling, as could the actual process itself of agitation during soaking, rinsing, and wrapping in a towel to air dry the wig.

I was always skeptical of this myth! I have told people that it might be something to try, but that I never did it myself 😂 Glad to know I'm not missing out

Honestly I think this whole hack does have roots in the doll restoration community, where we've been putting fabric softener on doll hair back since it was made out of mohair. For the cheap fibers typically used on dolls (saran, kanekelon, and straight up nylon), fabric softener can be used to help restore badly damaged fibers like those found on thrift store finds that a child has beat the crap out of. Generally you soak the hair in it, in hot water, and then rinse it out with water just off the boil, and for that it DOES help to restore the original softness to fibers that aren't just tangled, but genuinely damaged by brushing with cheap plastic doll brushes, dunked in bathwater, etc.

Something that people seem to not understand is that fabric softener is actually a different type of soap, it is not the same as a "hair conditioner but for clothes" as some people claim. It is soap. This is why professional launderers (or whatever you call them in your region/country/etc) dont use fabric softeners period.

Just so y'all know combing in some baby powder in your wig will make it less shiny. Its messy to do but will make your wig more matt and won't effect styling if you do it before adding any crimping or hairspray.

I've used fabric softener to, y'know, soften wigs. i will agree that it's a mixed bag and works better on cheaper wigs that don't use premium fibers or "human" hair mixes that you'd get from companies like outre. i tried the trick on a dashly (outre) wig my mom threw out that she had tangled to hell and back because i found the hair so scratchy. yeah, it won't do anything for tangles, especially around the nape area but it does soften it and make it more manageable if you thin out the problem areas. also if you're going to use heavily scented softener, dilute that shit or look for something unscented or really light.

Ik this was a month ago but ima still say it, what I find best when detangling wigs is to put in a spray bottle with 2/3 of water and 1/3 of conditioner(any kind) and then two pumps of body oil? Also silicone spray also really works

I was also pretty sceptical about the fabric softener hack but I had never tried it myself. Your experimental method was wonderful to watch and I absolutely loved how you decided to tangle the wigs!

I great many years ago I saw those old videos using farbric softener to reduce shine so I tried to soak a cheap claire's wig in it, I left it there for days and it still didn't do anything sadly, good for the people for whom this method worked tho :"D

I use hair conditioner on my paint brushes and I've seen tutorials for using it on faux fur too, but I've never heard of using fabric softener.

Way back in the late 90s/early 2000s fabric softener was recommended to help detangle and renew doll hair. Like the frizzed out Barbies at goodwill. You were supposed to detangle it while the softener was in the hair. I tried it on multiple dolls. I don't think it really did anything except slick it up. I still had so many frizzed out heads after 😅 I have to wonder though if that's where the wig detangling came from. Since doll hair, especially fashion doll hair, is usually made of kanekalon too

After watching the video I have a couple thoughts, but lemme start by saying I have not yet tried this. I personally heard fabric softener also helps wigs be less itchy; I have yet to try it, although I have 2 itchy wigs I've been meaning to try it on. But I know 3 people who have tried it and they said it does not help it be less itchy. I also have heard from others that fabric softener "doesn't work well" on Arda wigs/doesn't make a difference, and I think the reason for that is the price point. If you're paying a higher price for a wig, you should expect to not have to modify it so it "looks better", like adding the fabric softener to make it less shiny or softer...etc. I also feel like that might be why in Arda's tutorial, you only had to soak it for an hour. Arda offers high quality wigs, so it wouldn't make much of a difference from the start. I don't know what company wigs were used in the other tutorials though! Just my thesis right now I use wig detailer spray for my wigs and it works fantastically, however crimping your wigs is another really good way to prevent tangling!

Hey Sarrah, firstly, thank you! I have been trying to find that brand of hair roller but Didnt know how to search for them. i caved and bought the foam curlers from hell and then saw this video and now, i know mesh curlers are what they are called and I had wished i had seen this video before i spent money on the foam ones lol! but now i know so next time I'm grabbing those. Also i think I may know where the fabric softener method for wigs method may have originated from because you are absolutely correct, unless a person has no ability to smell there's no way someone can wear a wig for too long and it's not really necessary Anyway, i think this method may have been created by what people call the game of telephone. Because the only synthetic hair that I've ever known that has been washed or treated for similar reasons ( but mainly for cleaning) was vintage barbie hair. So I'm wondering if maybe someone saw a video of a barbie hair restore and cleaning video, figured since wigs are also synthetic they might have the same results. Then they decided to post a video about it and ever since it became a thing for wig wearers. Which is why i i think the fabric softener for wigs may have been invented after someone saw a video for a doll hair treatment tutorial without realising that there's a difference to doll hair and wig hair effects from the strong fragrance and thickness difference.

as a long-time cosplayer (since 2005!), I usually just mix a small (maybe half a fluid ounce to one fluid ounce at most!) amount of fabric softener into 8 ounces of water in a spray bottle, shake it up really well, and use it as a spray-on detangling spray. I start at the ends, and work slowly when brushing or combing my wigs out, and honestly going slow is probably why it works so well.

I've tried this a few times, on both wigs and stuffed animals! my thoughts are honestly pretty similar to yours. IME (and ymmv obviously) it is not worth it. Even if I wasn't sensitive to smells, there's a certain feel to the fibers when its been soaked in fabric softener that I greatly dislike. It's less bad when you only do an hour, but i've forgotten one (oops) in a fabric softener bath for nearly 2 days. It was absolutely terrible, 0-10. I cannot imagine why on earth you'd want to soak it that long, unless you want motivation to avoid touching the fibers at all costs lmao. and these were wigs that I got secondhand. had cut up, and worn several times. so they were cheap, and been through the ringer. Seems like the longer you leave it in to soak the more risk you have of shedding fibers. I haven't found a method I'm happy with yet for de-shining or mattifying a wig. If anyone has tips that don't involve fabric softener or an ungodly amount of baby powder... i would love to know xD

I've been cosplaying for 10+ years & I've never used this method because my skin is so sensitive to fragrance, so i can only imagine the havoc it would wreak being on my head all day!

I do all my doll hair with fabric softener in a 2part water one part softner ratio in a spray bottle and just use it as a detangler would on my own hair. then brush it through and eventually rinse out. It makes it fluffier and frozzy so you end up having to straighten it then style it with low heat. I cleaned all my wigs with it and even the cheap dollar store stuff so I confirm it works regardless of science It works best on nylon wogs but not polythyrine or syran cuz heat will melt it.

I loop the ad section of this video so I can eternally view the Kitty cat

As a hairdresser who was trained to work on wigs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using fabric soften on lower quality synthetic fibres or straight up plastic wigs, because why waste the conditoner you put on your own hair for a COSPLAY wig? Save your conditioners for real hair wigs and your own hair. A GOOD wig should be treated with regular shampoo and conditioner (but nothing intense or harsh, usually just a touch of clarifying shampoo will do, and SIGNIFICANTLY less than you would usually use, as there's no natural oils) but there isn't any point to using good hair products on cheap wigs. I have a Halloween wig i plan on revitalizing this way, but that's another things, this hack is considerably more useful for fixing or redoing wigs or for the first styling, it's not something every wig needs as regular care.

I have no knowledge about anything you upload but it's enjoyable either way and it makes me want to learn more about making cosplay

I personally also had mixed results with it. Sometimes it worked well, but I also have 1 wig which I completly ruined this way. I left it in there over night and I just became a big felty mess...Tried putting it in again, but only got worse so yea. Otherwise what I like to use is silicone spray and heat. It works like a treat. Sadly I dont own a steamer so i only used my flating iron but this also works

To make this Scientifically accurate both wigs would have needed to be initially submerged with water of the same temp for the same time one with the fabric softener the other without.

I still use mapofbeauty; theyre not Halloween-store quality but also not the best. I'm not financially well off so I'd rather buy two of their wigs and spend a day struggling with wefts than buy an arda wig 😅 from what I've heard they've definently improved over the years! I've always wanted to fabric soften a wig but, ahah. I'm not brushing that out EVER. Leaving them over night helps with de-shining but oh my lord it DOES NOT help with detangling at all

Ik from my own using of fabric softener part,thankfully you can find it in non scented so it helped with the smell part of them but it usually was for my cheaper wigs I owned which honestly I sort of am glad I never got the more expensive wigs since all of mine past 2-3 got stolen from me for a long while now. But deff can say this vid helped to confirm my wondering. Detangler I use most of the times and they are so helpful but the fabric softener is a last resort sort of ditch effort Id use most of the times once I got more using and wearing them for many many years :3 This also is only a me situation and experiences that I'm meaning w this so I don't mean for it to be miss taken then I meant if does come off that way 😅 everyone does have their own way they do wigs and I respect everyone's way they decide to try fix or style their wigs or course.

I just use fabric softener to wash my wigs to prepare for restyling it helps get product out quicker than normal shampoo/conditioner

Wonderful Video Great Information Thank You. If A May Add The Fabric Softener Can Be Helpful To Loosen Hair Spray , and Back Combing/ Teasing. In A Spray Bottle Water With A Dime Size Amount Of Softener I’d Only Use This Method As Last Ditch Effort.