The full lace wig is one of the greatest innovations in the wig industry because they look so natural. But, can it damage your natural hair?
A full lace wig can only damage your natural hair if you misuse glue, other adhesives, or too-tight elastic straps when securing your wig. The wig itself will not damage your hair unless the wig cap has been made from cheap, improper material that can irritate. Stick to wigs made from swiss lace as they are delicate and allow your hair to breathe.
Keep reading to find out exactly what may be damaging to your natural hair so you know what it is you need to avoid to save your locks!
5 Wig Mistakes That Damage Your Natural Hair
When we speak about wig-wearing, we often mention wig care and wig maintenance along the way. What we often tend to neglect to say is that while taking care of your favorite full lace wig is important, so is taking care of and maintaining your natural hair beneath your full lace wig!
The most common wig mistake that people make which results in hair damage is applying glue or other such adhesives directly on their hairline. This will tug at your edges and cause them to thin or even get pulled out when you remove your wig. Always apply your glue or tape directly below your hairline, on your forehead, not your actual hair.
While your full lace can’t actually damage your natural hair, improper care can. Here is how your natural hair could be getting damaged when you wear your favorite lace front wig:
01. Improper Preparation Of Your Natural Hair
Most of us are well aware of the fact that we have to prepare our hair before we put on our full lace wig. On a normal day, this is super easy. But, on a day when you are in a rush, this could go horribly wrong. We are going to take a look at how improper preparation of your natural hair can damage your natural hair beneath your wig.
The biggest mistake that many wig wearers make when it comes to preparing their hair for wig wearing is making their protective style too tight. Whether you have chosen to use braids, cornrows or twists as a protective styling method beneath your wig, making this style too tight could be extremely damaging to your natural hair.
Tight protective styling results in tension build-up to the roots of your hair and your scalp and can result in hair breakage, damage to the hair follicles, and ultimately, balding.
Another mistake that is made is the placing of clips too tightly on the hair, especially near the roots. The hair often gets caught in the clips and results in quite similar repercussions as tight styling.
The best way to avoid this is to opt for looser protective styles that will not tug at your roots and your scalp to protect your natural hair beneath your full lace wig.
02. Placing Adhesive Directly On Your Natural Hair
When it comes to protecting your natural hair when wearing your full lace wig, a wig cap is extremely important. The role of a wig cap is to keep your natural hair secure, covered, and protected from the wig itself and the adhesives that you use to secure your wig. This means that ALL hair should be placed beneath the wig cap to be protected!
The most common mistake that is made by wig wearers in this area is leaving some hair out of the wig cap. Yes, I am aware that some people feel that leaving their edges out creates a more natural look for their wig, however, leaving edges out is extremely damaging to your edges.
What tends to happen is that when applying adhesive to secure the full lace wig, wearers often place adhesive directly on their edges. This can result in breakage and balding and a receding hairline, especially if the wig is not removed using adhesive remover. Edges are quite delicate and the tension caused by wig adhesive could completely destroy them.
03. Wearing Your Wig For Long Periods Of Time
One of the key benefits of a full lace wig is that it allows plenty of airflow to your natural hair, more than most wigs. This is great because your natural hair needs oxygen to stay healthy. However, wearing your full lace wig for longer than you should have detrimental results on your natural hair.
Here are some of the needs that your natural hair has that cannot be properly performed with your full lace wig fitted:
- Moisture
- Regular Washing
- Scalp Care
- Proper air flow
- No restriction
It is suggested that you wear your full lace wig for around 4-6 weeks while keeping your natural hair healthy beneath the wig. It is almost impossible to ensure that your natural hair is properly moisturized and washed and that your scalp is healthy if you wear your wig for longer than the above-mentioned time period!
04. Not Giving Your Natural Hair Enough Time To Breathe
As we have just mentioned, your natural hair needs enough oxygen to remain healthy. When you have your full lace wig on, your hair does not receive the amount of oxygen that is needed for it to stay healthy.
Another important factor to take note of is that having your hair in a restrictive style for too long can be dangerous for your hair. Yes, protective styling is great for your hair but when you keep it in those restrictive styles for long periods of time, it could have the opposite effect.
05. Improper Natural Hair Care
Lastly, but most importantly, your natural hair needs to be maintained and cared for. It needs to be properly washed and moisturized to ensure that it is clean and healthy. Your natural hair requires regular trimming and regular treatments to ensure that it is strong and durable.
Lack of proper natural hair care when you’re a full lace wig wearer can have some really bad consequences. The most common effect of wearing a wig is sweat, product, and moisture buildup on the scalp. This moisture, if left for a long time, can result in yeast and other infections on the scalp that thrive in moist environments.
Lack of proper moisturizing and care methods can result in hair loss, hair breakage, and balding. It could also result in very weak and brittle natural hair. Instead, here are a few things that you could do to ensure that your natural hair is properly cared for:
- Wash your natural hair often. If you stick to the recommended amount of time that you can wear your full lace wig, you will also be removing your wig regularly enough to keep it clean and healthy.
- Moisturize enough for the length of time that you will be wearing your wig. Moisture is important for the health of your hair, and being under a wig for a long time can mean that your hair can get quite dry. When moisturizing your hair, add a little extra if you plan on wearing your wig for the full recommended duration.
- Regular treatments. Sometimes our natural hair needs a little extra help getting what it needs. The occasional deep conditioning and protein treatment will do your natural hair the world of good!
Want to learn more tips and tricks on how to reuse your lace front wig so it lasts the test of time? Check out our article here.
Final Thoughts
Wearing a full lace wig is a form of protective styling for your natural hair. However, if you do not take the right steps to care for and maintain your natural hair beneath your full lace wig, you might be left with opposite results.
Yes, full lace wigs are definitely amazing innovations in the wig industry, however, be careful not to use it at the expense of your natural hair. Ultimately, the effects that wearing a full lace wig will have on your natural hair is completely and solely up to you!