How to get the most out of your human hair piece!

So you’ve invested in a human hair topper or wig, and now you want to make sure you’re treating it right. Let’s talk about how long human hair toppers and wigs last and what you can do to extend its life span.

How long should your piece last?

This really depends on the quality of piece you have purchased. All human hair is not created equal, so some pieces can last you a lot longer than others. The longevity of your piece is also heavily dependent on the construction of your piece. For example, lace top pieces won’t last as long as a silk top piece, as the knots on lace tops are much more delicate. Usually, you can expect 6-12 months of everyday wear from a lace top piece, whereas you can expect 1-3 years from a silk top, depending on the quality of hair.

Quality of the hair makes a huge impact on how long it will last. Lower quality of hair is often coated with silicone to make it look super shiny and gorgeous….but as soon as you wash the piece, the silicone comes off and you’re left with a knotted, straw-like mess. At Lusta, we use the finest quality, 100% remy human hair. This means you are going to get a lot longer out of your piece. With high quality pieces, you can easily expect to get 2-3 years of everyday use out of your piece.

How you use and wash your piece is also going to affect its lifespan. It's not so much about how often you wear your piece, it's more about how often you wash and still it. Washing and styling loosens the knots which attach the hair to the cap. This doesn’t have much effect in the short term, but in the long term this can cause some hair to fall out.

What happens to the piece after 2-3 years?

Don’t worry, your piece isn’t going to disintegrate into nothing after 2-3 years 😂 What you may notice is that the piece is losing some hair and becoming a bit drier. After washing, styling and living your life in a piece everyday for 2-3 years, the knots that attach the hair to the cap will weaken. This leads to some hair falling out of the piece. As the piece isn’t getting the natural oils of your scalp, like your bio hair would, the piece can also become a bit drier.

What a lot of people will do when their piece gets to the end of its life, is retire the piece as their exercising, swimming or running errands piece. You don’t want to use your best shiny new piece for these sorts of activities, as this means you will have to wash it more, thus decreasing its lifespan. Using an older piece for these sorts of things is a fantastic option to get more use out of both your pieces.

What can I do to increase the longevity of my piece?

Since your human hair topper or wig is an investment, especially if you’ve opted for a high quality piece, you want to do everything you can to extend the lifespan of your piece. Here are our top tips for keeping your piece looking its best for as long as possible.

• Avoid frequent washing: As we mentioned before, the less you wash your piece, the longer you’ll get out of it. You don’t want to overwash your piece, but in saying that you also want to make sure it’s being washed enough. We recommend washing your piece every 4-6 weeks with daily wear.
• Use Salon Grade, Sulfate Free Products: You want to be giving your topper or wig the very best, with none of the nasties! We suggest opting for products from a ‘hydrating’ range.
• Treatments! As your piece isn’t getting the natural oils from your scalp, using a hydrating treatment about once every month is great for your piece to maintain it's shine and silkiness. This is especially true for blondes.
• Be gentle: Although your piece can do just about anything, you want to be careful and gentle when brushing and styling. Again, if you’re pulling on the knots of the piece, over time they will loosen and cause hair shedding.

If you want more information on how to care for your piece, visit our Care Guide HERE.