“Winter months tend to be a bit hectic with all of the year end work, planning, festivities and traveling,” celebrity hairstylist J Henderson tells ESSENCE. “Having a protective style during this time means less fuss with maintaining your natural hair.” Busy with his celebrity roster, including artists like Kelly Rowland, Victoria Monet and Doja Cat, Henderson is well- equipped with the tools to care for his clients’ head turning wigs. For their fans at home, however, cold weather may mean more difficulty caring for your must-have install.
For instance, your braids and scalp beneath the wig may feel more dry this season– or you may be relying on your wig too much. Either way, knowing the right products to secure your protective style, while also quenching your natural hair’s moisture is the key to professional wig care this season.
While on tour with Doja Cat, J Henderson opens his schedule to let ESSENCE in on his top three wig care tips below.
Hydration is key
“Winter months can tend to be a bit hectic with all of the year end work, planning, festivities and traveling,” he says. However, “colder weather tends to lead to dry skin and hair. [So] conditioning and oiling your scalp will keep your natural hair from becoming brittle and broken.”
Give your wig a break
Henderson recommends you keep a wig in for one to two weeks at a time, with the same amount of time between. “1-2 weeks between installs is long enough to keep your hair and scalp healthy.” During this time, you should “get regular trims and deep conditioning/masque treatments to make sure the hair stays hydrated. Before each adhesive application, I recommend using Professional Hair Labs’ ‘Remove-All’ scalp treatment to exfoliate and gently remove layers of build-up.”
As for scalp care, “Mielle Rosemary Oil ensures that your scalp is healthy and hair is growing either in-between or underneath wig installations.”