WARNING about synthetic hair

[Once Debauched]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I couldn't think of a better spot!

This year I made a braid of synthetic hair and glued it to a hairband for my daughter to wear to faire.  It looked GREAT, wore well, and I didn't see any problems with it... until the 3rd weekend.  They had the misters turned on and I let me daughter play in the water and within 15 minutes the lovely browns, reds, and yellows from the synthetic hair had dripped themselves down my daughters hair, over her face and neck, and onto her garb.

Her hair now has a lovely red hue on either side of her face, the skin behind her ears is still stained a lovely yellow color, and the garb has been soaking since Saturday to remove the pink hue from the shoulders.

I had no idea the colors in synthetic hair were not water proof and I would hate to see anyone else make the same mistake I did, possibly ruining their garb.

If you have to use hair for something spend the extra money and buy the real stuff.  If there's the slightest chance it could get wet avoid synthetic like the plague!

[renren]

Wow.. thanks very much for the "heads up"!
No pun intended.

[peggyelizabeth]

I've never hear of this! I've used synthetic wigs and hair pieces in theatre a lot and washed them w/o having them bleed, how very strange. What brand was it so I can stay away?

[Sitara]

I've never heard of this either and have been wearing fake hair at fest for years.  I even had synth dreads braided in for 3 months straight and showered with them frequently!  Try a higher quality such as Kanekalon or Toyokalon rather than something that just says synthetic.  It is really not much more expensive, still less than $5 a bag.

[DonaCatalina]

A lot of the fake colored hair sold for Halloween is not water-proof. There is usally a small not on the label that says 'indoor use only'. That is your only warning.

But there is synthetic hair that is meant for everyday use that is weather, water and sweat proof.
Check this site out. I've used them a lot in the past.
http://www.hisandher.com/

[Once Debauched]

I admit it was the cheap banana clip hair extentions from Walgreen, but never had I heard of the color washing out.  I was frantically washing the color off my daughters face for fear of it staining.  She's still a bit jaundice behind the ears.  *giggle*  Poor kid!

I now have a friend of mine saving her hair extentions for me.  lol  She lectured me about not checking with her first before making a purchase, but who in their right mind would have thunk it?

[sealion]

Well, heck, even if it was inexpensive I still wouldn't have expected the color to run! I hope you can get rid of the stains!

[Once Debauched]

After soaking the white chemise and the pink and blue overdress for a few days in color safe bleach and detergent they seem to look pretty good.  My daughters hair is a different story...  *sigh*

[Arsinoe Selene]

Ew.

That's just... ew.

Thank you for the warning, though! While I am not planning on buying/using fake hair, you never know. Something to check for...

[captmarga]

After soaking the white chemise and the pink and blue overdress for a few days in color safe bleach and detergent they seem to look pretty good.  My daughters hair is a different story...  *sigh*

Try baby shampoo on her hair, once.  It's supposed to be used when you color your hair and are not satisfied with the color, it will strip the brassiness out of the hair.  I was given this tip by Clairol's tip line, when my own hair didn't turn out right.

It's harsh, so you'll need to condition well afterwards.

Good luck,

Corp Capt Marga

[Arsinoe Selene]

I always thought baby shampoo was gentle?

[Lady Anne Clare]

I always thought baby shampoo was gentle?

It's gentle in the way ivory soap is...nothing is added so it's pure in that sense.  But without moisturizers or anything it leaves hair stripped of oils.  I know that you're not supposed to use baby shampoo on animals cause it can cause dry skin.

[Philomel]

Heavy conditioner left on for a few hours will also help lift color.  Tide helps as a last resort.

[isabelladangelo]

I've always used T-Gel shampoo to get unwanted color out of my hair fast.  It really strips your hair of anything and seems to be the only thing that works.  (I've used the baby shampoo before and it didn't work for me.)   

[CapnFayeCutler]

Not all synthetic hair types will bleed like that. A good synthetic like Toyokalon or Kanekalon will not bleed when it gets wet and they both accept wig dye very well. They also wash well and are pretty easy to style with low (VERY LOW! - I'm talkin' adjustable heat curling iron (1-25) set to 1 here) heat. They also are very easy to work into gorgeous styles.