We already established before that wearing wigs while exercising is definitely a viable option. Apart from the practical tips on securing or wearing the wig while exercising, we also made it clear that having a separate wig for the high-intensity activity was the way to go. However, there is a question of economic concern that revolves around wig-wearing during exercise: How long do wigs last when worn for workout and what can we do to prolong its lifespan?
Does Exercising Damage Your Wig?
Basically any rough activity gets any wig in a bad shape but let’s try to break down these factors because knowing them can help address points which we can control and which points that are beyond preventive action.
Solving The Sweaty Problem
Sweat is a natural production of your body as a way to cool itself down during exercise. While this is completely natural and oftentimes only concentrated on some parts of the body, some women do experience heavy sweating on their face and scalp. The sweat can affect your wig cap by making it slippery. You will experience shifting of your wig and over time all this movement and exposure to sweat will degrade the materials of the wig. This is especially true for synthetic type wigs which are not really built to resist sweat as well as natural human hair wigs. For those who are concerned about spending, natural human hair wigs do tend to be expensive so it might not be practical to use them as your “sports” wig. Now if you really want to lessen the sweat issue it could be as simple as using wig products designed to absorb sweat and help keep your wig in place. Wearing an absorbent workout headband greatly reduces the sweat going all over your face and your scalp. Not only that, it also helps secure the wig in place.
Hotter Than Usual
It is a given that wearing a wig can get hot especially if the temperature in the environment you are in has a rather humid condition. Now think of what happens when you are working out. Your body temperature is elevated and naturally, it will actually be hotter specifically at the area where your wig is. This heat, though not as high as curling irons or high-temperature hair dryers, can cause damage to your wig over time. Think of it as chronic exposure of your synthetic wig to higher than recommended temperatures. Synthetic hair can hold a shape by having a “memory” of the style of the wig. The heat can cause the synthetic fibers to conform to new shapes that might not be what you want. It would be worth spending just a little bit more to get the synthetic wigs that have higher heat resistance than the basic ones so you don’t change wigs more frequently.
Friction is a Foe
All that movement from working out can cause a lot of rubbing of the wig on different surfaces like the equipment you use or on your clothing. Like the heat concern, it’s not so much that every physical contact of your wig to other objects will immediately destroy the wig. It’s more of small impacts over a long period of time. Especially for wigs that are not secured properly, you can have tangling and wig matting issues. These problems are more common to longer wigs. To deal with this you have a preventive action and a treatment solution. On the preventive side, wearing a cap over the wig as well as tying your wig on a ponytail reduces the chances of the strands going out of control. For the treatment side, simply brush your wig after exercise and use wig conditioners to put it back in proper shape. Please do not procrastinate this treatment or maintenance task so that your wig does not go out of shape quickly.
Maintenance is Key
True to vehicles, appliances, and even other objects at home, regular maintenance makes the item last longer. For your wigs for exercise, just because it’s the wig you designated for workouts doesn’t mean you simply allow it to deteriorate every after use. Actively caring for your wig before and after workouts can impact its overall lifespan. There is no exact lifespan for wigs used specifically for exercise. Someone who doesn’t actively care for their wig can see it unusable as fast as a few weeks of use. If you have a quality synthetic wig (though not necessarily as expensive as a natural hair wig) you can see it last several months before you will see noticeable signs of damage.
Following these care tips will definitely help in prolonging your exercise wig for more months than it would if it wasn’t given the right care:
- Keep it Clean – wash off the sweat and oils that accumulate from working out
- Protection is Prevention – wear a wig cap with absorbent qualities. Wearing a headband or an actual cap, also helps
- Store properly – do not throw in a recently used wig from working out, into a closed compartment. Allow it to dry first before storage
- Brush and treat – use wig care products and brush regularly. The sooner you deal with those tangles the better.
Having known all the factors that can damage your wig, you are now aware of what actions can help prevent these gradual degradation of the wig. Also factor in the kind of activities you are having. Only you can tell what exactly works best for you, wig or no wig, both choices are valid depending on how you feel in general while working out.