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Alternative Hair Care Guide

Jan 1st 2024

Jon Renau Care Guide

Hi there! We’re so glad you landed here.

Purchasing a new hairpiece can be filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand, you might be filled with excitement to rock your new hair or feel relief to finally feel yourself again. On the other hand, you might still be grieving the loss of your natural hair, apprehensive about how it feels to wear a hairpiece, if people will notice, or if you'll be able to protect your investment.

You’ve come to the right place! Following proper care and maintenance methods will ensure you have a positive alternative hair experience, so you can focus on being your best self. Let’s dive in!

First, navigate to the section that corresponds with the fiber of your hairpiece:

Human Hair Care

We recommend washing your alternative hair every 6-8 wears.

To maintain the integrity of the hair, we strongly discourage coloring or chemically altering your piece as we cannot guarantee results.

For the best appearance and maintaining the quality of your Jon Renau alternative hairpiece, we recommend performing a check wash on any human hair system within 14 days of receipt. 

How to perform a check wash

  • Before washing your human hair wig or hairpiece, gently remove any tangles using your Jon Renau Paddle Brush.
  • Wet hair completely using cool running water and comb through hair with your fingers several times.
  • If no signs of tangling/matting* occur, continue to cleanse & condition, checking for excessive tangling.
  • If you notice excessive tangling/matting, it may be a sign of inversion; contact your retailer immediately.
  • Tangling/matting that occurs after months of wear is due to improper care.

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How to cleanse and condition your human hair piece

  • Before washing, remove tangles using your paddle brush.
  • Gently lather hair with a small amount of Argan Smooth Luxury Shampoo, making sure hair is traveling in the same direction. DO NOT rub hair, this may cause tangling.
  • Rinse thoroughly under cool running water until the water runs clear
  • Apply Argan Smooth Luxury Conditioner, avoiding the base of the wig or hairpiece (applying conditioner to the base/cap may weaken the knots).
  • Using your fingers, work conditioner through mid-lengths and ends for 3-5 minutes.
  • Rinse again in cool running water until water runs clear.

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How to dry & style your human hair piece

  • Wrap wig or hairpiece in a towel and gently pat to remove excess water.
  • Gently remove any tangles using your paddle brush.
  • Allow cap to dry completely by placing on a plastic wig stand or wire wig stand before applying to a canvas block head.
  • Dampen hair and apply 3 to 5 pumps of Argan Treatment Mist into the palm of your hand; distribute evenly throughout hair, keeping away from base.
  • Starting at nape, work in 2” sections using your round boar-bristle brush and blow dry each section completely.
  • Blow dry hair on medium-high heat on full power to blow dry hair. Use the “cool shot” button to lock in style.
  • Human hair must be dried and styled after washing. Air-drying will leave the hair ‘un-polished’ and can trap water in the hair causing frizzing.

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Tips for human hair care

  • Use professional grade heat styling tools with digital temperature settings to control heat. Use no higher than 350° F to help maintain the integrity of the hair.
  • Use Versatile 3-Way Hair Spray to hold your finished style. Adjust nozzle to “L” for low, “M” for medium, or “H” for high hold, depending on your needs.

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To access our handy ‘cheat-sheet’ for all of Jon Renau’s human hair care products, head to our article, Human Hair Care 101.

For more ‘How-To's’ on human hair care, including how to prevent tangling, frizzing, dryness and shedding in human hair wigs and how to revitalize your favorite over-worn human hairpiece, check out our helpful guide: How-To: Human Hair Care or our playlist Human Hair Care on our @jonrenau YouTube channel.

Synthetic Care

How to cleanse & condition synthetic fiber

We recommend washing your alternative hair every 6-8 wears. Do NOT use heat to style synthetic fiber (curling irons, flat irons or blow dryers).

  • Before washing your wig or hairpiece, gently remove tangles using your paddle brush or wide tooth comb.
  • Wet hair completely using cool running water.
  • Gently lather the hair with a small amount of Jon Renau Synthetic Shampoo, making sure hair is traveling in the same direction. DO NOT rub hair, this may cause tangling.
  • Rinse thoroughly under cool running water until water runs clear.
  • Wrap wig or hairpiece in a towel and gently pat dry.
  • Spray 3-5 pumps of Jon Renau Conditioning Spray keeping away from base of wig or hairpiece. Do not rinse out conditioner.
  • Gently detangle hair using your wide tooth comb.

How to dry & style synthetic fiber

  • Allow wig or hairpiece to air dry naturally by placing on a plastic or wire wig stand. DO NOT blow dry.
  • Allow cap to dry completely before applying to a canvas block head.
  • For mid-length to long styles, apply 3-5 pumps of Jon Renau HD Smooth Detangler, focusing on the bottom half of the hair. Gently comb through using your wide tooth comb.
  • We recommend using your fingertips or wig brush/comb for your desired style.
  • To add texture and definition, use a small amount of Piece Out Contour Fiber Crème, apply using fingertips.

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Tips for synthetic hair care

  • Be cautious when standing near a heat source (i.e. open oven, indoor and outdoor heaters, etc.) as excessive heat can damage the fiber
  • We recommend using HD Smooth Detangler with a wide tooth comb to detangle your synthetic styles. This is especially important with a mid-length to long-length wig or hairpiece.
  • We recommend using a steamer on your synthetic styles as it allows you to change curl pattern, hair direction, partings, as well as smooth friction frizz” caused by wear over time. 
  • Visit an alternative hair professional for additional servicing to maintain the integrity of your synthetic style and make any additional desired customizations to your piece.

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To access our handy ‘cheat-sheet’ for all of Jon Renau’s synthetic care products, head to our article, Synthetic Hair Care 101.

For more tutorials on synthetic care, including how to care for curly synthetic styles and how to control shine in synthetic wigs, explore our playlist Synthetic Care on our @jonrenau YouTube channel.

For a complete beginner’s guide book to synthetics, including how to select your perfect hairpiece, solutions to common pain-points, and juicy styling tips from our experts, you’ll want to read our blog Synthetic Guide.

Heat Resistant Synthetic Care

We recommend washing your alternative hair every 6-8 wears.

  • Before washing, gently remove any tangles using your Jon Renau Wide Tooth Comb ONLY.
  • Wet hair completely using cool running water.
  • Gently lather hair with a small amount of Jon Renau Synthetic Shampoo, making sure that the hair is traveling in the same direction. DO NOT rub hair; this will cause tangling.
  • Rinse thoroughly under cool running water until the water runs clear.
  • Wrap wig or hair piece in a towel and gently pat dry.
  • Gently detangle hair using your wide tooth comb.
  • Spray 3-5 pumps of Jon Renau Conditioning Spray, keeping away from base.

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How to dry & style heat resistant synthetic fiber

  • Allow wig or hair piece to air dry naturally by placing on a plastic or wire wig stand. Do NOT blow dry.Air drying will give the best results. Allow cap to dry completely before applying to a canvas block head.
  • Apply 3-5 pumps of Jon Renau HD Smooth Detangler, focusing on the bottom half of wig or hair piece. Gently comb through using your wide tooth comb.
  • Only the a wide tooth comb on HD fiber. Other tools will cause frizzing/tangling.
  • HD fiber can withstand heat up to 350° F, however, Jon Renau recommends working at 270°-280° F.
  • We recommend using professional grade heat styling tools with digital temperature settings to control heat.

Tips for heat refiant synthetic fiber

All synthetic fibers can tangle and frizz with wear. It is important that the frizz is corrected early to avoid permanent damage to the fiber. Use your flat iron to smooth any frizz before washing.

  • We recommend using HD Smooth Detangler with a wide tooth comb DAILY to detangle. 
  • To add texture and definition, use a small amount of Piece Out Contour Fiber Crème, apply using fingertips.

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How to curl & flat iron heat resistant synthetic fiber

  • To curl or smooth, heat your curling or flat iron to 270°-280° F.
  • Gently remove any tangles using your wide tooth comb.
  • Starting at the nape, take 0.5”–1.5” sections of hair.
  • Spray Heat Treat Thermal Spray on each section to protect the fiber (1-2 pumps per section).

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TO CURL:

  • Gather hair into curling iron, smooth through to the ends. Roll iron up towards the base of the wig or hairpiece, staying 1-2” away.
  • Hold for 10-15 seconds, then turn the tip of iron toward the ground and release curl into palm of hand.
  • Holding curl in one hand, gather up towards base and secure curl with a small metal clip (like a pin curl).
  • Allow curl to cool completely (about 5 minutes); remove clip and let curl hang naturally.

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TO SMOOTH:

  • Slowly smooth flat iron down through ends; keep hair smooth by following behind the flat iron with your wide tooth comb.
  • Allow hair to hang naturally and cool completely.

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To access our handy ‘cheat-sheet’ for all of Jon Renau’s traditional synthetic and Heat Resistant synthetic care products, head to our article, Synthetic Hair Care 101.

For more tutorials on Heat-Resistant synthetic care, including how to remove tangles and frizz or care for your Heat-Resistant synthetic piece daily, explore additional care guides on our website or check out our playlist Heat-Resistant Synthetic Care on our @jonrenau YouTube channel.


Hopefully, you now feel more confident caring for and protecting your new hairpiece. Ready to fill your closet with more styles? Visit a retailer near you.

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