Mary’s College of Hair Piece Knowledge

Lesson:  3  Hair Piece Hygiene!!

Just think about this; Dark environment, Heat, Moisture no ventilation.  This is the environment you have under any amount of Polyurethane you have on your hair system.  In HN terms this means the PU area around the perimeter of your Chairman or CEO model and the entire base of the President model.

Now think about how long you keep your system on per each wearing period.  If you’re an on and off don’t sleep in it guy or gal, you can relax a little but still pay attention.

For anyone who wears their system Semi or Permanently attached I’m talking to you.  Whether you are attached for a couple of days or a couple of weeks that is the environment under the PU and when you put those things together something is going to grow, and it isn’t hair…

Add to the heat, moisture and darkness a little body oil, perspiration and old skin cells that are constantly being sloughed from our skin and that’s when you get that Cruddy build up and potentially odor, itching and skin irritation (Dermatitis).  

It’s not pretty, it’s not pleasant and it’s not healthy.  

What you can do to have the best shot at avoiding any hygiene issues that can arise from your attachment method.

First, ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL SYSTEM ON HAND!  This way when you do remove your system you will have another to put on immediately and you can really be sure that your system is well cleaned and dry before your next switch.

Depending on how you attach and wear your system will determine how often you need to clean it.  If you take your system off daily, you can probably get by with cleaning your system weekly.  If you wear your system for several days at a time clean it before re-attachment or when you switch to your second unit and if you’re permanently attached, you can clean your system when you shower.

To clean off the head follow these easy steps:

Fill a basin with lukewarm water and add a small amount of shampoo

Place your system in the water/shampoo mixture and gently swish and immerse in the basin

If you have areas of buildup, use a washcloth and gently scrub the area to help break down and remove the crud.

Once clean you will want to rinse it under running water holding the front of the system and letting the water flow from the front to back, gently squeeze and press out all shampoo until the water is running clean from the system.

Place your system on a terry cloth towel and roll the towel up gently pressing the excess water from the system

To condition you want to put a small amount of conditioner in your hand, rub hands together and apply a small amount of the conditioner to the hair ends, try to avoid getting any conditioner on the base or into the knots.  Conditioner should be left on the hair for a minimum of 5 minutes then use the same method as shampooing and gently rinse the unit.  Roll back in the towel, shake to loosen the hair and carefully brush the hair to your desired style and let air dry.

Before you attach your system:  

Be sure your scalp is clean and free of any oil or residue

Wipe attachment area with Sunshine Skin Prep or 99% Alcohol – let dry

Wipe base or attachment areas with Sunshine Skin Prep or 99% Alcohol – let dry

Attach your tape or adhesive to the clean dry tape tab (PU) areas, attach and style.

For those who shampoo with the system attached, you’ll want to follow a few simple steps for the best shot at healthy skin and hygiene.

Always stand with your back to the shower head when shampooing and conditioning so the water can flow front to back. 

Dilute your shampoo by placing a small amount in a bottle, shake to emulsify then poor the water on your head.  Don’t rub or scrub but gently press the diluted shampoo through the hair to clean, rinse well and use the same technique with your conditioner.  By diluting the shampoo and conditioner you will still get the effect, but this will make it easier for any residue to get rinsed from the hair and base.  

The bottom line…….Don’t be a Stinker keep your system and scalp clean, if not for you do for those around you because when your system stinks you’re the only one who doesn’t know it.