Faded Sheitel? Don’t give up on your sheitel! Color it today and love your sheitel all over again!

Just like regular hair, the sun plays havoc with our sheitels.  The rays of the sun fade the hair color and our sheitels look old, dry, burnt and unattractive. It’s important to keep in mind that our long hot summers and long hours of sun exposure take a heavy toll on our sheitels as well as on our faces.

One day you may look at your sheitel and see that the whole top of the sheitel (around the “scalp” or “skin” in Hebrew) is faded and the tips of the hair are dry and faded.  If you see this don’t give up on your sheitel; don’t throw it away or relegate it to the Purim costume pile and DON’T run out and buy a new sheitel. 

Your sheitel can be restored - as long as it is one-hundred percent human hair.  Your sheitel can be dyed and then rejuvenated!

As a rule ALL sheitels, no matter what color the hair, will fade in time.  This fading is more obvious with lighter hair sheitels.  Unfortunately red-hair sheitels fade very quickly!   In general, light hair sheitels will need to be dyed every two or three years, depending on how much time you spend outside in the sun.  Red hair sheitels should be dyed once a year!  Dyed red hair in general is “problematic”, whether you are talking about a sheitel or the hair on your head. 

How to love your red hair sheitel all over again!

Let’s first discuss the problems specifically encountered with red hair and then discuss how to rejuvenate your sheitel, no matter what the shade.

So why do red hair sheitels fade quicker than other sheitel colors (for that matter why does dyed red hair fade quicker)?  To put it simply red hair color molecules are larger and heavier than other hair color molecules and can’t penetrate the hair shaft.  (In order for the color to “take” and stay, the molecules must penetrate the hair shaft to color the hair strand).  Therefore red hair color molecules just adhere to the surface of the hair strand and so they are easily washed out with each subsequent shampooing.  I have read that the red color can be shampooed out of the hair in two weeks or so!

So what can we do to mitigate red hair color from fading?  The obvious answer is stop shampooing your hair daily – I have been saying this for years and it is especially true for dyed red hair. 

Now for all the gals who must shampoo their hair daily because their hair is very oily or they are very active and sweat or swim on a regular basis – you get the idea - what can they do?  If your hair feels oily and you feel a desperate NEED to shampoo - try a spritz of dry shampoo or simple baby powder to get out the oil without washing out the color. Want to know how to use baby powder without looking like you are wearing a powdered wig from the 1700s?  Shake a very small amount of baby powder into the palm of your hand and gently sprinkle on the top of your hair.  Comb or brush the powder through your hair with a wide tooth comb or brush.  Then gently shake your head to loosen any leftover powder and then brush/comb out the residue.  You can do this on a daily basis to keep your hair shining and not over-shampoo!

However, when it comes to sheitels, we don’t shampoo our sheitels on a daily basis, but we can reduce the amount of exposure to the sun.  Wear a hat over your sheitel.  Give your sheitel a “break” and wear a tichel.  Just remember your red hair sheitel deserves special TLC.

Loving your sheitel again!

Now let’s get back to rejuvenating your faded sheitel. As I said earlier in this article, all light haired sheitels need to be dyed and revitalized at some point.  The dyeing process should only be done by a professional, but there are certain guidelines you should be aware of.

Firstly when you plan to have your sheitel macher color your sheitel, you should select a color that is a shade or two darker than your desired shade.  If you look at pictures of your sheitel when you first purchased it, you would see it is a darker or richer color than it is today, so don’t worry that the sheitel will be too dark. 

Still not sure about the color/shade choice? I like to dye a hidden section of the sheitel and see how the color looks and "takes".  Sometimes I try two different shades of the same color and then choose the best one.

Secondly, as sheitel hair is no longer attached to our scalp nor contains the hair follicle or the hair bulb, the color can only coat the surface of the hair and as I said the color will fade with time, no matter what we do. 

Thirdly, once the sheitel is dyed we must shampoo the sheitel rather vigorously to ensure that ALL the dye has been removed.  We have to shampoo, rinse and then repeat this process several times (depending on the color), until the water runs clear – this process in and of itself removes color.  Once the residual color is gone, we must apply a good quality hair masque to revive and revitalize the hair.  Once this dyeing-shampooing process is complete we start to dry the hair and lock in the color.

One of the best ways to ensure that this final color stays in the sheitel for as long as possible is to use heat to “lock” in the color – this can be done be using a flat iron on the hair once it has dried.  Once done, the sheitel is now ready to be styled and then worn and loved all over again.

Want to arrange a FREE consultation for sheitel coloring and revitalization?  Contact me today 052-3413249  Get ready to love your sheitel all over again!