Using the right shampoo and conditioner can make all the difference in the world when it comes to hair systems. Want your good looking, human hair system to look absolutely amazing? Do you want it to last for as long as possible?

Of course you do. In order to achieve the best looks and the maximum lifespan, you must clean and maintain your hairpiece on a regular basis.

But what shampoo and conditioner should you use?

When it comes to hair system cleaning and maintenance products, it’s really easy to think they’re all the same, right? If this or that shampoo worked for that person you know, it should work just fine for you, right?

Well the truth is, it’s not so simple

It all comes down to what kind of hair piece you’re cleaning: the old conflict of synthetic hair vs. human hair. Now, we’ve touched on the subject of synthetic hair systems and human hair systems plenty of times in the past by know, and you might be thinking “What do they have to do with the shampoo or conditioner I use?”

In short? They have absolutely everything to do with the type of shampoo, conditioner or styling gel you use

As stated in previous entries of this blog, “synthetic hair” or “human hair” are not fancy made up terms used by players of the industry to differentiate their products from their competitor’s. On the contrary, synthetic hair and human hair are some very real terms in the hair replacement industry. And the same goes when talking about products specially made for one or the other.

You wouldn’t clean your granite kitchen countertop with a product that has a “wood cleaning” label plastered in front of it would you?  Well on that same train of thought, you shouldn’t mix up human hair with synthetic hair products or the other way around.

But, “why?” you might ask. Well, it comes down to each type of hair being made out of different materials. As the name implies, “human hair” is made out of specially treated and styled human hair, while “synthetic hair” is made out of human-hair-looking acrylic or polyester fibers.

And just like you would expect, a shampoo or conditioner specially made for natural human hair wouldn’t exactly yield the best results when applied to synthetic fibers made with a different composition to that of human hair. Of course, the same thing goes for synthetic hair products being used on human hair systems

Best case scenario? The product is not fully effective when cleaning your hair system and there’s no real damage done, well, other than your hair system not being clean that is. Worst case scenario? The product could permanently damage your hair piece so bad that it could actually render it useless. Think about it, how do you think human hair is going to react when cleaned with a product made for synthetic, plastic fibers? Human hair isn’t known for being resistant to caustic products or rough treatment after all .

So, as a general rule of thumb: ONLY use synthetic hair system products on synthetic hair systems and human hair system products on human hair systems.

By now you should already know not to mix synthetic hair products with human hair pieces, but we really wanted to double down on the subject so we could reduce the instances of hair pieces damaged by wrong product use. There’s nothing more heartbreaking in the industry that seeing a perfectly fine hair system rendered unusable by some product that was not made for it. Hair systems are a monetary and emotional investment, so it’s frustrating to see cases of damaged hair pieces due to negligence or lack of knowledge.

So, what’s the bottom line this week? That you should never, ever apply a product on your hair system unless the product is specially made for it. Remember what we said about being really careful when trying to dry your hair piece with the help of a hair dryer because some hair pieces could handle the heat and some couldn’t? Same basic principle applies here, be careful when shopping hair replacement maintenance products, and only buy stuff specifically formulated for your particular hair system.

Also, if you’re currently on the lookout for hair maintenance products feel free to check out the awesome collection of top-notch shampoos, leave-in conditioners, and gels that we have on offer at Advent Hair. We have all the best products in all the convenient presentations you might desire.

Got any other question for us? Feel free to give us a call at our toll-free number 1-800-756-8585. We’ll be more than happy to help you with any other burning questions or doubts you might have!