How To Safely Remove Liquid Glue Adhesives From A Wig

To help you achieve the best removal possible, let’s go over some tips and tricks to remove liquid adhesive-held hair systems. To start with, you’ll need to remove the wig from your scalp. The method of doing this can change depending on the kind of remover that you’re using. When picking the right remover for yourself, be sure you’re picking one that’s safe for your skin. This means that you’ll need to perform a skin patch test, especially if you have sensitive skin. 

Removing the Wig from the Liquid Glue Adhesives on Your Scalp

When it comes time to removing your wig you want to do everything you can to ensure the wig remains in safe condition and is left undamaged from the glue residue. This will help with the wigs longevity and wearability. There are 3 types of solvents that can be used to remove the adhesive. The one that will be best suited for you will depend entirely on preference and the type of adhesive used. 

Oil-Based Removers

Oil-based removers are the fastest at breaking down adhesives. Start by saturating the adhesive area with your oil-based remover, such as C-22 Solvent. This gives them the chance to start breaking down the adhesive. The breakdown starts almost immediately, however the time that it takes to fully release could depend on how much build up there is on the scalp. You may have to test it a few times by pulling softly on the wig to see if it has released. For the fastest oil-based, skin-safe option we recommend using Action.

Alcohol-Based Removers

Though alcohol-based removers are slower at breaking down adhesives, they offer the fastest cleanup as alcohol evaporates quickly and completely. This means zero oily residue left for you to rinse out. Use an alcohol-based remover by liberally applying it to the adhesive area. You'll then need to wait about 30 seconds. Next, apply it again and then wait for another 30 seconds. After that, you can gently lift the hairpiece away from the scalp. If you’d prefer to use an alcohol-based remover, we recommend trying Lace Release.

Water-Based Removers

Water-based removers are the only nonflammable solvents in this overview. Plus, the water base makes these solvents a breeze to clean up, leaving hardly any residue. However as their main solvent is water, they break down adhesives at a much slower rate compared to oil-based options. Additionally, to use a water-based remover, the adhesive being removed will also need to be water-based. Like the others, start using water-based removers by saturating the adhesive area with it. Give it about 10 seconds to start breaking everything down. After some time has passed, you can start removing the hair system. You may have to repeat these steps a few times to make sure that no residue is left.

Removing Liquid Glue Adhesives from Your Skin

Once you remove the wig from your scalp, there will still be some glue residue left on the skin. Luckily, most of our removers are skin-safe, so you can use them to remove the left-over residue. Again, the way you do this will change depending on what kind of remover you use. 

Oil-Based Removers

To remove adhesive using oil-based removers, you simply spray the remover on the area. Give it a little bit of time to breakdown the leftover product. After that, you’ll just need to wipe off the residue. Then simply shampoo and rinse your bio hair. You can repeat these steps to make sure you thoroughly remove all the adhesive from your skin and out of your bio hair.

Alcohol-Based Removers

Alcohol-based removers are just as simple and easy to use as our oil-based options. Firstly, spray the adhesive area with the remover. Then give it about 30 seconds to start breaking the adhesive down. Next, wipe the adhesive off and then shampoo and rinse your bio hair. Repeat these steps if there is still some remaining residue.

Water-Based Removers

Like mentioned above, these removers are really only best used with water-based adhesives. To get the residue off, you’ll need to spray the area with the adhesive remover thoroughly. Give it only about 10 seconds, and then you can try wiping away the residue. Then, simply shampoo and rinse the bio hair.

When removing the left-over adhesive from your skin, it’s even more important to use a skin-safe remover. After all, this will be going directly onto your skin. So, be sure to take a look at our suggestions listed above as they are all tested to be skin-safe.

Removing Liquid Glue Adhesives from the Wig

After you’ve removed the wig and residue from your scalp, there is likely to be some adhesive still left on the unit. You’ll need to remove that residue to make sure that you can reuse it and that you get the most long-term wear out of your wig.

Oil-Based Removers

To remove adhesive using oil-based removers, you really only have to follow the same instructions listed above. Firstly, you need to spray that remover onto the area with the adhesive, give it some time, then wipe it off. After that, you will need to shampoo and rinse the unit as well. For this, we recommend using a Bond Breaker Shampoo as it will help break down the adhesive stuck to the unit.

Alcohol-Based Removers

Again, this is all very similar to earlier instructions. You simply need to spray the remover onto the unit, wait around 10 seconds, then wipe it off. You will also want to shampoo and rinse the unit. Bond Breaker Shampoo is made for this exact purpose.

Water-Based Removers

You can probably guess where we’re going with this! All you need to do is spray the remover onto the adhesive, wait 30 seconds, and then wipe it off. Be sure that you shampoo and rinse it as well using a Bond Breaker Shampoo.

Solvent Soak

Another way that you can get rid of the adhesive residue in the wig is through a solvent soak. These soaks involve more harsh solvents, so this works best once the hair system has been fully removed.

To do a solvent soak, start by filling a large bowl or sink with remover. Then, place the system in, base side up. Keep the wig submerged and, while wearing gloves to keep your hands out of direct contact with the solution, work the adhesive build up off.

After that, make sure you shampoo and rinse the system to make sure the solvent is completely gone. The solvent we recommend using for these types of soaks is not skin safe, so try not to get it on yourself. Our best solvent for this is Rapid Release, which is a great fast acting solvent.

After washing with a Bond Breaker Shampoo, remember to let your wig air dry to keep it in the best condition.