Hi!
I thought I'd put my two cents in as I have definitely faced this challenge before working with both high schools and universities that rotate their stock through a wide variety of performers. Forgive me for a mini soapbox here. If you already know everything below, I'm actually super excited, but hopefully some of this is helpful! This may be far more info than you actually need, but the professor in me has a hard time not going into instructor mode!
WIGS/HAIRPIECES/FACIAL HAIR:
Human Hair: Can be washed with pretty much any “people shampoo and conditioner.” (I also like mane and tail for humans/horses) Keep in mind that human hair can tangle and break if too dry and will need additional conditioning as there's not oils from the person's head keeping it healthy. If you have a canvas (covered with a plastic bag) or even styro wig head I'd recommend blocking (pinning the head into place) on the block and washing it over a sink that way. You can take down the style - you may have to take out stitches if your wig came pre-styled. Gently comb through with a very wide detangler comb or a wig brush (it won’t have little balls on the end, or you can take them off)
Synthetic Hair: Can also be washed with shampoo and conditioner. There are also specialty wig shampoos, but they're not really necessary. You can even use diluted dish soap like Dawn or a dye and perfume free laundry detergent, also diluted by say, half. You can use the same cleaning techniques as human hair wig washing OR if you have a simple hard front (no lace) wig you can hold it by the front hairline and gently swirl and massage the hair in a basin of soapy water.
Synthetic wigs come in quality from Halloween cheap to high quality that are actually made to withstand certain types of heat tools So you can wash them with hot water, just be careful with the hot styling tools and maybe not put them in the dryer.
Really Gross Wigs:
- Wet the wig thoroughly.
- Apply Shampoo, work through Wig
- Take a liberal amount of baking soda and comb through the wig - it will be pasty. This is FANTASTIC for getting rid of the sweaty/hairspray gunk that builds up on the wig
- When you can easily comb through, rinse with warm water
- Apply Conditioner, rinse, if the wig seems very dry, repeat
- Gently comb through again.
Lace Fronts and Facial Hair: The netting-like lace on many high quality wigs, and upon which facial hair is built is very delicate and can be frayed easily. Stress to your performers and (possibly crew) that NO ONE cuts the lace unless you are supervising. If the lace gets too short, it will have to be repaired and that gets expensive fast. The lace is often tight on a performer and there a lot of little fixes for that I won’t get into here.
You can take 91% alcohol (people used to use acetone, until they discovered it was carcinogenic) and use a bristle brush, strong white toothbrush, or shoe-dye dauber do the following:
- Put the wig or piece on the block.
- Secure the wig or piece with pins if necessary
- Put a strong paper towel or napkin between your block and the lace.
- Using your cleaner brush, dip in the alcohol and gentle tap/scrub the lace. The makeup, grease, and spirit gum (or other adhesive) should dissolve into the paper. Give the process time as it’s more of a chemical reaction than a friction cleaning. You may need to make a couple of passes with clean paper.
- Facial Hair can be soaked in a bowl or basin of alcohol for several minutes or overnight if necessary to clean. Make sure you check if the facial hair is human or synthetic so you know if you can use heat to style it. These pieces can also be cleaned with shampoo if they get really crusty.
Drying and Sanitizing: Take your wigs/pieces off the blocks and lay out on towels face up with the foundations open to dry. You can hang them, but I find that if the foundation is fragile sometimes it stretches. You can also now use your alcohol/vodka solution and spray the interior of the wig to make sure they’re clean. Make sure you let everything dry completely if you are not going to restyle with rollers and/or steam immediately.
In general, I’d recommend Wigmaking and Styling by Martha Ruskai and Allison Lowery. It’s a FANTASTIC resource for anyone wanting to care for or learn more about wig making. You can find it on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Wig-Making-Styling-Complete-Theatre/dp/1138819182/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483585615&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=wigmaking+martha+ruskai
SHOES:
During the show, I try to make sure my performers are wearing regularly laundered socks and hose and using something like arm and hammer foot powder or even baking soda after performances to help cut down on smell. It sounds like you're already doing something along those lines.
At strike, we set out all the footwear someplace airy and I put 70 - 91% rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray the interior of each shoe well. You can also use VERY cheap vodka at a solution of 1 part vodka to 3 parts water (this also works fantastically on any costume that cannot be easily laundered or dry-cleaned. Make sure you really saturate the item and let it fully dry so the alcohol kills all the bacteria that causes the odor. If you're worried that the finish of the shoe or the dye in the fabric will be affected, you can also wipe out the interior of the shoe with the alcohol and/or fill with baking soda/foot spray and leave overnight or several days. Someone else might have a genius solution I don’t know about, and I’d be eager to hear it!
I hope a little of this was helpful!