If you’ve had some toupee adhesives or wig styling products on your salon or barbershop shelves for a while, you might be wondering, “Do hair products expire?” While most products we use (think food and medications) have a stamped expiration date and lose effectiveness over time, you might be unsure when (or if!) it’s time to toss those hair system products.

According to theFDA, expiration dates provide a guideline for the length of time a product stays effective and safe for use. If an expiration date isn’t listed, you might be unknowinglyusing expired hair products ortoupee hair system adhesives on your clients! Butare expired hair products safe to use? 

We’re here to answer all your questions about hair system product expiration and ensure your shelves always contain ready-to-apply products at their peak performance.

What’s the Shelf Life of Wig orToupee Hair System Products?

Dotoupee hair system productsexpire? Yes! Hair products do eventually expire and hair system adhesives tend to lose their strength over time.

For toupee orwig styling products and hair system adhesives, use this general best-by-guide 

(bookmark it for easy reference later!):

• Hair system tapes: 1 year
• Liquid adhesives (opened): 6 months
• Haircare products: 3 years (unopened) or 1 to 2 years (opened)

Unlike tapes and liquid adhesives, mosthaircare products for hair systems, likewig shampoo for hair, last unopened for up to 3 years. Once you open them,period after opening (PAO) timeframes come into play. Some styling product labels show the PAO symbol and a general guideline for when to throw out the product. If there’s no date listed, you can expect most hair products to last 1 to 2 years after you open them, (but we recommend using your products within a year to be on the safe side.)

Are Expired Hair Products Safe to Use on Toupees and Wigs?

As a general rule, you should avoidusing expired hair products on your clients. When application or otherwig styling products start to lose their original texture or just smell off, you’ll definitely want to toss them. It could be a sign that bacteria has built up and your products are no longer safe to use. You’ll need to be especially mindful of the products you use on thoseclients with sensitive scalps!

When it comes totoupee or wig applications, you want to ensure a secure hold. Though hair system tapes may not have individual properties that expire, the longer they stay open and exposed, the less effective they may be when you try tosecure and smooth your clients' hair systems. 

How to Make Hair System Products Last Longer

So, now that we’ve answered the big question: “Do hair products expire?” you probably want to know if there’s anything you can do to extend a product’s shelf life. Just like your clients want toextend the life of their hair systems – we know you want your styling products and adhesives to last as long as possible too. The key to making hair system adhesives or otherwig styling products last longer is to properly store them. 

Make sure you store your hair products:

• In a cool, dry place
• Away from direct sunlight
• In their properly sealed original packaging
• With older products in the front and newer stock behind

Want to make it even easier? Properly store hair system adhesives andwig styling products the moment they arrive at your salon or barbershop door. That means keeping track of when you bought your products, labeling adhesives and tapes with their open date so you know when it’s time to refresh your stock, and using up older products before opening new ones. If you do all that, you’ll easily maximize the effectiveness of all the products on your shelf, and improve your process to ensure you always meet your clients’ hair system needs. 

Quality Comes First with Sunshine Tape

Next time your client asks, “Do hair products expire?” you’ll be ready. And, with Sunshine Tape’s quality products, you’ll be prepared to keep your clients happy and coming back to your salon or barbershop.