✘ Dying a synthetic wig?? No way ✘
It could happen that you are looking for a specific shade of color and you have the perfect acrylic and fabrics for your cosplay but no luck with the wig shade. Well, then this tutorial is for you!
First of all, Yes! You can actually dye it but not with the products you think. Usually, when you want to dye your hair you go to (of course) dye boxes or YouTube tutorials and they all buy the same hair dye. So if it dyes your hair it should dye the wig right? Well technically yes...but no.
Our hair is different from the plastic fiber that a synthetic wig has since ours can absorb the dye and get the desired color. And...well, the synthetic can't do that.
But no worries, we can make it work! And we have two methods of it that can adjust to your budget for sure.
Before doing this remember that you can only pick a darker shade that the wig already has, so if you have a dark blue wig you can't make it white. So be sure to pick a white or pastel wig to color!
You will need:
✦ Wig (white/pastel shade)
✦ Spray Bottle https://amzn.to/3sY5nnd
✦ 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol https://amzn.to/3T5JlcX
✦ Measurement Cup https://amzn.to/3UtVV74
✦ Acrylic/Alcohol-Based Ink (color desired): 36 set https://amzn.to/3fCS2hc 12 set $10 https://amzn.to/3UsCyLk
✦ Gloves https://amzn.to/3DvIP1W
✦ Wig Stand (or a stand to put the wig while dying) https://amzn.to/3T7B9ZM
✦ Wide-tooth comb (or wig comb) https://amzn.to/3UoSIW3
✦ Ziploc Bag (optional) https://amzn.to/3T6Tbes
Second Method:
✦ Sharpie Marker (instead of acrylic) https://amzn.to/3T7KP6y
✦ Scissors https://amzn.to/3DFS9AD or x-acto knife https://amzn.to/3T4XGpZ
✦ Pliers https://amzn.to/3U9hEBa
Additional Method:
✦ Ziploc Bag (optional) https://amzn.to/3T6Tbes
➊ Make The Dye
Acrylic/Alcohol-Based Ink
Grab the acrylic and empty it inside the spray bottle. Then grab the alcohol and measure the amount you are going to put inside before doing it. Why? Because along the way you might run out and make another one and it could end up being a different shade because the amount of alcohol was different.
So just grab your measurement cup and add the alcohol (you can try 1/2 cup first) The more amount of alcohol you add the lighter the color will be.
Sharpie Marker
Grab the pliers. Pull the sharpie apart. Take the ink tube from the inside and open it up (carefully!) with scissors or the x-acto knife. Place the tube inside the Spray Bottle with the alcohol. Leave it overnight or until you get the desired shade.
Grab the light-colored wig and place it on the stand. I usually put newspaper or old cloth/tablecloth under it because is going to start dripping after we dye it! Put your gloves on and grab the spray bottle, it's time to dye!
Spray the top layer of the wig while you dig your fingers in it and wiggle so you can make sure it's saturated and you are not only coloring the top part. Do this around it and then check the layers under it and spray that too until everything is coated with the desired color.
Set the wig outside and let it dry. Be careful because it's probably going to drip a lot so make sure you follow the steps before to avoid stains!
Once the dye is dry is rinse time! Rinse your wig in the sink until the water is completely clear.
Brush your wig with the wig comb carefully. You can use a synthetic hair conditioner. Separate layers and comb them until the wig it's detangled.
Set the wig outside or where it could dry with the wind or you can use a blower dry in the minimum to no heat to dry it faster.
➏ Additional Styling & Method
Roots coloring
You can use a sharpie to color the roots darker for a more realistic look. Grab the sharpie, separate the layers and paint it inside to outside. Use a q-tip to move the ink inside to outside to cover all the roots. Repeat this in all layers.
Ziploc Bag (not so accurate but fast)
Put the ink in the bag (you can use two bags to avoid stains) put your wig inside and shake it until you get the desired color. Continue with the tutorial from point 4.
And that's it! ♡
You have your new color shade wig to match your perfect cosplay! See you next Monday!
'links on blog may be affiliated, meaning we benefit when you use them to purchase products'