[AnimeFangirl03]

Ummm... I don't know if anyone has posted a thread like this before but...

Does anyone know a proper way [or reliable way] to dye wigs??

I found a couple of wigs that are the perfect style for some of my cosplays, but I can't find them in the right color.

So can anyone help me??

[this_chick25]

Yes, someone has; many people have, actually. To get your questions answered though, we need at least this much more info.

What color are the wigs?

What color(s) do you want them?

Are the wigs human or synthetic fiber?

This post has been edited by this_chick25: 02 July 2008 - 05:24 PM

[CrimsonAnime]

GenesicStrongJaeger, on Jul 2 2008, 06:26 PM, said:

Well for starters if the wig is synthetic, your answer is no. There is nothing you can do. Dying a synthetic wig never works right and will basically ruin it.

If it's human, it depends on what you are trying to do to it.

I haven't died a wig but even I know that's wrong.
You CAN dye a synthetic wig just not with dye for human hair (learned the hard way)
Kaite Bair has a wig dye formula for synthetic hair.

[this_chick25]

GenesicStrongJaeger, on Jul 2 2008, 06:26 PM, said:

Well for starters if the wig is synthetic, your answer is no. There is nothing you can do. Dying a synthetic wig never works right and will basically ruin it.

False.

You can't dye a dark synthetic wig to be a lighter color and you can't dye a synthetic wig with human hair dye, but a synthetic wig can be dyed.

If the wig is synthetic, you can dye it with a mixture of alcohol with either FW acrylic ink or Sharpie ink. If you don't trust yourself to mix your own dye, Katie Bair sells her own blend of synthetic wig dye in popular colors for anime wigs.

Anyhow for either dye, after you cold-water rinse the wig to the point where the runoff is clear, use a conditioner on the wig and the texture of it should be just fine if not even better than it was compared to when you got it.

Granted, it is far easier to dye wigs that are straighter as opposed to pre-styled/curly, so if you want to dye a wig, you should definitely do it before any styling.

This post has been edited by this_chick25: 03 July 2008 - 09:28 AM

[omni]

Since you are new to the wig scene it seems and might not know what sites they are talking about..I will give you links!



Katie Blair: This is the site that Seneca keeps recommending. She not only sells dye for wigs, but other wig supplies as well as some wigs. Plus she has a few tutorials.

Amphigory: This is a wig supplier (located in Indiana.) She is the one who supplies wigs to Katie Blair. When ordering from her, be aware of timing. Even though it said that it should only take three days to ship to me (even with the basic shipping) it took almost two weeks to arrive. But the prices are very good.

Cosworx: An official cosplay wig, shoes, accessory and supply store. This place has excellent service and pricing. They don't sell wig dye, but they do have lots of wig styles.

[this_chick25]

Thank you omni-chan!

I meant to go and find the links, and then I got sidetracked (because I'm at work--I cant believe they expect me to actually work here!)

[simonsaz3]

omnichild, on Jul 3 2008, 07:59 AM, said:

Since you are new to the wig scene it seems and might not know what sites they are talking about..I will give you links!



Katie Blair: This is the site that Seneca keeps recommending. She not only sells dye for wigs, but other wig supplies as well as some wigs. Plus she has a few tutorials.

Amphigory: This is a wig supplier (located in Indiana.) She is the one who supplies wigs to Katie Blair. When ordering from her, be aware of timing. Even though it said that it should only take three days to ship to me (even with the basic shipping) it took almost two weeks to arrive. But the prices are very good.

Cosworx: An official cosplay wig, shoes, accessory and supply store. This place has excellent service and pricing. They don't sell wig dye, but they do have lots of wig styles.

Excellent links-- I was going to provide Katie Blair's since I know she's got a bunch of how-to's on there which are really handy.
=)

[AnimeFangirl03]

*looks at posts above* Wow... you guys are extremely helpful.

I'll make sure to check all that stuff out.

Quote

What color are the wigs?

What color(s) do you want them?

Are the wigs human or synthetic fiber?

And to answer this... The main one I'm having problems with [I found ones that would work for the others!! Yay tiny wig shops in the mall!!]... The actual wig is silver/white and I want to dye it a light blue.

Ummm... and I am pretty sure that it is synthetic fiber.

Yeah... thanks for all the help so far!!

[this_chick25]

Sharpie Dye FAQ

Sharpie Dye

FW Acrylic Ink Dye

[shoopyzz]

AnimeFangirl03, on Jul 3 2008, 09:31 AM, said:

*looks at posts above* Wow... you guys are extremely helpful.

I'll make sure to check all that stuff out.



And to answer this... The main one I'm having problems with [I found ones that would work for the others!! Yay tiny wig shops in the mall!!]... The actual wig is silver/white and I want to dye it a light blue.

Ummm... and I am pretty sure that it is synthetic fiber.

Yeah... thanks for all the help so far!!

i'm not a wig expert, but i want to randomly throw my method here

this chick25 is totally right, you cannot dye dark color to lighter color, but i'm pretty sure that silverwhite~light blue would work.

(and thank you thischick, i learn the new way to dye wigs! XDD)
it is not a regular way or something, but this is what i used for my Akira cosplay from Togainunochi it was silverwhite just like yours. i'm fully satisfied with what came out so...

i used hair conditioner and pastels (you know, hard pastels that artists use..not oil ones!) to dye wigs.
i kept my wig for few hours in the solution (water&hair conditioner) and grinded the greenish pastels into it XP i repeated that process few times more, took the wig out, and grinded dark green and black pastels directly on the wig so it has some kind of gradations
the color doesn't come out exactly same with the pastel's color, so i had to use darker color than what i want.

hopefully it helps you a little bit, and good luck for your cosplay! XD

[simonsaz3]

this_chick25, on Jul 3 2008, 09:58 AM, said:

Sharpie Dye FAQ

Sharpie Dye

FW Acrylic Ink Dye

ZOMG!! *glomps*
=D

[AnimeFangirl03]

this_chick25, on Jul 3 2008, 09:58 AM, said:

Sharpie Dye FAQ

Sharpie Dye

FW Acrylic Ink Dye

Yay!! I officially LOVE you all.

I will sooooo post pictures whenever I get my wigs done.

[simonsaz3]

AnimeFangirl03, on Jul 3 2008, 10:27 AM, said:

Yay!! I officially LOVE you all.

I will sooooo post pictures whenever I get my wigs done.

That's awesome. I'm looking forward to it. I really liked the homemade dye recipe-- the results look amazing too. What will you stick with?
=)

[AnimeFangirl03]

simonsaz3, on Jul 3 2008, 11:25 AM, said:

That's awesome. I'm looking forward to it. I really liked the homemade dye recipe-- the results look amazing too. What will you stick with?
=)

Hmm... i really dunno... What I'll prolly do is get a cheap wig that's the same color and make [there is this little wig shop in the mall that sells good wigs at cheap prices] and then test the different methods and use whichever looks the closest for what I'm going for.

[this_chick25]

To save yourself a decent amount of money, you can also cut a small lock from the hair on your wig, not even as thick as a pencil (near the nape of the neck is a good place) and dye that. That way you'll know EXACTLY how the dye will turn out.

This post has been edited by this_chick25: 03 July 2008 - 11:00 AM

[simonsaz3]

AnimeFangirl03, on Jul 3 2008, 11:46 AM, said:

Hmm... i really dunno... What I'll prolly do is get a cheap wig that's the same color and make [there is this little wig shop in the mall that sells good wigs at cheap prices] and then test the different methods and use whichever looks the closest for what I'm going for.

That'd work too. I hope you find what you're looking for.
=)

[mens_pocky06]

I did the Acrylic dye...LOVED the results (though obviously, if it's a light/white wig and you're dyeing it a substantially darker color you'll probably need a few coats of the mixture)...but watch out for light colored fabrics...if the wig is long enough to touch light fabric, it WILL rub off a bit...

What I did for that problem was I used a scrap piece of the light fabric and rubbed off the under side of the wig a bit. It helped a lot

Can't wait to see your wig when it's done.

[simonsaz3]

Hai, pictures please!
=)