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FireLilyCosplay β Sharpie Wig Dyeing Tutorial
Published: 2010-03-04 07:24:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 240039; Favourites: 4075; Downloads: 1570
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Description
I know there are a few others out there, but here is my tutorial for Sharpie dyeing a wig! This works best with Kanekalon and other premium synthetic wigs. Eleora and cheaper synthetic wigs may not dye evenly. Make sure to check your wig fiber content before attempting to dye!I've had a lot of practice with this method, and this is the formula that works best for me, so I hope it can help you dye your wig the custom color you are looking for!
Many thanks to my friend Envel who helped me with my first Sharpie dyeing experience. Tutorial and all images therein are Copyright Fire Lily and FireLilyCosplay.com.
EDIT: Since so many people ask this question, I'm addressing it here. "How do I dye a wig black?" Since Black Sharpies are concentrated purple, you will have to use FW Ink, India Ink, or another Artists Ink and follow the FW Ink Dyeing Method: [link]
Another method is to color/sharpie the wig by hand using a black Sharpie. This will give it a slightly purple sheen, but it will come out black.
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Comments: 1392
I did that but then I washed it and the color ran and now all the colors are pastel ish
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Use more ink. There must not have been enough ink in your solution, so it came out as a lighter color.
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When I was dying it it looked like neon pink so I didn't color it as much ( wich was stupid) and then I washed it months later and re colored the entire wig and I can't find a red sharpie anywhere in my house :/
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What would i do if i wanted black hair and red highlights?
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You mean black hair with red tones? Β Or black hair with red hair on top? Β I would buy a nearly black wig and dye it red for the first option, and I would buy a red wig and dye the bottom black if it's the second option.
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Yeah black hair with red tones.
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My is white and I want to dye the tips purple for a Nai cosplay from karneval. But I also want to be able to wash it out. What do you recommend? >_<
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You can't. Once you have dyed a white wig, it will not "wash out." You can insert wig clips of white/purple hair instead - just make wefts of white wig fiber with dyed tips (I recommend a very long weft the length and width of the wig) and sew on wig clips to both ends of the weft. Then clip it into the wig.
Other than that, I do not know ofany method that ccould only temporarily dye wig fiber and have it wash out to the original color without any residual color.
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Thank you so much!! ;U;
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I tried to dye my clip on extension a bright pink for my Fluttershy cosplay, and when I started spraying it looked like the perfect color, but after it dried it was a light pinkish purple. I stop spraying immediately and didn't wash it in cold water because I know that sets the color. Is there any way I can strip the color or fix it? I used Sharpie fine tips, if they have a different formula or something. Am I stuck with a purple-tailed Fluttershy? Did I do something wrong?
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1 - Did you rinse off the clip after it dried? Part of this process it saturating the wig fiber with ink, letting it dry, then rinsing the excess.
2 - If the color is incorrect, try again with a different color. Berry colored sharpies work best for bright or hot pink.
3 - Use 90% rubbing alcohol to strip the color.
4 - Always try a test swatch first to avoid this in the future
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I just rinsed it off (I ended up dying the entire clip in a mixture of 50% and 70% with two sharpies in a bag) and when it was drying, it looked pinkish purple again, but when I was washing it out it looked pink. Something similar happened when I rinsed off the swatch I'd started with, it would look pink when it was wet and purple dry, but I hope with the diluted mixture it'll turn out the color I want ^3^ Thanks!
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I have a light pink wig that I'd like to try to make more blonde/peach colored. I know that you can't lighten synthetic wigs, so do you think it'd be possible to achieve this color or something close by using this technique with yellow Sharpies?
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I'm not sure, but you can certainly try a test piece and go from there.
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Sorry I didn't read the whole discription, so please ignore my last comment
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I really like your tutorial and I want to use it but I have a problem: I have a short pink wig that I want to dye black, but you've said that black sharpies don't work, so, how can I do it?
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hiya! i love this! but i want to know if i can dye a black wig white using this? and if not do you know anyway i can?! Thank you!Β
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You can't dye anything white. Β You would have to buy a white wig or spray paint it and hope it looks decent
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lol! i was afraid of that,okay! thank you xDΒ
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I've seen people colouring the wig with just using a sharpie, is that an okay way to dye wigs?
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Sure. Β It's just time consuming.
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ThankYou!~ >w<
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Hi I have a question.
I have two light blond wigs I'd like to dye to a dirty blond, my question is what color[s] would I use to do this?
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Not sure - you would have to experiment with that on your own. Β I do not have a color guide to go by. Β If you are looking for more control in your dye color, I would suggest using RIT dye, since they have a color guide on their website
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Oh alright, thanks for answering =w=
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Used this tutorial to dye my white wig to match my blonde one and they're now the exact same color. Thanks for all the great tips!
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Does this work on curly wigs? I'm wondering because im cosplaying something that has basically finger waves and I'm trying to figure out if its better to buy a prestyled wig and dye it or buy a precolored wig and style it
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Yes, it works on most wig fibers, curled or not.
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Hello, you mentioned that red dye wont wash out completely... Would the ink come off on my skin if I sweat a lot?
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Yes, if you sweat a lot it will rub off on your skin; clothing, too.
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yikes.... I guess I cant use this method then.... needed a red wig to do an Erza cosplay this weekend, but I'm in a hot country so gonna sweat like crazy in the armor....
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Hi! I really love your tutorial. You explained everything really well. 
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It is mostly permanent. Β You can strip out a lot of the color using 99% alcohol, but there will still be a stain or tint of color.
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Oh! And the reason I asked is because I really like this technique but I need to temporarily dye a blond wig green, and I was wondering if this technique would be good for a temporary sort of thing.
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Hello there! First, I'd like to say thanks for the awesome tutorial! : )
Me and my friend tried out sharpie dying for the first time, and it worked really well...Β Sadly there's still the problem with the dye running when we use hairspray on it, just as you warned above...
I'd just like to ask, have you tried any method to stop the dye from running, even just a bit less?...would a rinse of vinegar and salt work, or would it just make the dye run more?...
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Short of rinsing it as completely as possible, I haven't found a way to prevent it from running. Sorry! Remember that you are using ink - it may not act the same as organic dyes, so vinegar may or may not work.
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Oh of course OTL... Β I'll keep that in mind...
Thank you so much for replying! : )
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This tutorial is super helpful! However, I need to dip dye a blue wig yellow at the ends for a cosplay I'm making. Would this work or it would come out a green colour instead?
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It would not dye well. T probably would turn green. Your best best is to make additional wefts in white, then dye those blue with yellow tips and sew the weft into the wig. Or start with a white wig.
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Thank you SO!!!! Much or this, you literally saved my cosplay.
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Does this work on lower-quality wigs too, such as ones from a costume or party store? I'd love to try changing a pink one I have to red but I'm worried about ruining the whole thing D:
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Yes, it does work. I dyed a party store wig from blonde to brown easily - just be prepared for bleeding color since you are dyeing it red. Β It will rub off on clothing and skin.
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Ahhh, I see. Good to know, thank you so much!
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When you dye the wig, will it change the texture of the wig/ how it will feel?
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It feels exactly the same after rinsing. If it feels a bit coarse, you can soak it in some wig conditioner and rinse again. This will strip a little more color out, so use cold water.
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I have a question: I found a brown wig, I need it to become black, does this way work for it??
Thank you
PS: I'm sorry if my english is bad, but I'm italian ^_^
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Yes, you can dye the wig to black. You may need several dyeings using sharpies, or you can use India ink or artist ink.
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