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FireLilyCosplay — Sharpie Wig Dyeing Tutorial
Published: 2010-03-04 07:24:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 240693; 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'm looking at the wig picture in the upper right hand corner under your heading "Other Examples". Did you use only red sharpies to dye that wig? Approximately how many sharpies (and what other colors/ ratios mixed in, if you recall). I'm dying a very dense and heft-ily curly platinum kanekalon wig red, but I'm terrified it will come out some kind of clownish, ronald mcdonald fire-truck red. I like how deep your red came out on that wig, and would like to achieve a similar red. (So long as the picture has not been greatly color corrected and is more of a red than a brownish-red/ auburn).
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I used several red, orange, and 1 brown. It technically came out a sort of peachy red. I would recommend using more brown and red sharpies if you are going for an auburn or henna color.
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Hey, I was wondering if I could dye a lilac colored wig to a very dark brown or black?
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Sure! Just use the brown sharpies for the brown - it may have a muddled look since because of the red ink in the marker, but it will turn brown just fine. For black, you will have to use FW ink or artist ink for a true black. Black sharpies are concentrated purple, but several dye processes may give you a black color.
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Do you know anything about dying a grey wig, white?
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You cannot "dye" a wig white. The wig fiber is plastic, and you cannot bleach plastic. If you find a way, please let me know!
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after I've done all of this, will the color stain clothing if I'm sweating a lot? just wondering because the clothes I'm gonna be wearing are white
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Yes. If you sweat, the color will rub off some. Especially if it's a red based color (red, pink or brown). I would recommend Scotch guarding your collar or protecting the fabric in some way.
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is there any way to lighten up a wig?
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No. You can strip color out of the wig if you have previously colored it, but you cannot bleach plastic.
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i see, thank you very much for the tutorial!
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Can you use any type of sharpie? Because I'm trying to buy some online it's very rare to find the sharpies that I like and there's ones I have found online "Sharpie Fluorescent Orange Scrapbooking Poster Paint Markers" and it says it's water based and acid free. However it also says that it's fade and water resistant. I don't understand if that means it's okay for wig dying or not. I'm trying to dye some small wigs for a doll. Makes no sense I know but it's complicated.
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You should use a marker that has permanent ink as the description. Paint markers are not the same as ink.
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Ah damn. I can't seem to find the kind I need in orange. I'll keep looking though. Was there certain types of sharpies I need to look for? Or look OUT for? Sorry for all the questions. :/
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As long as it's the regular or jumbo sharpies, they should do the trick. You can also look on the Sharpie website for ordering: [link]
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I checked out the website and found a permanent orange marker.
[link] (Sharpie%20Catalog)
But I couldn't find where to order them on the site?
[link]
I found that offer, but I don't know if it's permanent or not. I'm really confused. I wish they sold more coloured sharpies here. :/
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That second website is the correct Sharpie. You can also use Primacolor marker,s Copic Marker,s artist ink, or any other permanent ink source as long as it isn't paint or water-soluble.
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Excellent! Thank you SO much! You've been such a great help, I really appreciate it! <3 <3 <3
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You are very welcome!
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i am dying a wig black i jus want to know how long it woud take to dry it a mid shoulder length wig
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There seem to be two different questions here, so I'll answer both.
1 - A mid-should length wig will take around 2-5 hours to dry once dyed, but I like to leave it alone for a full 12 hours or so (I usually sleep on it, then rinse, retouch in the morning).
2 - It would take no more than 15-20 minutes for the whole dunking process, but since you are dyeing a wig to black, it may take multiple dyeings to get a true black color.
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that is so cool! i must try that for my ariel wig! ( to make the red color lighter)
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Thank you much! I will definitely try this out on my better wigs!
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Hello there!
I want to dye my wig black, but I would rather use the colouring sharpie method.
Do you happen to know where I can find examples of the finished results?
Also, will the colouring be even? I'm afraid I won't get every part of the wig. > <
Thanks!
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I haven't personally come across anyone successfully dyeing their wig black using Sharpies, though one cosplayer told me she achieved it but she had to dye her wig twice with black sharpies.
The coloring varies depending on how much ink you have in your mix. More ink (or more sharpies used) means better and more even coverage - less ink (or fewer sharpies used) means more splotchy coverage.
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I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems no one else has suggestions for what I should do.
If I'm cosplaying a character with black hair and red tips, would it be better to get a white wig and dye it red then black, or just buy a red wig then dye it black?
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Either of those options will work, though starting with a red wig will be less messy. Make sure to use India ink or Fw ink for the black - Sharpies tend to be concentrated purple and not true black.
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Is there any possible way to dye a blonde wig white? Would a silver or light grey make it light enough to appear white or not? i tried finding a white wig but the only ones (even going to Halloween Express) that I could find were George Washington ones :l
Any help would be appreciated!
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No. You cannot dye anything white, technically, as white isn't a color, but rather the reflection of all color. You can apply white powder to a light wig, but it won't be manageable and will get powder on everything.
I'm not sure where you are looking, but there are plenty of white wigs online. Try these sites:
[link]
[link]
[link]
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I am on a budget for the wig so I had not tried online other than ebay. Was hoping to find another way to dye the one I already since no one sells a white wig in my area even though it is Halloween. Thanks for the help, I suppose I will have to order online now instead. I highly doubt bleach would do any good for the wig haha...
Thanks again
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The bleach will definitely do no good. But there are some really nice wigs out there - you may even be able to try a Party City or Spirit Store in the Halloween costume section.
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I originally had planed to go to a Party City then I remembered there was a Halloween Express in the same town. Low on time to check both out I opted for Halloween Express. They had a George Washington wig and one that had extremely short cut hair. I was deeply disappointed. If I hadn't spent so much time looking for ink and stuff to make earrings I needed I would have tried Party City as well. Wish I would have now.
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THIS LOOKS SO AWESOME! Can't wait to start cosplaying soon!!!!!
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I ordered what i thought would be a true dark red wig off an ebay seller and its a light burgandy color with almost pinkish hints to it 
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If you want a darker red, you will have to use black ink along with red ink (you will need FW ink, India ink, or another artists ink in black, because black Sharpie is actually concentrated purple). I don't know what the brown would do, but it would only give it an auburn wash - I'm not sure if it would eliminate the pink at all.
Or you can return the wig and try again!
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Hehe! I have dye EVERYWHERE! So far, it looks like the right colour. It is just drying.....
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Thank you. It's turned out great! 
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You washed it with shampoo or wig conditioner? That helps the smell.
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Yes, citron-smelling detangler seemed to do the trick.
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What if you wanted to only dye part of a wig?
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Use a spray bottle and color the sections you want. You can still rinse after letting it dry - it won't bleed over into the other sections of hair while rinsing.
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Okay. Does that work the same with say, India ink if I wanted to dye it black?
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Thank you for this. I have bought Parker ink to dye my wig 
Also, do you know if rubbing alcohol, which is largely recommended, is the same thing as white spirit?
Aahh, sorry for all the questions. Help is greatly appreciated. DJ x
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Usually, 1 dropper is equal to 1-3 millileters (aka mL) of fluid, which would equal around a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon. So if you are looking to make it a dark grey, you can try 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of ink per cup of alcohol. If the wig ends up itoo dark, you can alway sstrip the color out using uncolored alcohol (90% or 99% works best for this).
And, no, rubbing alcohol is completely different from White spirit (aka turpentine). Turpentine is designed to strip paint and clean brushes and will not help you do anything to a wig except smell awful. Rubbing alcohol is medical grade filtered antiseptic alcohol.
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Thank you. That's really useful. I have all the right ingredients now so am going to try it this afternoon.
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May I ask you a question? If I want to achieve the color red auburn for a wig, however, would I have to purchase a white or brown wig? And for Sharpie color wise, would I just need red or red and brown? I'm cosplaying as Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series, in case you were wondering.
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