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FireLilyCosplay — Sharpie Wig Dyeing Tutorial
Published: 2010-03-04 07:24:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 240710; 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 would buy a white or blonde wig and just use brown sharpies (like, 6). The brown ink is red-based, so it will come out looking auburn - like this: [link]
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where would you get a wig that has no style or colour, i want to start making custom wigs (my friend suggested it as she wears wigs and makes me style them for her)
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You can search any wig website or EBay seller for a white wig. I guess I'm not sure what you mean by no color/no style? If you are looking for a plain white wig, they aren't hard to find. Try www.epiccosplay.com, www.shop.cosplay.com, or www.arda-wigs.com .
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Thanks so much for making this! Quick question... how long will the dye last? I want to practice dying on a wig sample before I order my actual wig. If I make the dye now, how long will it last? Thank you!
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The dye is permanent on the wig unless you strip it out with 90% or 99% alcohol, and even then the wig will retain a tint of color.
For the solution, it's pretty permanent, too. Since it is ink and alcohol, the alcohol won't evaporate if left in the bottle and the ink won't dilute further. I've had dye around for a few years and it's still good.
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So i have a blue wig and want to put black in the back like this (the one on the left) H[link] How do i dye it with out it getting all over the wig and when i wash it i don't want it getting on the wig when i wash the ink out
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You can color it by hand, meaning you color the wig fiber directly with black sharpie. You don't have to rinse it out that way and you have more control over the wig fibers. If you want to color it with sharpie solution, you can spray it on. Take your solution, put it in a spray bottle, section off the wig hair you want colored and separate the hair you don't want colored and cover it with a towel. Take the wig hair you want to color, lay it out on some aluminum foil, then spray it with your bottle and comb the color through. After you are done, let it dry. You can rinse, then see if you want to add more color (try to make it a very concentrated solution the first time so you can avoid multiple spray ons).
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So if I color it with black sharpie it will leave a bit of a sticky finish so I know if i wash it once it dries most wont come off BUT im thinking about doing a kaito cosplay with this wig, and rubbing alcohol takes sharpie off so can i do this after to make it a kaito after Halloween for a con
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You can certainly try to strip the color out. Use 99% alcohol for that and most should come out, but there may be a tint to the wig fiber since you are applying a very dark color.
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One more question, so if i use the 99% which is everywhere in my house. Can i use that to strip to color from the india ink 50% alcohol dye?
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It should work...? Since the alcohol simply dilutes the ink and disperses it, the higher alcohol concentration should strip the color out. There may be a tint left behind by the ink, but most should come out. I can't make any promises, though, since I do not use inks other than Sharpie.
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Well you cant use sharpie ink since it has multiple colors in it to make black, but im thinking of just using sharpie and i know it will leave a sticky feeling in the wig (since im hand coloring it directly) do you think if i wash it will the sharpie wash out?
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It shouldn't wash out since your are inking the wig fibers directly. If it does come out, you can always re-marker the faded areas.
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What if I just want to dye the tips, is it okay to soak just the tips in the dye and set that aside to dry, since I can't submerce the entire wig in the solution?
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Yup! That will do it
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I love this tutorial thank you so much!
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Hey there, was just wondering if there's a nice, natural looking way to dye the roots of the wig? I have an ash blonde wig that I want to have darker roots to look more of a dirty blonde.
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You can try spraying color onto the roots using a spray bottle. It's much easier to get the concentration you want using that and you can comb the color through the fibers to achieve a natural fade. Just don't rinse it out - let it dry and leave as is if it's the color you want. If not, spray again.
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I want to dye a wig Aqua's color from Kingdom Hearts, but it's a SUPER cheap Halloween wig and I'm afraid that brushing it out will rip the rest of the hair in it out. And suggestions?
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You can gently comb it with your fingers. It will take longer than brushing, but you can get all the knots out without ripping the wig fiber. You can also use a wide tooth comb and work in very small sections (start at the bottom and work your way up the wig).
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the wig that ill be using is a light blond and i need it to be a reddish brown what color of marker would i need also would this work on a Synthetic wig
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I would use around 4 brown sharpies depending on your length. This wig was colored using about 3-4 brown sharpies and it was one of those super cheapie Halloween wigs: [link]
If you have a longer wig, I'd recommend using more sharpies to cover evenly.
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its the wig for america from AXIS POWER HETALIA
its not that long but it has a flip in the front would that make it any harder to dye
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No, it will dye exactly the same as the rest of the wig fiber. You may need to touch up the styling afterward, though. If you don't want to dunk dye it, you can always spray the color on and then you don't need to worry about messing up the flip
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Thanks for this tutorial! DO you have any advice about dyeing a curly wig? I have a curly white wig that I'd lke to make orangey-red for a Merida cosplay. Thanks!
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It should work just the same as a non-styled wig 
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Thanks a lot! This really helped me
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this didn't work for me. I think maybe the grey wig was too dark. dunno the orange didnt want to stick to it at all. I would have settled for a tint of orange but it only dyed the wig cap. oh well
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For dyeing, you should really start with a white or blonde wig, but not all wig fibers are the same. Some don't take the coloring process at all, unfortunately :/ It could also be the concentration of your solution - you should be using 1 Sharpie per 1-2 cups of rubbing alcohol, or the ink will dilute too much and not take.
Sorry it didn't work out!
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its ok. at least its still usable and didnt come out a weird shade or something.
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so how would this work if i was just to dye sections of hair because I want to do Dj pon3 from My Little Pony because I just can't find the right wig
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Personally, I think it may be easier to hand sharpie the colors onto the wig. Just color each section of hair a different color, and all you will need is one sharpie of each color.
If you want to make sharpie solution, it will be easiest to spray the solution on. Take 1 sharpie to one cup of alcohol, pour it in a spray bottle, then spray each section of hair. Let soak through, then dry, then rinse. For the darker colors like blue and purple, use 2 sharpies for a richer color.
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can I use this method to dye the tips of a turquoise wig bright yellow? or since it's a lighter colour, it's impossible?
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No. It's the wrong color group and it's a lighter color. If you have a white wig, you can dye the wig turquoise and the tips yellow, but it won't work with a pre-colored wig.
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Would it be possible to just change the color of the tips of a wig in a similar way?
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Absolutely! As long as the tips are a lighter color than the one you want to dye it to. You can dip it in the dye solution or you can spray it on.
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Alright. Thanks. That'll help~
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You made this seem so simple in your tutorial. >_<
I just finished using this method to dye some extensions pink using Magenta Sharpies and it failed miserably. They turned almost purple, nothing like the original color of the sharpie like your wig did, and I used 6 Sharpies per 32 oz. bottle (it took over three for each container to be filled enough to cover the extension completely)
I did everything exactly as you said and even researched other tutorials. Yours just seemed worded best.
I'm going to try hand coloring it, which will take something like a week since they're three 5-foot clip in ponytail extensions. If not, I'm down $120 after wasting these extensions, the cost of all the alcohol and sharpies I had to buy (6 bottles and 36 sharpies, not including the ones I'm going to need to go buy now)
And now I won't be able to cosplay my character in a month since it takes over a month for these extensions to come in the mail.
Cosplayers beware, make sure you do a test run first. Not all sharpies are created equal, I guess.
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Ack, I can't believe I didn't post this earlier - you can take 99% alcohol and actually strip out most of the sharpie coloring from your extensions/wig fiber. It won't be completely the color you started with (it may be a little tinted) but it will save you from starting completely over and buying new extentions.
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I do say in the tutorial to test a swatch before dyeing
I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you wanted it to, but the method did work, just not in the color you wanted. For pink, I use Berry Sharpies - it's what I used to color my Lightning, Monica, and Pretear wigs and they all turned out nicely. If you are strapped for time, I'd recommend spraying the dye solution onto the extensions and combing the color through - it will take less time than doing it all by hand.
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ok this will help me but how do i make just the right color? im trying to make a miku wig and im trying to get a green/blue color but trying to get the right color but how?
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Mix some green and blue sharpies together and see what you come up with. You can also buy some teal sharpies and use those, or get some teal FW Ink or Copic Markers or Prismacolor markers and see if those work!
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Hi, nice tutorial! I was wondering if it affects the wig's quality in any way? Also, would a light blonde be able to be dyed to black?
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It doesn't change the quality of the wig. You can dye any light color to black as long as you use India ink, FW ink, or another artist ink. Black sharpies tend to come out purple and may need multiple "dyeings."
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Thanks, also, if I 'colour' the wig strand by strand would I need to rinse it out?
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