/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Bump for interest

so we could do this to party wigs?

>>6676265
Bumping for interest as well. This sounds like a money saver.

Where do I get really shitty wigs for cheap so I can test this?

>>6676265
only one way to find out. Just do it and Use talcum powder. It gives a good matte look.

>>6676326
Halloween clearance and the dressup section of toy stores.

>>6676326
Party City has a ton of shitty wigs.

>>6676332
Oh yeah, those Lalaloopsy wigs would be good to test it on.

OP here, just a link to a larger version the image/dA source. Was too big to upload.
>http://fav.me/d5um4ou

>>6676339
Thanks, OP.

Cut a weft from somewhere inconspicuous on your wig and test it out on that first- this might only work with certain kinds of wig fibres.

Does anyone have any recommendations for sellers who sell 18th century inspired wig for a middle-range price/quality? Particularly ones in black or brown? All I can find are really shitty Halloween quality wigs and, on the other end, expensive re-enactment quality wigs.

This would be interesting to try.
Though I'm wondering how it would effect the overall look of a black wig?

>>6676415
It would just take most of the sheen out I assume.

Would the time spent soaking determine the amount of sheen lost?

Ahh, I've been looking for a thread like this! I need some advice...

I'm working on a cosplay that uses those mechanical Necomimi ears (yeah yeah I know, weeby as fuck, but they're honestly pretty cool), and I was wondering if it were possible to fit the headband/battery pack part under the wig with the moving parts poking out? I have a feeling this has been done before, but I just want to make sure it doesn't tangle the wig into the machinery or anything like that...the headband is super conspicuous, so I'd prefer not to have it outside the wig, but if that's the only way this'll be safe I'll just have to deal with it...

>>6676452
I think there's a limit though of how much soaking may happen before you literally destroy the wig, if I'm correct. I remember an older tutorial once showing that from the softener treatment some hair was lost so they would have to replace it with some extra wefts.

But I assume that there is some correlation between the soaking time and loss of sheen.

I bought a bright white wig needed for a cosplay I'm doing, but the white is too bright. What's the recommended way to dull the color, making it a little bit more greyish?

>>6676739
Sounds like you just have to dye it, but very lightly.

>>6676754

Seems like that defeats the purpose of having bought a white wig though don't you think? Is there no good products I could use that just kind of take out the shine/dull the shade of white?

So it appears Fabric Softer is the end all be all product for wigs. De-tangler, Dye additive, Shine duller.

I think this is a stupid question, but do rinse the wig out after you have it in the softener? Or do you just let it dry, then brush out?

I'm just going by what would logically make the shine duller, and that having a layer of -something- covering the fibers. The softener doesn't actually change the surface texture of the wig, it just coats it?

>>6676765
I thought you wanted it to be "greyish?" A friend of mine often lightly dyes white wigs with sharpies by hand and it looks decent. Or try baby powder.

>>6676799

greyish was probably a bad choice in words. I still want it to be white hair, but just not that really awkward bright white.

>>6676265
Just tried baby powder on a wig although the smell is too strong
Never tried talc before though, but it's probably a lot better than the smell of baby powder

>>6676776
Damn. Too bad I'm allergic to it.

This would be interesting to experiment with shiny, heat resistant wigs (like chinese ebay wig sellers) but it's just not worth it to try and work with halloween/party city wigs. The wefts will probably be too far apart, and the fiber just isn't made to last. Save your money for something that won't turn to crap.

Why do people act here like it is a new thing? People have been doing this for years but mainly lukewarm water+few cups of fabric softener and let the wig soak there for many hours.

>>6677100
That's real cool, sis. No one is acting like it's a new thing - not everyone knows about it, that's all.
Congrats on having known this for ever and ever.

I have a long wig I'll be cutting short soon, I'll try this on the leftover fibers and post the results.

I have an old cheapo Halloween costume wig sitting around. I'll give it a try this week and show results.

>>6676791
According to a few websites, rinse with cold water. Apparently, vinegar works too, but I'd rather smell like Gain than Boardwalk Fries.

I have a shiny pink wig that I LOVE the color of but I'd be willing to part with it if shit went down. I need to go get some fabric softener and hopefully by Saturday, I - along with some other Anons - will have results.

Maybe we should list the stores we got the wig from, what fabric softener we used, and how long we soaked it for. IDK, maybe make a spreadsheet?

>>6676776
>dye additive
I'm gonna be sharpie dying a wig in awhile and I was looking up different techniques. The ones I read just have the ol' alcohol with sharpie method. Is there another way to do it with fabric softner?

I think I'll try that on a black wig I have. Very shiny and bleh. Need to dull it down a bit.

so.. how do we TALC

We just toss baby powder on the wig and the shine magically will go away??? does it last forever?

Sorry for my stupidity.

>>6677567
Aw Lori is so pretty <3

Honestly I think leaving a wig to soak in that stuff for days is a bit excessive, and kind of overkill unless it is a super cheap shiny party wig.

With my wig from ebay/glw and the like usually a few washes with fabric softener will take away the extra shine. A day or so should be good enough for your average quality wig.

>>6677582

>>6677567
>>6677606
>Buying WoW blood elf ears to use for generic fantasy decoration

>>6677715
At least she's not a manface like Jessica

>>6677717
>manface

>>6676610
I've seen Homestuck cosplayers hide headbands under their wigs so only the horns pop out, but I'm not sure if it'd work the same for those ears...
Don't risk it and just deal with the headband, I guess.
You could probably do it if the ears weren't mechanical, though.

>>6677727
and tranny makeup doesn't help

>>6677727
>>6677717
>>6677715
>>6677606
The fuck do these have to do with anything.

>>6677745
Severe attention addiction.

>>6676776
Seriously, what the hell is in fabric softener? Is it actually corrosive?

>>6676610
One thing you might be able to do is wrap the headband in ribbon matching the colour of your wig. That way it would still able to blend in but won't tangle the machinery.

>>6676610
One of my friends had to cover head band for some bunny ears so she actually got some wefts and attached them to the head band.

If you're not looking for permanency ( probably) the other way would be to cut holes in the wig for the ears to stick through and then put the furry cover on.

Ok, so this isn't the BEST pic of the wig, but it's shiny as hell. No flash, just kitchen light. Been soaking for 12 hours. Would have only been a few but I fell asleep. Going to rinse it off now.

>>6676610
I've seen jade cosplayers do it. As long as the bangs hide the front piece, I'm sure you'll be fine.

>>6676610
If you have the actual ears, the covers should be removable (I have seen replacements available for different colors) and the fabric probably only covers up the mechanics. I can't be sure without the ears on my person, but since their movements are limited by side to side, then the support should be thin enough to poke through the wigs (unless they broaden it like a triangle).

In all likelihood though, it won't look good. The headband might be thin enough to hide, but then there's the issue of the bulky headset that would be near impossible to hide without working knowledge of the product to disassemble and reassemble into the hidden parts of the wig. And you still have that garish black thing circling halfway across your forehead.

This is only going by pictures and what I've seen in dealer's room though.

I know it's been pointed out before, but since I just got one wig from each store I'll mention my own experience:

CosplayDNA on eBay sells wigs with the same fibers as EpicCosplay, as long as you get their Ultra High Heat resistant ones. Less selection, but much cheaper. Pink is CosplayDNA, blue is Epic.

Note that the CDNA has about the same number of weft rows, but they're sewn irregularly. You can see two here that are pretty far apart, but there are also some that are really close together. The awful shine on the wigs is because my room has pretty dim lighting and I had to use the night setting on my camera.

>>6682314
Aaand I think I needed to soak it more. After it dried, it didnt look a damned bit different. Gonna try again.

>>6683199
can you tell me what blue that is from epic?

>>6684708
Midnight blue. It DOES NOT really look like it does in that pic, which sucks because that is the perfect colour for what I needed. The light in my room is dim. The wig is a very bright royal blue in sunlight/bright indoor light.

>>6684768
damn, thanks anyway. I'm trying to find a strange blue and I cannot find anything I'm satisfied with anywhere.

Do any of you know of wigs that would be good base wigs for Hanna from Hanna is not a boy's name?

>>6684911
Yeah, I know. I was so glad when I opened it and it looked like in the pic. Took it to the washroom to braid it for storage, and it's fucking bright.

So I've got a Glinda from Arda and I would like to try and tone it down some, it's just too fluffy. On my wig head it looks fine, but as soon as you put it on a normal sized head, it's just like a fro of curls, and doesn't look very good or like it has any length at all. I'd like to fix it, but obviously need the curly style.
Tips for toning down a wig, without losing too much of the curl?

>>6677776
It's close to the bleach end of the PH scale.

>>6677776
It's super basic. Anything that's extremely acidic or basic has similar affects.

>>6685465

Maybe you could you try... flattening it? Or cutting out some of the curls?

>>6685465
Pad out your wig head so it's the same size as your own head. Pin wig on, pour hot but not boiling water over it just once. It should relax some of the curl, but it wont be straight. Basically you're doing a hot water straighten but just weakly.

>>6685465
I have the same problem but with a straight wig. I'm a bit too chickenshit to cut it. Would hot water help in this case?

I have this wig and after a few times wearing it, it's gotten a bit frizzy and tangled. I'm afraid combing it will undo or somehow mess up the curls? IDK, I'm kind of ignorant with wig care. What should I do with it?

>>6685770

Brush out the curls with your fingers, then twirl the curl back around your finger to set it back in place. Use a bit of water if necessary. Works like a charm for me.

>>6682314
Bumping for results.

>>6685770
Weird.. i brush all my wigs with a normal hairbrush and never lose style/curls

>>6676610

Judging by what I know about it, you should be able to hide the headband under your wig with the electronic parts sticking out, like someone already said. Use bobbypins to keep the rest of the wig out of the way of the moving parts.
That bulky part on the side looks like it could be an issue no matter how you wear it, though.

I like the ribbon idea someone posted, though.

>>6676805
Dif anon but white wigs tend to come in 2 ranges, pure white or platinum blonde. which did you get and for what character? I have a white wig as well, that is pure white and is perfect for the character who I bought it for.

You may want to post a picture so that we get what you mean by 'bright white'.

>>6677567
I think you may have to reapply the powder, depending on how often you use the wig. Remember powdering wigs isn't a new thing, that's been around forever. Though I think that may have had more to do with smell then anything else...

>>6684697
Any news anon?

>>6682314
Well, you did only soak it for 1/10th of the recommended time.

Does this work?
Progress pics please.

>>6689640
None really. Soaking it again, going on 12 hours again now.

>>6689650
True, but I was thinking 5 days is overkill. I'm soaking this time for 36 hours.

If I was thinking, I would have taken pics when it dried. It was a bit more dulled but still pretty shiny.

Oh, to answer one Anon's question: fabric softener coats the fibers in clothes, making them soft. That's why it makes the wig hair duller and easier to de tangle. It doesn't destroy the clothes or hair per se, but using it a lot on cheap clothes/wigs hurts the fibers.


Also, has cgl not been working for anyone? I've tried for the past few hours to get on and it kept bringing up a blank page, but I could browse all the other boards.

>>6685770
I get rid of frizz on my wigs with a low temp flat iron. Even with fibers that aren't heat resistant, it works just fine, but you would probably have to re-style the curls.

>>6690013
I used it on the first wig I ever got for cosplay. It was thrashed from mistreatment. I soaked it for 4 days. It looked a lot better than at the start. Mine didn't have a lot of shine from the start though.
Currently soaking a crappy party city wig for a friend though since I had the softener left over.

Sigh.
So my manager called and informed me that corporate is coming down this week, so I probably won't be back till Saturday/Sunday.

>>6676265
so you have to flip your wig and put it in fabric softener for 5 days
do you have to rinse it out or just let it dry? and of course you ave to use the flat iron when it's dry right? (I'm new to wig care so bear with me please)
if anyone is trying this please do post progress pics! this could save a lot of wigs' lives!

For those that have used fabric softener on their wigs, whether it be a soak for a few hours to days, do you wash the softener out afterward, or let it dry without rinsing the softener out?

>>6691758
>>6691928
Oh shit I am an idiot and did not notice you asked the same thing right above me.

Cutting wigs!
Tips and tricks? I tried cutting my boyfriend's bangs for practice on the vertical technique, but it ended up looking really choppy. And do you use this technique when layering and adding face-framing strands?

>>6692443
Normally what I do (and this is when cutting actual hair or wigs) is to cut horizontally a general cut (one that is close to the length I want but longer) and then trim vertically.
it does take time and some practice, so don't rush it. Also don't cut the bangs to quickly, work in layers if you can so that when it lays flat it will look uniform (which happened to a friend and I think it's because she just cut horizontally in one go.)

Going to RIT dye a wig for the first time tomorrow. I would like advice from anyone who has done it before, since I'm kind of scared to fuck it up.

>>6693847
Super easy! Follow the directions on the box for boiling the water, sans the salt (no need for the salt) - throw the water into a tub or like plastic bucket once heated and add the RIT packet. Let it dissolve for a few minutes. Wet your wig first before putting it into the bucket, usually lukewarm water just to get it damp then throw the sucker into the RIT bucket and swish it around. Try it keep it submerged, otherwise the color might come out splotchy and uneven. Depending on how much color your going for will be determined by the water/dye ratio, but usually for a rich solid color dump the whole packet in. Let the wig sit in the bucket for a while, I left mine in for about an hour then took it out and rinsed it in cold water. Once rinsed (the water will run clear) gently shake the excess water off the wig and lay it down on a towel to let it dry. I usually set it down on an old towel and put a floor fan in front of it to help speed up the process. You could try using a hairdryer to speed things up, but I've never done that before so I don't know what the results would be. Are you using a heat resistant wig? Usually heat resistant wigs can stand the time in the boiling water, but if its not only leave it in for a few minutes - say 5-10 minutes.

>>6693847
Oh also, depending on the color your going for will depend on how rich the color will be. I was trying for a red wig on a light pink one, and it turned out a dark burgundy :P I've been told reds and purples are hardest to get but come out super dark, while blues greens and yellows (opposite of the color spectrum) are easiest but tend to come out slightly light? Can anyone else back this up? I know stripping a wig of its color is always harder than putting color into it - maybe I've just got it backwards?

How to wash a curly wig?

>>6676265

My friend tried this, but the talc kept falling out of her wig and getting shitty white powder all over her costume. So just a word of warning if your costume is black.

But her wig was waist-length and not short like OP's pic.

>>6693967
Thanks for the tips! My wig is heat resistant and I'm going from blue to as close to black as possible, so going too dark isn't an issue.

Is Cosplayholic a scam or not? I can't find any reviews from it, but they have the perfect wig for my next cosplay.

Does anybody know if OP's fabric softener soak would have any detrimental effects on a sharpie-dyed wig? I spent forever getting juuuust the right shade of purple on this one wig with sharpies, and I don't want to ruin it.

>>6692443
I tried to cut vertically, it just makes it look all zig zaggy

>>6696215

You might try getting a pair of feathering shears instead (one of the blades looks like a comb). You can just do a blunt cut and then cut over it with the feathering shears at different levels a few times to soften the cut.

>>6696215
You're taking off too much at a time then. I don't really know how to explain the snips you're supposed to make other than only get a few fibers at a time, though. Maybe some other anon is more articulate than I am right now...

I don't know what the fuck I'm doing wrong.
I took this out about 12 hours ago to dry.
It has maybe 5% less sheen than previously.
Three days in Snuggle. I'm out of it so I'm trying Gain. Plus side, shit smells SOOOO GOOOD...
I might soak it more then...goddamnit.

>>6698275
I think talc was what toned it down so much in the tutorial. I love how it looks now though, nice color.

>>6698282
Oh my god. I'm a fucking moron. I didn't even see the powder in OP's pic.

I'm going to sulk off in shame now.

>>6698275
Is that wig shoulder-lenght? If so could you tell me where you bought it? I'm searching for a Minorin wig and I cannot find the right colour (no Taobao please)

I'm planning on cosplaying Komaeda from Super Dangan Ronpa 2, but the wig seems troublesome.
Any ideas how to make that slightly frizzy look without making the wig look cheap?

>>6698500
a shit ton of hairspray, tuft it up manually with your fingers as you spray. Do a bit at a time so it doesn't get "wet" with hairspray and flop all limp.

Hair gel to start the gravity-defying bits might also be good, but I've never tried it.

>>6698500
>>6698516
Please don't use regular 12 year old boy hair gel, but hair wax instead.

>>6698500
Sculpt the overall forms of hair and then tease slightly certain areas as needed. Aslo be sure to decide if you want a white wig, a light silver wig or a platinum blonde wig. IDK much about the character but white wigs are much more common now.

>>6698516
>>6698517
>>6698569
Thanks for the replies ! I'll try to do that, then.

>>6698569

I'd get a white wig and dye the ends just a little with some color, myself. The Dangan Ronpa artstyle seems to be fond of hair that gradually changes color towards the ends- I'm doing the same with my Junko wig.

Does anyone have any tips for controlling flyaway hairs? Is it just like what you would do to your actual hair? Im clueless, the pictured wig is the only one I own.

Also any care tips for curly wigs would be great too.