Dying Wigs with Ink
I've been dying wigs for about 3 years now and I've finally took the time to write down my general information on how to make a good dye. This technique also works great for dying synthetic furs as well.Ingredients:70% Isopropyl Alcohol (found in any health wellness section of anystore)Acrylic Ink (Personal fan of Dr PH Martin's Bombay Inda Ink. http://www.dickblick.com/products/dr-ph-martins-bombay-india-inks/ Found in Hobby Lobby {After a good hunt around, the current confirmed Hobby Lobby that carries it all the time is located at 80th and Wadsworth} or Amazon)Recipe:Roughly 8 droppers of ink for every 1 cup of alcoholVariations/Lessons learned:Want a lighter color? Less inkDarker/richer color? Add more inkRed and blue easily overtake other colors. (IE: after a pale green? 6 droppers of yellow, 1/2 a dropper of blue (maybe even less), slowly add more blue if needed.)There is no such thing as black ink. It's normally a dark green/red/purple. If you're after black, you're going to have to get Katie Bair's wig dye (even then, I've never tested the black, so I don't know if this is true)Application types (GLOVES!! DON'T FORGET GLOVES!!):Soak - Basic and easy. Fill a sink/bowl with the color (Note: Plastics WILL get dyed. Stick to metal or be willing to sacrafice a container), add wig or fur to the container. Swish around, pull out, let set somewhere to dry .Spray - Fill a spray bottle with the dye (note: that bottle is now stuck for that color {or close variations} for the rest of its life. If you're going to do this, go to Sally's and get a cheap bottle from there) and spray wig/fur with the dye. (Note: This one can end up with spotty affects if it's not saturated enough). For a wig, comb through. For fur, rub through. Let dry.Paintbrush - With any brush (personal fan of foam brushes), apply the dye, section at a time (good for streaks, layers, blending, etc etc). Comb through material, let dry.Drying information:THE LONGER YOU LET THE DYE DRY, THE BETTER IT'LL STICK TO THE MATERIAL. I cannot stress this enough. If you add the dye, then rinse it off, it won't have time to stick. It's good for insanely pale colors, but if you want the color you see (or close to), let the material dry COMPLETELY.Rinsing information:Stick the fur/wig in running water until the water runs clear under. I prefer cold water since it doesn't affect the material (hot water can alter a wig if it's too hot, etc etc) but do what you like.Personal step: Use shampoo and conditioner on the material. The shampoo pulls the last of the dye out and the conditioner seems to help reduce the damage the alcohol does to the material. Also gets rid of the alcohol smell.Again, let try completely. Use/style as preferred.Some Completed Wigs:
