Wig Dyeing Methods Guide

*This guide has been updated*
Click here for the New Version

Drying wefts on a clothes line

There are so many ways to dye a wig here’s a breakdown of several methods. Follow the flow chart to a preferred method the read the corresponding write-up. But first...

General Supplies:
Wig head or clothes line for wefts (see photo above), hair clips (for sectioning off wefts),  gloves (latex or rubber), mask with a  filter if you are using alcohol, covered working area (plastic sheeting)


General Notes:

• Result of dyeing varies depending on the type of fibres. I mostly work with Kanekalon fibres.
• You cannot dye a wig a lighter colour.
• I highly suggest with starting with a white wig or wefts. If white is not available then light colours like silver.
  
• If you are dying a coloured wig, stick with colours within that range (lilac ->purple->dark purple).
• Only heat resistant fibres can be used with fabric dyes and tea dyeing.
  
• For sample results see the bottom of the post, detailing my experiences.
  

---

INK *My preferred method*
Supplies: Acrylic ink (FW Ink recommended), 70% alcohol, and a spray bottle
Technique(s): Mix ink and alcohol in spray bottle and spray onto wig. Can use for gradient effects.
Note: The pearlescent shades of FW ink have a fine glitter which can rub off and will make your wig shiny.

Pros: Easy to coat large amounts of fibre, little ink required, good for getting consistent colour, easy to make new colour by mixing inks, good for applying gradient effects, and easy to detangle fibres after dyeing
Cons: Strong smell, not as precise as hand drawn Sharpie, messy, and hard to find product.

Tutorial/links: Arda tutorial &  Cosplay.com thread

---

FABRIC DYES for POLYESTER
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Polyester Dye (iDye Poly recommended), a stainless steel pot with boiling hot water
Technique(s): Boil water, add dye, add wefts/wig, stir while boiling, and remove after a few minutes (see Arda Dye chart linked below)

Pros: Colour is true to the package, can dye large amounts
Cons: Boiling water curls and tangles the wig (Ex: see 1st image) which means you have to detangle and straighten it afterwards (Ex: see last image), cannot use on curly wigs, cannot easily add gradient effects, colour can be patchy if not stirred properly, messy and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links: Arda colour dyeing chart

---

Rit, Dylon, and Tintex are easily found fabric dyes

FABRIC DYE (REGULAR)
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres, a stainless steel pot with hot water
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Dye packet, a big pot with boiling hot water
Technique(s): Boil water, add dye, add wefts/wig, stir while boiling, and remove after satisfied with colour. Rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Pros: great for large amounts of fibres,
Cons: Boiling water curls and tangles the fibres which means you have to detangle and straighten it afterwards, cannot use this method with curly wigs, end result colour is uncertain, cannot easily add gradient effects, colour can be patchy if not stirred properly, messy and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links: Arda colour dyeing chart

---

Hand drawn Sharpie used to colour roots

SHARPIE – PENS
Supplies: Sharpie/Alcohol based Pens, Alcohol (depends on technique)
Technique(s): Various techniques. See tutorials/links

Pros: Precise if done by hand, certainty of colour results,
Cons: Strong smell, sometimes rubs off or runs, very time consuming (by hand), messy, and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links:
By hand - Grab some wefts and go! I prefer doing this on a flat surface. So I lay out some newspaper and some white paper on top so the newspaper ink doesn't stain your wig. No alcohol needed. When complete rinse with cold water until clear.
By Spray bottle - Epic Cosplay
By batch/bucket 
By sponge


TEA BAGS
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres to natural looking light blonde.
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Dark tea bags, hot water
Technique(s): Boil water add many tea bags and let it steep, and drench wig.

Pros: Natural look.
Cons: Very limited colour choice (white > pale blonde), takes a long time to set.

Tutorial/links: Example for a doll wig & Danika's notes 

---

Sample Results

All the colours of the rainbow

I had to dye a lot of fibers for a project and I used many of the methods above. Here are the results of dyeing white wefts.

From the left:

1. Royal blue Tintex - left in boiling water for 5 mins after completing another batch (See #3) It looks nothing like the package - almost purple
   
2. Hand-dyed orange Sharpie - This took a long time and the colour rubs off a bit even after rinsing it 
3. Royal blue Tintex - left in boiling water for about 8 min. Results match the packaging
   
4. Hand dyed light blue Sharpie - also tedious to colour
   
5. FW ink in canary yellow - Mixed with alchohol and sprayed onto wefts. It almost looks neon, very crisp and bright colour
   
6. Idye poly dye in red - left in boiling water for 3mins with half a packet of dye and it matches the packaging
7. Yellow-gold Dylon dye - Left in boiling water for about 9-10min with the full tin to make sure the colour stayed. The result is more yellow (lighter) than the packaging
   
8. Two shades of green Tintex dye in boiling water for 7 mins