by JuicyPuffin

Created on: March 28, 2009

There are two main ways to dye wigs, and both work equally as well. One method is the "Sharpie Method", and one is the "FW Ink Method". Both methods are named after the brand of product they originally use as ingredients.

The Sharpie method is the older method of dyeing wigs. To use this method you need seventy-percent rubbing alcohol and a few permanent markers, usually Sharpies, near to the colour you wish to dye your wig. Mixing the Sharpie dye will be how you get the perfect dye colour for your wig, and what you see when mixing is the colour your wig is going to turn out.

A general guide for the number of Sharpies to use is:

Light or very subtle colours: 1-2 Sharpies per 8 ounces of alcohol.
Lighter to medium colors: 2-3 Sharpies.
Darker to medium colors: 3-4 Sharpies.
Very dark or deep colors: 4-5 Sharpies.

To get the ink from the Sharpies, all you need to do is bend the marker until it pops open. The amount of dye you need varies from person to person, and there is no exact measure, but always make a lot more dye than you think you will need. After you have the ink sticks from inside the Sharpies, slit them with a knife and put them into the alcohol. Shake the alcohol bottle until you have the shade you want. To lighten the mixture add more alcohol, and to darken it add more ink.

The FW dyeing method uses a spray bottle and regular permanent ink, like calligraphy ink or artists' ink, instead of the process of opening and mixing ink from Sharpies. This method is faster than using the Sharpie method, because you do not have to open and slit the ink cartridges. This method uses "FW Acrylic Water-Resistant Artists Ink".

Two general guides for the amount of ink to use is:

Around 8 squeezes of ink per 1 cup of alcohol.
Around 6 squeezes of ink per 0.5 cups of alcohol.
One bottle of ink can be used for any-length wig, and there could even be enough left to dye a second wig.

Personally, I simply fill my spray bottle with alcohol and add dye until all of the alcohol is the colour I want my wig to be, and not bother with counting squeezes or drops. To use this method, you simply mix the ink in with the alcohol inside a spray bottle, then spray your wig until it is completely covered in the mixture. The colour that you see in the spray bottle will be the colour of your wig after it has dried, in most cases.

After dyeing your wig with either method, it needs to sit and dry on a wig head in a place where the drippings will not ruin anything. The wig head is necessary so that the

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