you have hair similar to the character you're trying to cosplay?
really random question, but it just was a random thought that passed through my mind. LOL;
like.. uh
do you think wigs look better even if your own natural hair is close enough to the character?
i know this is pretty random. but i just wanted to know peoples thoughts about it.
/cause i have long brown hair and might want to cosplay Popura from working!! and Mayu Miyano from B gata h kei, next year, but im debating if a wig would look better or not;;
and thats how this thought went through my mind 8D;;
basically i was looking up Popura cosplays and i was assuming a lot of the girls had similar hair color/length to hers but still used wigs s:
I might be biased because I'm a wig commissioner, but I personally think that 99% of the time, a (well styled, high quality) wig always looks significantly better than real hair. I could go on and on about why, but I'll leave it at that : )
Cheaper to use your own hair. Sometimes it looks nice when people use their own hair. I'm purposely not cutting my hair so i can do Frees style my hair is DARK DARK DARK DARK and DARK brown and free is black but most people cant tell so just little length and i'm good.
-edit-
-just looked over his hair from a differnt angle- IM GETTEN A HAIRCUT!!!
hmm well that makes sense XD i always try to buy better wigs when i do need them. i wish i could style cheaper wigs to save money too ;__;
and yeah one of the reasons i thought of asking is cause it would be cheaper and i could focus on the cosplays instead of the hair you know, my hair isnt long enough but its pretty long.. by next year it will def be long enough >3
I've never used a wig during past years, but only because I've lingered on the frugal side and tried to cosplay as characters who require little change to my actual appearance. XD The most I've ended up doing with my hair in the past has just been adding temporary extensions or "doing" it in a more complicated style than I would normally.
This year, however, I'm cosplaying as Austria from Axis Powers Hetalia. My hair is much shorter now and, at a glance, could be compared with Austria's hair style. However, my hair is very curly while his is straight; his is short in the back while mine is longer. Also, he's got that single curl sticking out from his head that I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to replicate properly by natural means.
Am I going to cut my hair to fit the length of Austria's and take the time to painstakingly straighten it every morning when I know it's only going to curl back up by the end of the day?
...LOL, heck no. I'mma use a wig. XD For me it comes down to whether I want to spend (in this case, read as "waste") my time managing my hair and hoping it works, or spend my money on a more assured solution. Naturally (at least for me), I'm picking the easier route.
Seriously, though, if I could find characters whose hair I could relatively accurately mimic using my own hair, I'd totally go for it. But my hair is ridiculously stubborn when it comes to styling - it just takes way too long to do anything with it. As close as it may LOOK to Austria's hairstyle, the tweaks one would use to close the gap just wouldn't stick with my natural hair.
Is my choice more expensive? Definitely. But given how accurate I find I want to be with each costume, I don't think I mind too much. ;3
orz i have the same problem :C i have super curly hair D; it actually stayed pretty short all day though 8D; at least the second day.. friday not so much LOL;
I usually go with characters where I can use my natural, dark brown hair. However, there have been some occasions where I decided that I was going to dye it anyway, so I wouldn't have to bother with a wig (my hair grabs onto red dye extremely well - something I'm taking advantage of for Ariel (Little Mermaid) later this year).
This year, I had absolutely NO budget to spend on wigs... so my friends and I are going to spray the heck out of my hair to make it the bright pink I need for one cosplay. It's going to be fun, shampooing all that pink out... /sarcasm
Quote from: Inuashley on May 14, 2011, 11:21:06 PM
I might be biased because I'm a wig commissioner, but I personally think that 99% of the time, a (well styled, high quality) wig always looks significantly better than real hair. I could go on and on about why, but I'll leave it at that : )
This. Face it, wigs just look much better than real hair. Wigs don't naturally get greasy like your real hair does. Unless you're: A) Frugal, B) don't really care that much, wigs are pretty much the way to go.
Unless your hair is the same color and can easily be done in the same style, I would suggest a wig everytime. It just makes getting ready so much easier, not to mention, it's always easier to style something in front of you than on your own head. Also, your hair will change - you'll decide to grow it out, you'll want to cut it short, you'll decide you want a change and alter the color and then your perfect hair for that costume no longer works unless you change it back, so I still suggest a wig. I know that for me, when I like my hair the way it is (color/cut/style) I don't want to color it for a costume, I would much rather use a wig. Maybe part of it for me is that I just don't see wigs as being that expensive? (unless you go human hair, which was always my experience in wigs prior to cosplay)
I would say that the decision to use a wig or alter your own hair comes down to not just money. It also comes down to styling time and whether or not you want your altered hair after the convention. I'd style your hair in the manner of the character and decide 1) am I happy with the results and 2) and I happy with how difficult/time consuming/etc and 3) is my hair something I am happy with having when I go back to school/work/home/whatever. If the answer to all three is yes, go with your hair. If any of those is a no, go with a wig. Hope that helps!
Chesid: I understand the lack of a budget, but I'm going to suggest that you NOT use the spray color. 1) It looks horrible. but the more important is 2) It WILL rub off and stain your clothing. and 3) you'll still spend a good amount on getting enough to adequately cover your hair. If I were ever in the position again of needing spray color to do a costume, I would either see if I could find a super cheap wig that still looked halfway acceptable, or I would put off wearing that particular costume until I could afford a decent wig. Just an FYI re the spray color.
@D001 - very good points @.@
well both the characters i have in mind just have straight brown hair, so theres nothing really ... advance about there hair style
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(https://forums.fanime.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l1scoerHQQ1qz83i8o1_500.jpg&hash=d937cd75907180294a78bba6b78fb46611e76201)
other than Popura has a ponytail, which ive put my hair up like hers before to see if i could even get it that high (which i can D: it didnt take too long it took like 3 mintues XD;;)
@Divine - my hair doesnt get greasy 8DD
though it does frizz BUT my wigs frizz just as much, if not more than my real hair XD;;
I am not a cosplayer by any means so take what I say here with a grain of salt, but generally I find cosplays without wigs a little "off" looking. Sort of like cosplays that just use normal street clothing.
IMO, for a cosplay to look good it's got to look sort of... fake. I know that sounds strange, but there's a slightly "otherworldly" quality of a good cosplay - even if you don't recognize the character, they still look like they just stepped out of an anime or video game. There's really no way to accomplish this look with natural hair unless you use gobs and gobs of product to almost lacquer it into place.
This is not to say I've *never* seen a good cosplay pulled off with natural hair, but generally I find they look more finished with a wig.
@Moon - yeah i think i get what you're saying. actually i think what you said has made the most sense without sounding to biased? :o?
Thanks, I'm glad I made some sense! I was worried people would think I was nuts.
I think in the case of the two you've shown, so long as you maybe sort of gel/spray your bangs to get that wispy separated look, it would work.
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 07:01:52 PM
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
yea a thing i noticed is most wigs all use the same picture from online. As an example the nekozawa from hostclub wig i bought was black not the dark green in the image.
So the colors on the picture don't tend to always perfectly match the product. Sites like to reuse the same image and i think they really should get in trouble for that.
Quote from: zeroelement on May 15, 2011, 08:15:12 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 07:01:52 PM
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
yea a thing i noticed is most wigs all use the same picture from online. As an example the nekozawa from hostclub wig i bought was black not the dark green in the image.
So the colors on the picture don't tend to always perfectly match the product. Sites like to reuse the same image and i think they really should get in trouble for that.
well i know color can sometimes be different from your computer screen settings but i mean just like ... poor quality wigs you know?
like uh the best example that comes to mind is A LOT of C.C. wigs. a lot of C.C wigs i see are like awful... D;;; (no offense to C.C. or people who cosplay her XD her hair color is difficult and just what comes to mind)
like they just end up getting like NEON wigs.. D;;; i dont know if its on accident (like the buyer wasnt aware the wig would be that neon XD;; )
but you know what i mean? D:?
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 10:49:29 PM
Quote from: zeroelement on May 15, 2011, 08:15:12 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 07:01:52 PM
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
yea a thing i noticed is most wigs all use the same picture from online. As an example the nekozawa from hostclub wig i bought was black not the dark green in the image.
So the colors on the picture don't tend to always perfectly match the product. Sites like to reuse the same image and i think they really should get in trouble for that.
well i know color can sometimes be different from your computer screen settings but i mean just like ... poor quality wigs you know?
like uh the best example that comes to mind is A LOT of C.C. wigs. a lot of C.C wigs i see are like awful... D;;; (no offense to C.C. or people who cosplay her XD her hair color is difficult and just what comes to mind)
like they just end up getting like NEON wigs.. D;;; i dont know if its on accident (like the buyer wasnt aware the wig would be that neon XD;; )
but you know what i mean? D:?
Dude, I know exactly what you mean. OTL I'm cosplaying as C.C. and I ordered a wig for her and it's like a neon sign...but my hair isn't anywhere near as long as hers, and I'd rather not dye it green. XD So, I'm sticking with the wig I have.
I think it mostly depends on how bad the wig is, or if you think you could pull it off. Of course, something you think you could pull off isn't necessarily something others think you could pull off. XD
Quote from: Hara on May 15, 2011, 11:57:04 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 10:49:29 PM
Quote from: zeroelement on May 15, 2011, 08:15:12 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 07:01:52 PM
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
yea a thing i noticed is most wigs all use the same picture from online. As an example the nekozawa from hostclub wig i bought was black not the dark green in the image.
So the colors on the picture don't tend to always perfectly match the product. Sites like to reuse the same image and i think they really should get in trouble for that.
well i know color can sometimes be different from your computer screen settings but i mean just like ... poor quality wigs you know?
like uh the best example that comes to mind is A LOT of C.C. wigs. a lot of C.C wigs i see are like awful... D;;; (no offense to C.C. or people who cosplay her XD her hair color is difficult and just what comes to mind)
like they just end up getting like NEON wigs.. D;;; i dont know if its on accident (like the buyer wasnt aware the wig would be that neon XD;; )
but you know what i mean? D:?
Dude, I know exactly what you mean. OTL I'm cosplaying as C.C. and I ordered a wig for her and it's like a neon sign...but my hair isn't anywhere near as long as hers, and I'd rather not dye it green. XD So, I'm sticking with the wig I have.
I think it mostly depends on how bad the wig is, or if you think you could pull it off. Of course, something you think you could pull off isn't necessarily something others think you could pull off. XD
aw D: im sorry your wig is a neon sign XDD! i wonder if theres like.. tips to make it less bright?.. hmm i should look into that 8DD; and im assuming ill see you at the Code Geass gathering (y) and since its gonna be less light /since its later in the day/ maybe it wont be so neon in the pictures :O
and ive seen tons of bad Euphie wigs too.. and Shirley.. D: GOSH DARN YOU CODE GEASS AND YOUR BAD HAIR COLOR CHOICES D<
actually another reason why i ask this is cause it's like my dream to cosplay Shirley but im terrified of her hair color. orz;
Quote from: Melly on May 16, 2011, 12:15:47 AM
Quote from: Hara on May 15, 2011, 11:57:04 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 10:49:29 PM
Quote from: zeroelement on May 15, 2011, 08:15:12 PM
Quote from: Melly on May 15, 2011, 07:01:52 PM
oh and i just had another thought..
what about BAD wigs.
cause if you ask me a bad wig can ruin a whole cosplay .A.
i usually only come across bad wigs with.. more unusual colors XD;;
(pink, green, yellow, orange/red etc) >>;
like uh... what would you do if you bought a wig and it ended up not working/just looked really bad... would you wanna use your real hair then or just go with the bad wig ;c?
yea a thing i noticed is most wigs all use the same picture from online. As an example the nekozawa from hostclub wig i bought was black not the dark green in the image.
So the colors on the picture don't tend to always perfectly match the product. Sites like to reuse the same image and i think they really should get in trouble for that.
well i know color can sometimes be different from your computer screen settings but i mean just like ... poor quality wigs you know?
like uh the best example that comes to mind is A LOT of C.C. wigs. a lot of C.C wigs i see are like awful... D;;; (no offense to C.C. or people who cosplay her XD her hair color is difficult and just what comes to mind)
like they just end up getting like NEON wigs.. D;;; i dont know if its on accident (like the buyer wasnt aware the wig would be that neon XD;; )
but you know what i mean? D:?
Dude, I know exactly what you mean. OTL I'm cosplaying as C.C. and I ordered a wig for her and it's like a neon sign...but my hair isn't anywhere near as long as hers, and I'd rather not dye it green. XD So, I'm sticking with the wig I have.
I think it mostly depends on how bad the wig is, or if you think you could pull it off. Of course, something you think you could pull off isn't necessarily something others think you could pull off. XD
aw D: im sorry your wig is a neon sign XDD! i wonder if theres like.. tips to make it less bright?.. hmm i should look into that 8DD; and im assuming ill see you at the Code Geass gathering (y) and since its gonna be less light /since its later in the day/ maybe it wont be so neon in the pictures :O
and ive seen tons of bad Euphie wigs too.. and Shirley.. D: GOSH DARN YOU CODE GEASS AND YOUR BAD HAIR COLOR CHOICES D<
actually another reason why i ask this is cause it's like my dream to cosplay Shirley but im terrified of her hair color. orz;
XD Thanks, I'm sorry too. And if you find anything, please let me know~! And yep! I kinda talked to you in the Code Geass gathering forum. I hope the setting sun will dull out the neonness of it.
XDD I've seen some pretty bad Euphie wigs too. But, Shirley doesn't seem so bad. I guess it depends on where you get the wig from. I think Shirley's one of the only characters with easy to match hair. It's just an orange wig. A lot like Orihime's from Bleach. >_> Buuuut, there are some wig shops that have horrible quality wigs and end up making her hair look just..bad.
Just as a heads up, you can dye it a darker green (as long as the wig is made out of kanekalon fiber, preferably) with FW ink or sharpie ink, just search for the tutorials on the cosplay.com forums! The sun will not fade the color. xD
Yes. I have sharpie-d a wig using the spray method to make it a darker pink. It's a bit time consuming, but it's most definitely possible to change it.
As for the neon wig thing, that is exactly the reason why I prefer my own hair in those circumstances. I have natural red hair, and even though neon orange wigs might be closer to the actual color of the character's hair, they absolutely never compliment the cosplayer. In the case of redhead characters, more natural coloring is just better, (at least in my opinion). If you are cosplaying Shirley or Orihime and need a wig, go with a wig that looks more like natural red hair...neon is just...cheap looking, I don't know.
I definitely have a bad wig story, though. I was doing a Maka cosplay (from Soul Eater) a few years ago, and ordered the perfect wig online that was already styled into pigtails so I didn't have to worry about the wig supporting a hair parting. Anyway, the wig never came in, so the day we were going to leave for fanime, I had to pay $90 for a horrible looking wig from the only local store that carried wigs. It wouldn't style well, even though it was some expensive high-grade wig. I didn't want to wear it, but my friend insisted that I do or he wouldn't leave the hotel room (my friends were cosplaying other characters from the series). I looked horrible. If I could do it over again, I'd most definitely choose my own hair over that wig, even having the wrong hair color. Natural hair wins over a bad wig every time in my book.
whoa. oddly enough, my friend cosplays soemone from Soul Eater too and bought a wig at uh.. Sac anime i believe, and it was like awful and neon and orange XD;; instead of red
OH THE IRONY.
and i could see sharpies working too but that does seem like it would take forever .A.
and well i didnt find anything to de-neon it, but online it says to use baby-powder to de-shine it, which i think would help a little bit :3?
http://www.ehow.com/how_5780254_make-wig-appear-less-shiny.html
Quote from: Melly on May 16, 2011, 09:43:39 AM
whoa. oddly enough, my friend cosplays soemone from Soul Eater too and bought a wig at uh.. Sac anime i believe, and it was like awful and neon and orange XD;; instead of red
OH THE IRONY.
and i could see sharpies working too but that does seem like it would take forever .A.
and well i didnt find anything to de-neon it, but online it says to use baby-powder to de-shine it, which i think would help a little bit :3?
http://www.ehow.com/how_5780254_make-wig-appear-less-shiny.html
Spray method is quicker than straight-up coloring it with a sharpie, though some people actually choose to do the latter (for more color saturation or whatnot). There's the dunking method that's faster, but I figure that can get pretty messy unless you have some big container you don't mind getting color on it. Anyway, it really is an effective way to color a wig, but expect to be devoting a few hours to it, and do it in a well-ventilated area.
This whole thread at cosplay.com (http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=82947) talks about various dying methods and color combinations to use (you can mix ink from different sharpies to get the color right).
And some people ask why not just use regular hair dye if it's for normal colors...well, hair dye is designed for real hair, not synthetic plastic made to look like hair. Plastic can't soak up color. This is why people use sharpie ink, which works well on most synthetic hair.
For me..
If the hair color/style is drastically different than my own, I'll wig it, no questions.
If the hair color and style is very close to my own, I'll use my own hair if it makes sense. My best example was Redd from Looking Glass Wars..all I had to do was grow it longer. The flaw, however, is that to make my hair do what I wanted to do I had to put it in fairly small braids the night before while damp and let it dry, then pull out all the braids and shake it around. This sounds easy...until you realize how much time it takes to get to that point. So Redd, going forward, will likely transition to a wig.
The only costume I have nowadays that I really doubt I would ever need (or want) a wig for is Mina from LXG, especially her in the full black coat and bun. At worst, I might go less red in the color department, but short of me cutting my hair REALLY short, my hair works for this with minimal effort.
Truthfully, it's about what you need and what you have. If you have what the character needs, and it isn't a huge chore, use your own hair! If you need a more drastic change or want to keep your non-costume hair extremely versatile, go for wigs.