Weave Your Own Wig

Sometimes store bought wigs can be.... disappointing. The colors are limited, the hair falls out, they can't be styled with heat, and you can usually only part them in one place. There are tutorials online that can help transform a store bought wig, but they can only go so far. However, this tutorial will guide you through making your own completely customizable wig without all of the expensive equipment and materials.

Step 1: What You Need:

-Acrylic Yarn. It's important that the yarn you use is 100% acrylic. Which is good because that's the least expensive kind and it comes in every color. I used a $4 ball of CraftSmart yarn from Michael's.

-Weaving Cap. A fishnet wig cap would work too. Here's the one I used. It's durable and adjustable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QU9P3I4/ref=p...

-Thread. It's best if it matches your yarn.

-Thin craft wire.

-A brush. Wire pet brushes work best but an ordinary one works.

-Hairspray.

-Scissors.

-Flat Iron.

-Foam head or similar round object to hold your wig.

Step 2: Make Your Wefts.

In order to make wigs, professional wig makers use something called wefts, which are attached sections of synthetic hair that are sewn onto the cap to give the appearance of them growing out of the wearers head.

To make your wefts you first need to cut your yarn into many pieces that are the same length. In order to do this quickly it helps to wrap your yarn around a glass and cut through the bundle.

Then you should tie each piece in the middle around another piece as shown in the photos above. Keep adding pieces of yarn until you have a long enough weft. When you have a few of these, you can start brushing them out by holding one end of the weft and gently brushing the other until the fibers separate. (another great by-product of this project is all the fluff that's left over when you brush out the weft. it makes great stuffing for your projects and is similar to Poly-Fil.)

Step 3: Ironing and Pinning

After you have a sizable pile of fuzzy wefts, you should start to straighten them.

Put your iron on the lowest setting and straighten them the way you would your own hair. If the weft gets tangled you can just give it a quick brush and hit it again with the flat iron.

After straightening the wefts, pin them where you want them on the weaving cap. It's best to place them radiating out from the center, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Once you're happy with what it looks like you can sew them down with any stitch you want to, as long as the needle goes through the knots where you originally tied the yarn.

Step 4: Adding Your Part

The best.... part ;) about this wig is that you can part it in a way that actually looks natural. Since I was making this wig for my Party Poison costume, I used a picture of him as a reference. He has a kind of messy side part so I parted it on the side and filled it in randomly with tiny wefts. If yo want a wig that can be parted in any direction, simply make a few extra wefts to completely fill the top of the wig.

The most important thing to do is make sure that your part wefts are small. That way the gaps between the wefts can be minimized so they aren't seen.

The second picture is what it looks like when you're done. :)

Step 5: Cut and Style Your Wig

Once it's all put together you can cut your wig to make it look how you need it to. This was much easier than I expected it to be because the fine synthetic fibers are very cooperative,and if you mess up too badly you can always just replace the weft with a new one.

Once it's cut, you can use hairspray, curlers, or flat irons to style it. All I did to make mine look more spiky was put some hairspray on my fingers and pinch the ends of a few strands to give them a little definition. I sealed the whole thing with more hairspray and it was ready to go! This is one of my favorite wigs to wear because it's easy to style and really quite comfortable. Since it was made to fit my head I can wear it despite the fact that I have a lot of really long hair tucked into my wig cap.

Enjoy! Please make sure to like this Instructable and leave a comment if you make one!

Comments

[forhunterxhunterfans]

I made a wig with this method
But i dont feel confident wearing it .. is that normal ? 😂 i cant really buy one rn

And Thank you so much

[SophieBdoesart]

Wow, how cool that you made one! I totally get not feeling confident at first -it's a bold look! But the more you wear it the cooler it feels. You made something great! I'd be lying if I guaranteed that no one might be mean, but they’re not people you would go to for advice, so why listen to their criticism?

Thanks for making with me!

[quinn quinn]

would i be able to do this for longer wefts and just not iron it? i had an idea in mind for long and messy kinda. and how would you make it more volumus?

[SophieBdoesart]

Sorry I missed this! The wigs are super durable and last longer than most traditional wigs. I still have mine, in fact. Unfortunately I can't take a picture of the back because it's in storage at the moment, but Party Poison has slightly shorter hair in the back and longer layers in the front. Here's a picture from the comic book, and a picture irl so you can see what I'm talking about:

[SophieBdoesart]

Unfortunately you're limited by the length of the fibers in the yarn, which is only a few inches.

[Sammieewayy]

Amazing job!
I'm starting to get into wig making with yarn and party poison is my first project so this will definitely help!
Just wondering if you have pictures of the back?
Also how long does it last in decent condition?

[Cimi_nimi]

how do you make the top so it doesn't show te parts that you tied?

[SophieBdoesart]

You sew two wefts very close together where you want the part and alternate tiny sections of hair so it's covered. Or you don't have a part at all and you just sew them close together. 😁 Hairspray can help.

[mcdonann1]

My parent's don't allow me to cosplay, so I don't have anything like a wig head... Is there anyway for me to make a Cat-Noir Wig, but just without the foam head?

[SophieBdoesart]

Ooh, This method is purrr-fect for Cat Noir-s messy hair! Picking up a foam head at the craft store when you get your yarn will definitely work best because most craft stores stock them, but if not you could try to find something round to use just make sure it's close to the size of your head. Good luck! 😁 (also, if you're looking to make his stick a little piece of PVC pipe would be perfect, and very cheap. 😉

[mcdonann1]

Thank you! You really saved me a lot, I would've never thought of something so claw-ver! You really are a lifesaver! 🙃

[SophieBdoesart]

Glad I could help! 😁

[SamDaKat]

I have a question about the thin craft wire. What exactly are we suppose to do with it? I’ve been rereading this for awhile but I can’t find where it’s needed.

[SophieBdoesart]

Great catch! That's part of an early method I was testing and I forgot to delete it. I had used it to form a needle and pull fibers through pores in the wig cap but it didn’t secure them the way I was envisioning.

[hihifishyfishy]

hai i use this all the time, its cheap and fairly easy. Now, i dont have to waste my own money on wigs

[SophieBdoesart]

I'm so glad you found this useful!

[Blue_tea_cosplays]

I have a question if you do use Kanekalon where would you buy it ?becuase i am wanting to make a wig that goes to mid back length :)

[SophieBdoesart]

Your best bet is to get it online, but make sure you get the silky smooth kind. Kanekalon is heat resistant though so you can use heat tools if they're on a low setting. If you want to sew your wefts you'll need tulle and a sewing machine. If you want to make no sew ones you can use weft glue or eyelash glue in a pinch.

[obnoxiouslyannoying]

hi! your wig looks wonderful! do you know if the wefts can be made longer? i'd like to make a wig using this method but i'm aiming for a longer style.

[SophieBdoesart]

Unfortunately I don't have any way to make this longer. The maximum length is based on the average length of the fibers in acrylic yarn. However, there is a material called Kanekalon that is also heat resistant and inexpensive. It's usually used in braiding shops but you can find it online and straighten it similarly to the acrylic fibers. If you DM me I would be happy to give you some pointers on what you need and how to use it. If you have time to wait I will be uploading an Instructable. 😁