Jasmine Wig Tutorial

Hey everyone!  I made this Jasmine costume for the 2015 FanX convention in Salt Lake City.  Someone on Pinterest asked if I could post a tutorial on how I styled the wig, so here it is!

1. Background Wig Styling Research

So I did a lot of research & checked out some tutorials from other cosplayers on wig styling.  Here are some links that I found helpful before and during styling:

The Cosplayer's Wig Styling Essentials - Arda Wigs

Buying & Styling Wigs by MangoSirene on YouTube

Tutorials - Arda Wigs 

Cosplay.com - Jasmine Wig Discussion Thread

How to Keep Your Wig Secure on Your Head

2. Materials

• Jasmine wig from Arda Wigs
• Short Wefts from Arda Wigs
• Styrofoam mannequin head
• Bobby pins
• Hair Clips
• Combs
• got2b - Glued - Freeze Spray & Styling Spiking Glue
• Aleene's Jewel-It glue (You can also use "Tacky Glue" which is also an "Aleene's" brand)
• Hooked Needle
• Wefting Thread
• Hair nets
• Synthetic Braid (Sally Beauty Supply)
• Black rubber/foam self-seal pipe insulation (Home Depot)
• Batting/Fiber Fill
• Black tights

I braided the front & back of the wig before I started working on each section in order to prevent tangles.

3. Front

I styled the front by basically ratting the hair to give volume.  The wig was already parted in the middle, I used those long sections to add volume in the front.  I placed the headband on the wig as I was styling to get an idea of how to place the hair in relation to the headband.  I think this part is pretty straight forward...and definitely one of the easier parts of styling this wig.

4. Sides

This is where things got a little trickier.  I used the pipe insulation to give volume and shape without adding too much weight.  I chose the rubberized kind because it is more flexible than the full Styrofoam. First I glued the hair from the synthetic braid (from Sally's) onto the insulation.  The synthetic hair braids are really cheap (around $2/package) compared to the wefts.  So I put it on the insulation in case the other hair moved or showed through, you would just see more hair underneath.  I used the Jewel It glue as my adhesive.

Next, I sewed wefts onto the INSIDES of the left & right sides of the wig.  Each weft started just in front of the ear and ended at the back of the wig.  I wish I had more pictures of this--but I forgot to take photos until it was too late!

Once the wefts were sewn on, I rolled sections of them around the hair-covered pipe insulation so that it was pretty snug against the side of the wig.  I poked bobby pins through the pipe insulation so that I could pin it to the wig.  I then used the Jewel-It glue to keep the rolls attached to the wig.

Here's a tutorial I found that gives a better visual on how to do this:

By MauserGirl on Deviant Art

Here are some photos that I took after finishing the sides of the wig:

Notice that a little bit of the foam pipe insulation is visible in the center back of the wig.  This was later trimmed.

5. Ponytail

I created the volume in the ponytail sections by stuffing black pantyhose with polyester fiber fill (a.k.a. plush animal stuffing)  until it was the size I wanted.  I then tied a knot on each end.  I made sure the hair was evenly covering this piece, then added a ponytail holder.  Each knot of my pantyhose was pulled into the ponytail holder to keep it in place.  I wrapped each ponytail section in a hair net.  I would recommend double-wrapping this to keep it together.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of this process either :( But here is a photo of a wig made by Malindachan on Deviant Art with the basic idea:

Click HERE for full blog/instructions

I did have to add a weft on the lower section of the ponytail to make sure everything was fully covered.  However, I just glued it rather than sewing it in (EDIT: I regret this!!). Both ponytail puffs were wrapped in hairnets.

6. Final Touches

Once the styling was complete, I glued the headband to the wig using Jewel-It glue.  I used hot glue to attach my gold sequin trim to the ponytail holders.

You can curl the bottom of the wig if you choose (I used a roller & hair dryer)

EDIT: I ended up re-styling this wig after learning a lot more about wig styling. Maybe when I get the chance, I'll update this post. I was able to make the wig much more durable and easy to restyle (If the need arises)