Introduction: DIY Fake Hair Using Ribbons

About: Hi! I'm an Austrian small Youtuber living in the UK. I love upcycling trash into treasures, especially creating small things like jewelry and gems. Fandom related crafts are a lot of fun for me as well.

Hello crafty people!

I have a fun hack for you that can be useful for Halloween or anytime you want colorful hair (which is.. all the time?)

Step 1: Pulling Ribbons Apart

Did you ever have a ribbon with frayed ends? Normally that would be annoying, but in this case that's exactly what we want!

Cut your ribbon a bit longer than you want the hair to be and fray one end to find that one magical thread that keeps it together. If you can't find it, you could be on the wrong side of the ribbon. At the beginning it might get stuck, but then it should be fast and easy to pull the ribbon apart.

But before you do that, seal the opposite end with glue or with fire. Now you can pull the ribbon apart until you have about an inch / 2-3 centimeters left.

If that method doesn't work, just cut away the rims of the ribbon (but leave a little bit at the top) and pull the ribbon apart that way (this takes a bit longer).

Step 2: Making Hair Clips (Option 1)

If you want to pin the fake hair strands into your hair, take a bobby pin and glue them to one side of it.

You can slide the "hair side" of the bobby pin into your hair so the ribbon base doesn't show. That way the fake hair gradually show through your hair.

Step 3: Making Hair Clips (Option 2)

If you want to show more of the fake hair, you can put an embellishment on top of the bobby pin in order to hide the ribbon base.

(My bat is cut out of faux leather that I took from an old bag)

Step 4: Making Hair Clips (Option 3)

This option is a bit tricky, but it looks like your hair blend into the fake hair.

First, color the top part of the hair in your hair color (see next step)

Use superglue to glue the separated hair (without the ribbon base) onto the inside of the bobby pin.
(If this makes no sense you can see it in the video)

Step 5: Dyeing the Hair

The two best ways to dye the hair for me were watercolors and markers.

Watercolors:

  • use them before pulling the ribbon apart
  • the colors can be mixed and blended well
  • they are not waterproof
  • you won't get super intense colors

Markers:

  • gives you darker or more intense colors
  • use them after you pulled the ribbon apart
  • wipe off excess ink with a napkin
  • using a highlighter will give you hair that glow in UV light!

The effect of the glowing hair shows best in the video!

Step 6: More Ideas

  • glue or sew the hair into a hat
  • tie the hair to ponytails or pigtails using more ribbons
  • imitate natural hair
  • make hair accessories, like a braided headband
  • make a jedi/padawan braid ;)

If you like this costume hack, you can vote for it in the Halloween contest :) Thanks a lot!

Have an awesome day!

Randomona

Halloween Contest 2019

Participated in the
Halloween Contest 2019