Apply your tattoo several hours before a performance if possible. The surface will appear more matte and natural over time. Do not powder over your tattoo to artificially reduce the shine!
For optimal placement, cut the tattoo out of the surrounding paper before applying, making sure not to separate the "Boss" lettering and blood drips from the heart & dagger.
Practice placing the tattoo on your arm before removing the clear protective sheet. Once you stick the tattoo down without the plastic sheet, you cannot re-position it. If possible, use freckles or other skin markings to act as "landmarks" for your tattoo placement.
Certain areas of the tattoo are very delicate, like the point of the dagger & tops of the "Boss" lettering. Press these areas of the tattoo onto your arm extra-firmly before wetting the backing sheet.
Soak the backing sheet with water before lifting it from the skin. We recommend holding a wet sponge over the paper backing for at least 30 seconds, working from the bottom up, preferably while holding your arm over a sink to catch drips.
If parts of the "Boss" lettering or blood drips don't transfer completely or your tattoo has cracks that disrupt the artwork's outlines, don't despair! You can fill in these missing areas with dark brown liquid eyeliner.
For easy removal, apply transparent tape to the tattoo and rub the surface of the tape to ensure adhesion, then peel the artwork off in strips. This works best within 24-48 hours after application.
For optimum frizz, we recommend brushing this wig vigorously every time it is worn with a vent brush. This can be done with the wig secured to a wig head, while holding the wig in your hand, or while wearing the wig, though this last method works best if your wig has locking clips sewn into it.
Don't worry if your wig gets too fluffy from being brushed! You can always pat it down into your desired shape afterwards.
For best results, wear a black wig cap under this wig.
If the wig starts losing it's slicked-back appearance, spray liberally with Oil Sheen Wig Conditioner and brush back from front hairline with a vent brush or a paddle brush. Feel free to rub the excess oil upwards through the feathers as well!
To keep this wig's style fresh, we recommend combing it between each use. Our preferred tool for this is a metal comb with thinly spaced teeth on one end and wider teeth on the other. Dog grooming combs are great for this! You will need to attach the wig to a styrofoam head or wig form with pins and secure the head to a stable surface with something like a mannequin head clamp.
Starting at the back of the wig, separate out the hair at the nape of the neck (about 3 horizontal rows of hair) and clip the rest of the hair out of the way. Working in 1-inch sections, gently comb the hair from the bottom upward, using the wider teeth of the comb to detangle any knots or snags. Always hold the hair between the index & middle fingers of your non-comb hand just above the area you are combing to reduce the tension on the fibers. Twirl each combed section around your finger before releasing to enhance the curl. Work your way horizontally across the lowest section of hair until it is all combed, then separate out the next lowest 3 rows of hair, again securing the remaining uncombed hair with clips. Repeat the combing, twirling & horizontal separation process until you reach the hair at the top of the head, and you're done!
When combed between each use, this should take 30-60 minutes. If the wig is maintained less often, the tangles (especially at the nape of the neck) will be more severe and the combing process will take far longer. Wig detangler is recommended to help work out especially difficult knots.
Keep this wig neat with occasional applications of wig hairspray. To prevent hairspray buildup, spray wig with water and comb with the narrow end of a metal comb.
When wearing glasses with this wig, remember to thread the stems above and through the wig's hair just above your ears, rather than underneath the wig itself. Keeping some hair below the stems of the glasses will yield a more natural, realistic look.
Due to the extremely curly texture of this wig, it will start to shrink and appear shorter over time if it is not properly maintained. To prevent this, we recommend gently brushing the wig between each use with a vent brush after spraying lightly with water or wig detangler. The worst tangles will form at the nape of the neck and surrounding the face, so be sure to carefully separate the hair in these areas with your fingers before brushing. Severe knots should be tackled with a metal comb and a lot of patience! Once the hair fibers get stretched out there is no going back, so always be mindful of how much resistance the hair is giving you and adjust the pressure of your brushing/combing accordingly.
For the absolute best results, you can comb out your Magenta wig using a similar method as described for the Janet wig above. Secure your wig to a styrofoam head or wig form with pins, and place the head on a mannequin stand for stability. Starting at the back of the wig, very gently separate out the hair at the nape of the neck (about 3 horizontal rows of hair) and clip the rest of the hair out of the way. You will find that the hair is most tangled towards the ends, so be especially careful to not stretch the hair in these areas when separating out your horizontal sections. Working in 1-inch pieces, comb the hair from the bottom upward, using the wider teeth of the comb to detangle any knots or snags. Always hold the hair between the index & middle fingers of your non-comb hand just above the area you are combing to reduce the tension on the fibers. Work your way horizontally across the lowest section of hair until it is all combed, then separate out the next lowest 3 rows of hair, again securing the remaining uncombed hair with clips. Repeat the combing and horizontal separation process until you reach the hair at the top of the head.
Even if you opt to brush your wig between every use instead of combing, we strongly suggest that you do a full combout every six months to prevent dreadlocks and keep your wig from becoming overly frizzy.
We recommend wearing a black wig cap under this wig.
To best preserve this wig's shape, store either on a secure wig head or in the box and plastic bag it shipped in. If stored in its shipping box, keep the interior of the wig stuffed with tissue or newspaper, and place it in the bag front first, so that the back of the wig is at the bag's open end. When removing the wig from the bag, grab the auburn hair at the back of the wig securely and gently slide the bag away, minimizing contact with the white strips.
On a regular basis, spray the wig lightly with a strong hold hairspray like Aqua Net. If pieces of hair start separating from the wig and disrupting the overall shape, gently pull the tufts apart and comb the errant hairs back into the wig with your fingers before respraying, if necessary.
If you need to re-attach the end of a white strip to your wig, press the end of the strip into the auburn beehive and carefully open the white bobby pin with your fingers before sliding the pin away from the the strip. Secure the wig to a stable head (styrofoam or a friend/castmate's) then position the white strip and press the end of it it into the beehive. Open up the white bobby pin with your other hand and slide upward from underneath the strip, making sure to anchor the pin deep into the auburn base wig. This will form an indentation in the shape of your beehive. To correct this, hold the white bobby pin at both the open and closed ends and wiggle it up and down while gently pulling away from the auburn wig's interior until you reduce the indentation to your liking.
When using bobby pins to secure this wig on your head (if you feel they are necessary at all), be sure to position the front pins above the white fingerwaved strips, not through them!
If you feel that your Space Magenta wig requires a full re-styling, please contact us and we will set up a Skype or video streaming session to go over the process with you in detail.
We recommend occasional use of wig hairspray to keep this wig's style sleek and smooth, especially in the front and on the sides. To prevent hairspray buildup, spray wig with water and comb with the narrow end of a metal comb.
A bobby pin may be required to hold back the shorter hairs on the right side of the front hairline. You can hide this pin by inserting it under the longer hair behind the piece you are securing, rather than on top.
If you have longer hair, we recommend securing it in braided pigtails and wrapping them around your head under your wig cap to avoid distracting bumps that will distort the shape of this wig when worn.
For best results, make sure your ears are not covered by the wig's cap so you can tuck the hair on the wig's sides behind your ears, leaving just a little bit free in front of your ears to cover the sideburn area.
Since this wig is constructed from human hair, feel free to use whatever regular hair styling products you prefer. If you get too much product buildup on your wig over time, try spraying with water and combing with a metal comb, or wash in warm water with baby shampoo. Make sure to rinse the wig thoroughly after washing to remove all traces of both product and shampoo. Allow the wig to dry overnight before re-styling.
Maintain this wig's sleek style with occasional applications of wig hairspray. To prevent hairspray buildup, spray wig with water and comb with the narrow end of a metal comb.