How to pull off a blonde cosplay

Maybe you suffer from the same problems that I do: not only do you have a large head, plus abundant hair to stuff under a wig, but you also have a small forehead AND a low hairline!

These factors can make wearing light-colored wigs a nightmare.

Kalifa was my first blonde cosplay

Back when I first started cosplaying, it was difficult to find good quality wigs with a a large enough cap to securely fit me, but thankfully U.S. retailers like Arda Wigs and Epic Cosplay wigs now make excellent wigs in a wide array of color and styles and with large sizes for us big headed people in America!

I'm naturally a brunette, my background is Latina with some Mediterranean mixed in too, as such I've been blessed with abundant bodily hair and THICK eyebrows. This is usually a great asset! Until the day I wanted to cosplay a blonde character.

my hair and face in their natural state.

The lighter the shade of blonde hair I am trying to pull off, the more my thick eyebrows will stand out and look unnatural.

Most anime hair styles will have bangs, but when they don't, my second problem pops up: my hair grows kinda low on my forehead, so it starts to show under the wig. This is usually not a huge deal if I'm wearing a dark colored wig, but if it's a light color it can turn into a big issue!

My solution to this problem? To bleach my hairline and my eyebrows!!

the things I do for cosplay...

I use bleach powder and creme developer to lighten the hair around my hairline and my eyebrows as well. You can find these products at your local beauty supply store, or you can have it done by a professional in a salon if you're not confident about doing it yourself.

it's not a pretty process!

What you should know about this bleaching process:

1. Most bleach manufacturers and hair styling professionals advise against applying bleach directly on your scalp and skin, it can cause chemical burns (test the product first).
2. Your skin will be red and itchy after this process, moisturize before and after bleaching!
3. If you have sensitive skin, opt for a milder bleaching product like Jolen Creme Bleach.
4. Be very careful not to let this stuff fall into your eyes!
5. Bleach the day before you're going to wear your blonde cosplay, you hair will start growing back quickly and dark roots will show after a couple days. 

Well, great! Now you're blonde for the weekend, but what are you going to do about your normal everyday life now that you made your face crazy like this!?

• If you style your hair in bangs, it's easy to hide the parts you have bleached.
• Fill in your eyebrows with an eyebrow liner pencil until they grow back.
• You can always dye your hair and eyebrows back into a more natural color if you don't want to wait for them to grow out.

 I've also started using this process to match my hairline to whatever color wig I will happen to be wearing. It also makes it easier to color in my eyebrows to match the wig.

I definitely think bleaching is a MUST for me to successfully pull off a blonde look! It really makes me look like a white person! Don't you think?

photo by Tracy Elliette

If you're feeling crazy enough and want to go that extra mile to look good in your cosplay, give this trick a shot (but please be careful if you have sensitive skin).

Thanks for reading!