1. Den of Angels is closing in August 2026. New account registrations are closed. Please see this thread in Den of Angels news for important information: /threads/the-future-of-den-of-angels.893314/
    Dismiss Notice

Wig Staining: Prevention, Cleanup and Feedback on Various Mfrs.

Jan 3, 2005

    1. I am SO upset!
      I got this really *fabulous* black wig for Micah from Ajumapama last week (see pic) but when I took it off a few minutes ago I discovered he had black all around the circumference of his head and the top of his ears :o :o :o

      I totally paniced for a few seconds before I decided to see if I could get it off with acetone.It worked, but I may just as well have flushed $35 down the toilet (needless to say,he won't be wearing that wig anymore) Anyone know of a way to prevent the staining?

      Debra

      [​IMG]
       
    2. I don't know how to prevent it, other than washing it until the water runs clear, but I do know that the LJ user tasha_neko had a poshdolls wig that stained her Hyde really bad. Might want to take a look at that, she's kinda busy so I don't know how fast an email will get through, but worth a look:
       
    3. I'm glad you could use acetone to get that staining off, how horrible! :o

      My girls wear mostly light colored wigs, but I did have that problem with a black wig on a Cissy doll awhile back. For dark clothes though I always use a vinegar rinse to prevent staining though:
      Soak garment in 1/2 part white vinegar and 1/2 part water for a few hours, them rinse several times in cold water. This is supposed to help "lock in" the dye and remove excess. So far, Gwena hasn't been stained by any of the dark blue and black Azone clothing (which is notorious for staining) that I did this too.

      Don't know if its the same for wigs, but I don't see why it wouldn't be.
       
    4. Thanks for the responses.:daisy

      I think I was lucky and caught it before it was able to really seep into the resin...I've heard of white vinegar rinses and will definitely give it a try ( though I seriously doubt I'll be using that wig again any time soon,too paranoid!)

      Debra
       
    5. That has just happened to me with a Jseries wig. I'm in the habit of washing my wigs through, but this one, I hadn't. I would recommend washing it through, at least to stop any further staining. Another option might be to coat the band in something like PVA glue, to form some kind of barrier?
       
    6. I also had a poshdolls wig that stained my BW Lishe. It's mint green though, so the staining is a little yellow-ish. I thought possibly it was just beacause she was so pale, but I'm going to start washing my wigs from now on, since I just ordered some darker ones. :oops:
       
    7. Wash a wig - okay here is a new question, then, if it's a very styled wig, and I like the style, won't I be washing the style out? What do I do?

      I did wash two wigs I had gotten b/c they were tangly; used scent-free fabric softener and a VERY very wide comb, just like I do when I do tyler's hair, they came out GREAT. I would do it again if I had to.

      But, I have some wigs with cute little flippy styles, will that wash out? eep!
       
    8. I think the wigs I sent you are ok Lisa Ling-Ling wore those constantly and never stained.
      The flippy styles should be ok providing you use COLD water,not hot.

      Debra
       
    9. Lisa Ling linggggg i loved lisa ling ling!!! :grin: okay good to know, so far none of sabrina's wigs have stained her. scary!
       
    10. What is the best/safest way to remove stains? One of the wigs I just bought stained cee's forehead.....

      ooop double post
       
    11. Can you take a pic or two of the stain? It might be easier to advise if we know what the extent of the staining is. ^^

      I'd try moistening a cotton swab and putting just a tiny bit of soap on the tip. Scrub gently with that for a bit... if that doesn't take it off, you'll have to take a slightly more aggressive approach.

      How is her faceup done, may I ask? Is it coated with any sort of spray (i.e. Mr. Super Clear, Testor's Dullcote, etc.), or is it just paint?


      ~Kalmia
       
    12. You might try either a volks cleaning sponge or a Mr Clean sponge(sold in grocery stores). If that doesn't work, try acetone and then wash with water. If THAT doesn't work then you'll probably have to sand- but in my experience it's rare that you get a stain that's bad enough that you have to sand. :3
       
    13. It's a light black stain that was left by her wig. She was coated before hand, so I think that'll make it easier to remove. I used a matte sealant I picked up from walmart, that worked suprisingly well!

      I'll try what was suggested and if it doesn't work, I'll post a pic and see if you can advise me further. I don't know about using the asetone though, I read inone of the other posts that it wasn't good it use.
       
    14. I want to get a black wig for Tinuviel, but I've heard that people have had problems with dark wigs, especially black ones, staining. So I was wondering for those of you who have black wigs if you have had this problem and if not what brand of wigs you have. Or if people have a good method to prevent staining that would be fabulous too.
       
    15. Before using a black or dark colored wig I generally wash it with some mild soap for black silk/ lace/ synthetic fibers lingerie: it works! ^_^
       
    16. My black Leeke wig has really stained my girl's head. I tried using the Mr. Clean Magic eraser, but even that could not get the staining out. I love my Leeke wig, it's beautiful, but I guess I should have washed it first or something.

      It sucks that it stained, but the head is a part that is always covered on my girls.
       
    17. I've never had a problem with DODs wigs staining, and I have two black wigs from them :)

      I didn't notice any staining from the blue Cancan wig I had gotten to create Umi, or any staining on the wigs that Sable got for her crew (which I see almost daily) either.

      I hope that's helpful!
       
    18. Conversely, I haven't had any problems with my black Leeke wig staining my boy's heads...I'm interested to hear if there's any other staining Leeke wigs, but mine survived a weekend in the humidity without problems...
       
    19. Well I know the old Poshdoll wigs used to stain, but the new ones don't.
       
    20. Does anyone have experience with Wigs from Luts staining? They have a pretty black one that I might get when I finally end up ording my elf Ani. And how about the cheaper monique or global wigs that they have at audrey's dolls?
       
    21. Just thought I'd add my 2c ...

      All of the dark wigs I have are from Poshdolls, and none of them have ever stained any of my dolls.
       
    22. Same here. I have a black Leeke wig and Kiryuu has worn it several times...it's never stained him.
       
    23. my girls have worn black wigs for long periods of time and haven't had any staining problems.
       
    24. My Soo's default wig is a black Luts wig, the DW-15 to be exact, and there has been no staining. I didnt realize this was a problem with some wigs...so now I am a little scared to get her another wig.
       
    25. Does anybody know if Volks black wigs might stain?
      I heard that Shirou Tachibana's default wig stained...
       
    26. I've had my Shirou's wig on him for quite a while but it has not stained his head :grin:
       
    27. I've never had a Monique or Global wig stain my doll, and I do have a couple of dark ones.

      Nor has any other dark wig of mine ever stained a doll in my experience (Volks, Leeke, Poshdolls, fur)
       
    28. I have a black wig from Doll Heart that has never stained my doll's head.

      :wink:
       
    29. The dark wig from volks (with dark brown on the top which fades to a lighter brown) stained by Dollfie Dream's soft vinyl back.. but none of her hard vinyl parts. It's not that noticible, and I can blush it away, but.. ugh.. I was so dissapointed. :(
       
    30. Dargh.

      Despite soaking a Leekeworld wig overnight in soapy water and letting it dry completely, it still is trying to stain my doll's head. Very frustrating, as he hadn't even worn it 24 hours. So two questions...

      1. The wig left two very light violety-colored marks on his upper forehead. How can I get these off without having to sand and remove the blushing around his hairline? The cleaning sponge doesn't seem to do anything, and I'm afraid to scrub harder and take off the Mr. Super Clear/blushing. Any suggestions? If I don't get this off now, will the stain go deeper? Or could I leave it?

      2. Would doing a vinegar rinse be better than doing a rinse with a dye-set medium? (Like from RIT?) I would have done a vinegar rinse before, but I'm a little iffy on what the kanji for vinegar is (and I don't want to get the wrong thing).

      Any answers would be helpful. :)
       
    31. Have you tried regular dish soap and water?

      Or a white eraser, like Magic Rub (Magic Rub is a white eraser that you can find in art stores, it is meant to erase pencil off of paper without chewing up the paper, so it is less abrasive than regular pencil erasers)? Don't use colored erasers, they may leave a color of their own, but if you can't find Magic Rub, maybe one of the clear erasers would work, they seem like they would have a similar consistency.

      I don't know if the stain would go deeper, I would think that the Mr Superclear would prevent that from happening.

      Good luck!
       
    32. What's staining the doll is not the hair but the wig cap. I've had this happen before. >_< Black wig caps tend to stain. If the soapy water wasn't /hot/ then it probably won't do any good. As for vinegar or color setters, I don't know. :/

      The mark you'll probably have to remove with make-up remover like acetone or something similar. If you can't see it when your doll's wig is on or there's blushing there then I'd just leave it. The stain shouldn't set more if you do...
       
    33. Yesterday I removed a light brown Volks wig that my MSD doll was wearing to find out it had HORRIBLY stained its head! :x :cry: :cry:
      The strangest thing was that the head was stained in black, dark reddish brown and grey. WTF???? :evil:
      That's very strange, because the wig cap was light brown, a color I never could imagine capable of staining.
      I have a Volks wig with an almost identical cap on another doll and it NEVER stained, and I never removed it from his head for about two years so far!
      So, what's wrong with Volks' new wigs? I thought they were a great brand, but then... :|
      Would I have to pre-wash every new wig I buy, from now on?
      Have you noticed anything similar happening to your dolls?
      BTW, I have tried to remove the stains with magic eraser, but it would only wipe away the make up: the stains are still there! Grrr!!!! :x
       
    34. Same happened to me. I bought a Volks MSD black wig like Sakura's. I had it on my little girl for a couple of weeks and there was a black ring around her head when I went to change it! I was so upset but I was able to completely remove it with Volks cleaning sponge. Whew! Now I don't know what to do with the black wig. I'm going to try soaking it in Volks wig washing solultion to see if the excess dye will bleed out. What a disappoint - now I'm afraid to buy black wigs.
       
    35. I'm so sorry for what happened to your doll, but I'm glad you've been able to completely remove the stains.
      I have washed all of the black wigs I have by using a washing solution especially made for delicate dark clothes, but how could I imagine that light brown wigs might stain as well??
       
    36. Ya and there's nothing cheap about Volks wigs either! I like Cancan and Cotin doll wigs - I haven't had any problems with them and they fit nicely.
       
    37. after you wash it you should soak it in vinegar. (don't worry, the vinegar smell will go away once it dries.)

      i've never done this (currently my doll only has one wig) with a wig but i do it with all of my dolls clothes
       
    38. i had the same problem with 2 wigs, not Volks though.
      one was by Ajumapama (black wig) and the other one was by CanCan. :(
      the problem is that i don't know how to remove the stains. :(
       
    39. Redgoose - I agree: Volks' wigs are truly expensive, so they ought to be a good quality! :x

      Desdisques - I haven't tried vinegar yet: after soaking the wig in a vinegar solution, should I rinse it in clear water?

      Deliolith - I have tried Mr.Clean's Magic Eraser ("Mastro Lindo - La Gomma Magica", you know, that's identical to Volk's cleaning sponge), but it didn't work :(
      I have wiped off part of the MSD forehead's make up, instead :(
       
    40. Unfortunately, Volks can't control everything. Their wigs ARE good quality though, so you shouldn't be too concerned about it happening in the future, but always weary of course. I agree with the vinegar soak, and get a MSC sponge.

      Good luck. I'm sorry this happened! There are actually a few wig companies that do this. Black Leekeworld wigs do that pretty often too.
       
    41. I've used the "Mastro Lindo" eraser too but it didn't work on those stains either. :( I tried not to get close to the face-up and luckily the most of stains are on the highest part of the forehead.

      When I first saw the stains I felt :barf
       
    42. Yep I am also a victim of this wig crime lol.

      My Black Leekeworld wig left a fairly dark black ring around my stunning heavy bomb soft goth Anais. I nearly had a heart attack when I removed her wig! I cleaned the stain off with non acetone remover and it took of the stain but also the protective spray and on the edge where the removal was is a fine white chalky mark where it reacted with the mr clear matte.

      Its annoying ! I made a paper cap for her to wear under the wig. But I can see the edges of it so its not ideal. Someone mentioned using a peds soft black sock and stitching it to the rim of the cap. That might be good.

      Its the wig cap that stains. I never dreamed of it but when I posted my own disappointment in the large doll area there was quite a few people that had it happen!

      There should be a warning note I think at the top of one of the areas. Wigs Do Stain or something with options such as washing and covering the head. So that people have the option to protect the head or try to wash the wig or something.
       
    43. Mortimer, Deliolith and TreeLore - thanks again for your very kind replies and info.
      I will follow your suggestions and so I hope I won't have a similar problem with wigs anymore.
      BTW, I guess it's impossible to wash a long curly wig without making a mess of it, am I right? Sigh! :(
       
    44. Mine is a long curly wig and I dare not wash it!
       
    45. Isao Nanjou's default wig left a slight black stain on my doll's forehead. I used to keep my Aya in it all the time but now I only use it for photos. Sigh! I never would've expected such a high-quality wig to stain! -_-
       
    46. Very strange. I have an MSD Sakura default and her very dark wig has never stained! On the other hand, I have a friend with a dollfie plus with a black wig and her head is all stained up. I guess it depends on the wig batches but with the price those things cost you'd think they'd be doll safe..... :barf
       
    47. In my opinion, the older wigs don't stain, the problem is in the new ones: they're very probably made of less good materials.

      That's terrible!! And Isao's wig is a lighter color than my brown wig! :o
       
    48. Wow! Is it a V.2 Isao wig??
      Kasai wears his default Isao wig all the time, and we have had no stainage from it yet. *crosses fingers*
       
    49. We got them, I kid you not, almost exactly 6 months apart. It's horrible that the quality degraded that fast!
       
    50. Yes, that really sucks! :barf
       
    51. Okay, I've read that Leekeworld wigs have a tendency of staining a dolls head (the black ones do, at least, and of course that would be the color I want. :sweat). Also some other brands tend to stain. Therefore I have a few questions:

      What are some methods to keep a wig from staining in the first place? Are there special washing methods that would keep it from staining?

      Also, has anyone had trouble with black Luts wigs staining their doll? Or any Luts wigs?

      Thanks in advance!
       
    52. Wash them ~ like you might clothing.
      I have a very dark red leeke wig and it never stained at all - but that isn't to say a black one might not.

      I've heard that white(clear) vinigar is good to clean the excess dye out of wigs - I just used warm water and some regular gentle hand soap to wash it before I put it on my boy.
       
    53. Yuth. Just a heads-up to people who wash their wigs- make sure that the wigcap, if dark, is COMPLETELY dry before sticking it on your doll. :[ Because this happens:

      I now will have to take a Mr. Clean sponge to Nagi's head and pray he forgives me for messing up his forehead.
       
    54. It happens with most dark wigs - you have to be careful with them. If you take them outside with them on - be sure to keep him or her out of the sun - because the wig will stain darker and faster.
       
    55. gahh @_@ i have the same problem... but it wont come off! im sorta leaving it now cuz you cant see it with the wig on anyways

      my staining was from before i washed it though
       
    56. Is there any way you can treat wigs or the doll itself to prevent staining?
      *_^
       
    57. Hehe, I would probably put plastic wrap on the inside of the wig because it wouldn't show and it would catch all the stuff.. or something to that effect.
      Probably make it hard to stay on, though...
      You could probably wash the wigs and let it dry well to get rid of any excess
      dye...
       
    58. I've had this problem too, but thought apart from using the toes of stockings, what about sticking surgical tape to the doll head to protect it?
      I also thought of masking tape, but thought surgical tape would be more gentle on the resin?
       
    59. why dont you try to wash the wig with some mild shampoo until the water runs clear thru it? maybe it will take out the extra dye..?
       
    60. well, when i took off artemis wig last month, the top of her forehead was stained a grey. she wears a black leeke wig. i had to lightly sand off her forehead, it looks lighter than the rest of her face, but you can't see it at all with her wig on, thank god. i washed it real good with shampoo and cold water for like ten minutes, he-he.
       
Draft saved Draft deleted