How to Cosplay with Curly Hair

Picture this. You're watching your favorite character on screen for the 100th time. Halloween is rolling around the corner, or a really cool convention you've been meaning to go to. You know exactly who you want to be. Beyond the costume, the props, and the makeup however, one thing seems to be... different.

Your hair is curly. Like... really really curly. So you look super awesome.

My afro is a huge part of my identity. Whether you wear have locs, an afro, wear wigs, or want to use hair wax to change the color of your natural hair, I'm going to go over a few of my favorite ways I tie my hair into my cosplay looks.

1. Afro Wigs

Whether you make them or buy them, the quickest way to change the color or length of your hair without losing your texture is to pop on a curly or afro textured wig. This one I made by hand! You can get lots of inspiration and tutorials for wigs like these on my instagram. These wigs allow me to remain comfortable in my texture while still looking like the character I'm portraying!

2. Braids

Braids are an incredible way to get creative! Many of my cosplays over the years have included cornrows and box braids. For Nefera DeNile from Monster High for example, I did long blue, black, and gold box braids that reached below my waist to mimick her hair. Straight hair can easily be swapped out for long protective styles.

I've seen plenty of cosplayers cosplay based on what style they currently have. For example, if you have blonde faux locs in, try She-ra, Applejack from My Little Pony, Rapunzel, or Marin from My Dress up Darling!

3. Colorful Wax

Speaking of colors, did you know you can temporarily color your hair with no dye? Color waxes exist. In fact, they work best on curls, giving them definition and coating them in a nice colorful coat. To get a color this vibrant, it's important to go back in with multiple coats over and over. My favorite color waxes are from ORS in their Curls Unleashed line. I have it linked in my Amazon Storefront. For Ekko, I twisted my hair and coated the twists in white wax. It took quite a few coats to get it this bright!

4. That's a Wig?!

Well, yes. And it looks identical to my natural hair when I have passion twists in. Wigs have come a longggg way since our grandmothers wore them! At this charity event, I was proud to represent my culture, narrowly comming in second place as Symboli Kris S. from Uma Musume: Pretty Derby. I no longer wear straight wigs when cosplaying unless I am paid to represent a particular character accurately!

The best part is, it was so comfortable. With the types of wig bands I use, I could sprint with this heavy piece on my head!

5. Play with Shapes

Cosplay is about getting creative, right? What is more creative than making shapes out of your afro? I hand crafted, painted, and scultped this wig to represent Zooble's head from The Amazing Digital Cricus. One of the best parts about having type 4 hair is that if you pinch, pull, tuck, and pat it into the right shapes, it will hold beautifully. Artists all over the world have been shaping afro hair for centuries.

Modern afro artists such as Shesasolarbeing create letters, numbers, arrows, and all sorts of symbols to communicate with their hair.

6. Use Extensions

Hair too short? Not a problem. For my Tiana cosplay, I used an afro puff extension to create a fuller look. I have an undercut, so my puff is a little smaller than I would have liked for this cosplay. These extensions have drawstrings and little combs that you can use to secure them to your real hair.

7. Bantu knots

Speaking of short hair, in place of a short wig, Bantu knots can be used to represent short hairstyles. For this Venus Mcflytrap look inspired by a custom doll by SVV_art, I used color wax, Bantu knots, and attached painted fake tulips to my hair. I have a tutorial for this on my socials!

8. Rock Your Natural Look!

You don't always need extra. Rocking your natural hair is always a great choice! Sometimes your hair and your costume is all you need for a fabulous cosplay.ui8