How to Dye Lace Front Wigs

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: January 19, 2021 References

Lace front wigs are beautiful, natural looking ways to put on new hairstyles and hair colors quickly and easily. If you have a lace front wig and you'd like to change up your look, you may be wondering how to safely dye your wig without damaging it. By deep conditioning your wig, brushing it out, and making sure your dye is coated evenly, you can have a healthy and sleek looking lace front wig while also rocking a new color.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Conditioning and Sectioning Your Wig

1
Apply deep conditioner to your wig. Get your wig damp and apply a deep conditioner to your lace front wig before you dye it to help prevent damage and keep your wig looking healthy and shiny. Most deep conditioners need to sit for about 1 hour and then be rinsed out. You can condition your wig at any point before you dye it.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Deep conditioners can be purchased at most beauty supply stores.
2
Dry your wig. Make sure that your wig is fully dry after conditioning. You can let it air dry on a wig form if you have a couple of hours, or dry it with a hair dryer on your head or a wig form. If the hair in your wig is damaged already, don't use a hair dryer to dry it, as this might damage it further.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Comb your wig with a wide toothed comb. If your wig is tangled or matted up, the dye might not go on evenly. Use a wide toothed comb to gently brush out any snarls or knots in your wig before you start dyeing it. This will also make the hair much easier to work with. Start from the bottom of your wig and work up towards the scalp, combing gently but firmly.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- A regular hair brush can damage a wig because the bristles are too fine. Use a wide toothed comb to make sure your wig stays healthy.
4
Separate your wig into 4-6 even pieces with hair ties. To make applying your hair dye easier, section your wig into 4-6 pieces with hair ties. They don't have to be perfectly even, but each section should have about the same amount of hair. Sectioning your wig will make it easier to get dye through it completely and will help you see how much hair you have left to dye.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- If you are dyeing your wig with multiple colors, make sure to separate your sections by color. This will make your dyeing process much easier.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Applying the Dye

1
Choose your dye based on your desired colors and your wig color. You can put any type of hair dye on a lace front wig, since it is normally made of human hair. However, your wig hair is the same as your own hair: you can't dye it lighter without bleaching it. If you want your wig to be a lighter color, you'll have to bleach it first until it is light enough to pick up the color that you want. This works well for pastels and light blonde colors. If you are dying your wig a darker color, you will not need to bleach it first.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Some lace front wigs are sold already bleached.
2
Mix up your hair dye according to its instructions. Each hair dye is different and might require some steps before you can apply it to your wig. Read the instructions on your hair dye carefully and follow the steps if there are any. For most boxed hair dye, this involves mixing 2 ingredients together, but some hair dyes don't require you to do this.^{[6]
X
Research source}
3
Put on disposable gloves and an old t-shirt to protect from stains. Hair dye will stain your skin, nails, and clothes. You can wear disposable plastic or latex gloves to protect your hands, and an old t-shirt to protect your clothes. Most boxed hair dyes come with 1 pair of disposable plastic gloves.^{[7]
X
Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- You can buy latex or plastic gloves at most hardware or home goods stores.
4
Spread newspaper over a flat surface, like a table. Laying your wig on a flat surface is the easiest way to apply the dye while seeing the whole thing. You can protect whatever surface you are using by putting down newspaper or paper bags down. Make sure that the layer of protection is thick enough that your dye won't seep through.
5
Spray hairspray and then dry it on the lace front of the wig to protect it. Hair dye will stain lace fronts, so you should spray a generous amount of hair spray on the lace front of your wig and then dry it with a hair dryer for 30 to 40 minutes. This will provide a protective coating on your lace front that can be rinsed out later.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- You can concentrate the hair spray on any areas you think could get a lot of dye on them.
6
Apply the dye evenly to one section using a hair dye brush. Start with a section that is at the back of the wig and untie it. Use a hair dye applicator brush to evenly coat all the hair in the section with dye. Make sure that there are no spots left uncovered. The section should be fully saturated with dye and there should be no blank spots or pieces where the original color shows through. Once the section is done, pull it away from the other sections to continue working.
- Most beauty supply stores sell hair dye applicator brushes.
- You can use your wide toothed comb or your fingers to brush through the section and make sure that the dye is evenly spread.
7
Brush the dye onto the rest of the sections, avoiding the lace front. Apply your dye evenly to each section of hair you have working from the back to the front. Try not to get any dye on the lace front area of the wig, because it might stain.
8
Leave the dye in until the color is what you want. The hair dye packaging should specify how long your hair dye needs to sit to get the color and tone that you would like. Usually this is anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Typically, lighter hair dyes, like pastels, will need to sit for less time than darker hair dyes.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Set a timer using your phone to keep track of how long your dye has been in.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Rinsing and Drying Your Wig

1
Rinse your wig with cold water until the water runs clear. Once your hair dye is done sitting, rinse your wig out in your sink or bathtub using cold water. Gently squeeze the wig with your hands in a downward direction. Try to avoid getting water with dye in it on the lace front of your wig, because it will stain. You should stop rinsing your wig when the water under it runs clear, which means that all the excess hair dye is gone. This can take anywhere from 2 minutes to 10 minutes.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Don't use shampoo when you rinse out the hair dye. This could wash some of the color off of your wig.
2
Rinse the lace front of your wig in cold water to get the hairspray out. Once all of the dye is out of your wig, you can rinse the lace front area to get rid of the hairspray. When the hairspray is all out, the lace front will not feel stiff or sticky anymore.^{[11]
X
Research source}
3
Condition your wig if the hair feels dry or damaged. If your wig feels like it was damaged or dried out by the hair dye, put conditioner on it after you rinse it out. Let the conditioner sit for 1 to 2 minutes. This will add moisture back into the hair and may help reverse some of the damaging effects of the hair dye.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Most boxed hair dyes come with conditioner that you can use.
4
Squeeze your wig with a towel to get rid of excess water. Gently squeeze a towel up and down your wig to get the extra water off of it. Use an old towel just in case some dye is left on the wig, because it will stain. Don't wring or pull on your wig to dry it.^{[13]
X
Research source}
5
Comb your wet wig with a wide toothed comb. If your wig got tangles or knots in it during the dying process, you can gently comb through it with your wide toothed comb. Start from the bottom and work upwards toward the scalp, slowly pulling out snarls.
6
Dry your wig with a hair dryer or let it air dry. Depending on how you want to style your wig, you can either dry it with a hair dryer or let it air dry. Your hair dye color may look darker on your wig when the wig is wet, so it is important to see how the wig looks after it has dried.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Most lace front wigs use human or animal hair, so they can have heat applied directly to them. If your wig is synthetic, do not use heat to dry it, or it might damage your wig.