Color me strange

October 20, 2008 6:56 PM

So I'd like to make my hair temporarily white (or maybe gray, bright white would be odd, but whatever) for Halloween. I need tips, including whether or not it's a good idea. My hair is naturally dirty blond, and quite long. I don't mind if it's white for a few weeks, but I would like it to eventually wash out. What kind of color should I buy, or should I just go with a wig? Any tips are welcome.
posted by wierdo to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

There is theater-grade hair white that you can buy. It kind of looks like thin paint. You should be able to find it at a costume store, or anywhere that sells theater supplies. Rub it in to your hair with a sponge. It'll rinse out with your next hair wash, but it does have the disadvantage that it'll flake a bit while it's on you.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:01 PM on October 20, 2008

I have heard -- though not tested -- that baby powder works really well for turning hair white/grey. Good luck!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 7:13 PM on October 20, 2008

I was going to suggest corn starch. (I'm not sure if it would be easier or harder to wash out afterwards than talcum powder, though.)
posted by Class Goat at 7:35 PM on October 20, 2008

Several suggestions in this previous question, including baby powder and white shoe polish.
posted by chrisamiller at 7:51 PM on October 20, 2008

I used spray on hair color to make my hair pink last year, and it comes in white as well. Works great and washes right out when you're done.
posted by thejanna at 6:22 AM on October 21, 2008

Talc (and cornstarch) will make your hair a much duller, grayish version of whatever color it is now. I have very dark brown hair, and it doesn't quite make me full-on Denny's-discount gray, but it probably would if I were starting out lighter. You will be powdery all night, all over your clothes. I imagine if your hair is long and down you will have serious problems with the powder shaking out the ends. Your hair will mostly behave like your hair, except dryer. Talc is very easy to wash out. Too easy, maybe -- you cannot get your hair wet at all, or it will come right out. Corn starch is almost as easy to wash out, and you can't get it wet either, since it does a weird clumping thing. Both should only be applied to dry hair.

The spray-on white stuff thejanna mentions works well. It can be hard to find the stuff in non-glittery form, which you need, because otherwise the effect will be more sparkly than old. It also washes out fairly easily. It will stiffen your hair, and might tangle long hair. Think really cheap hair spray.

With either one, you're going to get best results with your hair up and contained if you can do that.
posted by fidelity at 7:21 AM on October 21, 2008

The spray-on junk looks best if your hair is really short or in a ponytail...it acts like a very stiff hairspray.

I vote for a wig. That will look the best.
posted by radioamy at 9:34 AM on October 21, 2008

I'll have to give the talcum powder and corn starch a try, just to see. Based on past experience, I doubt it'll get white enough, but it's definitely worth a try since I've already got it lying around! :)

Maybe if I go long enough between washes, my hair will be oily enough to have the powder stick to my hair rather than go flying off everywhere... (ewww, right?)

If that doesn't work, it sounds like I'm either going to have to live with spray or figure out how to get ass-length hair under a wig, which isn't something I've ever had to do before.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
posted by wierdo at 10:12 AM on October 21, 2008

You might be surprised at how much hair you can hide under a wig. You just pin it very flat and close to your head (wet, if possible) and use a wig cap.
posted by JoanArkham at 1:20 PM on October 21, 2008

For what it's worth, even on my very light hair, corn starch didn't do a very good job of lightening it. It was lighter, but only a bit, basically just a lighter blond. Enough corn starch to actually turn it anything resembling white would have just fallen off.

I'm going to try some of the spray at the behest of my SO, but I'm not holding out much hope for it really being useful, in which case it's either off to the theater supply place or I have to find a wig (and cap).
posted by wierdo at 4:44 PM on October 21, 2008

Spray = teh suck

Watercolor face/hair paint..better, but still turns hair sticky, so over the course of an evening, it would end up a matted mess.

Solvent based stuff like Ben Nye = the winner, by far

It makes my hair a bit stiff while it's drying, but I can brush it out afterwards and still keep a decent amount of the silver in my hair. And it doesn't get everywhere. It does have a strong smell before it has dried, though.

The watercolor stuff is more vivid, but it discolors rapidly.

If you have short hair or were going for big poofy hairsprayed hair, I think you could just spray it and be done. I need my hair to be as natural as possible, and the Ben Nye knockoff does that very well.
posted by wierdo at 2:19 PM on October 23, 2008