As many of you know, it takes a lot of work to transform into a Twilight vampire. In fact, between contact lenses, costumes, makeup and wigs, the whole process can take well over an hour!
Historically, the most difficult part of cosplaying as Alice has always been perfecting her hair. You can purchase screen accurate costumes and contact lenses – my lenses of choice are the TWILIGHT design from 9mmsfx.com – but no one sells an “Alice Cullen” wig that looks natural. For this reason, I’ve often advised Alice cosplayers to go one of two routes:
- Use your own hair. If you like Alice’s style and are willing to upkeep and style it, your own hair might be your best bet, especially if you aren’t comfortable wearing a wig.
- Purchase a synthetic, heat resistant wig – and then have a hair stylist cut it. By purchasing a longer wig and bringing it to a hair stylist, you have some control over the final product, rather than buying a pre-styled wig that doesn’t quite fit the bill.
I started off my Alice Cullen career by using my real hair
I’ve gone both routes, and by far, a well-styled wig is easier to maintain than using your own hair. In fact, I found my real hair often fell flat when it rained in Forks, which inspired me to find a versatile wig that would hold up better in incremental weather. In 2013 I settled on the Duby wig, which my stylist at the time cut to mimic Alice’s Twilight style. Since I had learned to style Alice’s cute spikes on myself, it was easy for me to maintain this wig at home.
My faithful Alice Cullen wig
While I loved my Duby wig for a long time, it wasn’t without faults. For one thing, it didn’t have a part, which made it look a little unnatural; no one’s hair is so thick that you can’t see their scalp when it’s parted. For another, I found the hair texture changing and almost swelling over time; the hair at the roots kept getting coarser and coarser, which made the wig appear too large and bulky for my head.
So, after having my faithful wig for five years and yearning for a more natural look, I started to wonder: what else is out there?
Well, I’m pleased to let you know that after months of research, I’ve made the ultimate addition to my repertoire: a brand new Alice Cullen wig in her iconic Twilight style, which was custom-made to the shape and size of my head. This wig was recreated from stills and screenshots of Ashley Greene and features key details like Alice’s screen accurate color, hairline and styling.
My work-in-progress Alice Cullen wig by Hero Hair at 95% completion
My new wig was created by the esteemed Hero Hair, the world’s first and only custom cosplay wig company. They’re devoted solely to the art of custom cosplay wig creation, and it shows in their work. Whether you’re cosplaying from an anime, video game, television series or movie, each wig is a beautifully handcrafted, faithful recreation of the original style seen on your favorite actor or character.
Click the image to check out a video of the work-in-progress wig in action!
So what’s the Hero Hair advantage?
- The wig was custom-made to my head, meaning it won’t look too big or bulky. By all accounts, it should look as natural as my own hair did, which is exactly what I’m going for. I don’t want people to look at me and think, “that’s a great wig.” I want them to say, “wow – is that her real hair?“
- Factory-made wigs tend to have thick, unnatural looking hairlines. This wig has a custom hairline that takes into account the proportions and shape of my face and measures that against Alice’s hairstyle for a truly custom product.
- It’s hard to find wigs that are the perfect color. Hero Hair custom dyes its wigs using a blend of colors so they appear multi-faceted – just like real hair.
- As part of their brand promise, Hero Hair crews their wigs for free – and for life. That means I can send it back to them any time for re-styling and refreshing prior to big events!
As you’ve probably guessed from my description, a Hero Hair wig is a serious investment and isn’t financially feasible for every cosplayer. So, if you’re an aspiring Alice Cullen cosplayer, what are your options at a variety of price points?
- The affordable option: I don’t personally endorse this, but if you’re on a budget, you’ll do what you have to. There are wigs out there that claim to be “Alice Cullen wigs,” and this is one of them. If you’re decent at hair styling, you may be able to work with this, but I suspect it isn’t heat resistant and may look shiny or unnatural in photos.
- The accessible option: Like I did, find a great base wig – such as the Duby – and take it to a stylist who’s used to working with wigs. You’ll have to maintain the style yourself at home, but after the upfront cost of the wig and cut, you can wear a wig like this for years if you take care of it – truly getting some great bang for your buck.
- The mid-range option: Use your own hair. As mentioned, this can save you the trouble of trying to find a wig as long as you’re able to maintain the cut and color. While this may initially appear like the cheapest option, don’t forget that there’s monthly upkeep involved with a tricky cut like Alice’s on top of the initial cut and color.
- The Cullen-level option: If you’re looking to invest in your Alice cosplay – or any Cullen cosplay, really – the folks over at Hero Hair are more than happy to provide you with a no-obligations quote and make recommendations for how they’d build your wig. If you’re interested in commissioning your own Hero Hair wig or just chatting with the team, send any inquiries through their website.
My Hero Hair wig is currently undergoing final styling and should be in my hands any day now. I can’t wait to wear it at Forever Twilight in Forks for years to come!
If you have any questions about my experience with Hero Hair or just want to chat about Alice Cullen cosplay, feel free to drop me an email at alicethepixie@gmail.com.
xoxo,
Alice
Go Ask Alice Cullen 