DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig {Under $5!}
For less than $5 Make your own Bride of Frankenstein Wig for the best Halloween costume in your neighborhood!
My friend Laura is letting me borrow her Bride of Frankenstein dress (featured in this Halloween post) , but I do not have the voluminous curly head of hair that she does in order to do the real Bride of Frankenstein hairdo.
So, rather than purchasing one, I thought I’d get crafty and DIY a Bride of Frankenstein Wig and give you the tutorial on it.
Other Costume Ideas
If you’re trying to get other costume inspiration, check out these posts about Halloween costumes! It’s scary how cool they are.
FAQs about this Bride of Frankenstein Wig
- How much did it cost to make?
- In total I ended up spending about $5 on the materials for this Halloween project. It was super affordable!
- How long does it take to make?
- In total, it probably took about 2 hours of time actually crafting and 3 hours total when you include the hour of dry time for the spray paint.
- What color is the bride of Frankenstein’s wig?
- Traditionally, the bride of Frankenstein has a tall bundle of curly, wild black hair with a white lightning bolt on the side.
Tips for Making this Craft
- Plug your hot glue gun in early – Hot Glue guns always take a minute to heat up. If you want to speed up the crafting process, plug your glue gun in while measuring and cutting the poster board.
- Use the spray paint outside – Spray paint can get messy, so it is best used outside. In fact, I even like to put cardboard behind what I am spraying, so that the excess gets on the cardboard.
- Wear clothing you’re ok getting dirty – While this process isn’t super dirty, you are working with hot glue and spray paint. Because of that, it might be nice to throw on some old clothes you don’t care too much about.
- Place the cotton balls close together – Don’t squish them. That will create a lot more work for you. A few small patches are fine. They will get covered by the black spray paint. But, you want the cotton balls pretty close to one another.
DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig:
Supplies you’ll need to make the Costume wig:
- White poster board
- Black spray paint
- Cotton balls (about 200 large)
- Hot glue gun
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Sharpie marker
Step 1: Measure for Frankenstein wig
Don’t be jealous that this isn’t your picture, in your bathroom, with a posterboard wrapped around your head. 🙂 But that is step 1.
Wrap the posterboard around your head and mark with a marker where they overlap so you can staple it right there.
Step 2: Trim wig to desired height
After stapling it to the circumference you will need, trim the top down (I cut mine in 1/2 because I wanted the finished wig to be about 8″ above my head).
Step 3: Cut top of Frankenstein Wig
Cut 3″ slits in the top of the tube so you can fold them down to make the top of the wig. It doesn’t have to be super pretty because it will all get covered.
Use a hot glue gun to secure the flaps down.
Step 4: Mark the Bride of Frankenstein Wig hairline
Put the tube on your head and mark where you’ll need to shape around the forehead and ears. Then trim so it resembles a hairline. I had to trim, try it on, trim, try it on – about 5 or 6 times until it fit down low enough in the back.
Step 5: Glue the Bride of Frankenstein cottonballs on!
You are ready to hot glue the cotton balls onto the base. Always put the glue on the poster board, because putting in on the cotton ball will just make a big cotton-y mess (not that I know from personal experience or anything).
Work in sections so the hot glue doesn’t dry before you’ve had a chance to get the cotton on.
Step 6: Add Pizzaz! The lightening strike for the front of the Bride’s wig
Cut a lightning strike shape from the left over poster board and use it to mask when you spray paint. I used an apple box to spray inside of so the mess would be (somewhat) contained.
You will need to spray one side, allow it to dry an hour or so, and then give that same side another coat of coverage. Then allow it to dry overnight (so it doesn’t stick to the box by turning it before its dry – not that I know that from personal experience either) before you turn it and spray the other side.
Ta-Da! I actually love the way it turned out. I love that it is a bit cartoonish and over the top, because that is exactly what Halloween is all about! My DIY Bride of Frankenstein Wig wasn’t too tricky, right? It will be a custom fit for your head and will be the talk of the neighborhood!
PS – I also used this same method for creating my Marge Simpson Wig in this post, but left it the full poster board length. It was epic!
READ NEXT –> THE DIY MARGE SIMPSON WIG
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Thanks so much for sharing this. We used your wig idea for my 8 year old daughters Frankie’s Bride costume this year and it was such a big hit. She got 2nd place at the costume contest. 🙂
Beth- Thank you so much for sharing, that makes me SO HAPPY! Congrats to your daughter!!
This is great, it gave me the idea that if I use a stocking cap and glue white cotton balls to it I could make a powdered wig that I need for my husbands Halloween costume. Thank you very much. Rosemary at the DarburyCottage on Etsy.
Rosemary – That is brilliant! I thought this same method would make a great judge wig or a wig to be used as Scarlet Pimpernel or someone from that era!
Oh my heck, I want to see it on you! I love it.