Elsa Wig Guide and Accessories

Hello my little snowflakes!

Growing up, I was like any girl, totally and ardently in love with Disney movies.  I remember wrapping myself in my mom's oversized furry blanket, walking around on all fours, and belting out "I Just Can't Wait to be King," like I was some Broadway lion.  But things have changed since last week.  Now I can't stop singing Disney's Frozen album!  It was just an adorable movie!  High five to Disney for finally creating female roles that think love at first sight is ridic and sistas before mistas!  And thus began my desire to cosplay Elsa!

As I'm doing research for my own Elsa cosplay, I will be sharing with you what I find.  And so, to start, I have combined all of my wig research into one comprehensive guide.

E L S A ' S  H A I R S T Y L E

So Elsa's style is pretty self explanatory: a simple side swept french braid with shorter layers tousled out of her face.  Her hair is a platinum or titanium blonde color.  It's important to note that her hair isn't entirely white/silver, and she does appear to have golden undertones.  So keep that in mind when you're picking out your wig's color.      

She also has a sparkle to her hair that you can easily mimic with one of those cans of sparkle hair spray.  However, if we want to get really nit picky, it actually looks like she may have strands of silver sparkly hair instead of all over sparkle.  It almost looks like tinsel to me, but maybe I'm crazy.  You could ventilate your wig, the process of adding wig fibers, with these strands of hair, but personally, sparkle hair spray seems like a more practical approach.

W H A T  T Y P E  O F  W I G  S H O U L D  I  B U Y ?

This is a very important question!  To answer it, first you must ask yourself what quality of costume are you looking to don.  Then you must ask yourself how much money you're willing to spend.  I mean, if you're just putting together a super quick Elsa costume for a weekend party, then you might not mind buying a party store wig.  However, for the purpose of this guide, I'm going to assume you're here because you want a quality Elsa wig for your cosplay (costume play).  Some people will put a lot of effort into the costume, but then totally skimp on the wig.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to buy a quality wig.  Wigs will make or break a costume, so if it's within your budget, I would spend a little more for something that will compliment your costume well.  

Additionally, there are a lot of levels of quality when it comes to wig based partly on the type of wig fiber used.  I go more into detail about the difference in fibers on my Daenerys Wig Guide here.  Basically, you want to shoot for wigs made of hiperlon or even kanekalon fibers.  They're higher quality and heat resistant so they will be easier to style later.

Okay, getting on to the most important quality you should look for in Elsa's wig: a lace front.

  W H A T ' S  T H I S  A B O U T  A  L A C E  F R O N T?

Basically a lace front wig is going to give you a natural looking hairline.  Because Elsa's hair is swept back in the front, you would see a very unsightly wig base (the part of the wig the hair strands are threaded into) at your hairline with a normal, non-lace, wig.  You might be able to get away with it in thicker wigs with some ninja styling, but it will tricky.

Lace fronts require a little more care when putting on.  You can't simply plop it on and go.  You have to trim the excess lace close to your hairline, and then use an adhesive like wig tape or spirt gum to actually glue the lace front down onto your forehead.  This can be a little intimidating for some, but there's plenty of tutorials online for easy application steps.  

These wigs are generally hand ventilated at the front so they're going to be a little more pricey.  So you're going to have to ask yourself what's in your budget.  If you want to save money, or you're just looking to expand your fabrication skills, you could purchase a regular wig and add your own lace front.  This may be desirable as wigs with widow's peaks are hard to come by (the 'v' shaped point at the hairline).
  
However, I'm certain I've seen screencaps of her where there was no apparent widow's peak.  So really, it's your own personal preference. : )

Okay, on with the wig suggestions!

W I G  S U G G E S T I O N S

Wig Name: Suzi by Arda Wigs

Cost: $70 + shipping

Fiber: Hiperlon

With proper styling, this wig could serve as the perfect Elsa wig.  The short piecey waves are perfect for her back swept bangs.  Additionally, this is an Arda Wig.  They have an awesome standing in the cosplay community for their quality and service.  However, as of 2/14, this wig is on back order, so if you need your Elsa wig before March, you'll have to skip this option.  It is a lace front wig which means that it will require an adhesive to stay on (like spirit gum or wig tape).  

Pros:

• Lace-front = Natural hairline
• Short layers on the top for Elsa's swept back bangs
• Widow's peak like Elsa's
• Heat resistant for styling

Cons: 

• Longer than needed so will require some trimming
• Because it's lace front, it will take more time to apply
• On backorder until March

Purchase: Suzi by Arda Wigs

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Wig Name: Morpheus in Titanium Blonde by Arda Wigs

Cost: $60 + shipping

Fiber: Hiperlon

Now, I know this wig is a little short, but I wanted to add it to this guide because of a great YouTube tutorial that uses this wig for Elsa (Link below).  Additionally, you would need to buy a weft or ponytail to add to the length of the wig.  Wig wefts are simply sewn into the wig cap for adding length and volume.  This is more troublesome, but because this wig is not currently on back order, it may be a more viable option for some.  Remember, lace fronts will require an adhesive or tape to secure at the hairline.   

Pros:

• Lace-front = Natural hairline
• Short layers on the top for Elsa's swept back bangs
• Titanium blonde has a good golden undertone
• Not on back order 
• Heat resistant for styling

Cons: 

• A tad too short so will require a wig weft to lengthen
• Because it's lace front, it will take more time to apply
• Does not have widow's peak

Purchase: Morpheus by Arda Wigs

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Wig Name: Nyx in Natural Blonde by Epic Cosplay

Cost: $37.99 + shipping

Fiber: ?

Despite not having a lace front, this wig could potentially serve as a decent Elsa cosplay.  It has good length, good color, and already cut bangs.  The only issue would be potentially seeing the wig base at the hairline, so this will make styling a little trickier.  You would need to bring down the strands enough to cover the hairline while styling.  You could also sew in lace and glue in or ventilate more stands of hair, making your own lace front.

One cosplayer used this wig as well as the same wig in white, wefted them together, and came out with great results (picture here).  The golden blonde and white strands married well together to create Elsa's shade.  Here's a good tutorial for splicing two wigs together: here.    

Pros:

• Good length
• Long bangs for swept back style
• A good shade of platinum blonde
• Heat resistant for styling
• Less expensive than lace front wigs

Cons: 

• Not lace front so no natural hairline
• May need additional wefts to mimic Elsa's thick volume. 
• No widow's peak

Purchase: Nyx by Epic Cosplay

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Wig Name: Eos by Epic Cosplay

Cost: $39.99 + shipping

Fiber: ?

This wig is promising because Epic Cosplay states extra wefts have been sewn into the crown giving it more volume for Elsa's thick braid.  However, despite it's title on the site, this is not a lace front, so styling will be trickier as you attempt to cover up any wig base showing at the hairline.   

Pros:

• Extra wefts for more volume
• Nice golden undertones
• Good length
• Less expensive than lace front wigs

Cons: 

• Not a lace front so no natural hairline
• No bangs, so will require trimming

Purchase: Eros by Epic Cosplay

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Wig Name: Frozen Elsa Wig by AlcblueyesCreations

Cost: $125 + shipping

Fiber: ?

This wig is perfect for anyone who is intimidated by wig styling.  It's already ready to go!  It has a nice lace front and extra sewn in wefts for more volume.  Also, this is an Etsy listing which makes me super happy because I love supporting Etsy artists! : )  Again remember that lace fronts require an adhesive at the hairline to be worn.    

Pros:

• Already styled!
• Lace-front = Natural hairline
• Extra wefts for volume
• Perfect golden undertones

Cons: 

• More expensive than non styled wigs
• Lace front requires more time to apply

Purchase: Frozen Elsa Wig by AlcblueyesCreations

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Wig Name: Queen Lace Front by Lockshop

Cost: 59,95€ (~$80) + shipping

Fiber: ?

This wig could be a good option for those of you in Europe looking for a good Elsa wig.  This wig has perfect tones of blonde, a good length, and a lace front!  Braiding through the waves shouldn't be too much trouble, but trimming the bangs could be troublesome.  

Pros:

• Lace-front = Natural hairline
• Perfect golden undertones
• Good length
• Good option for European cosplayers

Cons: 

• Will need trimming at bangs
• Pricier than non lace front wigs
• Lace front requires more time to apply

Purchase: Queen Lace Front by Lockshop

 S T Y L I N G  Y O U R  W I G

Supernovadobe has a great video tutorial for styling your Elsa cosplay.  She also includes in the video how she sews in wefts for length and thickness, and glues hair to form a widow's peak.  

I will be uploading my own tutorial and pictures of the styling process once my wig comes in the mail! : )

The basic guideline for her styling is as follows:

1. Before styling, test your heat source (curling iron, blow dryer) on a small wig strand in the back to make sure your wig can withstand this form of heat.  
2. Carefully comb or brush wig if a little tangled. 
•  I like to use my fingers to comb out tangles if I can.
3. Trim wig to proper length including bangs. 
• bangs should be around chin length
• always remember to cut parallel to the hair strands
4. Add wefts or widows peak using tutorial above.
• wefts can be sewed or glued onto the wig cap
5. Carefully brush strands into place and begin a french braid at the crown of the wig.  
6. Pull braid to the front as you are braiding and secure with clear elastic.
7. Divide bangs into 7-8 pieces.
8. Spritz hair piece with hairspray and heat the fibers with your hairdryer.  

My own picture tutorial coming soon!

 H A I R  A C C E S S O R I E S

Elsa has crystal snowflakes that decorate the length of her side braid.  However, the snowflakes design and appearance differ scenes in the movie, and they're completely different from promotional ads.  Sometimes the snowflakes appear tinted blue, sometimes clear, sometimes silver.  So at this point you're basically just going to have to decide which ever one you find cutest! : )  Elsa generally looks like she has 6 snowflakes in most scenes from what I can tell.  She has one large at the end of the braid, two medium sized, and three small sized.

Here is my take on Elsa's snowflakes: 

Here's an older version of snowflakes I made:

I've posted my tutorial for Elsa's snowflakes here.
 (Shameless plug:  you can also order these at my Etsy shop by clickin' the link to your right)

I will be uploading my tutorial for her costume in a few weeks.  So check back if you're interested! : )  (Or subscribe by email to the right!)

If you guys come across other wigs you think would be perfect for Elsa, comment the links below!  I'd love to add them to the guide. : )  

And as always, you're welcome to message me with any questions you guys have at n.jellyfishsoup@gmail.com