That's a LOT of hair too!
It was difficult to tell from the reference pictures or the game exactly how many braids she had, but I knew it was at least 11. (Including the really big one in the middle.) I figured I'd just be safe and shoot for 11 since I really doubt anyone else has been able to get a more accurate count.
All but two of the braids are tied to metal rings at the end, which I made using reinforced vinyl tubing painted with both silver model paint, and silver metallic nail polish. The large center ring was made from styrofoam, cardboard, and masking tape, and painted in the same fashion.
Body building.
No conditioner on the market can possibly hope to recreate the amount of body Shiva's hair has. That's why I used quilting material.
Each braid has a core made from a long section of stuffing wrapped in blue yarn. The yarn was used to give the braids a rough "dreadlock" texture, because they would have otherwise been very slick and plasticky.
Some assembly required.
In order to duplicate Shiva's swept forward style, I turned the wig upside-down on the wigform before parting the hair. The hair was parted into 9 primary sections, with the three down the center all being used to secure the big braid. The individual braids were then sewn onto the wig, and the hanging hair was wrapped around them to conceal the stichwork.
The finished wig weighs 30 lbs (13.6 kg), and has a maximum length of 4.5 feet. (1.37 meters)
