If you want a cool, cheap costume to make for Halloween or a costume party, leave the conventional aside and dress up as a mad scientist. Everyone will recognize this frizzy-haired costume right away and you'll stand out in the middle of a bunch of fashionable characters. Doing it is very simple: just pack some clothes and some typical scientist objects to get into character.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choosing the right clothes
Step 1. Find a white lab coat
Buy a white coat to use as a base for the costume. The coat is the most striking feature of this costume and will make people recognize the character right away. You can usually find lab coats and other medical supplies at thrift stores. If you want, look for a new medium quality one so you don't have to spend a lot.
- If you want to wear the open coat, find a plain button-down shirt to put underneath. You can also button up your coat so you don't have to worry about showing off another layer of clothing.
- Make a name tag to put in your lab coat pocket and come up with a creative name for your mad scientist.
Step 2. Get some plain dress pants
For the bottom, put on dress or dress pants to build the scientist look. In terms of color and model, you have freedom of choice, but colors like black, brown and other dark tones are better with the “crazy” theme. Wash and iron your pants for a lab-worthy look, or cover them with weird stains to give the impression you were experimenting.
- Complete the brainless look characteristic of this costume by putting on pants a few sizes larger than what you wear.
- Avoid putting on jeans. Jeans are a little too casual for the look you're creating and can leave you looking like a kid who wants to be a scientist instead of a mad scientist.
Step 3. Put on a very messy white wig
Cover your hair with a frizzy gray or white wig: the messier the hair, the better. This is another part of the fantasy that will define your look and make people recognize the character. Many costume stores sell ready-made wigs for costumes like this, so pick one and show everyone how crazy your science projects are.
For best results, find a wig that is bald on top and with longer strands and poor care on the sides and back
Step 4. Put on rubber gloves
A pair of rubber gloves will add a nice touch to your costume. Put on a pair of basic latex surgical gloves, or look for a pair of thick rubber gloves that reach up to your elbow, to give the impression that the work you are doing is dangerous or disgusting. Gloves look great when paired with the right accessories, which will be suggested throughout the text.
- Make sure you have no allergies or irritation to latex before using the gloves as part of the costume.
- Elbow-length rubber dishwasher gloves aren't expensive and go well with this costume.
Step 5. Wear glasses
No crazy scientist look would be complete without glasses! To make this part of the fantasy, put on a pair of cheap reading glasses or, better yet, a fake non-grade glass. You can even stop by the nearest costume shop to see if they have fancy glasses with frames and really big lenses. Exaggerated things go well with this costume!
Prescription glasses can strain your eyes if you don't need to wear them to see, so look for an option first if you can. Otherwise, just bring them to the tip of your nose and don't look through them
Part 2 of 3: Finishing the look with distinctive touches
Step 1. Put on a brain cap
If an ordinary wig isn't crazy enough for what you thought for your fantasy, try putting on a brain cap or one made for artistic makeup. This accessory will look like the top of your skull has opened, leaving your evil genius brain exposed. This cap will make your fantasy comically exaggerated if you want a look that goes beyond the ordinary.
Step 2. Glue very hairy eyebrows to the face
Abuse the look of the old crazy by putting eyebrows that match the disheveled hairstyle. Buy or get a pair of furry white eyebrows and glue them to your natural ones before you go out with the costume. They will add years of age and craziness to your look!
To make your own fake eyebrows, cut a fake fur into strips or break a cotton ball into pieces and use eyelash glue to glue the eyebrows to the skin around your natural eyebrows
Step 3. Put on safety glasses or those weird ones
Instead of wearing regular glasses, wear lab or party glasses with spiral lenses or spring-loaded eyes. This will give your costume another flashy element. If you like, make your own crazy glasses and tell people that they serve as X-ray vision.
Step 4. Put on some makeup
Use little makeup to enhance your look when the costume is complete. A light, smudged stroke of charcoal or black ink will give the impression that you were working with some dangerous flammable chemical. A few drops of fake blood all over your clothes will make people think you were having some gruesome surgery, if you don't mind staining your clothes. Get creative and think of ways to use makeup effects to convey the idea you want.
Don't overdo the makeup. Both it and the face paint can run during the party, stain your clothes and make a mess
Part 3 of 3: Choosing your accessories
Step 1. Take a clipboard
Take an old clipboard with you and make weird drawings or notes on it. Pick it up and start writing frantically from time to time, as if you were jotting down observations about the people and things around you. You are now ready to conduct your experiments.
Get other people involved by pretending you're studying them for a few seconds. Write down the names of the costumes on a list as if they were part of an experiment
Step 2. Fill pockets with trinkets
Put anything that a scientist can use in your lab coat pocket, such as pens, pencils, rulers, a calculator, a pocket protector, and so on. Incorporate these things into your fantasy by taking them out of your pockets every now and then and pretending to use them for taking notes or taking measurements. This is a small touch, but it gives a lot of detail to the costume.
Step 3. Make a glowing potion
Here's a really cool accessory idea: take a lab flask, a beaker or a measuring cup, pour a few mL of a colored drink and water (food coloring also works), put a neon bracelet in the middle and see if light up. Its glowing serum is great to go for Halloween candy or to take to parties.
Use caution when using breakable containers or toxic substances such as liquid from neon bracelets. Don't drink the potion if you put a neon bracelet inside it
Step 4. Display a specimen in a jar
If you want a scarier option for the glow potion, buy a small rubber animal or monster doll and place it in an ordinary glass jar. Fill the jug with water to create a specimen to display. A frog or spider is a good choice, but you can also look for a fake hand or plastic eyes to scare people off.
