Putting on Elf Ears
To attach your elf ears to your ears, all you need is a small amount of spirit gum. Spirit gum is one of many prosthetic adhesives available on the market, however we have found that it is the easiest to use, easiest to clean up, and gentlest on the skin. A little bit goes a long way, so when applying it, only use a small amount. We have found that our 1/8 ounce bottle puts on about 100 pairs of elf ears.
When attaching your ears, here are the simple steps to transform you into an elf in no time.
1) Apply a small amount of spirit gum to the following areas of the prosthetic, a little on the front flap and a little on the back curve.
2) Being careful not to get any spirit gum in your hair, carefully slide the ear over your own into position. It is usually a good idea to practice doing this in the mirror without spirit gum, until you are able to slide it on easily.
3) Press and hold the two areas for about 1 minute (a little longer if the temperature is lower). I find that the following hand position is the easiest to get a good hold.
4) There are two approaches at masking the ears and making them look more natural. The professional and involved method requires painting flesh latex to hide the seam. Wait until the latex dries, and paint another layer until you have a nice smoothe transition from latex to skin. Once the final coat is dry use make-up to paint the area and blend it in..
The other method is easier and much quicker (and is the method used by the Bielaczyc brothers and our customers on the road). Use your hair to hide the front flap that attaches to your temple, and use ear cuffs to hide the bottom seam on the back curve.
If you are wearing the troll or large anime ears, we recommend putting a small dab of spirit gum on the lip of the back side of the ear. Because of their height, this helps prevent the larger elf ears from flipping forward over your ears.
Removing the Ears
If you followed our directions on how to put on the elf ears, it is very simple to remove the ears. Just grab the ears at the tip, and gently pull away from your head and towards your shoulder. The prosthetics will flip over the ear, and peel off.
Any spirit gum residue left on your skin can be removed by srubbing with soap and water. Or if you plan to use the ears quite often, you can use spirit gum remover to more easily remove the residue from your skin. However, if you only intend to infrequently use the elf ears, soap and water should be fine.
To remove the spirit gum from your elf ears, wait until after about 10 uses of the ears. There should be a nice build-up of spirit gum on your prosthetic. Gently take your fingernail and scratch to remove it.
Care and Maintenance
When you are not wearing your elf ears, keep them in a small plastic bag, such as a ziploc bag. Doing this will protect the latex and help maintain the coloring. A plastic bag will help keep dirt and dust off the ears which will alter the coloring with a grayish tint.
With proper care, your elf ears should last you for years of fun.
