Phicen TBleague S12 body dyed suntan tone using shoe cream. INSTAGRAM VIDEO TUTORIAL: https://www.instagram.com/p/CifOQoNJIYO/
Phicen TBleague M34 body dyed ebony tone using shoe cream. INSTAGRAM VIDEO TUTORIAL: https://www.instagram.com/p/CifKZB7pAN0/
I had tried fabric dyes, pastel (powdered pigment) and paints that did not hold. The color would either rub off during handling or fully fade over time. DyeMore for synthetic fabrics has excellent visual results but require a 30 minute boil which can damage a TPE body. What finally worked for me was shoe cream. It stains TPE evenly, excess cream is easy to rinse with dish soap, and the coloration is permanent beyond a 2 week period of fade. Best of all, shoe creams come in a wide selection of browns, ideal for human skin tones.
As for brand, some have stronger pigment and some dry faster, but the result is virtually the same for all. The deep coloration can be scary first, but it’ll half fade within 48 hours. To avoid over coloring, allow 2 weeks to consider if further application is truly necessary. In the event of over coloring, colorless ‘neutral’ shoe cream can dilute better than soaps.
So far, I have only tested wax-based creams. As for grease-based creams, I cannot say. In applying a wax-based cream to TPE, there can be patches where the pigment seems unable to color. This is likely due to lumps of wax in the cream that is insufficiently mixed in during manufacturing so when applied to TPE, it acts as a shield against the pigment. When this occurs, add further pressure to the patches. Pigment will gradually penetrate.
For a suntan or a color correction, single applications should take no more than a fifth of a cream jar, while darker skin tones will require up to half a jar with multiple applications. Orange is the dominant color that remains on TPE from most dark brown creams. For a realistic skin tone, find a brown with enough of a blueish tone to counteract the oranges.