How To: Make a Mermaid Tail Costume

Make your underwater dreams come true by turning yourself into a bona fide swimming mermaid. If mermaids did exist, you would be the perfect candidate to transform into the mythical creature. So check out this video tutorial form Little Orca to learn how to make your own mermaid tail costume.

Once your mermaid tail is built, you can meet other merfolk in your underwear gatherings (or in the swimming pool). This tail can sustain the water and is a great costume for Halloween or just for fun. First, you're going to have to design your mermaid tail. Fit it for you! A monofin is best suited for the realistic effect of the perfect mermaid tail, but a pair of regular swimfins will work just as well.

This super-detailed videos tells you everything about making the tail, from which gear to buy, which material to get, how to measure your body to fit the tail correctly, how to cut and sew the tail, and how to paint it your perfect mermaid color. Let's not forget about mermen now, shall we… just as good for a men's costume.

To care for your tail so it lasts a long time, make sure you clean it. In some public pools there is a chlorine neutralizer rinse next to their water aerobics equipment. Dip your tail in these rinse buckets. This will help get rid of that smell as well.

If you have no rinse buckets at your pool, cleaning is still simple. Remove the monofin from the fluke and wash the tail by hand. Laundry soap should be just fine. Hang the tail to dry. Do NOT put it in the dryer. Heat on the mermaid tail is a big NO-NO since it can ruin the fabric and cause shrinkage and color fading.

When you are not swimming in your tail and need to store it, simply take the fin out and hang it on a hanger in the closet. Be sure to keep the fin nearby so you will always know where it is.

There is a second video that shows you how to paint the mermaid flukes with lumiere paint, and you can watch that directly on YouTube.