How do I choose between Body Double silicone and Alja-Safe alginate for lifecasting?

Both options have pros and cons. Here are a few things to consider to help decide which to use for your project.

Benefits of Body Double™ Silicone

1. Moulds made with Body Double have good tear strength and will last a long time, and can be used repeatedly to make many copies (castings) of your original model. An alginate mould is destroyed after one use. On the off chance that you can use an alginate mould more than once, you need to do it fast. As an alginate mould begins to dry out, it will shrink and deteriorate quickly.
2. With casting options, you are limited by what you can cast into an alginate mould – usually plaster. You can cast almost anything into your Body Double mould. You can cast liquid plastics, wax, plaster, low temperature melt metal alloys, concrete and other materials to make your reproduction.

Benefits of Alja-Safe™ Alginate

1.  Alja-Safe alginate costs much less than Body Double silicone rubber.
2.  Alginate does not stick to anything. You don’t need a release cream for most applications. You can make a mould of the hair on your head with alginate by using hair conditioner as a release agent. You can’t make a mould of the hair on your head with Body Double. The best you can do is make a mould using a plastic bald cap.

Which option reproduces better detail?

Both materials will reproduce perfect detail down to a fingerprint.