Hair

I think one of the most important details of a reborn baby is it's hair. It is my personal opinion that rooting mohair is the best way to give a doll hair. I do not recommend using wigs since I personally don't think it looks very realistic.
Here are some tips for rooting mohair:

Use PREMIUM mohair, not the cheap stuff. There IS a difference. The cheap mohair tends to be very dry and course. The premium mohair tends to be much softer and like real newborn hair.

Use a small needle. The higher the number of the needle, the smaller it is. 42 is the smallest I have found and it is the only one I use anymore. It breaks easily though, so it must be done slowly and carefully. It is so worth it in the end because it hardly shows any hair plugs and looks beautiful! I don't recommend rooting with any needle larger than 38.

When rooting, no matter what size of needle, sometimes you may get too much hair in the plug. If you want to get less hairs in each plug, lay down a thinner layer of hair for you to root on.

If a head is too hard for you to get your needle through, or if your needles are breaking too much, heat the head. You can do this by rooting outside in warm weather, heating the head with a hair dryer, or fill a sock with rice, tie, and microwave until warm. Then place it inside the head and root.

Here is a good way to trim the hair after it is finished rooting:
Comb a section of hair straight up, hold the section in the comb or with your fingers and cut to desired length. Then take half of that lock you just trimmed, and comb that up with some untrimmed hair next to it. Cut the untrimmed hair the same length as the trimmed hair. Do this all over the head so all of the hair is the same length when combed straight up. Then comb all of the hair down to desired style, and it should look feathery/wispy.

Be sure to seal the inside of the head after you're finished rooting. I use a paintbrush and Gem-Tac glue. The glue will dry clear and it's water-proof. Allow plenty of time to dry before filling the head with other materials.

Good luck!!


Copyright (c) 2005 Kimberly S. McMullan, All rights Reserved