Rerooting doll hair

[Afaninfull]

Hi everyone,

A question for the experts...how difficult is it to reroot hair? I bought a couple female heads off classic tv and doc Mego but they are both blonde. I'm really wanting a black for Zatanna and a red hair for a Poison Ivy. Should a newbie attempt or leave it to an expert?

Many thanks!

[Bizarro Amy]

It's not that difficult, just takes patience and time. There is a tutorial in Customego, but I think it suggests cutting the back of the head, and there's no need to do that step. If the vinyl or rubber of the head is stiff, you can make it a little more pliable by dipping it in warm water. This makes it easier to remove the hair.

[Afaninfull]

Hi Del,

Thanks so much for the quick response. As soon as I posted, I found the tutorial in the custom site. Isn't that the way it goes...

I need to switch computers to watch it. I have an iPad but it won't allow me to scroll down and view the tutorial. It's not easy being technologically challenged. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the rooting.

Thanks again!

[JediJaida]

If you need help with getting hair, needles, etc., just drop me a PM.

[Bizarro Amy]

I also buy from hair/beauty supply stores, but this place is usually a big help to me. Here's a link to their basic rerooting guide:
Doll Hair Rerooting Guide | RestoreDoll.com
I use regular sewing needles and stick with a method similar to that, but some people also like to use actual rerooting needles. Basicallly, the eye is open on one side. You put several strands of hair in the eye and poke it through the top of the doll's head. Then you can put some glue inside the head to keep the strands in place. I know that some people like this method, and some don't, because of the glue in the head. I haven't tried it yet, but I thought I'd mention it.
I don't know if rerooting needles are sold in stores or just a custom item. I know you can make them with wire cutters and then smooth the edges with a metal file.

[PNGwynne]

If the hair is very close together--around a part, for example, how can you remove the original hair to re-root without destroying the head?

I can see how Doc's "Gwen" head could be re-rooted due to the sparser original hair, but redoing a vintage Mego head seems problematic to me.

[Bizarro Amy]

Cut it down as close as possible. I've used needle-nose pliers to pull out more tufts, but it takes a while. That's where the hot water I mentioned comes in handy. You take a small dish of water, heat it for like a minute or two, so it's hot but not boiling. You can dip the head in the water and make the vinyl more pliable. That will make it easier to pull out the hair. There are some that are rooted so thick that all the holes connect and leave a gap. I've actually "sewn" over the gap with thin fishing line to help make new holes. That didn't work too badly. I've also just started rooting on the very outside of the gap. It just makes a wider part, but you have to be careful not to make the gap wider. So yeah, I guess it can be risky, but I've had very problems that I couldn't get around.

[bleit1701]

After the 'buzz' cut I use a "j" hook (like the hook a rug sets) from the craft store to scrape out the hair from the inside. It usually comes out in tufts and seems easier getting it out that way. Make sure the hook is small enough to fit in the neck hole.