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Reborn Baby Dolls Rooting 101 by Danielle Foster of Daisy Babies Nursery:
When you start rooting it is probably best to use a 36 or 38 gauge needle until you get the hang of it. Then move to a 40 for micro rooting if you want to. There are many different tools to use to hold your needle- any are fine- it is whatever feels good for you. I personally use uncut needles by themselves with a rubber band around the top so that I can grip the needle more easily. As far as needles the ones that I use now are from bountiful baby but I am sure you can find them in many places. They are a 38 gauge needle but are made for micro rooting- they have only 1 or 2 barbs on them so they grab less hair, but are much stronger than the 40 gauge needle. Here is a link to the ones I use- again- if someone on the board sells these- please let us know, but if not bountiful baby is great!
Link for needles: http://www.bountifulbaby.com/seaside/index/birthingsupplies/@OKHsAAEniicIWFaj/vGNxruBt
They are item #1143 on the website and also come in 36 gauge.
Other tools needed: Mohair- approx. ½ to 1 ounce for an average size head depending on the thickness desired. You will also need Modge Podge or some sort of glue to adhere the mohair to the inside of the head. I also use a spray in, leave in conditioner to make the hair baby soft.
Sanding the babies head to get rid of mold lines: I always sand any mold lines to give a nice smooth scalp. I personally use a dremel rotary tool with a sanding head for this. A word of advice- do NOT use the battery operated ones- they just don’t work as well- get the corded model instead. I initially sand off the lines using a medium speed. Once all the lines are off, I go back over the area on low speed to even everything out. I finish off using a buffing tool also on the low speed. The whole process is quite time consuming and takes about 45 min. for me. There will still be a very slight color difference between the head and scalp. I find that the oil wash will blend this in and it turns out a little more pink after the oil paints- which to me is desirable for a baby’s scalp.
Heating the head: There are various methods- some use glass beads, others use rice- both are placed in a sock and heated and them put inside the baby’s head. Wait a few minutes for the vinyl to soften and then you can begin rooting. If using rice in a sock- be sure to put a cup of water in the microwave as well- this will make the rice not burn and smell.
After sanding the head and completing ALL of your oil washes, you are ready to root the hair. I start at the forhead and work back to about the middle of the head, then I start at the bottom of the back and work up until it all meets and I can root in a circle for the little swirl at the back of the baby’s head. The most important thing to me is don’t root in rows- if you look at a newborns head the hair is not in rows. It is really in a random pattern VERY closely together- see attached photos-
There are 2 basic methods to actually rooting the hair- fan method, or rooting by one or two strands. I have done both methods. The single strand method is obviously the best for sparse rooting, however, I have found that with the new micro rooting needles you can achieve the same look as the single strand but use the fan method which is easier.
Single Strand Method: wrap one or two strand around your felting needle and poke though the babies head. This is great for sparse and realistic rooting but is extremely time consuming as you can imagine to do the whole head.
Fan Method: Fan a section of mohair over the head. Gently poke your needle in and out through the fanned mohair in a random manner- you don’t have to be really careful- the closer and more random you poke the better. You can always add more hair to any area you feel needs more by just repeating the procedure. The main thing is to put the needle in and pull it out at the same angle- if you bend the needle while it is in the head it will cause it to break- this is true for either method.
Regardless of which method you choose to use, angle the needle at the angle you want the hair to be- for example if you want the hair to lay flat you have to root it at an angle almost parallel to the head. If you simply root with the needle straight up and down (perpendicular to the head) the hair will stand up straight and not lay nicely. The most important areas as far as the hair laying flat are the forehead and low by the ears. I really try to root the hair flat in all areas though, unless going for a look for a baby with hair that stand up, LOL.
Once I have rooted the hair I really look closely at all the areas and add hair- or pull out hair as needed. Then I glue the inside with Modge Podge using a paint brush and I allow it to dry for at least a day before styling. To style the hair I use a spray bottle with water and leave in conditioner. I actually put the head on top of a wine bottle to raise it up so that I can trim the hair. I use hair cutting scissors and thinning shears as needed. Comb and style as you like.
Rooting Eyelashes: For a sleeping baby the technique is really the same as rooting the hair- heat the head, lay the hair flat and root it in- make sure the curl of the hair (if there is any) is pointing in the right direction as a natural eyelash would curl- this is the most important thing. For an awake baby you can root the lash but I do think it is a bit more difficult. I have not done this and Carol would have more experience to ask questions about this. Either way, be sure to adhere the mohair for the lashes with the Modge Podge as well!
Problem Areas: the biggest problem is probably the hair being frizzy or not laying down properly. Both can be taken care of in the same manner. Spray on a leave in conditioner and place a knee high stocking over the baby’s head- allow the hair to dry and then remove the stocking. This will help to tame the hair.
Well, that is it in a nutshell- I am attaching pics of some dolls I have rooted as well as of Lauren’s hair to see a real newborns hair patters- at least one example of it (sparse).
Danielle Foster of Daisy Babies Nursery
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