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 Rooting mohair:
This little one has hand rooted hair and eyelashes. We sure do love her.
Use one or two hairs at a time - cut in 3" to 4" lengths - and fold in half. Catch the loop on the tip of the felting needle and gently and slowly push the hair into the scalp at an angle (the way the hair grows) following the hairline pattern on the scalp.
Plunge the felting needle twice or three times to make sure the hair is tangled with the barbs inside the head and there is sufficient hair inside the head for the glue to secure after rooting. Rooting cannot be rushed and look decent.
Saving a frizzy head of mohair:
You can save a rooting job by using Infusium hair conditioner. Wet the hair, put on the conditioner, leave it for two minutes and rinse it out, but leave a little in when you rinse it out, and comb it (I use a carding comb - the ones I have in my online catalog). Put a knee high on the head and let dry. You will be amazed at the difference.
When rooting the head the vinyl is easier to work with if softened. Some reborners warm a sock full of rice in the microwave with a glass of water. The head is easier to root with the sock inside the head heating it.
Rooting Eyelashes:
Rooting eyelashes is quick and easy. Simply use the mohair (or whatever else you are rooting the baby's head with - human hair, synthetic) and root the baby's eyelashes with it. It really isn't that difficult, if you can root a head, you can root eyelashes - exactly the same way. Don't root in the crease, it's unnatural - root just above the eyeball on the ridge - just like the way your own eyelashes grow. Go easy, one strand at a time and trim in a crescent shape when done.
Sometimes, we cripple ourselves with fear of a concept or method before we even try it because of reading other's horror stories about it. Give it a try - you just might like rooting eyelashes, and if you don't...at least you tried ;-)
What to root with:
A sewing machine needle, size 9 or 11 can be cut with a pair of wire cutters across the eye to make a 'fork", then sand the tines down so they are sharp with no barbs. You may not even have to sand the needle down if you are careful. Place the sewing machine needle in a pin vise or exacto knife handle that has the "x" opening and root with that.
We prefer felting needles - size 38 or 40 gauge - and find that they are cheaper than the sewing machine needles. However, if you happen to run out of felting needles and have a head that has to be finished right away or have a supply of sewing machine needles sitting around, they can work okay as well. The sewing machine needles do tend to leave bigger holes, though and it is easier to root too much hair into each plug if you are not careful.
Hints for not breaking needles:
1. SLOWLY root, a gentle push won't break a needle but a sharp jabbing motion will.
2. Always root at the same angle. If you change direction when your felting needle is partially in, it will break, guaranteed.
3. Heat the head by warming an item in the microwave and putting it inside the head, then stuffing the neck closed with a towel to keep the heat in. You could use a sock filled with rice or beans or a some other item heated up. Be sure not to root in the sock or other item :-)
Hints for dealing with mohair:
1. Only buy the best quality.
2. If you want curly hair on your baby - buy curly mohair, if you want straight, buy straight. You cannot curl mohair that will stay curled satisfactorily for any length of time and customers will be disappointed.
3. DO NOT card mohair before you start rooting. Notice that there are a lot of reborners who complain about dry frizzy hair? That mohair has been over-worked. Mohair reacts just like real hair - can you imagine your own hair treated like that?
4. Carding DOES have it's place - when you have started rooting the mohair, you can salvage some of the waste mohair by carding it to get the fibers to lay straight. Gently run the plastic comb (that's what we use instead of a steel hard carding comb) through the hair to get the excess and then pull the combs across each other in opposite directions. If you have a mass, you can push it back into a bunch, but we don't recommend carding the mohair any more than absolutely necessary.
5. When you have finished rooting your baby, gently spritz the mohair with a leave in conditioner and put a knee high over the head. Pull it right down over the baby's face and leave it on until the hair is dry.
6. Carefully take the knee high off your baby's head and DON'T comb or card the hair again. You will have a lovely head of hair. If the hair is curly and you want the curls to stand out, carefully dampen the tips of your fingers and gently work the curls to where you want them.
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