rerooting dolls question

[banditpony]

hi,

Ok to save money I'm going to buy a lot of dolls that have terrible hair issues. They are approximately 6 inches tall.

I've rerooted ponies, but I've never rerooted a doll. The biggest concern to me is the bangs.

Any tips you guys have for bangs?

And any tips for doing the crisscross thing where the hair parts?

Is there a specific type of hair that works best for dolls?

[Nemesis]

Here’s a Monster High head that I rerooted and added bangs to:
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The big difference with doll heads (and especially bangs) is that you want to create a kind of “perimeter” around the hairline. You want even, closely spaced plugs so that it looks neat and realistic. Once you’ve removed the hair from a few heads, you can study the factory rooting pattern, and alter it as needed. For bangs, I make a second “perimeter” row in front (so two parallel rows of neat, evenly spaced plugs), then comb one row forward and set it with hot water. The rows have to be very close together though, so that the parting looks natural.

You’ll probably have to punch new holes if you’re adding bangs or want to change the hairline (like to add a widow’s peak). Make sure to use a small enough needle for a 6” doll’s head, as you need to be careful of rips in the vinyl! Don’t worry, it’s not that difficult. Also, make sure you flatten it all down with boiling water before attempting to cut anything!

Good luck, and have fun! ^_^

[banditpony]

Thanks for all that info. I figured there'd be people with experience w/ monster high dolls here!

My bangs will need a curl under, so I hope that won't be so difficult. ; unfortunately i won't have hair to remove from the heads.. the lil buggers are already bald..

[Taffeta]

I still have a half rooted Lala head on my table at home so I can't comment on MH but I've rooted Jem dolls. I admit I never managed to root a fringe/bangs. I managed to root and weave a second colour in with the existing hair and make that work, but I've never managed (or really dared) to try with a fringe. Not least because some of the Jem dolls also have pretty bad fringes.

I think the hot water and maybe practicing the shape you want for the fringe on the hair while it's long will help you with styling it after you cut it.

Two big issues that I encountered rooting dolls over ponies. One, I ended up stabbing my fingers a lot. I never did that when rooting ponies, but dolls are so fiddly it's very easy to stab yourself. I suggest a thimble if you don't already use one for rooting...

The other is the problem of potentially ripping the holes close together. It depends a bit on what system you root with and what your tool is like, but sometimes the plastic is more delicate than other times. Making new holes is easier if you know where you need them, but some dolls have extremely close together rows of hair at the front or in the parting. It makes sense to take that carefully...