Rerooting a MH Doll

[toralei]

Alright, I have some questions for everyone who's rerooted a Monster High doll before.... or any doll, really!


1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?


2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?


3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?


4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?


4) What are some important things to take note of?


((Sorry if a thread like this isn't allowed... I just like to do a little research/ask questions before doing some sort of new activity!)

[Alrak]

1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?
Rehairing tool. So easy to use.

2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?
At least 2, 3 for superlong hair.

3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?
No advice here, sorry.

4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?

I only did a CAM.


4) What are some important things to take note of?
Take extra care making new holes a d removing the glue, they had such delicate, soft heads!

Good luck! <3

[midnightsun]

1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?
Knot method. It takes longer but its securer.


2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?
2-3 saran. 3-4 nylon


3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?
Saran is great for natural colours but unnatural tend to feel a bit strange. Nylon is great for all colours but it can frizz.


4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?
Easy peasy. Just warm it up in a hot water bottle and it'll pop straight back on.


4) What are some important things to take note of?
Watch out for splits. It can happen when removing hair or making holes. It can be easily sorted by sewing it up but best avoided. Just take your time and have an idea of how you want it to look. Find a good tutorial for partings. If you're doing a ponytail there's no need to reroot the whole head.

[PandaBerryInSpace]

1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?
I use the reroot tool and secure it with glue. It's pretty secure, as long as you don't pull really hard on it.

2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?

I don't know. The first time I rerooted, it was a ponytail so I had tons of hair left over, and I was using two colors anyway. I just get the 38-inch hanks from Dollyhair, just to make sure I have plenty...


3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?

Saran has a lot of natural colors and it's really soft, but it's also incredibly greasy. It's honestly not my favorite type of hair to deal with. Nylon is shinier and has more colors available, but it's nowhere near as soft. It's basically MLP hair. I prefer nylon because it's not greasy.
4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?

I wouldn't know, I only ever did a CAM. However, I wouldn't recommend taking the stick thing that keeps the head on out, because I tried that when I put a CAM head on a Ghoulia body, and it wasn't a very good idea. :I


4) What are some important things to take note of?

If you're using the reroot tool and using an original MH head, use a really small needle. I haven't tried rerooting an original head, but I have a feeling that if you use a large needle it'll cause a big rip and that's never fun. :I

[Ravie]

1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?
I use the knot method. It's easy it just takes a little more time than using the reroot tool but is much more secure.


2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?
Depends on what length you're going for. I get one 38" hank of Saran and quarter it, that gives me length almost to their feet (it at least hits the back of their thighs) if I want shorter hair, I just knot both ends of the plug and cut it in half. Or with boy hair, I knot the now shorter strands again and cut them in half! Even with CaM heads, I have hair left over and they use much more hair (because their heads have more surface) than the regular dolls.


3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?
I like to use Saran. Nylon has many more colors, it's true, but my personal preference is Saran, it just feels better to me.


4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?

Not too, just push it on and wiggle a bit. The trick is getting it off, which I do by hooking my fingers over the shoulders with one hand and pulling straight and steadily with the other.

4) What are some important things to take note of?
The glue!!!!!! OMFG the glue! >.< Of the dolls I've dehaired, only 2.0 Clawdeen didn't have massive amounts of glue in her head. Just be careful that while your trying to clean out a head that you don't end up messing up the faces. I did that with my very first one, my original Lala. Just make sure you have the proper tools, even then, make sure you have extra. Both Clawds I dehaired broke a crochet hook I was using. They're now bent 90 degrees and I still have to do another one. You will need pliers and strong hands and patience.

[DoomBunnies]

1) What method do you think is easiest for rerooting?
Reroot tool- trust me. I've done both, and needle and thread took me about a month off and on, while the tool took only about a week or two, same kind of pausing.


2) How many many hanks would you recommend getting?
Pony hanks? 3-4. My biggest recommendation is to go through DollyHair and buy from the dolls section instead, the hanks are a lot fuller. One hank of the longest size, cut in half just barely gets a doll full, but the hair goes past their feet then, something I only realized after I got the head back on.

3) Would you recommend saran over nylon (or vice versa)?
Saran is fluffier, and static-y,but what Mattel actually uses so it's more authentic. It's evil with needle and thread, but the reroot tool handles it well. I haven't rehaired a doll with nylon, but I think if you prefer the colors/textures go with that.

4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?
Not tooo bad, but when removing the head OR taking it off, because the barbs of the lil plastic dildo thing ('s what it reminds me of, so what I call it) that supports the heads will bend, and sometimes the head won't stay up well afterwards. Mind you, this could also just be an issue that Gloom Beach Cleo had, because a non customized doll of her had the same holding her head up issue.

4) What are some important things to take note of?
Don't boil the head if you can help it unless you plan to repaint it from scratch- the paint will peel off. Use a hair dryer on low or a heat gun on the head instead, focusing on the back of the head to get out the inner glue and last of the hair. It worked much better for me, and preserved the paint.
ALSO! Notice how they always paint the heads close to the hair color? It helps the doll look more natural- the plugs are very scattered in the center, so painting and sealing the scalp before you start, even if the paint flakes, helps to hide this thinness when you style the hair.

Another thing to note is that while the acetone is fine on the heads, it does melt the bodies just a bit, so if you want to remove Frankie's stitches keep that in mind. Not sure you plan to, but I wanted to get that out there.

[toralei]

4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?
Not tooo bad, but when removing the head OR taking it off, because the barbs of the lil plastic dildo thing ('s what it reminds me of, so what I call it)

 


Okay, so a lot of people are recommending the reroot tool. I watched a tutorial by mylittlecustoms and you just sort of (after looping, obviously)... go through the hole? Like I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

And with the glue, do you just pour some in the head?

OOH and also, for those of you who've ordered the tool from dollyhair- how long did it take to get to you?

Sorry for so many questions 

[DoomBunnies]

4) How difficult is it to get the head back on?
Not tooo bad, but when removing the head OR taking it off, because the barbs of the lil plastic dildo thing ('s what it reminds me of, so what I call it)

 


Okay, so a lot of people are recommending the reroot tool. I watched a tutorial by mylittlecustoms and you just sort of (after looping, obviously)... go through the hole? Like I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

And with the glue, do you just pour some in the head?

OOH and also, for those of you who've ordered the tool from dollyhair- how long did it take to get to you?

Sorry for so many questions

It took me about two weeks longer for the reroot tool than it usually takes me to get the hair, so 3.5 weeks instead of just 1-1.5. And no, it's overall that simple; so long as the plug isn't too thin the plastic squishes back around it to hold it in place, and holds well- I only had about 7 plugs pop out the entire time I was working, and since they have near 600 plugs a head that's really good.
And yeah, I squeezed out a blob of glue and then used a q-tip to swirl it around a bit more and make sure it got everything.

[toralei]

Oh my god. I have so many questions (thank you for your patience =P )


Is the size 8 needle fine for MH dolls?

[DoomBunnies]

Oh my god. I have so many questions (thank you for your patience =P )


Is the size 8 needle fine for MH dolls?

I like to talk so. And Uuum? I know I just grabbed a pack of standard needles from walmart that were metal, and use the middle size in those packs.

[toralei]

Hm... maybe I will pick other needles up. Here's the picture from Dollyhair i'm looking at:
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[DoomBunnies]

Nod. I just got the tool, and the needles it came with, and then eyed the sizes when I bought replacement needles. If you've got a needle nose pliers, the wire cutter edge snips the edge of the eye and it works just as well and is much cheaper than paying for the replacements.

[PandaBerryInSpace]

I never even used the needles I got with the tool... I just got my own from this big needle pack and snipped the eye myself.

Oh, and I can answer the question about putting the head back on the doll -- it's not that hard at all!

[toralei]

Amlright, I got my hank in the mail today! I have a question- is the little black twisty thing indicative of where it halves, or do you halve it once again to have it halve (talk about a tongue twister)


I feel kind of dumb asking these questions... but I don't want to mess up!

[DoomBunnies]

It's roughly at the halfway point, but mostly it's there to help you keep it all together. I usually take off part of the hank, cut and root that, and then take another part. If you're not careful, the hair goes eeeverywhere, and smaller chunks are easier to manage.