Rerooting with Mohair - need some advice

[TexasGal]

Hey all - I need some advice on what to do.  I am going to be learning how to reroot with mohair, and I wanted some advice on several things. (this is for a MH doll, btw)

1. How much mohair do you need on average for a girl head?  I am hearing that 1 ounce is about right, but I don't want to under/over order. 

2. When you rehair with the mohair, do you need to do every single plug or do you skip plugs, etc?  How big of a plug does it take to do one?

3. Is the tool or knot method better?

4. I would love some recommendations on what else I could use besides mohair that is a cheaper option, or just another good option!  I have been prowling the internet for a few days and have several ideas, but I would love to hear input from other customizers! 

[kadytheredpanda]

Hi, I never rooted with mohair, but from what I know from recently finishing my first reroot on a Ken with nylon:

1. The amount you need depends on the intended finished length. It's always safer to get slightly more than just the "right" amount because out of a lot of rerooting mistakes (e.g. taking more hairs to reroot only for half to fall off and become a tangled mess, etc) I ended up wasting a lot of hair in the process.

2. I managed to get away with 80% of my hair being plugged before I ran out from waste. It looks fine except for some parts with only one or two hairs plugged in versus three or more. I also painted the plug area with acrylic paint close to my intended hair color and it helped.

3. I tried knotting first and despite it securing the hair without the need for glue it took me literally half an hour to do one plug because even with my smallest needle it was a huge effort to remove it from the head and to knot (I started at the hairline). The tool method is much quicker (I could do a line within the same period elasping to finish one plug with the knot) and more precise IMO. Just be sure to use FabriTac when you're done.  It becomes waterproof when dry so when you boil the head to style the hair doesn't fly off. You will get some stray hairs pulled out when brushing and/or boiling but don't worry. They probably weren't in the head to begin with.

4. I'm not sure of the look you're going for (because texture) but nylon is cheap as well. Good nylon is soft and it wasn't hard styling with it.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your doll!

[NoDivision]

When ordering Mohair I always try and get a bit extra - better safe than sorry. Depending on the quality of the hair you'll get some tangles and some short pieces so it's usually better to have extra. 1oz should be plenty but if you find a color you like and arent sure if you'll be able to get a match for again, you might want a little extra.

When I've used mohair on ponies, I've skipped a plug hole or two. If you're keeping it curly and fluffy is really fills in the space. Obviously around the root line around the face you'll want to be more thorough.

I'd suggest the tool method.  Mohair and other natural fibers can be fiddly and temperamental, haha. Best to just use a tool and stab it on in there and then glue the inside.