Now I'm trying my hand at customizing dolls, specifically, Monster High dolls. I love how how the joints bend for posing the dolls and the shape of their heads and bodies. They are an excellent resource for customizing. They have easy to remove heads due to their softness, which is also handy when rerooting.
So, step one, let's get rid of that hair! I have researched many methods and techniques and this was the quickest and easiest for me.
REMOVE HAIR
1) run the head of the doll under hot water to soften and expand the head to make it easier to remove.
2) once removed, if you plan on reprinting the face, (details in another post) now is the time to get off the factory paint. Use 100% pure acetone (nail polish remover) to wipe off the paint.
3) to remove hair, cut the existing hair off as close to the scalp as you can, then pour some acetone into the neck, to loosen the glue inside the dolls head.
4) Use anything you can fit into the head to scrape the glue from the scalp from the inside. As you scrape, most of the hair should come out. The best tool to pull the hair out of the inside of the head, are surgical clips with long handles, more comenly known as roach clips.
DIY REROOTING TOOL
Now you will need a rerooting tool. The best and easiest way is to get some tapestry needles and an X-acto knife. Remove the blade from the knife (you will not be needing it) and cut the end of one of the tapestry needles with wire cutters. (Terrible pic, I apologize).
If you haven't chosen a type of doll hair yet, there are many choices. I suggest you go to any beauty shop and select a package of fake or human hair weave. They come in different qualities, which vary in price, and cone in many natural and unnatural colors. You can buy the pony tail type ot sew on weave. It doesn't matter. I like alpaca mohair. It hasn't as strait or silky as weave, but can easily be dyed and have a great look. This is what I used for my custom doll.
ALPACA MOHAIR
Mohair comes either washed or unwashed, combed or uncombed. If you buy washed and combed, you are set go. If you buy unwashed, then it will be uncombed and you will have to wash it. I bought washed, uncombed. For this project, you will heed a wide tooth comb (I used a dog comb) and a stiff brisseled brush (I used a tooth brush). Later, you will need your rerooting tool.
Pick out a very small peice of mohair and find the ends. Use the comb to comb out the hair, starting in the middle and work your way to the ends. Then use to tooth brush (dampened) to condition the hair.
To the left is the piece you start with, then on the right is your finished piece.
REROOTING
Twist the hair at one end as tight as you can and slip it between the two pronged needle. Then, at an angle, stick the end of the needle, with the hair, into one of the holes on your dolls head. (I used a "build a monster" high doll, the do not come with hair. So I got to skip the hair removal part, but that also leaves no holes for a guide). I poked holes along the hair line with my needle as a guide.
Push the needle down as far as you can, watch the hair get to pushed in to ensure you got it. Pull the tool out. The hair will stay in. So much easier that threading! Give it a little tug to make sure it's in. Until you glue it, it will pull out, if pulled to hard.
Work along the outside edge, across the hairline on forehead, behind ears, along the base of the skull.
This is a very slow and tedious process, but well worth the work!
Finished pic posted when I finish! I will also repaint the face and post a DIY.
Here she is, hair complete and face painted. I customers made the dress too.
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| Etsy |
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