~ ` Elevating the ART of Reborning Excellence' ~

Out of all of the many intricate and varying aspects of the complicated ART of the Reborn process, there is one technique that seems to stymie, confuse & frustrate many New Reborn Artists more than anything else... "Micro-Rooting"

True Micro-Rooting consists of the accurate and strategic placement of Hair across the entire Head of a Doll, (Following the natural hairline of a real Infant) with no more than 1-3 hairs per follicle. More Hair in the follicle than this is no longer called Micro-Rooted, but is called "Hand Rooted".

Since Human Hair grows from the Head in such a way, and is so difficult to actually observe without microscopic aid or magnification, I'm going to attempt to de-mystify the basic tips & techniques that will hopefully lead to micro-rooting more life-like and realistic heads of Hair.

Observe a live newborn's Head of Hair;

As you can see, the hair of this particular newborn is quite wispy altho' quite full at the same time. The scalp is extremely visible through the thousands of fine strands. (Note the detection and presence of tiny veins also.)

This is by far the most difficult baby 'style' of Hair to micro-root, as there can be no more than 1-3 mohair strands of hair per follicle. This requires also perfect 'placement' of each follicle to insure there are no overlapping follicles. Much care must be taken to insure you don't insert (again) into a follicle you've already inserted a hair into.  More than 3 strands per follicle would also result in what we call 'plugs'. Very undesirable and unsightly. This is where 'Magnification' comes into play and is essential to achieving a 'realistic' Head of newborn wispy Hair.

I use both 3.50 magnifying Reading Glasses and a 3X to 6X magnification (or better) magnifying Lamp, mounted on a swivel floor base similar to the one shown in the Photo below.

 You can purchase one like the one pictured in the above photo from "ProLineParts" on eBay for under $30.00 including Shipping. It's an investment you'll never regret.

You will also need a 60 Watt 'natural daylight spectrum' bulb for this magnifying Unit, as you want to be able to 'see' as you would under natural daylight lighting conditions. Fluorescent lighting is far too umber in it's undertones and makes it much more difficult to see actual details.

Now that we've established some recommended fundamental TOOLS to the Micro-Rooting process, we'll now get on to my actual tips & techniques.

Bear in mind, I am only one Reborn Artist out of hundreds, and many Artist's Micro-Rooting tips & techniques may vary tremendously from mine. There are no methods superior one to the other... the final results determine whether a technique actually 'works'. I have found my techniques to render rather pleasant and realistic results. I've also found my personal techniques take a lot of the frustration out of this process, and for me, it has even become a relaxing and enjoyable process. I usually listen to upbeat & relaxing music while I micro-root. This helps to heighten your concentration and makes the time go by faster.

Remember: Don't over tire yourself.... take many breaks and take your time. Patience is key. Believe it or not, with practice, you'll be amazed at how quickly you can masterfully micro-root a head of infant Hair. It generally takes me anywhere from 40-60 hours to do a wispy Head... but I know of other fabulous micro-rooting Artists who can micro-root a perfect Head in 20 hours and/or less! (I'm not the fastest, that's for sure! LOL)

 

 Eve's Micro-rooting Tips & Techniques
 

Rubbing Alcohol & cotton balls / Q-Tips -  (for removing white gel Pen marks or pencil marks)

40 Gauge felting needle or smaller - 42 Gauge is recommended. (The finer/slimmer the felting needle, the less likely you are to gouge the Vinyl, creating big 'holes', while further eliminating the likelihood of rooting too much hair per follicle resulting in unsightly & undesirable 'plugs'). I use a 40 Gauge needle, but I frequently pull excess 'hairs' from many of the follicles I micro-root because of this.

White Gel Pen - (Found at many/most Craft Stores in the stationeries/scrap booking sections)

Blow-Dryer - (For heating & softening the Hard Vinyl Head as needed during Micro-rooting) - The 'Rice-Sock' Method works well also.

 E-Mail me for the instructions on the Rice-Sock Method.

* I always start at the forehead and work towards the crown of the Head, inserting the felting needle at an extreme angle (almost level to the head) and always insert in the direction towards the crown. This insures the hair lies 'flat' against the head without the need of stockings or caps after completion of the micro-rooting process. Natural Hair grows at these extreme angles, so it's always best to emulate what is found in Nature.  I then 'dot out' the Natural hairline with a white Gel Pen to insure balance & symmetry of design throughout.  Always insert each strand of Mohair deeply into the vinyl head. (You want significant length of Hair inside the Head to seal securely with water resistant glues or sealant later.) I use about one inch  'chunks' of Mohair when I micro-root. I just lay the one-inch chunks flat against the Head & insert the Felting needle through these. The while gel pen "dots" are easily removed afterwards with the rubbing Alcohol and Q-Tips or Cotton swabs. Try not to allow the Alcohol to come into direct contact with the Mohair, as alcohol is quite drying and could quite possibly damage the Mohair. I usually 'erase' the gel pen dots as I go along.. removing them prior to micro-rooting over the area where I made the 'dot'. (Hope this makes sense... lol)

* Note the white gel pen 'dots' in the above & following Photo? Talk about taking a lot of the guesswork out of this process!

I know it's difficult to see, but each implanted hair is right next to the previous one. Each 'follicle' is separated in distance about the size of an actual follicle - or width of a single hair. The size of the tip of a toothpick is acceptable also. I know you've read numerous Reborn Tutorials that instruct you to 'space' the follicles/hairs further apart on the sides (and areas you wish to be more wispy) while spacing more closely in areas where the hair appears more dense or thick. I think this results in 'bald' patches in places... and doesn't render ultimate realism to the Human eye, or hold up to the magnifying scrutiny of digital Camera photos. While this tip/teaching is not 'wrong', I just think mine renders more realistic results.

 Instead, in areas that require a more 'sparse', wispy or 'see through' effect, (Such as along the natural hairline, temples and crown), only micro-root a single strand of hair... but keep your follicles very close, without overlapping or re micro-rooting through an already rooted follicle. You should 'comb' the already micro-rooted hair with the Eyebrow/Eyelash brush periodically to remove tangles. This also aids in your ability to accurately 'see' what you've done so far. The Hair should actually appear to be 'growing' from the scalp, and your 'follicles' should actually resemble human hair follicles, with no wide 'gaps' or bald spots anywhere on the head. The Hair, when combed in any or all directions should closely resemble the Photo below.

I also 'pre-cut' my Mohair into different lengths prior to micro-rooting, so no "scissor or razor cutting" is ever required afterwards. Use the longer lengths on the top of the Head, and along the crown area. Use shorter lengths all around the natural hairline, sides of the Head & temples. I've used two predetermined, pre-cut lengths of Mohair for this illustration, but there are some cases where I use three or four. It depends upon the style I'm shooting for.

** I know it's rather hard to see, so I've included a darker photo below to help. Did that help?... LOL **


 

** Tips to Remember & consider **

* Pre-heat the Vinyl Head for greater Micro-Rooting ease. Heating the Vinyl primarily prevents 'poke holes' from the needle and needle breakage.

* Each Micro-rooted 'hair' becomes a 'follicle'... keep them close as they appear in real-life.
 
* Use extreme Magnification to insure no follicle 'overlapping' or 'plugs'
 

* No more than 3 strands of hair per 'follicle'... otherwise it's no longer a true Micro-Root.

* You'll know you've got it 'right' when you're able to comb the hair in ALL directions to create a 'part' anywhere, with no gaps, bald spots or plugs.

* When finished Micro-Rooting, seal the the Hair (inside the Head with a water resistant product or glue) to prevent loss when combing.

 * Spritz a little of leave-in hair conditioner on the Hair and style. Allow to dry naturally.

 * Now! Someone finish this Head for me! *