Gggroovydolls - blythe doll saran hair rerooting

Saran Reroot - I use the lock loop method to reroot. I learned about this method from Melissa of PuchiCollective. However, instead of using a crochet hook as many other people do, I have found it easier to use a needle.

Where to buy Saran? There are many sources, but I will list the three I have used.

RestoreDoll - www.restoredoll.com
To reroot one blythe doll with hair to her feet, I purchase 2 Large Format
*each order of large format comes with 2 skeins (2 bags) of hair, so you will be getting
4 bags of hair.

Dolly Hair - www.dollyhair.com
To reroot one blythe doll, with hair to her feet, I order FOUR 38" Hanks and cut them
in half.

Dollmore - www.dollmore.net
Dollmore carries many different types of hair for rerooting, so the amount you need will
vary depending on what you are ordering.

It's important to note that you may not use all of the hair. For example...I actually use about 3 skeins/bags of the large format from restoredoll when rerooting a Blythe. Sometimes I may use a little more. The more you use, the thicker and heavier the hair will be when you are finished.

Depending on the type of Blythe you have, you will follow the instructions for removing the scalp provided for EBL/BL, or SBL Blythe dolls. *Note...if you are working on an ADG blythe, you will follow the same instructions as for EBL/BL.

Supplies

Large Eyed needle
Small bowl
Pliers
Small rubber bands

Once you have the scalp removed, you will prepare the scalp by cutting the hair very short and close to scalp.

Turn the scalp inside out and using tweezers, pluck all of the hair out.

After you've removed all the hair, turn the scalp right side out.

You now have a clean scalp, ready for new hair.

The saran, if ordered from restoredoll.com, will come in a loop. You need to cut this loop.

When working with saran, I do not make my plugs up ahead of time. I take a chunk of the saran hair and wet it. I keep a small bowl of water in my lap to rewet individual plugs of hair...and I make the plugs up as I go.

I have tried my best to show the process by demonstrating on a piece of white paper.

Start by folding one plug in half, making a loop, and threading the loop thru the eye of the needle.

Stick the needle into the outer / top of the scalp...coming out on the under / inner side of the scalp.

When you pull your needle thru, the loop will now be sticking out on the inside of the scalp.

Make another plug, again fold it in half, making a loop and thread the loop through the eye of the needle, just as you did before.

Stick the needle through the outer / top of the scalp so that it comes out on the inside...

You want to bring the needle through the first loop.

Then, while holding onto the second loop, you will pull the tail of the first loop until it tightens/flattens down.
You can see how the loops will lock each other down.

You will continue doing the same with each plug...bringing it through the scalp, through the previous plug loop ...

..holding onto the current loop...

...while you pull the tail of the previous loop until it tightens down.

I start by rooting the part. First, I root the inner two rows that will be thatched. When I'm done rooting in those first two rows, I like to thatch the part before I continue.

Thatching the part, means that you work from one side to the other, crossing one hair over the other. You can choose to cross the plugs in whole, or you can split each plug in two sections when crossing for a very tightly thatched part line.

When I'm finished, I use rubber bands to secure the hair on each side.

I then root in the final two part line rows, one on each side and as close to the inner two as possible.

After the outer two part line rows have been added, I work my way from the crown (top of head) and continue rooting around and around throughout the field. You will want to do your best not to overfill plugs, because you do not want to end up with too much hair / hair that is too heavy. This is something that took me awhile to get the hang of.

When I first started rerooting saran, I had a tendency to use too much hair per plug and would end up having to skip holes in the field. I suggest looking at a stock blythe's hair. Notice how much hair is in each plug.

Whether you have filled every possible hole in the field or you opted to skip every other hole...you really will want to fill each and every hole in the very outer, scalp line row.

FINISHING - ANCHORING A PLUG - This is what I do to the last loop when I'm finished rerooting. You may also want to anchor a plug when you finish the two inner part line rows and when doing the outer rows individually.

You have your final loop. Now, instead of threading your next plug by folding it to make another loop, you will want to thread one end thru the eye of the needle and pull it thru the eye enough so that you have a small "tail." Put the needle thru the scalp, from the outside, very near the last loop. Pull the needle thru to the inside. Put the needle thru the loop, sticking it thru the inside of the scalp and pulling it back thru on the outside. This is now holding / anchoring your last loop. Pull the tails of this final plug of hair that you've rerooted to make sure it is tight. Then pull the tail of the last loop until it is flat against the inside of the scalp. I then will put a dab of Aleene's Tacky Glue on the spot.

I use Aleene's Tacky Glue to go over any places that I've started and stopped and any plugs that may seem looser than others. Aleene's Tacky Glue is water soluble, so I did test it to see what would happen when washing the hair. The glue does soften and becomes more liquid, but it will dry solid again. So, there shouldn't be any problems with shampooing the doll's hair in the future.

STYLING THE HAIR - After rerooting, the plugs will seem to be 'standing away' from the scalp (a fountain effect). This causes the hair to not lay right and makes it hard to style. I have used two different methods to correct this problem, boiling water treatments and ironing. I no longer use ironing at all, but I will give instructions below for those who want to try it. I only use the boiling water method and highly recommend it. There is less chance of damaging the hair or your blythe with the boiling water treatment, and it's my opinion that you will get a better result also.

Boiling water - Using boiling water will flatten and tame the saran. PLEASE, FIRST TEST A SMALL SECTION of hair in the back or use some extra hair if you have some to make sure that it can tolerate the heat. Some types of hair will be ruined by the heat...they will melt or frizz and kink up. Always do a test first!
Be sure to protect eyelashes and makeup. I use saran wrap and a towel. If the eyelashes get wet, they will fall out and I imagine boiling water could have a negative effect on some custom makeup also.
IF you are boiling water on the stove, even after you remove it from the heat, you should NOT dip the hair into the pan because the hair can melt from touching the bottom or sides of the pan. I suggest that you pour the boiling water from the pan into another bowl or dish and then you can either dip the hair in it or you can pour the water over the head. Or, you may only need to use the boiling water just at the part, or maybe just on the bangs. If so, you can use a small dipper (a tbsp measure works well) to apply the water just in the areas needed.
Personally, I boil my water in a bowl in the microwave. I remove it immediately when it begins to boil and leave it sit for 20-30 seconds before either pouring it on the hair or using a dipper to apply it to the hair.

Bangs Tip - To get bangs to lay nicely, I will use the boiling water method and then I place a small cap on the head or a nylon band over only the bangs for 24-48 hrs. I couldn't find a small and tight enough cap, so I made one out of the toe section of a sock.

Ironing - You can iron the hair to help it lay better. First wet the hair. Then, you will need a wet towel. Run the towel under water, soaking it. Then wring excess water out so it isn't dripping. You can NOT put the iron directly on the hair...it WILL melt the hair! You need to lay the wet towel on the section of hair you wish to iron and keep that towel between the iron and hair at all times. The wet towel will lay on the hair and you will iron on top of the towel, which will deliver heat/steam to the hair underneath. You need to keep wetting the towel in between ironing. Do not let the towel get dry. Also, be aware of where all parts of your iron are touching. You may be focusing on the tip of your iron, making sure it's on the wet towel and the back of your iron may be touching hair that isn't covered, causing it to melt.

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