Learning Center

Do's & Don'ts of Mohair Care

You've been rooting for days and finally your baby is finished. You turn her head over to get a good look at your masterpiece and... oh horrors, what a fright! If this is your first attempt at rooting a baby you will probably be filled with despair. Don't worry, though, it's not nearly as bad as you think.

First of all, please resist the urge to throw your baby's head in the trash. Instead spray the head all over with a good leave-in detangler such as Secrist's "Silken Child" and then comb through the mohair with a fine tooth comb. This will serve two purposes. First, it will put some much needed moisture into the mohair and, second, it will allow you to see if your rooting pattern is pretty even. This will be a good time to touch up missed spot's and even out hair lines if necessary.

Next, you will want to seal your baby's head from the inside. This is a very important step as it will allow you to wash, cut, comb and style your baby's hair without worrying that you will pull all the hair out. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is what I recommend and use for this although any glue that dries clear and flexible will do. Allow to dry.

At this point your baby's hair is rooted and sealed and it's time to give her a really great hair style. A style that looks like it hasn't been styled at all. Since most babies don't come into the world freshly coiffed, your do doesn't need to look like it was done by a hair stylist, but you do want it to suit your baby's face and features and not be a chopped up mess. To do a good job you need the right tools, so please treat yourself to some professional hair styling scissors. I tried the Secrist scissors and really liked them. They are a nice weight and fit my hand well plus their small enough to cut even the tiniest little head of hair. If you try to style your baby's hair using your old good for everything scissors you might end up with something that's good for nothing.

Start off slowly. You don't want to whack off too much right from the start. Spray the hair with the detangler/leave-in conditioner (you can use water if you want but I recommend using the conditioner since mohair can sometimes get frizzy when it's overworked) and comb it straight up. Then, using your finger's for a guide, trim off the ends evenly. Continue to do this, combing the hair at different angles until you have evened out all the ends. At this point you may want to spray on more detangler and play around with the hair to see if needs to be shorter or if you like the length as it is. To finish your style a razor comb is good for adding some texture and for giving the edges that uncut look of a new baby. Again, go slowly and be careful not to take off too much. You can always keep trimming or thinning but if you end up with a big chunk of hair gone you have a problem.

Now you have a basic cut, but what next? When you first started your baby, you chose a hair color that you thought most suited her features and skin tone. Well, the same goes for the style. Some sculpts just seem to need a curly do while other's need something sparser, or straighter or spikier, etc. I am always amazed by how a different color or style can make the same sculpt look entirely different. Your Zoe may look so pretty with her soft blonde curls while my Zoe looks quite sassy (sleeping though she may be) with her dark spiky hair style. The color and hairstyle you choose adds another dimension to your baby that is like your signature.

Almost all mohair has a little wave to it and, if you have rooted your baby's hair in the natural direction hair would normally grow, you will have a wide range of styles to choose from. Only the very straightest mohair will resist curling. In most cases you can dampen the hair with your leave-in conditioner (I really love this stuff) and either scrunch the hair with your fingers or comb it around your finger and ... voila, you have curls. Try some different techniques such as swirling the hair with a comb or brush or running your fingers through it and pulling it upward in spikes. You will be surprised at the different looks you can create using some very simple techniques.

If the mohair you used is really straight and resists your efforts to curl it, you can use tiny sponge rollers to create curls. Spray the baby's head good with conditioner and then wrap small amounts of hair around the curlers and allow the hair to dry. It won't take very long to dry but, if you're really impatient, you can use your blow dryer on low to speed things up. I tried the rollers and they worked pretty well. You do need to be mindful of the direction you are rolling in. If you have the curler's going every which way that's the way the curls will be. Try to remember to have the rollers all going in the same direction. If you're old enough to remember the day's before blow drying you know that the top curlers should be rolled toward the back except for the one on the forehead, which should be rolled forward. The sides and back should all be rolled downward.

Secrist has a very nice selection of baby hair accessories and I played around with all of them. Depending on the length and thickness of your baby's hair you have a lot to choose from. The headbands, of course, can be used on any baby no matter how much or how little hair and always add a nice finishing touch for your baby's hair style. Plus there are different styles and colors to go with any outfit whether it's dressy or casual. The Scrunchies work better on a baby with thicker hair, but can create a very impish look for your baby and are particularly cute with more casual outfits. The Mini Barrettes will work with a moderate amount of hair and can be used with both casual and dressy outfits. The Clip Bows (my favorite) are quite dressy and will look very stylish with your baby's finest attire.

Styling your baby's hair and trying different looks can be lots of fun, so don't be afraid to experiment with new styles and accessories. Besides, why go to all the trouble to root that great head of hair if you're not going to enjoy playing with it some? Try to avoid using the same style for every baby you make. The style that look's great on one baby, may not be the best choice for another. Use a good leave-in conditioner to avoid frizzy hair and, most important of all, arm yourself with the best tools for the job at hand. They may cost a little more but the results will be worth it and you won't be sorry when you look at the end result.

By Cindy Parker-Katz

I am sure many of you have used different products to give your beautiful newborn or reborn doll the final touch of realism. When looking at a doll you need to feel like you're looking at it's soul. When the eyes are filled with depth it makes you forget the doll isn't real and it is as if you're looking at a living, breathing baby. Aleene's Paper Glaze is a wonderful product that brings your doll to life. The realism it adds to the eyes is amazing.

It has many special properties, one being that it stays exactly where you put it! This allows you to use it in different areas of the face to express the feeling you want your baby to convey. Aleene's paper glaze dries crystal clear and can be layered for more depth. Another great advantage is that you can use it on the vinyl itself. This allows you to add tears, moisture to the lips, the mouth and even a little to the nose if you want it to look like it is a little runny.

One problem that a lot of artists have is they use to much of a product when trying to make it look natural. Some times when using the wet look for tears the baby ends up looking sick or un-natural, which defeats the purpose. You can add more layers with this product if it doesn't give you the look you want with a light touch. Another thing you want to remember is that you don't want to put the doll in the oven once the glaze is applied.

So let me take you through the processes of using the paper glaze on a finished doll. With a closed eyed baby you can use it right out of the container through the tiny hole in the cap or you can take a toothpick and put a drop on the tip of it. Then spread a thin layer of Aleene's Paper Glaze into the crease of the eyes before rooting or adding eye lashes. The crease of the eyes gets a little extra shine that makes it look like a touch of moisture. This just gives the doll a nice professional extra touch. You may want to leave a little extra glaze at the inner corners or outer corners of the eyes. Make sure you let it dry thoroughly before adding lashes.

For open eyes it's best to use the glaze on the eyes before placing them in the eye socket. If you glaze the eyes before inserting them make sure you have a place to set them down to dry. If it's a full round eye it will be top heavy and may roll onto the Iris and ruin the glaze. (Learn by my mistakes!) Let it dry completely and if you want a deeper look add another layer. If you have a scratched or dull eye, this glaze will bring it back to life and hide the scratches. It does wonders!

A really neat trick I discovered was that you can paint bright red spots with genesis heat set paints on the white of the eyes, then set the paint with the dryer. Next you coat the whole eye with the glaze and let it dry thoroughly. Then insert the eyes into a newborn doll and turn the eyes to see as much or little of the red as you want before gluing in place. This looks very realistic when newborning.

If you want a wet look in the eyes and they are already inserted in the head, you can still add Aleene's paper glaze. To make the baby look sad or as if it is crying, make sure the glaze is on the bottom ledge and corners of the eyes. You can also put a few drops rolling down the cheek. You can use the toothpick, brush, or straight from the bottle for the tear drop look.

If you make a mistake you can always remove the glaze. I like to use a non-acetone nail polish remover. Using a pointy cotton swab will help you to stay in control of where you put the nail polish remover. Put a drop of remover on the pointy cotton tip and then touch it on the glaze you want removed. Let it sit for a few seconds then wipe it off with a dry swab. This takes practice but can be done without any paint removal. If any paint does come off you can always touch it up with genesis paints and set it with heat.

To add an amazing shine to the lips after the painting is finished, take your clean filbert brush and put a dab of Aleene's Paper Glaze on the tip. Start in the middle of the lips at the deepest part and spread the Glaze around from corner to corner. Then start to pull the Glaze upward and downward on the lips to the edges. Stay inside the lip lines unless you want it to look like it is drooling. This will add a natural wet look to the lips. When doing an open mouth it's good to have a little extra glaze sitting in between the lips and the gums again not to thick or it will stay cloudy. Also the tongue should always be wet.

To clean the brushes I dip them in the non-acetone nail polish remover and wipe them off so they aren't sticky, then I wash them in soap and water. I also put a pin in the hole at the top of the glaze bottle. This keeps it from clogging or drying out.

Just remember to take your time, practice, and have fun with it. You will be bringing to life your own original, one of a kind, adorable, life like piece of art!