Perfect Curls At Last!Nothing brings a reborn doll of color to life like the perfect hair texture. I hope this helps you find the perfect curl for your babies! Try it Before you Buy it!I have spent many years searching the web for the perfect curl for my Biracial, Latin American and African American lifelike baby dolls. Those years of searching for and buying hair has culminated in the ultimate Hair Texture Sampler for doll artists and collectors! Both human hair and mohair samples are available! Before you spend $15, $20 or even $100 on a pack of curls you may not love, my Hair Sampler will allow you to touch, feel, smell and even root over 16 hair varieties from different sources! Where Can I Get It?I send my Hair Sampler to customers commissioning a Portrait Doll or Custom Doll with curly hair free of charge after I've received the first installment. For artists, you can purchase the Hair Sampler in my Online Store. You have the option of: I like to root mohair on my infant dolls and human hair on my toddlers. If you're like me, the Mohair and Human Hair sampler is ideal! What's in It?The photos and information below give lots of detailed information - and my colorful commentary - on the hair you'll be able to try. Where I've used it, I even show a picture of it on the doll! Please note: this is a hair texture sampler, not a hair color sampler. Most of the hair I've collected is some form of brown. But I'll highlight other color options as I go. MohairMohair comes from angora goats. It is highly recommended for infant reborn dolls due to its fine texture. The diameter of mohair follicles is significantly smaller than that of human hair follicles. The Mohair Texture Sampler contains seven samples from different sources. Some of this hair is mass-produced while some is delicately processed by hand in small batches and made to order. Here is an overview of each one. (Scroll waaay down to view Human Hair options). MH 1: Ruby Red StraightThis is one of my go-to textures at CustomDollBaby.com. The colors are rich and consistent within and across batches. They are color fast and do not stain my dolls. The hair is smooth and soft. Quality is reliable. It's inexpensive. You simply can't go wrong with this stuff. Max Length: 5 in Comes in all colors listed above. Where to get it: Bountiful Baby, Andrea Hunter, or MacPherson, just to name a few. MH2: Ruby Red CurveSame as above on color and quality. Notice that the curl is only at the end of the hair. This isn't going to make a curly-haired doll. When rooted properly, the dolls hair will curve in a certain direction. So if you're new to rooting, but you want to use this product to give your baby locks with a bend, make sure you don't root it from the middle and chop off your curl. Root from the end as much as possible to preserve the shape of the hair. Max Length: 5 in Comes in all colors listed above. Where to get it: Bountiful Baby, Andrea Hunter, or MacPherson, just to name a few. MH3 & MH4: OOAK Yearling MohairMH3 and MH4 are two different batches of the same stuff on the Hair Sampler. This hair is made in small batches, so color and texture varies a little from one batch to the other - like yarn. Both are provided for comparison. At the time of this writing, I am rooting this hair for the first time. Its a lot curlier on the doll than it is in the bunch! It is extremely fine and luxuriously soft. Definitely a keeper for my Masterpiece Collection dolls! Texture: Natural Wavy - Curly Max Length: 5 in Color Options: Sunshine Blonde, Born Blonde, Fawn, Brown, Light Brown, Ash Brown, Reddish Brown, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Chocolate Brown, Black Where to get it: MacPherson Arts and Crafts MH5: Custom Mohair from eBayThis hair is really, really long and really, really soft. Its gorgeous and I have a lot of it. I'm really hoping one of my custom orders will give me a reason to use it! LOL Shoot me an e-mail if you would like to buy some. I won't post the seller's e-mail here so she doesn't start getting spam. Max Length: 10.5" Color Options: Custom Ordered. Dark Brown/Black shown MH6: A-Plus Custom MohairThis hair is more wavy than curly, but you can get it to form spirals. It is also extremely fine, so it takes a long time to root. Max Length: 5 in Color Options: Custom Ordered Find some at Etsy.com MH7: Sophia's Heritage CollectionThis is the only mohair I've seen that is actually processed into spiral curls. But as you can see, the curl diameter shrinks at either end of the hair, so I always find myself trying to grab those big puffy curls in the middle. Then because I'm rooting from the middle, it is difficult to achieve cuticle-aligned rooting. But I like it a lot for my Collector's Dolls. Also, you have to use rods or straws to revive those perfect spirals once its on the doll. And it is more prone to tangles. Aside from that, I've got no complaints. Max Length: 4.5 in Color Options: As Pictured: Light Blonde, Honey Blonde, Dark Blonde, Light Brown, Dark Brown, Black Find some at Dolls by Sandie. MH8: Curly Yearling MohairI purchased this from a different eBay seller a long time ago. It arrived wadded up as shown, and I haven't found an opportunity to root it to any doll. But it perfectly rounds out my sampler as mohair in a very natural state. The texture is natural, so do not expect perfect spiral curls. The color is also inconsistent, providing natural highlights and low-lights. And it smells a little like goat. :) It would probably look great on a fantasy/fairy doll. Max Length: 5 in Color Options: Chesnut Brown Human HairHuman hair generally comes from people. It is sometimes blended with synthetic fibers to reduce cost. Gray hairs show up on occasion. But I'm very diligent about sifting all those things out as I'm rooting. The so called "Natural Hair Movement" has created a bountiful market of gorgeous textures that did not exist 10 years ago. I'm very excited to take advantage of this opportunity for my toddler dolls. European Caucasian WeavingThough omitted from the Hair Sampler in order to focus on textured hair, I wanted to highlight the straight hair I use on my toddlers. BNG brand offers 100% European human hair that is unidirectional (root it from the middle, root it from the end, all good). Its high quality, very smooth and available in a variety of colors and lengths. The hair is wefted, enabling me to create my beautifully innovative half wigs for my Premium toddlers. Added bonus - it comes in lengths up to 18" long! You thinking what I'm thinking? Rapunzel doll! Available at the Black & Gold website. HH1 Virgin Brazilian 5AI'm still learning my way around the Virgin Brazilian market. But it is my understanding that 5A is the highest quality (purity?) and most expensive you can get. What I have is very loosely curled and really only at the tips. So it's mohair equivalent is the Ruby Red Curve in terms of texture. Since it is not processed, the Virgin hair only comes in black. It can be dyed, but I would only go to a professional colorist and have this done before the hair is rooted to the doll. Even then, I'd be a little weary of color bleed or fading. I found this on Amazon.com. HH2 Saga Bounce CurlSince this hair has been processed, I can get it in any of the typical colors listed above. But I'm limited to 8" in length. This hair curls up when wet, can be flat ironed straight and holds curling rod or curling iron curls with perfection. I really like the versatility this hair offers. Shown above in one of my innovative half wigs. Find it in your local beauty supply store - not Sally's, the one on the "other side" of town. You can also order online, but I recommend being able to touch it before you buy it. Not everything that says 100% human hair on the package is actually 100% human hair. HH3 Milky Way Spiral CurlThis is by far my most popular toddler hair, possibly because Zachary wears it so well. This hair is a little limited in length and color. At least last time I was in the store, I could only get up to 8" with a few selections of dark blonde and brown. It curls up beautifully when wet and makes gorgeous spirals when set with rods (I like to use Flexi-Rods). It has a tendency to get dry, but a little olive oil or shea butter cream keeps it happy and moisturized. I can see myself rooting a lot of this in the future. You'll find it in the same hair store as Saga products. HH4 Virgin Brazilian Tight CurlYep, I make wigs for dolls and for people. Like HH1, this is virgin hair and only comes in dark brown and black. Its smooth and soft and has a tight curl pattern. Because it is so curly, it's perfect for an African-American or Biracial toddler doll. Can't you just picture those precious little Afro puffs? I also found this at my local hair store - actually, my grandmother's local hair store. Planning to grab more next time I visit. Beautiful Secrets Hair HH5 - HH8The rest of the human hair sampler comes from Beautiful Secrets. Unlike the Virgin Brazilian hair that allegedly has not been processed at all, this is Asian hair that has been steam permed to mimic African American hair textures. It is not as soft as unprocessed hair. I haven't tried it on a doll yet, but if you really need that kinky, coily texture - even curlier than mohair - this is probably a good place to start. Color again is limited to black and brown, but you can get lengths up to 30" stretched(!!) (18" curled) if you're willing to pay for it. This stuff is not cheap in any length. Which is why you should really try it before you buy it. (In full disclosure, Beautiful Secrets also has a hair sampler which is a subset of my hair sampler for the same price. But you get more of the length and the weft - if that is somehow helpful. ) I hope I don't get flagged for talking about this stuff, but they sell this hair like lingerie. "Very Kinky Girl?" Wow. Where to buy it: BeautifulSecretsHair.com Congratulations! You made it to the bottom of the page. And I did too. Wheeew! Quick Q&AWhat is the difference between Indian, Brazilian, Puruvian and Remy hair?
How do I know if a brand is really 100% Human Hair?
Where do you find the perfect curl?
12 Comments
chi
9/25/2015 10:35:34 am
OMGoosh this is newsworthy FYI. I'm still a newbie myself and done a few reborns for my own collection. I decided to slow down in the rooting process because hair makes the doll and I want to learn greater the craft of rooting. Hopefully I want allow my excitement to put hair on my babies rush me into just rooting something on there head, lol. This FYI blog on hair is heaven sent. Thank you for sharing. It's amazing how you have your work so organize, very inspiring :) Great work :)
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Victoria Chaney-Paynes
4/12/2016 04:26:18 pm
I love the hair but I love Cadyn and like to purchase her. Can you tell me how.
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4/13/2016 01:50:37 pm
Thank you. Cadyn was a custom order and is no longer with me. You can begin the process of creating a doll like her in my Custom Ordering application: http://www.poll-maker.com/QZVT149
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Jamaya
6/2/2016 05:44:44 am
Hello Im going to be making my first full bodied silicone doll that is going to be biracial and i want her hair to be curly like tight but loose but mostly tight Im making the doll for myself and i just need your opinion for what hair type and wear should i find it and do u know how to make a silicone doll from a mold
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10/25/2016 12:06:02 pm
Hi Jamaya,
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le fouillé christine
12/17/2016 05:14:10 am
Hello, can you tell me where to buy the mohair: HH3 milky way spiral curl. Thank you for all your advice, I am French, excuse me for my bad English. Thank you and wish you a good day
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12/29/2016 11:29:03 am
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vanessa
12/29/2016 01:12:07 am
Bonjour, je suis à la recherche d'un mohair pour un petit nouveau né africain (donc plutot très frisé) en avez vous de dispo? qui ne soit pas epais?
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12/29/2016 11:26:54 am
Bonjour Vanessa! Je ne vends pas de mohair. Vous pouvez trouver de qualité mohair bouclé ici:
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johnita mccobb
6/13/2017 11:51:47 am
none of the faces look like the cayden doll. How could i order a doll with her face?
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Scherrie Damm
7/26/2021 01:35:23 pm
I'm going to try my first reborn. I need so much help, as what kind of needle to I use to root hair and where do I find it. I was able to find the Nuwave oven by watching you. I will not bother you with every question I have because i usually go to the internet. Thank you so much.
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Savannah
3/27/2023 10:17:57 pm
Hello, I'm kind of new to reborns. I just realized people might buy human hair for rooting, my husband has virgin hair and usually cuts off 3-5 inches every 6 months or so. I wondered 1. is that enough to root with? And 2. How would I find someone to purchase it? My little boy has wavy/curly red hair and is asking for a haircut and his is 8 inches (I am dreading ever cutting his :'( )
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AuthorHi! I am Kim. I've been creating dolls all my life. I started stuffing cotton balls into my mom's pantyhose when I was a little girl. Now I hand-craft dolls that look and feel like real babies. Archives
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