The rooting technique’s almost the same - but the fun of mohair is in the dyeing and prepping!
All you need is a box of RIT, mild dish soap, salt, a pot of boiling water, and a little creativity!
For the most versatility and control over your finished color, I recommend you buy bundled mohair. Wefted mohair can be used, but you’ll need to cut it off the weft before rooting it. About 1.5-2 ounces (1.5 yards of weft) is enough to cover a Blythe (SBLs take a little more than EBLs). for the poofy look, buy curly mohair. Wavy mohair will be more smooth.
First you will need to carefully cut the rubber-band and gently wash the banded end by rinsing it in warm soapy water. (Do not agitate it much with your hands or the fibers will lock.)Split the bundle into four or five smaller sections. Wet the hair. You will have to add a little soap to break the surface tension and get through the oils in the hair.
Set up your dyebath - for my project, I decided I wanted a varied, dip-dyed look, so I made several small dyebaths of varying intensities. (Ignore the directions on the box - you need a pretty concentrated dye if you want a bold color.) Don’t forget a pinch of salt and soap!Pull out a tiny section of hair and do a test-strip first to acquaint yoursef with how long it will take to achieve the desired color.I used a bamboo stick to hold the tips of my hair out of the dye, since i wanted them very light. I left my hair in the boiling dye for 2 or 3 minutes.
RINSE each section thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear. Do not agitate them if possible — just let the water run straight through.Different dye baths and soak times will give you different intensities. Notice how dark the “roots” are on some of these pieces.Dye ALL your mohair before planting a single root to avoid mismatching or blotchy results.
While the hair is still wet (the hair needs to stay wet while you are working with it - do not store wet mohair for prolonged periods of time, it will rot) pull apart individual plugs. If any locking has occurred, just pull at the knotted area. overly knotted hair may need to be ripped out and thrown away. I like to work at the sink so I can use running water to smooth out my plugs. (Water is the magic ingredient when working with mohair.). Mohair should only be rubbed from root-to-tip. rubbing it in the opposite direction will damage the surface. You can see to the right of the picture that some of the plugs have frizzy ends. Big knots can be easily torn off. Your plugs should have a nice crimpy curl from root to tip.
You’re ready to plug! Use larger crochet needles with mohair - I used a #10/11 for the part and hairline, and a #9 for the field.Follow the locked loop technique, but instead of folding each strand in half, fold it about 2-3″ from the cut end to maximize length.The fluffiness of curly mohair means that you do not need to thatch the partline. If you plan to root your scalp without skipping many holes, you may not even want to root a partline. just begin at the crown and spiral down.
Save your tiniest plugs for the hairline, and don’t forget to mix your colors around!Notice that I skipped quite a few holes in the field, but filled every hole (you can get away with every-other hole) in the hairline with a tinier plug.If your un-planted strands dry out, re-wet them. You’ll get big knots and stray hairs if you root them dry!
Don’t be afraid to mix different colors and values of hair - the results will have much more depth than a solid color!Good luck!
41 Responses to “Rerooting Mohair”
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Hi are you skipping rows ahen re-rooting? or was that just to make the inside picturre clearer?
thanks! I love you mohair reroots!
hi nellie: no, I don’t skip rows - the scalp in the tutorial is an aztec scalp, which has really far-spaced rows. The new SBLs have probably three times as many rows as the old BLs!
when I reroot superiors, I do skip holes (no more than 1 hole skipped at a time though) in the field, but not in the hairline.
AH! now it becomes clear ! Thanks so much !
Everyone here is really inspiring… I’ve been sitting on some mohair for months & tonight I went for it. Thanks for the generous tutorial, it’s totally helping - the part is almost complete, whew!
does the RIT dye adhere beter to the mohair better than saran?or does it still stain the body? and do all RIT dye colors stain the body or is it just sertain colors?
sorry for all the 21 questions, i just really want to know
I’ve just scalped MMRB and I’m wondering if you need to paint the scull cap with a Mohair reroot? I’m rerooting her with four shades of different Dark colours - your thoughts? Thank you so much for this site - it’s unbelievable!!!
Carley - I would say that if you can find spraypaint in your area that is compatible with vinyl/rubber (check for paint made for painting outdoor vinyl furniture), then it is worth it. Mohair is generally thick and fluffy enough to cover the scalp, but depending on how you plan to style her hair, you may want to paint the scalp for extra insurance, especially with very dark colors.
if you try painting it and it stays sticky, sand it off or remove it with nail polish remover. sticky scalp + mohair = no fun!
Thanks Melissa - just bought Tamiya spray colour for plastics, can’t wait to start. Thank you soo much for your advise!!
Melissa - I have sprayed the scalp and it seems to stay sticky as you said, how long does it usually take to dry? Do you think I have made the coat of paint too thick? Is nail polish remover safe for the scalp? Your thoughts?
Cheers,
Carley
hi carley - give it a couple days, but I think it might never get hard. I use tamiya in jars and I airbrush it on, but I think the kind in spray cans is a slightly different formula because of the propellents.
Nail Polish remover is fine to use on the scalp. probably the safest bet is to get pure acetone so it doesn’t have other ingredients that are for “human skin”. 100% acetone is available next to fancier nail polish removers at the drug store.
Sorry your scalp is sticky! Maybe is you can get your money back onthe tamiya. I hope linda chimes in on this discussion, she’s battled sticky scalp in the past too.
Hi Melissa - Thanks again for your advice! You were right it hasn’t dryed and is still sticky ARRRRHHH!!! Anyway, I will try the acetone trick on it asap
I’ll let you know the outcome
Cheers,
Carley
Hi Melissa - I’m doing it !!!! I have to say it is a bigger than I thought I’m rerooting MMRB she has soooo many holes!!! also I have found it makes a real diff using Fabric condition in the’bath’ Thanks again for your help!
(I guess ‘Lolly’ hasn’t turned up)
hello I would like to try rerooting mohair but i have a few quetions still:
-Where i can buy bundled mohair? and the hook?
- for rerooting i start from the top ?
- how much mohair i need for a blythe??
thankyou very much!!
momomita,
I was having the same problem finding the mohair, but I just found this site: http://www.fiber2yarn.com/ just click on mohair at the left.
She has a nice looking natural mohair in varying lengths, as well as a wide variety of pre-dyed fibers! (I have yet to recieve my mohair, so my only impression is from what is on her site)
As for the hooks, I would think you could get them at joanns or any other craft/sewing supply store.
If you want a partline root it first, but you can just start at the top and spiral down skipping the partline since mohair is so fluffy.
It says at the top that you need 1.5-2 ounces. The length of your mohair shouldn’t change that weight because mohair is usually only available in shorter lengths (the amount the goat can grow in one year!)
Is this how you dye blythe’s hair? Or just mohair?
samantha - this method of heating up RIT dye and dipping in the hair will work on light-colored stock takara blythes.
Be warned though that it’s best for short haired girls, as blythe hair is synthetic, and doesn’t hold the dye as well as natural mohair. long synthetic hair dyed in dark colors usually stains blythe’s rubber arms or a matted face.
Hi Melissa,
I absolutely love your tutorials, I really don’t know what I’d do without them!
I’m hoping that you can clear something up for me when you say:
“Notice that I skipped quite a few holes in the field, but filled every hole (you can get away with every-other hole) in the hairline with a tinier plug.”
Is the hairline basically the first rows starting from the forehead? How far in do you start skipping rows?
Also, when it comes to buying mohair, is it the curlier the better? If I go with really curly mohair will it be easy to straighten as well as make loose curls later on(I want to be able to play with the hairstyles now and then)? And lastly, I have the opportunity to buy my mohair directly from a lady who shears and prepares the mohair herself. Do you recommend that the mohair come from a kid or a goat and would you recommend the mohair to be finer or courser?
I’m sorry for so many (silly) questions it’s just that this is going to be my first mohair reroot and I really want to get it right!
Thanks so much for taking the time to help newbies such as myself…It’s comforting to now that there’s help just a keyboard away!
Ani - the hairline is the row around the edge - it has very tightly spaced holes so that when you pull her hair into a ponytail, you can’t see the scalp.
as far as being able to restyle mohair, I think it would be easiest to do human-style hair treatments on the wavy (almost flat) mohair. the curly is good for a basic big poof of hair, although I’ve never tried to straighten it.
as far as texture, I like mohair that is as soft as possible, but I like my mohair girls really fluffy. You should ask your supplier for samples and see what you like best and try your styling tools on it.
good luck! let us know what you find out in your mohair experiments!
I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
You’re so awesome…thanks Melissa!!! =]
If I were rerooting an SBL, which you say has about three times as many rows, would I still do all the rows or miss rows?
And thanks lots for the tutorial by the way, it’s great
alex - i don’t think it’s a good idea to skip rows, but if you are going for a flatter hairstyle, make your hairplugs smaller and skip one or two holes every now and then.
Hi Melissa!
I’m new to all this as well as the others, and I’m wondering where to buy the curly white mohair. I’ve seen wavy, but I want that poofy look
Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for all the great tutorials!! I’ve learned
so much. I’ve been rerooting with the mohair and I noticed
that if I get a knot or even pull at the mohair very much when it’s dry it comes apart. Is this normal? Or is the mohair that I’m using too fragile?
Thanks so much!!
Any recomendations on where to buy mohair?
Hello Melissa,
I really appreciate you share with us all your knowlegde! thank you very much.. that is the open source style
I was looking at this tutorial and found that the link on point 5 locked loop technique, doesnt open the page gave a message error 504 page not found!
Thank you again!
Kind regards,
Maira
Hi Melissa, I love your tutorials. I just don’t understand something, when you say: “but instead of folding each strand in half, fold it about 2-3″ from the cut end to maximize length”, doesn’t this make the hair look like some parts are shorter? Or the strand will look “thinner” at the end? I want my hair to be longer as possible but I don’t like the knot method, I prefer your method… Sorry about my English.
Ana - this technique works well with mohair that is very curly or frizzy, and gives you a nice pouf. the volume camouflages the shorter ends. If you are looking for a sleeker ‘do, you should go with the knot method or use sewn weft.
Thank you, Melissa, for the prompt answer! I wanna it frizzy!
The knot method is so dangerous, in my opinion, and I don’t like sewing weft, it looks like a wig!
Thank you very much!
Melissa, what about the knot method? How is it the part done? Also where will i find super long mohair that is silky ? i want straight mohair down to knees. can you help?
I have a problem and i need your help…..I used Krylon Fusion spray paint in espresso (dark brown) Over my FTS scalp…….I did the first layer but it still had yellow showing sooooo i sprayed it again now i think i may have oversprayed? Today is day two and its STILL tacky…..any ideas? I dont wanna use Acetone because i think it will eat through this scalp…tell me your ideas because im using super soft straight mohair and i am not going to dare reroot it until this scalp is done being sticky x_x; Help!!!!
Thanks!
J - Was it sticky after the first coat? It sounds like its too thick and needs to be redone.
Acetone should not damage the rubber scalp. Just be sure to do it in a well ventilated area!
This is the only coat ive done…when i sprayed it the first time i just looked at it then sprayed more >.> Do you think acetone will take that paint off though? Im unfamiliar with it so i have no idea what will happen if i put acetone on there……..Also: If i take it off do i reuse that paint and just do it lighter? x_x!
Thanks for the quick response this is crazy!
wheres the locked loop techinqie, is it a broken link???
Hi Mandy - the “locked loop” tutorial is Here
Hello, Help! (if you can!)
I just did a beautiful Mohair pink & platinum blonde reroot on a cool-cat scalp. It took me a week and I used a No. 2 crochet hook and four wefts. The result was a beautiful thick head of hair. I wanted to wash it so I threw it into my washing machine on delicate wash cycle and OMG! It came out all matted. Just one big dreadlock! I am currently trying to comb it out gently with lots of detangling conditioner but its not working! What an expensive mistake? Any advice?
Christina,
since mohair is so delicate, I would recommend trying to finger-detangle from the tips to roots. if it is severely matted, you might have a lot of breakage if you comb. run the hair under cool water while you detangle with your fingers.
This would be a good lesson to spread to other members of the community - handwash only!
good luck and let us know how it goes!
Yes and what a lesson! I couldn’t salvage it. It was soooo matted it resembled underlay or a hessian bag. I made the mistake of putting the hair in washas I have a sheepskin chamoix I use to wash my car with and it comes up a treat from machine washing, so soft and fluffy and luxurious - but its sheepskin! Mohair is quite different. I am a novice at this. Having said that I must admit I have mastered the art of rerooting mohair, I was pleased with the result until the “big wash”. I’ve reordered some new mohair ….. Actually I wouldn’t wash the mohair at all. It doesn’t really need it if purchased already dyed. I buy mine from Teresa’s Tresses in the US.
Thanks for your input - (’.')
hi , can normal fabric dye dyes mohair? because I dont seem to be able to find rit dye in england.
Mandy, you can use Dylon in the UK, I believe.
can i just say how glad i am i found this site!!! im about to begin customizing my first girl next week and this site is a god send!!! thanks so much girls
) xxx