Rooting

Rooting a reborn is the process of individually inserting strands of hair into a reborn doll's head to make it look like real baby hair. Each hair is placed one at a time using a fine rooting needle, following natural newborn growth patterns like direction, swirls and density

The Reborn Artist Studio by Lizbeth

Mono and micro rooting are precision-based rooting methods designed to achieve the highest level of realism. Mono rooting involves placing a single strand of hair into an individual needle hole, while micro rooting consists of inserting more than one strand never exceeding four per needle hole. This meticulous process results in natural hair distribution, consistent spacing, and a flawless finish with zero pluggy look.

The "Stab and Grab" method of rooting is the least precise method used. This method will often result in uneven plugs of hair throughout the dolls head . A needle is randomly pushed through bundles of hair in the hope the needle will catch the hair. It is the fastest and most unskilled way to root a head and more often a method used by newer artist still learning the trade.

At The Reborn Artist Studio the method used is mono or micro rooting. An average baby sized head will take around 40 hours to mono/micro root.

The Reborn Artist Studio by Lizbeth

There are 3 types of hair commonly used in rooting: mohair, alpaca and human hair. Human hair is typically reserved for large reborn dolls, such as toddlers, due to it's coarser texture and thickness. Both mohair and alpaca are extremely soft and closely resemble the fine texture of a newborn baby's hair. Alpaca is generally finer than mohair, which can make is challenging to work with.

At The Reborn Artist Studio, mohair and alpaca hair are the preferred materials for rooting.