Doll Wigging Part II

Now we're going to make the wig ^__^

^This is why I hate buying uncombed fiber

First if your fiber is uncombed like the picture above you must comb it turning it into usable fiber. It's a long process. I have had this fiber since March and I'm just now getting around to using it. I bought it to try dyeing and didn't want to waste my money. This is 1oz of unwashed white alpaca fiber and whew did it stink! I spent a night soaking it in cold soapy water and letting it air dry. Then I took out pieces lock by lock and combed them out, flat ironed them, and turned them into little hanks.

Materials

Alpaca - 3/4-1 oz for 6-7 inch head
Fabric - you can use any sturdy fabric, I recommend a doesuede or thicker cotton something without a lot of stretch.
Scissors
Glue - Elmer's is great and cheap!
A rubber band
Small square of plastic
BJD head

 Process

Step 1: Cover the head in the plastic and secure it right above the ears with a small rubber band. Pull the sides to get the plastic as smooth as possible.

Step 2: There are two ways to create the wig cap itself. This is the least messy way and has more stretch. Like you did with the plastic do the same with the fabric piece. Really pull the edges tight and try to keep the edge from bunching up. It will bunch some and that's ok but you want to keep everything as smooth as you can. Then glue. Saturate the mess outta the cap. Let it dry, then repeat two more times.

Step 3: This is the part where you stop and think about what style you are going for. I tend to do a side part or bangs but you should google images of hairstyles for reference on hair directional flow. That will show you how to place your hair. This is going to show a straight parted hairstyle so you begin by laying the fiber in a U shape along the back of the cap.

Around the edges it is very important to make sure that the hair is secured to the edge of the cap in the front particularly. This is for more style versatility. You can flip the hair up and it will look very natural if the hair is secure.

Continue adding hair to the wig cap. The arrows show the direction that I placed the hair. You can kind of see where I began to split the hair for the front part.

Step 4: This is the most important part for parted hairstyles- the flip. First figure out where you are laying your part. Lay the hair so that the length is flowing in the opposite direction from the side you want it to lay on. So if the piece of hair is supposed to lay to the right, glue it down to the left. Really press HARD make sure every strand is glued in a relatively straight line and hold it for about a minute until it starts to dry. Then let it dry completely. Once it is dry you can flip the hair over to the side it's supposed to be on. Do the same for the opposite side.

Glued to the left before the flip

 

After the flip. The top arrows show that the flipped hair is now to the right. Press it down hard to reduce some of the volume. The other arrows just show the direction of the hair that was previously glued.

The opposite side being glued.

Parting is finished

And you're done. Let it dry overnight and then style it. You can use heat and product for animal fiber. Enjoy your new wig.

Welcome!

MNF Chloe, Siean (Eludys), Celine (RakeruSpace), Nanuri '13 (RakeruSpace), Nanuri '14

This is my blog ResinDaydreams. Here I'll be posting lots of things that I do/make with my BJD. I hope you will enjoy and leave lots of comments ^__^

Things about me:

I am AR Smith on Facebook and AaloriRian on DoA and Flickr
My current doll family includes 3 full dolls and a lot of floating heads -

• TS Minifee Celine - Jade
• TS Minifee (Mod) Chloe - Iniko
• NS Minifee Sarang - Devin
• NS Minifee Nanuri '13 - Adele
• NS Minifee Siean Elf - Brooklyn
• NS Littlefee Rose - Peep

I am waiting on several dolls too!

• Lati White Dark Crunchy Haru
• TS Puki Puki Lily - Leighton
• TS Puki Puki Ruby - Olivia
• NS Littlefee Mio - ???

Doll Wigging - Part I

Types of Fiber

The most amazing thing about BJD are all the customizing opportunities avaliable for your doll. This post is going to talk about doll wigging and some of the different types of material that you can use to make wigs for dolls. You can use almost any fibrous material to make tiny wigs out of. I have made wigs out of yarn, fur, hair, and fabric. This is the first part of a suite on wigging with organics (Mohair, Alpaca, & Human hair) and organic synthetics (Ramie, Bamboo, Hemp, & Soy).

Organics
Organic fibers are amazing because you can treat them like real hair. They can be dyed, conditioned, teased and heat treated to produce amazing results. There are many types of organic fiber that are suitable for doll wigging. Mohair, Yak, Alpaca, and human hair are some of the easier ones to get a hold of.

Mohair

I adore mohair wigs, the very first wig I had commissioned was mohair on the pelt and I was very impressed with how soft and malleable it was compared to rayon fiber wigs. To find this fiber you can usually search 'Tibetan pelt' (on the pelt) or 'mohair locks' (off the pelt). Tibetian mohair is a really easy way to make a natural, full, curly or wavy wig. It is coarser in texture than alpaca so it holds shape beautifully. On the pelt, like a scalp, you can move the hair in any direction like you would with your own hair.

Mohair comes in a lot of beautiful natural tones but you can find it dyed in a rainbow of amazing colors. As it is on the pelt it is definitely not an animal friendly option, but if that doesn't matter to you it is certainly less involved than working with locks and glue. Mohair locks are exactly the same but they have been sheared off of the animal so you will have to use a headcap and glue method, or create wefts from the fiber to create your wig.

Depending on the size of the pelt and length of the locks, Tibetan mohair can run from a couple of dollars for a pukifee/LY wig to $50+ for a really long and large SD wig.


LaFiabaRussa
MohairWig
Morezmore


Alpaca

 

Ooh, alpaca wigs are all the rage right now in the BJD community. I had seen alpaca wigs before but the cost was very prohibitive to have one made. A while ago I saw Andreja so kindly showing off her handmade alpaca wigs for her minifee and posting links with info about learning the process. I admire Andreja's work a lot, and although I may never have her faceup skills, I knew making a wig like hers was something I could do. I did some research about alpaca and bought some cheap fiber to practice with and I was hooked.

Alpaca is a very soft, flowing fiber, it mimics human hair beautifully. It comes in locks, or you can buy some washed and straightened. If you go the locks route it is a lot cheaper but you will have to comb out the locks before you can use them. I like to flat iron them straight as well before I make the wig. Like mohair it comes in a wide array of natural colors and you can find it dyed or dye it yourself.

NewmoorBarn
AlpacaMeadows
Andreja's DeviantArt
RebornDollHair
Strings & Things

Human hair

I haven't used human hair yet but I've seen some amazing results for BJD and Blythe hair options. You can get it easily on etsy and ebay and of course use all of the products that you would use for yourself to treat the hair. If you have long hair then you have a 'free' option as well ;)


Organic Synthetics
Although I love organic fiber wigs the cost of materials makes it less appealing for wig experimentation. I certainly didn't want to waste money trying different styles or dye jobs. As a person who has dabbled in spinning I knew there were other fibers out there that could be suitable for wigging. It is amazing how fine manufacturing can get synthetic fiber. Hemp, Ramie (China grass), Bamboo, and other plants have been used to make clothes and utensils for thousands of years and is still being used that way today. Now you can find them in an extremely processed form with the same look but for a fraction of the cost of alpaca fiber ($1-3 per oz.). The only downside about synthetics is that the length of the fiber is limited by how long the plant is. It is best to buy all of these fibers as 'tops' (in a cinnamon roll like form). In theory I think you can use 'batts' as well, don't get a 'rolag'. To make a wig with these fibers you will have to create wefts or use a glue method.

Ramie

Ramie - A superfine fiber that has a longer staple length (6-7 inches). It is so soft and has a lovely sheen to it. It comes in a wide array of colors but is harder to find for sale. Heat resistant (this fiber is not going to hold curls well).

Bamboo  - A very fine fiber with a staple length of 5-6 inches. It is not as fine as ramie but is still extremely soft. You can easily find it for sale and in a large range of colors.

Soy -  A fine fiber with a staple length of 5-6 inches. It is not as fine as ramie but is still extremely soft. You can easily find it for sale but usually only in a light blonde color.


Hemp - This is a coarser fiber with a short (3-4 inch) staple length. A matt finish with little sheen. I would recommend this only for yosd or smaller sized dolls.

Hemp

OpulentFibers
WCMercantile
Myfelting
Manufactura