Implanted hair cutting and styling.

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 3:36 am

Righto then I've been wanting to do this for quite a while and know the sooner it's done the happier we'll all be!

I would like to give both Amy and Heather a fringe/bangs, they both have implanted straight hair with centre partings so attempting to comb, direct and then cut the hair into this shape won't be easy. This is partly because the follicles are delicate, it only takes a slight tug to pull them out, Amy has already lost a decent amount of volume because of this.

I've watched a few YouTube tutorials on how to do this with synthetic wigs but the force required to train the hair into this style is way more than the head can handle. I think it's possible but the work and effort may not be worth it!

Anyone got any tips or ideas?

Braintown · Post by **Braintown** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:39 pm

I went through this a couple times with Willow my wm172. It's has always been a long process with her long hair. I researched a ton when it came to detangler and started using it. The other thing I noticed with it was it made her hair feel thicker and heavier (synthetic). Running my fingers through it I can feel I used a little too much but I like it. Add a little water and it almost reactivated it.

The reason I started talking about it first was because of this. Heavier. I would lean her back a little and slowly brush her hair slick back. Going from the bottom(hair next to her neck) and working my way to the top. That made it so I wouldn't have so much hair working through the comb at the same time. If I was aiming for hairline straight through the middle of her skull, I would stop there and focus on the other side doing the same thing.

Brings me back to the heaviness from the detangler. I didn't know if it was just the way they insert the hair or if the weight of the hair slowly changes things when it comes to the tpe. But I noticed really quick that the weight from the added spray would hold it slightly in place rather than the hair trying to pop right back to where it originally was. I really wish I took more photos on how I did it. Like I said, it was an extremely slow process. 3 and a half hours just to get close to what I was wanting. Waiting to see how it holds out. At times I wish she had shorter hair haha.

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:51 pm

Thanks for your input Braintown, what I highlight most from your tips is that it took a long time to get the desired effect. This plus the immense amounts of patience required and the fact that even quality implanted hair will still fall out means I'm really hesitant to attempt a fringing! Wigs may the way forward I think.

I do need to get some good synthetic hair products though, the new WM160A has much longer implanted hair which is already unruly...

Braintown · Post by **Braintown** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:24 pm

I caked on the hair products. Not just for the weight but it gives the hair a nice shine and wet look. Luckily the only time Willow has strands of hair come out is when there is truly a unruly knot. Patience, time, and product. I really like the look of implanted hair. Would like to get more dolls with it or learn how to punch it in.

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 5:00 pm

So you don't have strands of hair fall out at all? Unless as you say it gets proper knotted. Since Amy arrived she has lost most of what volume existed on arrival, the hairs fall out whenever I very gently brush it with a large toothed comb. Heather's hair is noticeably thicker, makes sense as she arrived a few months after Amy and then spent a few more months packed away in a box.

Hair punching can be done but expect to quadruple your hair styling time then add another couple of days on top! It's a laborious task which is why it costs so much as an upgrade. All I want is a fringe dammit!

Braintown · Post by **Braintown** » Wed Aug 11, 2021 5:06 pm

In the very beginning Willow had a quite a bit. I don't know if maybe they weren't properly placed or me being a novice. How soft or hard is Amy's head? Willows head is substantially harder than the hardest part of my silicone dolls body. that might contribute to it as well. The 3 and a half hours of combing last week maybe had at most 10 strands?

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Thu Aug 12, 2021 2:49 am

Amy's head is proper hard silicone and is definitely losing more hair than 10 strands per comb! Willow is a WM head in TPE with implanted hair? My new WM160A has implanted long brown hair and so far it seems to be holding up better but it's real early in the day.

It might be as simple as the manufacturer hair punching technique. WM took longer to complete the process than SM I think.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Thu Aug 12, 2021 6:50 am

Muesky6969 has had experience implanting doll hair
To get a natural fall requires the hair to be punched in at an angle, this would limit your styling a bit

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Thu Aug 12, 2021 11:24 am

Hey Seagull! Yep I'm familiar with Muesky's hair punching techniques, she's the go to on this if I were to attempt it. Might go all out on Amy's head with a restyle once her hair reaches a point where a combover doesn't work anymore! If this is a disaster then we'll start hair punching...or get more wigs.

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:11 am

Part of muesky's success was inserting hair into TPE material, the 3M primer adhesion promoter adds extra strength to the bond between hair and TPE

Silicone ignores it, as noted by Wheezer
viewtopic.php?p=1772676#p1772676

Jimpink · Post by **Jimpink** » Fri Aug 13, 2021 4:53 am

That thread is full of useful repair tips and information, thanks for the link!

As for TPE vs silicone hair implants, this is starting to make more sense in that silicone doesn't hold as well. I have both and the TPE head seems stronger in retaining follicles, still early for this head though, only been here a couple of weeks.

Mreman72 · Post by **Mreman72** » Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:16 pm

Has anyone just cut the hair off? I'm considering this and can imagine the mess it might make. Any tips or suggestions will be appreciated.

Hara-Surya · Post by **Hara-Surya** » Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:21 am

Mreman72 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:16 pm Has anyone just cut the hair off? I'm considering this and can imagine the mess it might make. Any tips or suggestions will be appreciated.

I had a "ready to ship" doll delivered with long, implanted hair that shed worse than a Siberian husky in May. I looked into a professional wig cutter, but she refused because the hair was falling out so badly.

I ended up clipping her hair with scissors I realized after the fact were simply too dull. She looks terrible now, but I put a wig over it. One of these days I'm planning on taking her into the bathroom and just using my clippers on her to get a nice, short buzzed look which I find sexy.

LtDan1991 · Post by **LtDan1991** » Wed Oct 11, 2023 3:48 pm

What kind of product would you recommend for getting tangles out?

Luiskjr · Post by **Luiskjr** » Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:33 pm

simple. Use implanted hair for as long as it last, depending on frequency, luck, two years, or when tangles really get in your nerves... just bald your doll again and switch to wigs

If you think philosophical, implanted hair has little purpose in a doll, the advantages of wigs and variety of looks are obvious.

Implanted hair has a value in a real human being, cause its related to health in other people's eyes, a part of your self, live celules that make it grow

In an unanimated object like a doll you don't need implanted hair, nor calcium bones or real tooth enamel. We need nice visual appearance not organic consistency. So the tooth can be made of rubber, and the hair can be a wig without somebody wondering if the doll has cancer