BASIC RE-ROOT-You will need hair, needle , pliers, scissors and of course head!

I usually start at the parting to one side, thread your needle  this is the sewing method ..put your needle in first hole and come out several holes down the way ..this will ensure that as they criss cross inside they hold better .. you can make short gaps or long gaps ..as long as you change it about with each plug. Around the back i follow the line at the base of the head which usually has no plug holes .I work all the way round the outside edge first ..some people prefer to start at parting . it's all personal preference ..what suits you! .Don't be afraid to add plugs here and there , some dolls have a good amount of plug holes some don't! Starting on the parting! .. you should have two rows of plug holes all the way down ..sometimes you make have tomake a few extra holes. The plug you see here going in the left hand hole will fall to the right of the head. As you see here i have come back out on the right hand plug hole and the plug is falling to the left. completed re root

THE WRAP - ..looks very elegant

I use the sewing method in one hole and out another .. here I have inserted a plug into the middle of the head and come out at my desired parting point .It is important to keep your plug tight and all the hairs together. so wrap slowly around the head and hold the plug with your thumb . Try to keep the whole plug in the position that  you want it to end up in ..

Insert the needle into the hole you have just come out of and back out through the neck , still holding the plug tight against the head . Go slowly !!!  When you have threaded back down through the neck hole ..make sure that its straight and all hairs are together before going back up ... come back up through the neck hole and bring your needle out just a wee bit down from the first hole. Follow the above steps wrapping and holding the plug ..Keep doing this .. along the parting line ..until your happy with the depth or wrap ..also .. I usually come out a couple of spaces along so that the hair has a tight hold and does not split against the previous hole... you can come out with your next plug into the space ! ..tidying up any gaps. you will have a desired length of hair ..so when your plug does not have enough to wrap around again and keep the length .. this is usually 2 - 3 wraps around the head then out! ..come back up through the neck and pull out plug in the middle of the head!

The Crimp - You can create beautiful soft waves for a very pre-raphelite look  , this is one of my favourite styles. you will need scissors , comb , elastic or some form of ties ... dolly head!  Plait your dolly head...the wave will vary to the size of plait you want.  I use the elastic to tie of all the ends of plaits. i find that it holds it very tight and its easy to use.

Wash your dolly head make sure you rub the plaits to get it all clean ..squish the head too! .. when youu are re rooting the hair picks up all the oils from your hands etc.. so it makes a difference when you wash. Use Conditioner rub it all over the hair and into the plaits ..then place a large blob on the top of the head. I use loreal elvive for dry damaged hair ..it works for me!  Pour boiled hot water over the head and conditioner , keep re applying conditioner and do this a couple of times.  you can leave dipped in hot water also ..gives very strong crimp. In between pouring hot water over the head ...give the parting a push flat while its hot and use conditioner on your thumb.. the heat and doing this will give you a flat parting line. Rinse thoroughly ! ... use warm water then under cold .. then use a good shampoo or cleanser to remove all traces of conditioner ..of the hair will go limp ..I use neutrogena reviving shampoo .. again it works for me ..clean hair should squeak a little ! .. so if your shampoo is not cleaning it ..as a small dash of washing up liquid ...this will degrease !  rinse under warm.. and when you are happy ... last rinse under cold water to set the style ..and i thinkit add shine too ..then absorb all the water with kitchen towel ..Trim the hair ties off ...Start to un plait the hair immediately .. if you leave the hair to dry and undo ..it can go very frizzy .. if you do while damp it stays together better ..i use the eye end of a large needle ..All done! ... you can add a small wrap to head here and leave to dry thoroughly .. wrap a ribbon or something around the head to keep it tight..and flat ..make sure that you using something that is broad ..a naroow tie will leave and indent in the hair

Cleaning & Restoration - This pippa has some bad problems , her make-up has water damage so has faded and slightly lifted ..Her hair is also very badly damaged and trimmed!  remove all the hair.  This is an extreme case but her make-up was very bad .. I used NON acetone nail polish remover to remove all traces of paint .. she was cleaned and scrubbed with shampoo ..I use a  toothbrush and the edge of my nail to remove most dirt and marks .. Some marks are stubborn you can use the NON acetone nail polish remover or OXY10 spot remover both work to varying degrees. OXY10 needs warmth to activate and may need several applications ..also is can fade the skin colour so use with caution . always test if you are worried ..green marks ..eeek! , well some will remove with the above method or just fade a little .. there are two types of this greening I have come across . 1) they have small central spots! sounds weird but if you look close you may see a centre ..these are the worst and very hard to remove ., I think that at molding stage some foreign body entered the mix and got caught up in mold.. then as the years have gone past it rises to surface or dis-colours . 2) it's just a green area .. you get more success with this .. but again its a tough mark to get rid of the best you can do is fade and cover! .. .

Face up -  My list of needs!! ok I use water based acrylics by Liquitex i use their soft body range .paint brushes one very fine  and one slightly scruffy topped ...NON!! acetone nail polish remover, cotton buds ( for any mishaps! ) kitchen towel. When you paint the base of the eye, make the colour a slightly creamy shade of off white .. if you use pure white the eyes will stand out and gleam at you.  paint your first iris colour or your one and only! .. create a half circle which clips the bottom edge of eye.  For second iris colour follow the line leaving a small edge of previous colour showing.  Pupil .. paint an orb in the center clipping the top part of the eye ,, some people use the end of the paintbrush to create the pupil... it never works for me !  Paint your eyeliner just sweeping across the top of the pupil ...this will stop your girl having a startled look ..Take your paint brush , use an inky paint ..i mean add water and make sure you dont have globs of thick paint ..I usually roll my brush on my had before applying this takes of excess water and paint of brush start in the eyeliner and sweet the tip of the brush along and up .. this does take practice ..don't try to paint line slowly you will get all your shakes and it will be thick ..try to sweep in one movement ..Eyebrows are the same .. you can draw on a line with pencil the follow with your brush ..Start the line of eyebrow just after the start of the eye, Its a sweeping motion again ...and all in one and again inky paint ...Lippy ! i do this in stages ..push the tip into the corner and sweep along the base line of lip then go to the other corner and do the same again .. then join the two up neatlyI give it one sweep along the same line from one side to other.   Fill in the bottom lip top lip ..same again ... go around the top beau of the lip one side then the other ..then fill in Fill  in the bottom lip ,top lip ..same again ... go around the top beau of the lip one side then the other ..then fill in.....Blusher..eeek ...ok take your scruffy brush ..dip the tips of brush into paint ... then rub of the brush on kitchen towel ..rub in circles and back n forth ..until there is hardly any colour showing ..use the brush as you would blusher gently sweeping across the cheek ...don't push just sweep it back n forth ..up and down whatever ..you may see no colour to start ..it will gradually build up ...Just be patient !  So here she is !! ..if you feel you have over done a wee bit with blusher ..blow warm air from your mouth onto a cotton bud ..this will make it very slightly moist but not wet...then gently rub over the cheeks ...dont push its a gently process ..you can soften the edges of blush .. this little lady was the doll i used for clean and restoration ..shows you what you can achieve!.

Eyelashes  - are daunting but you use similar method to re rooting your doll. use small plugs ..more small plugs are better than three large ones trust me ! ok start towards eye a few holes in ..go in the hole and out of the neck . Now go back up through the neck and out a few holes down towards the outside edge of dolls eye. Trim and always clean up any stray hairs ..some get sucked up when your needle goes back up through head..it happens ..just always keep it tidy.  Now go back in hole next to where you have just come out ... try to hold the fist hair strand away ..see picture, this stops the needle dragging back odd hair s.. which is very annoying ...keep working towards outside of eye .. and you will have a nice smart line ...Do the same with other eye ..Trim the eyelashes to where you want them