All About Mohair
I love mohair. I cannot state this enough. This silky fur is fabulous for creating a totally different look on your dolls. If you have never tried mohair, I highly encourage you to do so. Using mohair as a hair replacement is a very popular trend right now, one I am sure is going to stick around for a long time. The look is simply stunning on a repainted doll. It gives a wild, sexy and untamed look to a doll. The color selection is almost unlimited. There are some wonderful mohair suppliers online, and I will list some at the end of this page.
Mohair can be purchased “on the skin”. What this means is that you will receive a square piece of mohair goatskin with the fur still attached. It can be found in many colors, from natural shades to dyed pink, blue, green, etc. This type of mohair can be combed and styled on the doll. In order to keep the curl tight, I like to wet the hair and run hair gel through it, letting it dry in the hair. This is the type you see most repaint artists using on their nude repaints, as it most approximates human hair. Once applied, it can be combed and styled like human hair. Most leave it natural though, with its lovely, wavy curls.
Mohair is also sold wefted. This means it is sewn into a strip, and can be glued or sewn to the head. It is a little harder to find but it’s out there. This type can also be washed, combed, and styled. The red hair below is wefted mohair. I don't find it as useful as mohair on the skin, but it may be useful in specific applications. It could be glued or carefully sewn to the head.
The last kind of mohair is loose mohair. These are loose locks of hair that are usually, but not always, dyed. I have found it as “Yadeno” mohair online. It is imported from Australia. This type can be wet down, but not combed, as it causes it to go into a major fluff. It is best left alone once applied to your doll. This type of mohair is not as curly as mohair on the skin, but will have a bit of curl at either end. It is about 4”- 6” in length and is good for both 12" and larger 16” dolls. It comes it a lot more color variations than mohair on the skin, often combining many shades in one lock of hair. It is perfect for fairies and other fantasy style OOAK dolls, although less useful on repaints.
This type of mohair can be glued on, sewn into wefts and then glued on, or rooted using a rooting tool.
Here are some suppliers of different types of mohair.
http://www.ryndaoriginals.com/Tibetan_Skins.htm - Tibetan Lamb on the skin http://clothdollsupply.com/hair3.html - Tibetan Lamb fur on the skin http://www.dollmakersink.com/ - Yadeno Mohair http://www.lisasheaven.com/ - Yadeno Mohair http://www.joggles.com/ - Doll hair, mohair, a million other doll related items http://www.mohairwig.com/ - Mohair of all kinds, plus mohair dye
If you have any other recommendations please email me.