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Tips for Stray Hairs

Jul 14, 2006

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    1. An unique thing for Ball-Joint Doll photographers is dealing with wigs and minimizing stray hairs. Single stray hairs or even misplaced strands of hair can be aggravating when discovered after the session! Hairs can be photoshopped out, but before we discuss those techniques – here are some things I do before and during a shoot! I hope others will post their tips and tricks, too!

      Tools: a hairbrush or comb, anti-static dryer cloth, wig spray, a chopstick.

      A thorough brushing of a wig is something I always do before I pose my boy. Then I will use Volks wig spray and finger comb the wig into place. The dryer cloths can really help with certain wigs – saran – when wiped with and will smooth a wig and decrease flyaway strands.

      If I’ve got a particularly talented poser – the SD16 – he can be set up with his wig on, but some other dolls need to be posed before dealing with a wig *coughBermannSaintcough*. Once the wig is placed just right, then I can look closer for those aggravating strays. These can be smoothed back with wig spray on a fingertip or sometimes just pushed back into place.
      The chopstick is a wonderful tool – in that once a pose is set, major wig manipulation is going to invariably mess something up – using the chopstick to move strands of hair is really non-invasive!

      And sometimes, you just have to take the wig off and start from the beginning again!

      Anone else have a tip that works well?
       
      #1 Zagzagael, Jul 14, 2006
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    2. i've never used the wig spray when the wig is already on my doll. i think it is sort of meant to grease the wigs in a way, i wouldn't want something oily spraying anywhere near my dolls face.
       
      #2 desdisques, Jul 14, 2006
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    3. I use a wig brush I bought from a local hair store and brush the wigs with it before putting on the head. The bristles are made of metal and will make the hair less flyaway. It looks like this:

      http://www.wigsite.com/wigs/acc_wirebrush.jpg

      I also use a sprayer that will do a fine mist and spray the wig with water and then brush, prior to placing on the head. For really problem strays, I'll just cut them off!
       
      #3 nikita, Jul 14, 2006
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    4. Thank you for mentioning this - I wasn't clear in my post! I DO NOT spray the wig when it is ON the doll - only when it's on a wig stand or I'm holding it. I also do not brush a wig when it's on a doll. I'm with you - I wouldn't want spray on my doll's face-up or costuming!
       
      #4 Zagzagael, Jul 14, 2006
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    5. I use a toothbrush for straight wigs and a detangler brush for curly wigs. :3
       
      #5 batchix, Jul 15, 2006
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    6. Is there something wrong with brushing the wig while it on the doll? o.o I use a regular people comb instead of one of those metal pin brushes. Is that okay to use?
       
      #6 Kyrie Arashi, Jul 18, 2006
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    7. a metal flea comb works really well too for a doll wig
       
      #7 lilmissmaya, Jul 18, 2006
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    8. No, no, not at all - not if it's working for you. I just worry about scratching a face-up with a metal comb. A regular brush - the Volks wig brush is great - should be fine.
       
      #8 Zagzagael, Jul 18, 2006
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    9. One thing about the brush or comb you use for wigs is that it needs to be free from skin oils. Skin oils can cause slow decay in synthetic hair. I try hard to never mix up human brushes with doll brushes.
       
      #9 Sheri, Jul 22, 2006
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    10. For styling after the wig's already on the doll's head-- because the wig ALWAYS gets messed up after I put it on them-- I spray the wig-oil onto my fingertips, and then smooth the flyaways. Or else I dip my fingers in water. Or hairspray diluted with water. Or, if I'm getting impatient & pissed off, I just lick my fingers, and they can deal with it. (Yaah, I'm turning into my mother!!)

      I find Volks Water Wax to be best for taming ends, bangs, fringes, etc. in advance. Don't know if that's good for mohair or soft styles; my guys all favor spiky or straight styles. Anybody know if you can put wax/oil on faux-fur or mohair?

      A much easier solution to everything, which has been forced upon me = Just mess their hair up, and go for the wild look. :D My SD16 refuses to brush his hair, and his wig refuses to be tamed, so he gets to go around looking like a barbarian. It works for him.

      (Thanks Nikita for the tip about the little 2-row wire-bristle brush... small & sparse enough to be perfect. I'm off to the wig shop to find one!)
       
      #10 JennyNemesis, Jul 27, 2006
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    11. please delete post
       
      #11 BOROVNIAN, Aug 3, 2006
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