You've been rooting for days and finally your baby is finished.  You turn her head over to get a good look at your masterpiece and... oh horrors, what a fright!  If this is your first attempt at rooting a baby you will probably be filled with despair.  Don't worry, though, it's not nearly as bad as you think.

First of all, please resist the urge to throw your baby's head in the trash.  Instead spray the head all over with a good leave-in detangler such as Secrist's "Silken Child" and then comb through the mohair with a fine tooth comb.  This will serve two purposes.  First, it will put some much needed moisture into the mohair and, second, it will allow you to see if your rooting pattern is pretty even.  This will be a good time to touch up missed spot's and even out hair lines if necessary.

Next, you will want to seal your baby's head from the inside.  This is a very important step as it will allow you to wash, cut, comb and style your baby's hair without worrying that you will pull all the hair out.  Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is what I recommend and use for this although any glue that dries clear and flexible will do.  Allow to dry.

At this point your baby's hair is rooted and sealed and it's time to give her a really great hair style.  A style that looks like it hasn't been styled at all.  Since most babies don't come into the world freshly coiffed, your do doesn't need to look like it was done by a hair stylist, but you do want it to suit your baby's face and features and not be a chopped up mess.  To do a good job you need the right tools, so please treat yourself to some professional hair styling scissors.  I tried the Secrist scissors and really liked them.  They are a nice weight and fit my hand well plus their small enough to cut even the tiniest little head of hair.  If you try to style your baby's hair using your old good for everything scissors you might end up with something that's good for nothing.

Start off slowly.  You don't want to whack off too much right from the start.  Spray the hair with the detangler/leave-in conditioner (you can use water if you want but I recommend using the conditioner since mohair can sometimes get frizzy when it's overworked) and comb it straight up. Then, using your finger's for a guide, trim off the ends evenly.  Continue to do this, combing the hair at different angles until you have evened out all the ends.  At this point you may want to spray on more detangler and play around with the hair to see if needs to be shorter or if you like the length as it is.  To finish your style a razor comb is good for adding some texture and for giving the edges that uncut look of a new baby.  Again, go slowly and be careful not to take off too much.  You can always keep trimming or thinning but if you end up with a big chunk of hair gone you have a problem.

Now you have a basic cut, but what next?  When you first started your baby, you chose a hair colour that you thought most suited her features and skin tone.  Well, the same goes for the style.  Some sculpts just seem to need a curly do while other's need something sparser, or straighter or spikier, etc.  I am always amazed by how a different colour or style can make the same sculpt look entirely different.  Your Zoe may look so pretty with her soft blonde curls while my Zoe looks quite sassy (sleeping though she may be) with her dark spiky hair style.  The colour and hairstyle you choose adds another dimension to your baby that is like your signature. 

 

Almost all mohair has a little wave to it and, if you have rooted your baby's hair in the natural direction hair would normally grow, you will have a wide range of styles to choose from.  Only the very straightest mohair will resist curling.  In most cases you can dampen the hair with your leave-in conditioner (I really love this stuff) and either scrunch the hair with your fingers or comb it around your finger and ... voila, you have curls.  Try some different techniques such as swirling the hair with a comb or brush or running your fingers through it and pulling it upward in spikes.  You will be surprised at the different looks you can create using some very simple techniques.

If the mohair you used is really straight and resists your efforts to curl it, you can use tiny sponge rollers to create curls.  Spray the baby's head good with conditioner and then wrap small amounts of hair around the curlers and allow the hair to dry.  It won't take very long to dry but, if you're really impatient, you can use your blow dryer on low to speed things up.  I tried the rollers and they worked pretty well.  You do need to be mindful of the direction you are rolling in. If you have the curler's going every which way that's the way the curls will be.  Try to remember to have the rollers all going in the same direction.  If you're old enough to remember the day's before blow drying you know that the top curlers should be rolled toward the back except for the one on the forehead, which should be rolled forward.  The sides and back should all be rolled downward.

Secrist has a very nice selection of baby hair accessories and I played around with all of them.  Depending on the length and thickness of your baby's hair you have a lot to choose from.  The headbands, of course, can be used on any baby no matter how much or how little hair and always add a nice finishing touch for your baby's hair style.  Plus there are different styles and colours to go with any outfit whether it's dressy or casual.  The Scrunchies work better on a baby with thicker hair, but can create a very impish look for your baby and are particularly cute with more casual outfits.  The Mini Barrettes will work with a moderate amount of hair and can be used with both casual and dressy outfits.  The Clip Bows (my favourite) are quite dressy and will look very stylish with your baby's finest attire.

Styling your baby's hair and trying different looks can be lots of fun, so don't be afraid to experiment with new styles and accessories.  Besides, why go to all the trouble to root that great head of hair if you're not going to enjoy playing with it some?  Try to avoid using the same style for every baby you make.  The style that look's great on one baby, may not be the best choice for another.  Use a good leave-in conditioner to avoid frizzy hair and, most important of all, arm yourself with the best tools for the job at hand.  They may cost a little more but the results will be worth it and you won't be sorry when you look at the end result.

Written by Andrea Hedgepeth