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How Do I Spin Human Hair?


Jempast

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

I was always under the impression that human hair did not work well because of the structural make-up; something about the cuticle, I think. I'm not a spinner and I don't remember what I read, it was a long time ago. Lately I have been thinking about learning to spin, and if I do, I thought of collecting hair from my step-daughter's cat and trying that mixed with some wool or something so I could make her something from it. I, too, would love to see some pictures if anyone does this.

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  • 1 month later...

I am currently keeping my hair I comb out and spinning it up for a watch chain for my husband.

 

I have long hair and do not need to do anything special before I spin. It is not soft by any means of the word, but it will be a very sturdy watch chain!

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if you dont tie up your hair while spinning,you well end up spinning your own hair into it,and having to pick/pull it out LOL

Apparently our hair is over 60 microns and most desired wearing fiber is between 16(and under)-35 microns,but just because you spin hair doesnt means you have to wear it,eg/ a woven wall hanging.The art yarn spinners well spin anything including horses tail and mane hair that is more like fishing line.

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if you dont tie up your hair while spinning,you well end up spinning your own hair into it,and having to pick/pull it out LOL

 

Never have this problem since my head is far above my arms and my arms are far back from the orifice while spinning.

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  • 1 month later...

Now this is giving me ideas! My hair is long and baby fine. I wonder if I could crochet with it the way it is? Just snip a small amount right at the scalp and make a thin crocheted chain with it. Part way along, start adding more, and continue in this manner until I am either bald, or I think the chain strand is long enough. The chain strand would be like having a strand of yarn.

 

I wonder how badly the hair would be trying to slip out while I'm trying to crochet it in? Well, it's an idea anyway. I don't know if I would really do it, but my hair is about 2 feet long, maybe more.

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  • 1 month later...
I am currently keeping my hair I comb out and spinning it up for a watch chain for my husband.

 

You might also want to look for a book on Victorian Hair Braiding as keepsakes. - interesting bits of history

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  • 2 months later...
I would think younger age hair..ie baby hair would be soft and ok as a scarf or something..just seems adult hair for the most part would be coarser and not as comfortable..thinking ends.. unless it was all split ends :D: crack me up
I'm 62 and STILL have baby fine hair — well, most of it is. The brown is still baby fine while the grey is a tiny bit coarser. The brown at the nape of my neck is incredibly soft. It's so long (past my hips) that I don't think it could be spun, but certainly it could be braided.

 

Check out spinning magazines, especially ones like Interweave's Spin-Off. There you will fairly regularly see projects of dog hair. I don't know why at least some human's hair would not work as well; I'm not so sure about heavily dyed or otherwise processed hair.

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  • 5 months later...

With the clear understanding, based on hard lessons learned, I am NOT by any means suggesting you really want to pursue this.

 

Victorian Hair Braiding was often referred to as "Mourning Jewlery" because it was done to keep momentos of deceased loved ones.

 

Spinning "Hair" type fiber (as opposed to "Fleece" like sheep or dog undercoats) is by no means a beginner spinning project.

 

You are also going to need a lot more hair than you might think.  Probably at least 3/4-1.5 pounds of hair to get enough yarn to make a scarf.  A project I would not undertake because the yarn is going to be too fragile to hold up to the normal wear of a scarf.

 

Spinning human hair can be done, but like any other "hair" it will not be easy.  Basically the structure of human hair does not lend itself to spinning but if you are determined to go forward. It is going to be a very slippery yarn and so you will have some issues when it comes to crocheting the scarf first because it won't hold together very well and second because it will stretch and break rather easily.

 

(yes, I am really trying to discourage you - painful as it is for me to do so)

 

If you are still determined to go forward <G>

 

Interweave has/had at least one free ebook on spinning with a drop spindle, you will want to learn the technique often used for cotton with a supported spindle.

 

You may want to see if your library can get a copy of

  The Art Of Hair Work, Hair Braiding and Jewelry Of Sentiment, Mark Campbell

as it contains LOTS of good information on working with hair.

 

Although more of a knitting book, Knitting with Dog Hair has some info on how to spin. 

 

Once again, I am not encouraging this, just giving you some possibly useful sources of information

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  • 2 years later...

I knew in history they spun hair symbolically or for personal reasons also involving endearment. My brother had me spin his dogs hair into the trim on his slippers last year. Just yesterday I was cleaning out my hairbrush and decided to spin it on my spindle to see what it looks like. Hubby also uses that brush. It did not need carded and I was able to spin more than two feet. It comes out like mohair yarn. I am currently spinning the rest of my Icelandic fleece and it is wonderful stuff. I also loved the mohair which I spun last month. Spinning human hair is really easy. I don't see the difference in what fiber you spin. It isn't creepy, it comes out pretty also. As long as you get the hair from your brush, it's making use of it instead of throwing it away.

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Longer hair will be easier to spin like mine is and you can yank on the yarn I made, no issue with strength. I will actually spin a skein over time and block it. This insures it holds the twist. I am experienced with different fibers and did not learn from books. My first fleece was 17 lbs of hard work, raw unskirted, a Suffolk sheep that had not been shorn in 3 years. I was able to get a spindle online, and watched a few YouTube videos. Then another experienced gal sent me hers because it was a lot of work, had such fun with it. I do have a unique spinning style and very fast winding method. I want try spinning Nettle fiber next as I just got done with some wood fiber which was cool.

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