One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “how can I tame the frizzies in my doll’s hair?” A pretty common technique is to give your doll a “Downy Dunk” – where you wash your dolls’ hair, then soak it for an extended time in Downy fabric softener. The results of a Downy Dunk on an American Girl doll can be amazing!! However, the Downy Dunk process is time consuming and doesn’t need to be done very often.

I was asking around and more than one experienced doll collector gave me the same basic tip – put two tablespoons of liquid Downy fabric softener in a spray bottle of water and just spritz your doll’s hair with the softener solution any time you need to give her a touch up or even if she needs some major work. We tried this today on a bunch of our dolls and I am super happy with the results!

Here is American Girl Kailey – she was the girl of the year in 2003. We got Kailey last summer when one of Megan’s friends decided to sell her doll collection. Kailey was in pretty good condition, but she has lived life to the fullest and her hair tells the tale!

You can see Kailey is a mess! I sprayed her hair with the softener and water mixture and worked section by section, combing it out from the bottom to the top. It took plenty of patience and I had to keep spritzing as I worked but I am SO happy with the result.

WOW! Doesn’t Kailey look amazing now? Her hair is so much smoother, so much softer and easy to brush through now.

Kailey’s shine is back!!

I was so happy with how Kailey’s hair turned out, I decided to give some of the other girls a touch up. Apologies for the bad photo – I used my iPhone and the lighting was not fabulous. So from left to right – Julie got her hair touched up and then braided; Nicole (our very first AG) looks so much better now – she really needed the Downy spray; Alex’s curls were pretty dried out and frizzy so the spray really helped her look; then the fabulous new and improved Kailey; and then Nicki is on the end and her long curly hair was just so happy to get the treatment, too!

Let me know if this helps or works for you! Happy doll hair styling!

Note - I first published these tips in October of 2006 – yes, that is how long DollDiaries.com has been around – and thought you might find them helpful!

While on our trip to American Girl Place this summer I noticed the ladies in the doll salon were using toothbrushes to do the dolls’ hair. I asked our Personal Shopper about this and she said that using a small spritz of water (don’t forget to cover your doll’s eyes) and a clean toothbrush is a great way to tame the frizzies around your doll’s face. You can use the toothbrush on dolls with short hair, too. We use one for taking care of Kit and our new Bitty Twins and we love the results.

Other doll hair tips include:

• Use doll brushes only – do not share a brush with your doll. The oils from your hair will ruin hers.
• Always spritz. Damp hair is easier to work with and less prone to breakage.
• Brush from the ends and work your way up.
• Be gentle – your doll can’t tell you if you are pulling too hard.
• Don’t let your dolls sleep in your bed – you move around alot at night and your doll will wake up with bed-head, too.

Do you have any other doll hair care tips? Feel free to share them here!

It’s time for a new video from the team at Doll Diaries! My older daughter Megan is known for her elaborate nail polish designs and always doing hair styles on her sister and friends. We were in the doll room (also known as Natalie’s bedroom) the other day and we decided that Megan should start sharing some of her hairstyle designs with our readers. We started simple – partly because her right arm is still in a cast and certain styles are just too hard for her to do right now – but hope you like it!

Basically with two simple braids, you can easily do three different doll (or girl) hairstyles!

If you have any specific hairstyles you want her to do in the weeks to come, please let her know in the comments. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Doll Diaries YouTube channel so you’ll be the first to know when the next video is added.

This week’s Spotlight Sites all caught my eye for a common reason!  Each one of the spotlight sites has shared before and after photos of dolls they have rescued and given new life to. These transformations are amazing and inspire me to go looking for a previously loved doll on eBay or my local thrift store.

1. Britlyn Madison Doll Clothes

Britlyn-Madison Doll Clothes rescued this Felicity doll, gave her a new wig and new paint and renamed her Willow.  She was purchased on eBay for $45 but now she is priceless! What a cutie!

2. Dynamite Threads

Erin at Dynamite Threads rescued this vintage My Twinn doll from eBay and fixed her up nicely. Erin notes that while Caitie was a total mess when she first got her, the actual fixes were quite easy. I think she looks great! Read to the bottom of  Erin’s post if you want to learn a little more about the history of My Twinn dolls, too.

3. Dolls Behaving Badly

Charlie from Dolls Behaving badly has fallen for Rapunzel in a very hard way! I learned about Charlies’s new obsession with Rapunzel during a recent Twitter #dollchat and am beginning to see why she loves this latest Disney Princess so much. Charlie has a Tonner Rapunzel (the smaller doll in the left hand photo) but wanted a friend for her. She bought a brand new Rapunzel from Jakks Pacific but was horrified at the dolls bubble gum pink lips and garish coloring. Charlie’s solution – REPAINT. I think Rapunzel looks a lot friendlier in her after photo.

Congrats to our Spotlight Sites!

Feel free to grab your badge using the code below.

Have you ever rescued or customized a doll before? I’d love to see any other before and after’s you might have or ones that you think were amazing.

One of the things my girls love doing is setting up their own doll hair salon. They have the Doll Hair: Styling Tips and Tricks for Your Dolls book and we bought the doll salon chairs from Target a few years ago (much cheaper than the American Girl version and they work great). We have found that a few things really help to keep the dolls’ hair nice and easy to work with:

• Only use a Doll Wig Brush (wire brush) or combs on their hair. Do not use one that you have used on your own hair as the natural oils in your hair will ruin theirs.
• Lightly mist your dolls’ hair before styling
• Do not spray into their eyes – it will ruin them
• Start brushing from the bottom and work up slowly until you can brush all the way through
• Never blow dry or using a heated styling tool on your dolls’ hair – you will ruin it
• If you have to wash it, cover your doll’s eyes with a towel and gently shampoo her hair with mild baby shampoo
• Never cut their hair without a parent’s permission and guidance

Most of all, have fun! Show off your doll’s style – you can submit them by joining the Doll Diaries forum or you may email them to me at share@dolldiaries.com.

A product originally made for car care, Son of a Gun, is all the buzz on the doll forums right now. According to those who have used the product, the vinyl protectant leaves American Girl doll hair like new. From a spritz on some dry bangs to a soak for Addy, it is getting nothing but rave reviews. Luckily none of my dolls are in need of the treatment yet, but we will keep it in mind for future hair emergencies.

Found a cute doll at a thrift store or have one from your past you can’t quite remember the details on? Go check out Kaylee’s Decades of Dolls Index. Her very comprehensive site has information on doll lines dating back to 1930.

I really like her chart on cleaning tips which tells you what products to use on what types of dolls. She also provides a list of questions to ask before sending your doll off for restoration. The doll resource is organized by decade and there are plenty of pictures, too.

Another good resource sent in by a reader is Collections in Curios Doll Collecting Guide.

What are some of your favorite sites for doll information? I’d love to add more to my list, so feel free to leave me a comment.

My daughter and I got a cleaning bug this morning and decided to rearrange and clean her room. It was fun and the dolls have new displays and homes. You can see all of them at AGDollResources.

I am going to try to make a running list of doll resources with sales, coupon codes, deals and other things too good to pass up this season. Be sure to check back in frequently and if you have any to add, let me know!
American Girl

• Monthly Specials

Carpatina

• Spanish Medieval princess Outfit: Regular price $26.00 – On Sale for $18.00
  
• Overalls Outfit:Regular price $20.00 – On Sale for $16.00
• Queen – a Limited Edition extraordinary outfit for the 18” vinyl dolls (Carpatina. Magic Attic, Stardust Classics)
• Fairy Dream Outfit and Extras: