Cleaning and Brushing Matted Doll Hair

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I have found that by taking a little extra time to smooth and clean a used doll's hair makes for a more profitable sale.  You don't have to be a hair stylist to create beautiful shiny, clean hair on a doll that has had a "bad hair day". 

All of the dolls who have vinyl heads with rooted hair (including Barbie, Bratz, vintage Ideal, Mattel, Playmates, etc.) can actually have their hair shampooed just as you would your own.  After shampooing, rub in a scented hair conditioner (full strength) and leave it in and brush out all of the tangles.  I then gently rinse out the conditioner.  I prefer a brush that has very hard plastic bristles.  Barbie brushes or other doll brushes are great for detangling. 

If a doll is soiled and needs to be washed in the clothes washer, I pull the loose, matted hair together at the back of the head in a pony tail and place rubber bands around the hair in several places to keep it from becoming more matted.  I then place the entire doll in a lingerie bag (these come in several sizes at my $1.00 store), zip them up, and throw them in the washer.  After washing them, I remove them from the washer and let them air dry thoroughly.  I then do the easy detangling outlined below.

If the doll's hair is fairly clean and does not look like it needs to be shampooed (which is the case I come across most often), I make my own detangler.  I mix 1/4 cup of a CHEAP scented conditioner with 2 cups of tap water.  I mix this in a plastic spray bottle, replace the cap and shake it until I can see that it is well mixed.  The bottles can be purchased for under a dollar at any $1.00 - type store. 

I spray the hair on the doll until it is well saturated but not dripping.  Then I take my little brush and begin brushing at the ends of the hair and work my way up to the scalp.  The tangles are very easily removed.  If the hair is very tangled and on a large doll with a very full head of hair, I start at the back of the neck and pull down the hair in small sections. If the hair becomes dry before you are through brushing, spray again and continue to brush until all of the hair is smooth and shiny.  I do not wash out this detangler.  It actually adds a little body to the hair.  (If you have accidently used too much, i.e. the hair is a little "stiff", you can easily brush the stiffness out after the hair has completely dried.)  I then place the dolls in an area where their hair can dry thoroughly.

Not only does this method make the doll look much better, there is the additional benefit of a very sweet scent in the doll's hair.

Another thing I use this homemade detangler when preparing a doll for sale is:

1. Spray a doll's cloth-body with the detangler for a nice clean smell.

2. Spray the clothing for added freshness without washing the clothes and taking a chance on fading the fabric.  Just remember to spray lightly and not saturate the clothing.

3. Spray (very lightly) some of the tissue paper that you plan to wrap the doll in before shipping.  Be sure to lay the paper out to thoroughly dry before wrapping your doll.

Please note:  You can also use the spray method on ceramic dolls, but you must spray LIGHTLY away from the crown and hold the hair down at the base so that the glue will not be removed.

Finally, I love to add ribbons to the freshly brushed dolls.  I think that makes them more attractive to a potential buyer.  I don't do fancy hairdos.  I usually keep the hair straight.  On baby dolls, I pull up a small tuft of hair on top of the head and tie a ribbon bow to match whatever outfit they are wearing.  On the Kid Sister dolls, I rebraid their hair and tie ribbons on the bottom of each braid.  Any extra work I do on the dolls is done right after detangling, before I put them up for air drying.