Even dolls who don't get played with much can get dirty or damaged hair; in fact, even more so if they aren't behind glass and they never get the dust brushed out. If you have a doll who is going to be standing on a shelf a lot, periodically shake her hair out, brush it gently and even use compressed air (available in spray cans from office supply stores) to blow off dust. Also, don't leave dolls in a sunny place, like in front of your bedroom window. The ultraviolet rays are going to make the hair dry and brittle and can even change the color. I once owned an American Girl Kirsten with very pink hair -- she had spent too much time modeling dresses in a storefront window. (Those ultraviolet rays are going to fade her clothing too.)

For shampooing and conditioning, you might want to protect your cloth-body doll by tying her body in a plastic grocery bag so you don't get her body wet. This will also keep her neck strings (if she has neck strings) out of the way. You can also take her head off which is an easy operation if it doesn't weird you out! (See the detailed pictures in the Restringing article.) If your doll has sleep eyes, you can tape cotton balls over her eyes with non-marking masking tape (like you use when painting). You don't need to do this -- just be very careful to keep the water away from your doll's body and especially sleep eyes. If you ever do get water in her eye sockets, leave her lying face down for a few days in a well ventilated place to let them drain and dry out. You don't want the sleep mechanism to rust or her eyes will stick. Try not to get your doll's "scalp" too wet -- if your doll is wigged it might loosen the glue holding the wig cap on, and if it is rooted you might get the inside of the head damp.

Note: the instructions below assume your doll has synthetic hair. If your doll has human hair, mohair or other natural fibers, these techniques may not be appropriate. How to Shampoo a Doll's Hair

1.  Fill a large bowl with cool water and put it in your sink. Don't use warm water, because If your doll's hair is wigged, warm water could loosen the glue on the wig cap and make your doll's wig come off. Warm water will also relax curls.

2.  Add a capful of synthetic wig shampoo and blend in. You can buy people wig shampoo (like Revlon brand) at large beauty supply stores (like Sally's). Or you can buy special doll wig shampoo from Twin Pines. There's not much difference between people wigs and quality doll wigs, so it's up to you. If you don't have wig shampoo, you can use a very mild shampoo like baby shampoo, a mild dish soap like Dawn or even Woolite.

3. If the wig has any odors, add a teaspoon or two of baking soda to your bowl, and blend it in. Gently swish the hair in the water for about 30 seconds to a minute until the hair is saturated. Tilt her around and use your hand to get the water all the way to her hair roots.

4. Leave as much of the hair as possible in the bowl and let it soak for about 15 minutes. 

5. Empty the bowl and rinse the hair with cool water. A kitchen sink with a pull-out spray nozzle makes this easier. Be careful of those eyes!

6. Gently squeeze excess water out of wig with your hands. Do not rub or twist.

7. If all you're going to do is shampoo, then spread the hair out on a thirsty towel and leave in a ventilated area to dry. Otherwise, go on to the conditioning step.

8. You can brush the hair out gently while it's damp. (In fact, you should always make the hair damp when you brush it.) Don't try to brush it if it's super wet -- it'll be harder to get the brush through -- wait until it dries a little. Make sure you brush the hair correctly. If you're going to Downy Dunk anyway (see the next section), you might as well wait since the fabric softener will make it much easier to brush.

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