The Dollect Hair Care Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the Dollect Hair Care Guide! Dollect is by doll collectors for doll collectors, and a lot of doll enjoyment or dissatisfaction comes simply from hair.
Learning how to style your doll’s hair and what the proper methods to use can be difficult with all the varying information online, so Dollect has decided to come together in an attempt to create an easy to understand doll hair care guide. Maintaining your doll’s beautiful hair is half the fun, and extends the life of your toys.
This guide will include the basics of how to treat doll hair, how to identify different hair fibers, customization and restoration tips, and more!
NOTE: There will be videos embedded throughout this page with relevant info. These videos are made by both companies and users, and are not directly affiliated with Dollect. However, these videos have been screened and have information that agrees with the text above, and is simply to be used as a visual aide. Includes identification tips, general styling tips, customizing tips, and more!
If there are any other helpful videos you think should be included, please comment down below.
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The Basics
Brushing the Hair
When brushing your dolls hair, it may seem relatively intuitive- most modern dolls even come with a hairbrush. However, it is NOT recommended that you use these plastic brushes on doll hair for detangling. Plastic bristles cause friction on the plastic hair, which causes it to be stretched out, or make it frizzy.
Metal bristle brushes are the best option for brushing your doll’s hair. You may be most familiar with the American Girl Doll brushes in this style.
However, there are more affordable options when it comes to metal bristle brushes. For example, Our Generation sells a very similar brush. Metal pet brushes are also great!
Having a separate brush for your doll’s hair is a good idea, as it is plastic and the oils from your hair will coat and dirty theirs. However, if this is not an option for you, you should sanitize the brush before using it on their hair.
When brushing, lightly mist the hair with a spray bottle filled with water to help the brush glide through. Any spray bottle works for this, but those with a finer mist that holds small amounts of water are the cheapest and work great. These can be found at most dollar stores- or you may already have one at home!
Brushing most hair types is very similar, though some are more prone to breakage, such as polypropylene- spray the hair with water, start at the bottom, work your way up and gently work out any tangles.
After you have detangled the hair, if you’d like to go the extra mile, fine tooth combs are great for further styling. Plastic fine tooth combs are fine once you have detangled, but detangling with them can cause damage. There are also metal fine tooth combs as an option.
Rat tail combs are great for sectioning off the hair, and metal ended ones can be used for curling doll hair. Heat styling tutorials can be found here, but it is strongly advised that you know what fiber your doll’s hair is before using heat on it, or else you could damage your doll.
If you’d like to tame flyaways, toothbrushes are an easy way to touch up your doll when styling or for display.
A lot of these items can come at an accessible price point or you may already own some of these items. If you are someone who would like to be a collector, making sure you care for your dolls’ hair properly ensures their longevity.
Washing the Hair
It’s a pretty simple process to wash doll hair. Washing their hair when dolls enter your home is always a good idea, new or secondhand. Brand new dolls may have gel in their hair or crimps from their box-ties, and secondhand dolls may have dirt and debris.
Different doll hair types may advise against washing or have different washing concerns. Please view specific doll hair care guides if this concerns you. However, most doll hair fibers respond well to a simple wash in cold or lukewarm water.
After turning on your water and getting it to a lukewarm temperature, wet the dolls hair. With some dolls, like American Girl dolls, avoid water getting in the doll’s eyes or wig cap. Water can cause the dolls eyes inner eye mechanisms to rust. With older dolls with wigs, warm water can loosen the glue on their wig cap.
If the doll’s hair is tangled, wait until you have shampooed and conditioned it to brush through it, using the steps from our “brushing the hair” tutorial.
Shampoo or Dish Soap?
The great thing about this question is that “both” is an acceptable answer. Shampoo can be great if you’d like your doll’s hair to smell extra good, or if you want to use up some old shampoo you have lying around. However, dish soap does the exact same job. It’s all personal preference, or what you have on hand- both will clean the doll hair, which is what you want.
Work the shampoo/dish soap through the dolls hair until the dirt or gel is removed. Some people prefer to let their doll’s hair soak if it has excessive gel or is especially dirty, but I find that most of the time rinsing and reapplying more soap works the best.
Should I Use Conditioner?
Conditioner is an optional step, and up to personal preference. Some people don’t like the way conditioner makes hair feel greasy or waxy, though this is typically caused by the conditioner not being washed out thoroughly. For secondhand dolls with frizzier or drier hair, conditioner is a good way to fix past damage and smooth the hair. In most cases it’s not enough to fix damaged doll hair completely, but it does improve the hair’s feel. All in all though- it’s up to you!
Many tutorials recommend that people use fabric softener on doll hair. Dollect does not recommend you utilize fabric softener. It can lead to long term damage, as it contains harsh chemicals. Here is a link to an article outlining the long-term effects of fabric softener on clothes- definitely don’t want that happening to your dolls, yikes! Just stick to the conditioner!
If you choose to use conditioner, conditioning the hair and then brushing the hair can help free tangles more easily and coat the hair better. After you brush through the hair, rinse it thoroughly. Repeat steps as needed.
When drying your doll’s hair, make sure you have brushed the hair the way you would like it to sit. This is also a great opportunity to re-curl your doll’s hair if they have curly hair. To dry your doll’s hair, the best way to do so is by air-drying, preferably in front of a fan.
Simple Styling
After your doll’s hair is dry, you may be wondering how you will style it. At the bottom of this page, users will post tutorials to how they have chosen to style their dolls hair, with a rating of how difficult the style is to accomplish.
For styling, most video tutorials will have the materials outlined, but for most tutorials it is generally done using clear hair bands. You can get large packs of these for relatively cheap from most beauty supply stores/beauty sections. (and to take a note out of the AG hair book- rubber bands for braces come in fun colors and are virtually the same!) Soft hair bands are also fine, but do NOT use hairbands with any sort of metal, as it can damage your doll’s hair.
Hair Fibers
Identifying Hair Fibers
NOTE: These methods of identification are not hard and fast rules. Different dolls within a company, line, or even within the same “doll” due to variants, production years, etc. can have different hair fibers. There are some doll lines/dolls within those lines where we know what hair fibers have used on the majority. We have tried to assemble together the easiest ways to tell apart your doll’s hair fiber for styling use. Dollect is NOT responsible if you damage your doll’s hair in any way.
Pictures and information provided by site editor Bayleaf!
Polypropylene
Treated Polypropylene
Doll Model: Cleo De Nile
How to tell: Dry, frizzy right out of the box, does not curl excessively well. Feels rough and crunchy, does not lay nice at all without significant help for the most part. Cannot be easily heat styled without melting or breaking off, but it can be done. This treated poly feels more like saran, but is still poly.
Associated with: Only known to be on G3 Cleo De Nile as of July 2023.
Caring for Polypropylene
Untreated Polypropylene
Doll Model: Clawdeen Wolf
How to tell: Dry, frizzy right out of the box, does not curl excessively well. Feels rough and crunchy, does not lay nice at all without significant help for the most part. Cannot be easily heat styled without melting or breaking off, but it can be done.
Associated with:Monster High Generation 2, Monster High Generation 3, Barbie Dreamtopia (2019-current), Other Barbie 2019-current, Hairdorables Hairmazing, Bratz (2015 release), Moxie Girlz
Caring for PolypropyleneKanekalon
Kanekalon
Doll Model: Early 2000s Fashion Fever Barbie
How to tell: Soft, can be either fluffy or silky, but feels more dry and cotton-like or dusty compared to Saran or Nylon. Tends to be poofy but still soft. Fly aways all over the place and likes to break off for no reason. Can be boil washed/water styled, takes very little heat to curl or straighten. Takes longer to dry once wet. Not used on any doll line after 2015.
Associated with: My Scene, Monster High G1 with straight hair, Barbie with straight hair (2000-2014), American Girl until 2014.
Caring for Kanekalon
Saran
Straight Saran
Doll Model: Barbie BMR1959 Series 2 Diva Sculpt
How to tell: Soft, very pliable, easy to style. Can feel slightly sticky to the touch and will stick to itself, less fly aways. Can be boil washed, cannot be styled with heat tools as it will melt.
Associated with: Barbie, pre-2015 Bratz, Monster High G1 (Frankie, dolls with wavy/curly hair), Monster High G3 (Twyla, Ghoulia, Toralei, Draculaura), Ever After High
Caring for Saran
Curly Saran
Doll Model: Barbie Signature Looks Series 3
How to tell: Soft, very pliable, easy to style. Can feel slightly sticky to the touch and will stick to itself, less fly aways. Can be boil washed, cannot be styled with heat tools as it will melt.
Associated with: Barbie, pre-2015 Bratz, Monster High G1 (Frankie, dolls with wavy/curly hair), Monster High G3 (Twyla, Ghoulia, Toralei, Draculaura), Ever After High
Caring for Saran
Nylon
Metallic Nylon
Doll Model: Rainbow High Cheer Violet Willow
How to tell: Soft, very pliable, easy to style. Very silky, very thick. Can be heat treated at low temps or boil washed, but is more sensitive than regular nylon.
Associated with: LOL Surprise! OMG, Mermaze Mermaidz, Rainbow High, Shadow High, Bratz (2022-Current)
Caring for Nylon
Nylon
Doll Model: Rainbow High Victoria Whitman
How to tell: Soft, very pliable, easy to style. Very silky, very thick. Can be heat treated at low temps or boil washed. Nylon has multiple grades, it can be very glossy, “metallic”, or more natural looking depending on the grade/type of nylon used.
Associated with: LOL Surprise! OMG, Mermaze Mermaidz, Rainbow High, Shadow High, Bratz (2022-Current)
Caring for Nylon
Yaki Hair
Yaki Hair/Yarn
Doll Model: LOL OMG Miss Royale
How to tell: Seen rarely on a few LOL OMG and Mermaze Mermaidz dolls, Acrylic hair feels and looks exactly like brushed out yarn, fuzzy and soft as opposed to the silky look of saran and nylon or frizz of polypropylene. Can be heat treated at low temperatures.
Brands/Lines/Dolls associated with: LOL Surprise! OMG, Mermaze Mermaidz
Caring for Yaki Hair/Yarn
Restoration
Boil-Wash
Boil Wash Tutorial currently is a WIP. In the meantime, check out these videos!
Flat-Iron
Flat Ironing Tutorial currently is a WIP. In the meantime, check out these videos!
Heat Curling
Heat Curling Tutorial currently is a WIP. In the meantime, check out these videos!
Heatless Curling
Glue Seepage
Glue Seepage Tutorial currently is a WIP. In the meantime, check out these videos!
Customization
Customization is currently is a WIP.
This is a super informative and helpful guide! One hair type I’m really curious about but didn’t see mentioned here is acetate. I’ve seen some folks mention it here and there but haven’t been able to find that much information on which dolls (if any?) use it and how to distinguish it from other fibers.