How to Attach a Wig to a Doll

Attaching a premade wig or wefting to a finished doll head is easy. The difficult part is choosing the style and color of the "hair."

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Doll Stretch-cap Wigs
• Doll Wigs
• Glue Syringes
• Wig Brushes
• Hair Clips
• Ponytail Holders
• Measuring Tapes
• Baby Wipes
• Scissors
• Cork Pates
• Beacon Clear Glues

Attaching a Premade Wig

1. Select the correct size wig for your doll head.
2. Set the pate, if required, on the head and let it dry completely. (See "How to Use and Set a Pate on a Doll," under Related eHows.)
3. Place a thin, continuous spiral of glue around the head.
4. Pull the hair back on the wig and secure it out of the way with a scrunchie, hair clips or ponytail holder.
5. Stretch the wig cap with your hands and slide the stretched cap onto the doll's head.
6. Use your fingertips to shift the doll wig into place and press it slightly into the glue.
7. Set aside and let it dry.

Attaching Wefting

8. Measure your wefting for the largest part of the head. Start at the center of the forehead, go above the ear crest, down to the almost-lowest point of the back of the head, back up to the crest of the ear and finish at the forehead point where you started. Cut this length.
9. Place a thin line of glue along this same path.
10. Start at the lowest point on the back of the head, and place the wefting on this line of glue.
11. Press gently and allow to dry.
12. Repeat steps 8 to 11 about 1/8 inch up from this first row of wefting.
13. Repeat once again if the head is large enough for a third ring of wefting.
14. Measure the diameter of the small open area at the top of the head.
15. Double that length, and cut a piece of wefting that size.
16. Fold this piece of wefting into a U shape.
17. Draw a medium-wide line of glue in the center or off-center, depending if you want a side part or a center part.
18. Place the bottom of the U at the back of the open area toward the back of the head. The two ends go toward the forehead.
19. Press into place.
20. Allow to dry completely.
21. Trim the bangs as you like and gently brush using an open wig brush to style.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a baby wipe to wipe off excess glue from around the cap when setting the wig onto the head.
• Do not use superglues at all. The glue, when dry, acts like a knife, causing the fibers in the cap to break and tear. This, in turn, makes runs like in panty hose and generally ruins the entire wig.
• Wefting comes in all sorts of premade styles - from straight to extra curly - and in a lot of colors.
• Choose a wig with a stretch cap instead of a non-stretch type. It's more forgiving and looks better. Those from Dollsparts are high quality.
• Beacon glues work best for applying wigs.
• VO-5 is used by a lot of professional puppeteers to hold hairstyles.
• Superglue will crack and ruin the wigging cap.