How to Detangle Doll Hair

A doll's hair can be tangle-free with regular brushing, but sometimes your doll's hair gets a few tangles that general brushing will not remove. When this happens, it is tempting to use more force to detangle the hair. Harsh detangling can damage or rip out delicate doll hair. Gentle doll care is essential to maintaining quality hair. Proper detangling methods will not harm doll hair. Here is a technique to gently detangle doll hair.

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle
• Distilled water
• Doll brush
• Doll comb
• Hand towel or doll cape
• Spray leave-in conditioner

Instructions

How to Detangle Doll Hair

1. 

   Gather your detangling tools. You will need a spray bottle, water, a doll brush, doll comb, hand towel or doll styling cape and leave-in conditioner. Use a wire wig brush for best results. Bristle brushes cause frizz in plastic doll hair. A spray leave-in conditioner will assist with tangles and add sheen to hair. Children's detangling sprays often work well on doll hair. Doll brushes and combs can be found at toy stores, doll specialty shops, and on-line.

2. 

   Put the hand towel or doll styling cape around the doll's body to keep it dry. Finger comb the doll's hair to remove some tangles and allow you to section the doll's hair. Divide the doll's hair into six small sections.

3. Remove the spray nozzle on the water bottle and fill the bottle half full with water. Distilled water is best for hair care. Add a leave-in conditioner to the water until the bottle is full. Replace the spray nozzle and carefully shake the bottle to mix the conditioner and water. Make sure the nozzle is switched off before shaking.

4. Take the first section of hair and spray it until damp with the conditioner mixture. The hair should not be dripping wet. Use the brush to begin detangling the hair from the ends up towards the doll's scalp. Work slowly and carefully to remove each tangle until the brush reaches the roots of the hair. If not all tangles were removed, start detangling at the ends again. Once the section of hair is tangle-free, you can brush the section from roots to ends normally. Repeat on each section until all of the hair is detangled.

5. If some of the hair is matted, you should apply leave-in conditioner full-strength on the affected area. Let the conditioner sit on the hair for 10 minutes. When ready, take a metal doll comb and carefully work out the tangle.

6. 

   Once the hair is detangled, you should add a little more leave-in conditioner for sheen and softness. Brush the conditioner through the doll's hair and style as desired. Your doll's hair should be neat and free of tangles.

Tips & Warnings

• Baby oil can work on stubborn tangles. Pour a tiny amount to your finger tips and rub it into the matted area. Work the tangle out with a metal doll comb.

• If the doll's hair is severely matted and dry, a conditioning treatment is needed to restore hair quality. Saturate the doll's hair in water and apply a generous amount of conditioner. Let it stand for ten minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Detangle hair and let it air dry loose overnight.

• Brush the doll's hair daily and after a lot of play to prevent tangles.

• Never rip a brush or comb through a doll's hair. It will pull out or damage the doll's fragile hair.