How to Reroot a Barbie Doll's Hair
The original Barbie doll debuted in 1959. The doll sported a head of darker blonde, curly hair. Other hairstyles and colors followed in the ensuing decades, ranging from natural cuts and hues to styles not found in nature. Barbie doll enthusiasts can breathe new life into old dolls or create one-of-a-kind artwork by re-rooting Barbie's hair at home. Re-rooting a Barbie doll's hair requires minimal materials, but a significant investment of time and patience. Working with synthetic kanekalon hair provides a semi-realistic, relatively cheap option that sets permanently with steam and hot water.
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Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Hot water
- Pliers
- Synthetic kanekalon hair
- Rubber band
- Ruler
- Doll sculpting needle
- Comb
- Sink
- Boiling water
- Cold water
- Towel
Instructions
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1
Cut the doll's currently remaining hair as close to the scalp as possible.
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2
Run the head under hot water to loosen up the vinyl. Pull off the doll's head.
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3
Insert a pair of pliers into the doll's head via the neck opening. Pull out the remaining plugs of hair from the inside. Pluck more stubborn hairs from the outside, if necessary. Remove all the hair to reveal a series of holes for inserting new hair.
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4
Prepare your replacement doll hair. Remove the hair from its packaging, taking care to avoid creating snarls or knots. Loop the hair so it looks like a ponytail. Secure the looped end using a rubber band. Cut the loop to create one loose end and one banded end if the hair is already packaged in a continuous loop.
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Tease out a strand of hair from the clump. Knot the loose part of the hair, close to the end. Snip the strand free from the clump, closer to the looped or banded end. Do this until you amass a pile of about 80 knotted strands. Use the number of holes on your Barbie doll's head as a guide for how many you need.
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6
Thread a doll sculpting needle with the lock of hair. Wet the tip of the hair farthest from the knot and insert it through the eye of the needle.
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Push the needle from the inside of the head through one of the existing holes. Stop when the knot is flush against the interior of the doll's head.
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Do this for each strand. Thread each strand of hair into an individual hole on the doll's head.
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9
Create a part in the Barbie Doll's hair. Thread a strand of hair through one hole along the center line of holes on the doll's head and comb it to one side. Insert another strand in the next hole and comb it to the opposite side, forming a criss-cross pattern with the hairs. Repeat as many times as needed to create a part.
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10
Choose a style for your Barbie's hair. Refrain, however, from cutting the hair at this time.
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Set the hair in the style of your choice. Hold your Barbie over a sink and pour boiling water over it, starting with the head. Soften the hair using this method.
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12
Rinse the doll under cold water immediately after rinsing with boiling water. Blot with a towel and allow the doll to dry completely. Trim and fine tune the Barbie doll's new hairstyle as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
Modern Barbie dolls have a set of tabs located at the terminus of the doll's neck, which necessitates pulling the doll's head off carefully while pinching the tabs. Barbie dolls manufactured after 1990 have these tabs.
References
- Photo Credit Capelli image by Fevola Pictures from Fotolia.com
