I’m going to share the tips and tricks I picked up directly from the experts at American Girl for fixing damaged doll hair.
The American Girl Doll Doll Hospital
When I went to the American Girl Doll store in New York, I wanted to pick a doll for my daughter.  I was very nervous about getting her one too early before she could take care of the hair. I noticed the Salon area and I just started watching them restore and style hair. One of the associates was very kind and let me watch and talk to her about what she was doing.  After watching her, I realized I could do this!!
Tips for Fixing American Girl Doll Hair
Here are the tips I picked up directly from the American Girl doll hospital!!
1. Never brush the hair dry. Always wet the hair using a spray bottle before you brush.
2. Use a wire brush brush. I bought an American Girl brush because my personal stylist told me wire brushes are hard to come by and usually costly.
3. Never apply heat. Curls are added by wrapping the wet hair around a circular object like, a pencil or the end of your comb. Hold the hair there for about 15 seconds and begin to unwind.
 My tip, I like to use a towel on my lap, so I keep my lap dry and everything around me.
What NOT to Do
There are some tips being passed around out there that say you should use fabric softener on badly damaged hair. I would advise against this. Fabric softener may be the easy way out, but it is not recommended my the experts at American Girl. Try patience and water first. If all else fails and your doll’s hair is so badly damaged that there is no way around a complete replacement, then try mixing fabric softener with a spray bottle of water and brush through gently.
Read: Free American Girl Doll Ballerina Outfit
Hang in There!
Restoring your doll’s hair is really very easy, but it takes me about 45 minutes to do Caroline’s hair.  Admittedly, I am very patient and take my time. I usually do it at the end of the day in front of the TV.
The associate at the American Girl Store said if your doll does not come with curly hair it’s not going to really take a curl.
Pin-It for Later!
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Feels silky…
My daughter got Grace when she was starting to potty train. Grace has a spa day every three months. We wash her hair and clean her body with baking sofa. I notice with just water the dolls hair feels icky. I put a little fabric softer in with the water and the doll hair feels and looks silly after every brush.
We did this exact procedure on very frizzy AG Caroline’s hair. Unfortunately, it is still very rough and only a little less frizzy than it was. Nowhere near silky. Although I’ve read not to, I’m seriously tempted to do the downy treatment because our other alternative is re-wigging the doll !
That is so frustrating! I too have heard the downy treatment works wonders – but am sooo reluctant to use it on an expensive doll’s hair! My daughter has been bugging me to do her Caroline’s hair again and I’m thinking of filming a video of it. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything better!
GL,
I have to concur that the proper/recommended way to fix the AG dolls hair is not very impressive. I’ve tried several times to fix all 5 of my daughter’s dolls hair (both straight and curly). This is posted on the AG website under hair/nail care as the only way the hair should be fixed as well. I’ve also heard the “Downy dunk” or any variation of it is a BIG NO-NO. In that regard, I have no other suggestions :-(
I did want to share the following with you, though…
All AG dolls wigs are glued on the head with a very powerful bonding agent when originally constructed. Unfortunately this means that you cannot replace the wig. But rather the ENTIRE head must be replaced. I’ve heard that doing so is almost as costly as purchasing an entirely new doll. While I get doing this on a retired doll, it doesn’t make much sense otherwise. You CAN, however, find doll heads on eBay, Craig’s List, and sites of the like.
Good luck!
For a doll with straight hair that is frizzy or ruined, after washing well with shampoo and combing it out with conditioner, let it sit in conditioner for 15 minutes. Then let it air dry. Once almost dry or dry, take a flat hair iron on the LOWEST setting and iron it quickly-not leaving the iron for more then a second on the hair. Works great and leaves the hair shiny and fresh. if it makes the ends of the hair too stick straight, then spray tip of hair slightly with water and roll the hair up in velcro rollers overnight. A brand new doll! I do this every few months for my daughters Samantha doll whom she loves literally to death-and it shows on her hair!
after conditioner, forgot to mention you must rinse it first before air drying!
I have an ag doll and when it’s hair got natted up I went on and looked up a recipe for doll detangler and I found a recipe that works really well this is how to make it
Step 1-find a spray bottle and some fabric softener
Step 2-fill half of the bottle with fabric softener
Step 3-fill about a quarter of the bottle with water
Step 4-let sit in the sun fo about 3 31/2 hours
Step 5- shake well and detangle
That is interesting…. I just made a solution with some softener and the rest water, but why sitting in the sun?
I had an OG doll’s hair done at the AG salon and the stylist said that the “Downey” (aka. fabric softener) rinse should never be used as it leaves the hair permanently frizzy.
You can buy wire brushes at the pet store even walmart :)
yuck the after picture is like crazy hair day for dolls
we got mckenna and caroline last year for our 8yo and 6yo- a really big deal for them. yup. takes me 45 minutes to fix caroline’s hair the same way you do and it looks messy as soon as she is played with. plus, i broke the sparkly hair pick. mckenna’s hair is straight and long and beautiful. my 8yo daughter combs it no problem. we will never get curly hair dolls again.
I had the Kirsten doll growing up, and I remember her hair getting extremely knotty and gross…wish I had learned these tips then because it might have saved her a trip to the AG Doll Salon!
great idea! i love it. i am thinking i will be brushing hair for a little bit tonight.
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You can buy a wire brush in a place that sells wigs. I could find one for $4… It is exactly like the AG one, but without the AG sign! :) It works beautifully for our dolls of all kinds!
What a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, my nieces don’t have AG Dolls. They have used spray in conditioner and sometimes a trim is necessary for “split ends” :) I have to keep reminding myself that the most important thing is that our little girls love their dolls!!
thank you for posting this, I hope I have not read into it wrong though…. my daughter recieved one Christmas, and of course being the one who loves to do hair it now looks awful, I hope this technique will work for her doll. =)