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Home › Blog › Fix Your American Girl Doll’s Hair without a Trip to the Doll Hospital

Fix Your American Girl Doll’s Hair without a Trip to the Doll Hospital

Julia Forshee smilingJulia Forsheeon March 27, 2013(updated August 10, 2022)104K+
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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!!
  • Never brush the hair dry. Always wet the hair using a spray bottle before you brush.
  • 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.
  • 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

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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.

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Category: At Home, Crafts & SewingTag: american girl
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About Julia Forshee

I have a degree in finance from Cedarville University and spent several successful years in banking and business ownership before choosing to be a stay at home mom! It has taken me time to adjust to being home with kids and not being part of the workforce, but it is so rewarding.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar photoKristin filippi

    December 26, 2020 at 11:10 pm

    My daughter got a retired doll. The ends of her hair are very frizzy. Those of you that shampoo and condition- what do you use??? HELP!!

    Reply
  2. Avatar photoCsp

    November 1, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Feels silky…

    Reply
  3. Avatar photoCsp

    November 1, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. Avatar photoGL

    January 5, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    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 !

    Reply
    • Sarah Lemp smiling with coffeeSarah Lemp

      January 5, 2016 at 1:23 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • Avatar photoGretchen P

      August 27, 2016 at 11:57 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Avatar photoc

        August 28, 2016 at 9:48 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Avatar photoc

          August 28, 2016 at 9:49 pm

          after conditioner, forgot to mention you must rinse it first before air drying!

          Reply
      • Avatar photoJean

        January 13, 2021 at 12:54 am

        You can use a small amount of nail polish remover very carefully not getting on her face or eyes with a cotton swamp around the edges of hair line. Using a very small spoon start lifting hair. If you are patient it will eventually loosen the wig and you will be able to remove it. I have done it quite a few times with success. It works. Good luck.

        Reply
  5. Avatar photoMacky moe-moe

    August 1, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Avatar photoKelly

      June 22, 2015 at 9:04 am

      That is interesting…. I just made a solution with some softener and the rest water, but why sitting in the sun?

      Reply
    • Avatar photoSpeechteacher

      July 25, 2015 at 12:56 am

      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.

      Reply
  6. Avatar photoAnonymous

    January 5, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    You can buy wire brushes at the pet store even walmart :)

    Reply
  7. Avatar photoTori Green

    January 3, 2014 at 7:09 am

    yuck the after picture is like crazy hair day for dolls

    Reply
  8. Avatar photoLindsay(PACountryCrafts)

    October 15, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    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.

    Reply
  9. Avatar photoLauren @ The Thinking Closet

    April 4, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    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!

    Reply
  10. Avatar photoWhosies

    March 29, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    great idea! i love it. i am thinking i will be brushing hair for a little bit tonight.
    http://www.patchworkposse.com/blog

    Reply
  11. Avatar photoSophie

    March 29, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJulia Forshee

      March 30, 2013 at 12:48 am

      What a great tip! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  12. Avatar photoJulia Forshee

    March 27, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    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!!

    Reply
  13. Avatar photoAnonymous

    March 27, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    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. =)

    Reply

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All content on this site is copyright Sarah Lemp. Many of my posts contain affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and buy something, I may receive a small commission. Read more on my disclosure page.

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MORE ABOUT SARAH

Sarah is a second generation homeschooling mom. She lives in Metro Detroit with her husband Jay and 5 kids. They love staying active as a family and going on trips in their renovated camper. Sarah loves to sing, make pretty things and eat pizza.

COPYRIGHT & DISCLOSURE

All content on this site is copyright Sarah Lemp. Many of my posts contain affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and buy something, I may receive a small commission. Read more on my DISCLOSURE PAGE.

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