Notes on Customization of Blythe Dolls: HAIR

HAIR

The factory hair on some dolls can be very problematic.

Even if it appears to be soft and silky upon arrival, and out of the box ... over time, it can become coarse and knotted ... even if your doll just sits there...

The Blythe dolls have a better head of hair than their Clone sisters.  The Blybe / CCE clones' hair can be choppy, uneven, and sparse.  The hair on the Little Big Eyes dolls are slightly better quality, but not by much.  Their bangs are cut very strangely, too close to the brow, and just look "cheap".

The BEST and most expensive or time-consuming method, would obviously be a re-root.  I have seen tons of the most BEAUTIFUL re-roots on flickr ... I love the alpaca "wild" mohair look ... but I also LOVE the saran-type SILKY ones, too! 

THIS is one area that I think I WOULD spend money on a professional :)

There are other options of course:

Cut your dolls' hair.  If you don't know how, there are a few remote sites that show you.  I already know the basics of hair-cutting, due to a cosmetology background, so I just trimmed the girls hair.  You just have to remember;  synthetic plastic is way different than real human hair (PLUS it is obviously less forgiving, in that ... it will NOT grow back!)

There are also WIGS out there.  I have seen them on the auction sites, but not seen one in person, so can not vouch for their effect.  I added extensions on two of my girls, but I don't think that is a good solution ... only temporary ...

The easiest way to alter a dolls hair would be a BOIL PERM.

I don't know why a big deal is made of this process ... it could not be more simple.  Just put the dolls hair in rollers, or bend it around the bendable sort of curlers.  You can even use a pipecleaner for a different effect.  I used curlers on most, and BRAIDS on one of my lemon haired LBE dolls. 

If you want to straighted just the bangs, just tape them down and submerge ONLY bangs in boiling water

ALL BRAIDED and READY TO PERM ...

Braids in progress:  Start in middle;  Braid the ends ... to keep hair in EVEN amounts

Step One:  Braid or Put hair in curlers ...

After water is boiled, simply pour into a GLASS bowl/ container, large enough to cover the area of hair you are changing.  Slowly put HAIR into the boiling water, and leave it there for 5-7 minutes.  (I propped up my girl so I wouldn't have to stand there holding her over the bowl.)

(This pic is sideways !)  anyway, this is hair IMMERSED in boiling water, in GLASS container

Rinse the hair with COLD water, and then let dry.  I recommend at least 3 days of allowing the hair to dry and set into place.

Rinse with cold water;  then LET DRY ... FOR DAYS

MY ADG Aztec Arrival came with super long hair, which proceeded to get tangled and knotted during the make-over process, even though I was trying to protect it all the while ...

This is after the FIRST boil perm I gave her ... It looks pretty here ... but then it was just TOO much ... TOO BUSHY!

THIS is how she currenly looks with her SHORTER hair :)

I cut off QUITE A BIT of her hair ... and gave her a SECOND BOIL PERM ...

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.