Shampooing and Conditioning
Cover your doll’s face and body with plastic so she doesn’t get wet. Wrapping a plastic grocery bag around your doll’s soft body and face to keep the water off of her. Water can damage your doll’s stuffing and even make her eyes go rusty. Pull the bag right up to her hairline. For extra protection, close your doll’s eyes before you cover her. If you don’t have any plastic bags handy, be very careful not to get any water on your doll’s face or body.
Take out any clips or hair ties in her hair. Make sure your doll’s hair is down and take out any clips or hair ties before you start washing. Undo any braids and twists too.
Lay your doll on a bathroom counter with her hair in the sink. Place your doll down on a bathroom or kitchen counter with her head over the edge of the sink. Lay her hair out in the sink.
Rinse her hair under the water. Turn on the water and run your doll’s hair under it, from the tips up to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from her scalp. Try not to get her scalp wet, since that can damage her wig and loosen the glue holding it in place. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold. It should be about room temperature, or a little bit warm. Run the water in a steady, gentle stream. Don’t turn it up too high because it might splash onto your doll.
Wash her hair with a bit of mild shampoo, then rinse it out. Squeeze a dime-sized amount of shampoo into your palm and scrunch it up through your doll’s hair, just like you would with your hair. Rinse her hair out under the sink when you’re done lathering. You can use special synthetic wig shampoo, baby shampoo, or a mild regular shampoo. Stop shampooing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from her scalp so you don’t get her head wet. If your doll has anything stuck in her hair, like glue or gum, work those strands with your fingers until you can feel it loosening. It’s ok if it doesn’t all come out now—you’ll be brushing it out later.
Rub a little bit of conditioner through her hair, then rinse it. Pour a dime-sized amount of conditioner into your palm. Massage it into your doll’s hair, starting at the ends and working up to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from her head. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse it out under your sink. If your doll has curly hair, the conditioner might make the curls a little less tight. Conditioning your doll’s hair is optional, but it can help to make your doll’s hair less frizzy. You can use any kind of conditioner you want. You can try to use the brand that goes with the shampoo you used, or just go with a regular hydrating conditioner.
Pat her hair with a towel until it’s only a little damp. Lay your doll’s head on a towel and spread out her hair above her head. Use another towel to gently pat her hair until it’s a little damp, but not dripping.
Gently brush through her damp hair with a wire brush. Sit your doll up straight and hold her between your legs. Use a wire brush to detangle and smooth down her hair, starting at the ends and brushing up to the roots until it’s flat and shiny. If you want to restyle your doll’s hair, to make it wavy or curly, for example, now is a great time to do it! You can create waves with 1 or 2 braids, or make curls by twirling her hair around your fingers. You want to brush her hair while it’s still damp because brushing it when it’s already dry can make it frizz.
Brushing and Styling
Sit with your doll between your legs. You want to make sure you have a firm hold on your doll before you start styling her hair. Hold her upright between your legs, or have a friend or parents hold her firmly. If you don’t have a good hold on your doll, you might accidentally yank too hard and loosen her head.
Take out any clips or hair ties in her hair. Remove any clips, braids, ponytails, or headbands from your doll’s hair before you start styling. You can place them back in when you’re done!
Spray your doll’s hair with a little bit of water. Fill up a spray bottle with sink water and spray it evenly over your doll’s hair. You want her hair to be damp, but not dripping. This will make it easier to brush and style, and prevent it from getting frizzy. If you’re styling your doll’s hair after washing it, you don’t need to spray it again as long as it’s still damp. If her hair starts feeling dry while you’re brushing or styling, give it a few more spritzes. Try not to spray near her face, or too much over her scalp. It’s just a light spritz, though, so don’t worry if you get a little on her skin—just wipe it off with a paper towel.
Add a small drop of conditioner to the bottle to make her hair shiny. If you want to make your doll’s hair a little shinier, you can pour a small drop of conditioner into the spray bottle beforehand. Swirl it around or stir with a spoon until the conditioner is mixed in.
Use a small, unused wire brush or pick. American Girl Doll brushes and picks are the best to untangle your doll’s hair since they’re made specifically for your doll! You can get them online or at American Girl Stores. If you don’t have one, use a small, unused wire brush or pick. If your doll’s hair is straight or wavy, use a wire brush. A wire brush is just a regular brush with bristles made of wire instead of plastic, which can snag in your doll’s hair. If your doll’s hair is curly or textured, use a pick instead of a brush, which will make her hair frizzy. Don’t use a brush or pick that you’ve used on your own hair.
Comb out her knots one at a time, working up from the tips. Starting from the ends of your doll’s hair, gently brush out the knots one small section at a time. Slowly work upwards towards the roots of your doll’s hair, but make sure to brush in a downward motion so you don’t create snarls. Don’t forget to spritz and brush her bangs, too! If you can, hold her neck and the roots of her hair while you brush so you don’t yank her head. It’s ok if you see some strands come out while you brush. This is normal, especially if this is the first time you’ve brushed your doll’s hair. Take your time while you detangle! If you’re patient and carefully work through each tangle, your doll’s hair will be smooth and shiny by the time you’re done.
Brush the tips gently if your dolls have waves or curls. If you want to preserve your doll’s pretty waves or curls, brush the tips of her hair very softly. Unless there are big tangles at the ends, don’t spend too much time brushing them, which could put a strain on the curls.
Re-curl with your fingers if your doll’s hair is curly. After you’ve picked through your doll’s curly hair, separate a small section. Smooth it out with your hand, then coil it and twirl it around your finger to create a curl. Repeat until you’ve curled all of your doll’s hair. For even tighter curls, wind the strand of hair around a pen or unsharpened pencil. Hold the hair around the pencil for a couple of seconds, then slowly slide the brush out. If you can see the natural direction of the curl, twirl it around your fingers in the same way. If not, curl it however you think looks best! Make sure your doll’s hair is wet when you curl it. You can spritz it with the spray bottle again if you need to.
Create easy waves by braiding your doll’s hair while it’s wet. Creating 1 or 2 big braids, or lots of little ones, is an easy way to make your doll’s hair wavy. While her hair is still wet, braid it back tightly into however many braids you want. Leave the braids in for a day or so, then take them out for a permanent wave style. The longer you leave the braids in, the longer the waves will last. You can do regular braids or French braids in your doll’s hair. Braid close to her scalp to create the most waves.
Protecting from Damage
Brush your doll’s hair whenever it gets tangled. The best way to keep your doll’s hair looking fresh and pretty is to comb out any knots as soon as you notice them. Look over your doll’s hair at least once a week, running it through your fingers and feeling for any knots. Spritz the tangles with water and comb them out gently with your wire brush or pick.
Only wash your doll’s hair once every few years. Try to wash your doll’s hair as little as possible to avoid accidentally spilling water on her or creating product build-up in her strands. Only wash it when it’s noticeably dirty, which probably won’t be more than once every 2-3 years. American Girl doesn’t recommend you wash your doll’s hair regularly. Your regular doll hair care routine should be a simple misting and brushing.
Try not to eat sticky foods or drinks around your doll. Keep your doll away from food that might stain or stick to her hair, like gum, peanut butter, or sugary drinks. It’s hard to remove big chunks or stains even if you wash your doll’s hair completely, so it’s best to keep her out of danger in the first place! Try not to bring her near other sticky products as well, like glue or paint.
Use hair ties to tie back her hair, not rubber bands. Regular rubber bands can get stuck in your doll’s hair and create big snarls. Use regular, fabric-covered hair ties instead, like the ones you’d use in your own hair.
Don’t use style your doll’s hair with gel, mousse, or heat products. Gels, mousses, and hair sprays will damage your doll’s hair over time. Heat products, like blow dryers and straightening irons can dry, stiffen, or even melt the fibers of your doll’s hair.. Try not to use much product in general, beyond the very occasional shampoo wash.
Get an American Girl doll hair care kit for special supplies. The American Girl Hairstyle Essentials Set comes with a small misting bottle and brush, curlers and curling papers, hairpins, and even a salon cape to drape over your doll while you style her. You can buy the set online or at an American Girl Store.
Take your doll to an AG Salon for extra help. For professional help with your doll’s hair, ask your parents if you can take her to an American Girl Salon, located in American Girl Stores. A hair stylist there can brush her hair out, make it smooth, and give her a pretty new hairstyle. American Girl Store is located in major cities all over the U.S., as well as in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Search for “American girl store locations” online to find the closest store to you. You can clean a doll depending on the material of the doll. Plastic dolls can be put in a tub or washed with soap. You can wash cloth dolls with normal soap and then dry them.
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