Dollieh Sanctuary

I don't do doll hair well. Okay, I'm crap at it. But one of the problems I have when trying to do a doll's hair is to get them to hold still! Putting the doll between my knees, they just start shifting left or right. If I try to work with them in their stands, they just fall over or tilt or come out of the stand if I pull too hard. So those of you who do re-rooting or fancy hair styling, how the heck do you manage them? Is there some kind of a clamp I could attach to a table and put them in it to hold them in one position? Or is Duct tape still the answer to everything?

Help me Obi Stylist...you're my only hope!

kenaiqueen wrote:I don't do doll hair well. Okay, I'm crap at it. But one of the problems I have when trying to do a doll's hair is to get them to hold still! Putting the doll between my knees, they just start shifting left or right. If I try to work with them in their stands, they just fall over or tilt or come out of the stand if I pull too hard. So those of you who do re-rooting or fancy hair styling, how the heck do you manage them? Is there some kind of a clamp I could attach to a table and put them in it to hold them in one position? Or is Duct tape still the answer to everything?

Help me Obi Stylist...you're my only hope!

I love your Star Wars reference! Super cute!

Well, when I restyle the hair after rooting or just brushing it out, I hold it by the neck or temples to keep her head in place to brush it down smooth.
Then, I usually lay the doll flat on its face or back, depending on which part of the hair I’m working on to get the styling in place. If I need it to be upright, then I sit it down with it’s arms/hands stabilizing it, so it’s firmly in place as I tackle the hair.
If it needs a boil perm, I put in the curlers/pins, then place the doll in the sink, head flat down, a pour the boiling water over the hair, leaving the doll in the sink for a bit so the style remains while the water ‘dries’.

Hope it helps a bit! Hugs

I use the knot method in rerooting my heads. I hold the head in one hand and the needle in another hand. Then pull the needle through.

A trick I learned from Dollightful on YouTube: Use something heavy, like a big rock, to weigh down the bottom of the stand when you style your dolls. Duct tape would probably work, but it might damage your table over time. This works best with metal doll stands that you can turn the waist bracket around on so you can clip the doll on the back of the stand and weigh down the front.

Kattriella wrote:A trick I learned from Dollightful on YouTube: Use something heavy, like a big rock, to weigh down the bottom of the stand when you style your dolls. Duct tape would probably work, but it might damage your table over time. This works best with metal doll stands that you can turn the waist bracket around on so you can clip the doll on the back of the stand and weigh down the front.

This seems like a good idea. I think a smaller, lightweight C-clamp might work to hold the stand in place. Thanks!

Or a giant bulldog clip?

So here is my solution so far. I still wish I knew a mechanical engineer who could make my idea a reality, but this will have to do for now. I got a nice new C-clamp from Home Depot. Then I put Harley in her stand backwards. I used a rubber band over the waist holder part of the stand and then put an additional velcro strap over her legs to stabilize her more. Then I used the C-clamp to hold the stand to the table. It works pretty well.
clamp by Kenai Queen, on Flickr
I'm pretty sure I want to curl her hair so I am waiting for some perm end papers to arrive before I try. In the meantime, her little braids will do.

The things we do for doll customizing.

When I was wanting to do a doll perm I was looking for sponge rollers. I've seen drinking straws used as curlers. I can see them working for boil perms or using a stiffening gel. Ball point pens could work.