Re-wigging dolls can seem daunting,
but it is really not too difficult.
Of course I have only re-wigged vinyl dolls
China and bisque dolls may require special handling.
my first re-wig was our Molly. She was found
in a thrift store. She is a Pleasant Company Molly,
which means she came out sometime in the late
1980s. These early dolls had VERY heavy bangs,
or "fringe" for our UK friends.
It almost seemed that half the wig
was cut into bangs! Molly had
also had a couple inches trimmed
off her long hair because it was so
FRIZZY.
(yes that was me. *cringes in shame*)
My second re-wig was Maggie.
Her hair was unsalvageable!
She had recieved a lot
of love and most of her hair
was gone!
These two dolls will be my re-wig
examples.
I didn't realize, but Molly's wig was hanging
on by a wisp of old glue. Her wig came off easily.
BUT, if it doesn't come off easily, usually some
warm water will loosen a wig's glue
so it can be removed.
If a wig is resisting removal you can use
non-acetone nail polish remover and a Q-tip
around the edges of the wig. This will loosen glue
to gently work the wig away from the scalp.
Maggie's wig took a little more work.
The wig came off pretty easily, but a
lot of glue and hair was left behind.
I soaked Maggie's head in damp paper towels
until I could gently scrub most of
the glue and hair off.
Not perfect, but much better.
You want as smooth and clean a
surface as possible.
Back To Molly...
For Molly, I found a newer Molly wig that had been
taken off another Molly. At this time
there were a lot of custom doll's
being created and so I was lucky
to find this wig.
You can see this newer Molly wig has
lighter bangs. It's important to do
a first fit with any new wig.
Put it on and move it around until
you find the right spot for a good
fit BEFORE glueing.
I did some research and found a lot of doll
restorers use this Tacky Glue for wigs.
I used it for Molly's wig and it has held great!
That was in 2017 and still holding.
When you're ready to glue the wig, apply
glue to the crown in a spiral pattern.
It doesn't have to be perfect. Then, using a
paper towel, lightly smooth the glue
over the top of the head.
Turn the wig inside out.
keep all the hair carefully away
from the glue!
With the wig inside out and all the hair kept
away from the glue, slowly lay
the wig cap onto the glue on the dolls crown.
Adjust the wig's position and finish
by glueing the outer edges down.
You're done!!
Let it dry 24 hours before brushing.
When I did a first fit of Molly's new wig,
I realized her eyebrows had been washed away!
Her lips and cheeks were also very faded.
Here is Molly with her new wig glued in place!
Molly got her eyebrows repainted as well
as her lips and cheeks refeshed.
And, now back to Maggie...
Poor Maggie, her wig was in bad shape.
Her original hairstyle would have looked
like this. Sadly I could not
find any wigs to replace this look.
I did have a wig that came along with some
doll clothes. It was a little too big, but I
adjusted it by adding a seam down the
inside of the cap.
This wig was not a perfect fit, but I
always considered it a temporary fix.
I loved how long and curly this wig was,
but it needed some bangs. So I trimmed
this wig in place. I know! Scary
But, I loved how sassy she looked!
How do the girls look now?
Molly
AND....
Maggie.
Molly before and after.
Maggie before and after.
So, now you're ready to re-wig your dolls!
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