Re-wigging dolls

 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. 

click here for repainting eyebrows

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.

Maggie's dress restoration

So, now you're ready to re-wig your dolls!