Sometimes it happens that a beloved doll, seemingly still good-looking, from time to time or someone else's efforts is rapidly balding. So it happened with your darling? Puppet curls piled up and not combable? No problem. Everything can be fixed. In this article we will talk about how to flash doll hair. The master class for this type of repair is quite simple. You will need not so much skills as perseverance and patience. So here we go.
What, why, and for what
Many modern toys, despite their visual appeal and good quality, have one significant drawback - not too thick hair. Moreover, not only domestic specimens sin, but also dolls of foreign manufacturers. Most often, not too "hairy" head creates serious problems. After all, the gameplay is not only about dressing up your darling in various outfits. Particular attention is given to hairstyles.
Sometimes, as an adult, needlewomen want to reanimate their old Soviet toys. After all, they are a bridge in a happy carefree childhood. One look at your favorite doll evokes pleasant emotions and a nagging sense of nostalgia.
That is why a master class on flashing the hair of a Soviet doll is becoming a very popular issue among modern needlewomen. Let's take a closer look at the process of replacing hair, examine the features and discuss some options.
Materials and Tools
Before reflashing the doll’s hair, you should prepare the necessary materials and tools in the process.
For this you will need:
- The doll itself, or rather only its head.
- Crochet hook (the thinnest you can find).
- Special "doll" needle. If you don’t have one, it’s not a problem. It can be replaced with the usual "gypsy" - very long, durable and thin, with a large roomy ear. It is best if it is an embroidery needle. Her ear is elongated and will work much more convenient.
- Tweezers.
- Pliers.
- Elastics for hair.
- Material for the manufacture of new hair.
What new hair can be made of
Even before reflashing the doll’s hair, it’s worthwhile to think carefully about what material the new hairstyle will be made of. The complexity of the work and the beauty of the future styling of the doll fashionista depends on this.
As a consumable for a new head of hair, you can use:
- nylon threads;
- kanekalon;
- fiber thread;
- llama hair;
- saran;
- hair from a donor doll, which can no longer be restored;
- hair from an inexpensive human wig;
- New Year's wigs from the shop of festive paraphernalia.
How to reflash a doll’s hair with thread, wool or other material is up to you. It is only necessary to remember that not only complexity and speed of work will depend on the choice, but also the appearance of the chrysalis itself. As you know, artificial material also looks unnatural.
We remove unnecessary
Before you alter the doll’s hair, you need to clear the field of activity. That is, you need to completely rid the toy of the old hairstyle. To do this, take the doll and place it under a stream of very hot water. You need to warm the place where the neck connects to the head. From heating, the junction will soften, and it will be much easier for you to disconnect the head from the body.
Now we get rid of the unnecessary. If you still need the remaining hair from the doll, you will have to tinker. It is necessary to take one strand, clamp it with pliers and pull it tightly until the beam comes out of the mount.
If the remaining hair is of no value, everything becomes much simpler. Just cut off all the excess with scissors, trying to cut the strands as close to the doll’s skull as possible. Now take a hook and tweezers and through the neck hole "scrape" the remnants of hair from the inside of the head. Repeat the procedure until the skull of the pupa is completely bald.
Tip: if you are going to re-paint the face of the toy - it's time to get rid of the old paint. You can also erase the paint from the scalp of the pupa. Especially if the new hair is lighter than the old.
Preparing hair
The next stage of work is the preparation of new strands. If you decide to use nylon threads, you need to dissolve, straighten and steam them so that they do not “fluff”. Woolen curls must first be combed and aligned in length. You must do the same with other materials.
For the simplest "nodal" weaving, strands need to be prepared as follows:
- separate a thin strand (about 12-15 hairs) from the general bundle and align the tips on one side;
- now tie a knot from this end so that a tail of about 7-10 mm remains;
- lubricate the knot with glue or silicone sealant - this is necessary so that during operation it does not accidentally come loose;
- wait until the glue has completely dried and cut the short tip a little as close to the knot as possible (make sure that it does not come loose).
There is another way. It is much simpler, but has a significant drawback - an unpleasant smell when working. Its essence is as follows:
- separate the small strand and trim the hairs from one end;
- using a lighter, light the tip of the strand;
- watch the burning;
- synthetics melt and turn into a ball when its diameter reaches about 2-3 mm - put out the fire;
- when the strand cools down, a solid fused ball is formed at its end - such a connection will not exactly untie.
As you already understood, this method is only suitable for strands of synthetic materials. Natural wool does not melt, it will burn completely.
How many hairs do you need
In order for the further process to go on non-stop, before you reflash the doll's hair, you need to prepare a sufficient number of strands.
And how many do they need? It all depends on how big the doll’s head is and how thick hair you want to get.
The easiest way to count the holes on the head of the toy or to prepare the material in parts as necessary. Usually, about 10-15 strands are needed for the central part of the head, from 25 to 50 bundles are placed along the outer perimeter. For the rest of the head, you will also need 30–40 blanks.
Stage three: flashing strands
So we went directly to sewing. In fact, everything is not so complicated as it might seem at first glance. Having performed the operation several times, you will get accustomed, and further work will go by itself.
- Take one strand of workpiece and moisten it a little with water. This is necessary so that the hairs do not fluff and the hairdo is neat.
- We take the needle and thread the lock into the eye so that we get two free ends, on one of which a knot is fixed.
- Through a hole in the neck, groove the desired hole in the doll’s head with a needle. Sew through the hole and pull the strand from the front. The knot will not allow you to pull out the lock completely, it will remain invisible inside the head.
Repeat the operation as many times as necessary.
Poke each individual lock into your hole. If factory bald patches are found on the doll’s head - there are too large gaps between adjacent holes - use an awl. Use it to pierce as many extra holes as you need for a beautiful hairstyle. To prevent loose strands from interfering with work, tie them into the ponytails with elastic bands.
A few more ways
There are at least two more ways to reflash a doll. One of them is suitable for those who do not have a needle of sufficient length and the above method is not suitable. Its essence lies in the fact that the entire sewing process occurs only on the outside of the head.
- Take a strand twice as long as necessary.
- Moisten it slightly and knot it exactly in the middle. The knot can be a little greased so that it does not untie.
- Pass one end of the strand into the eye of the needle.
- From the outside of the head, insert the needle into any hole and immediately pull it into the adjacent or any other. That is, you are, as it were, stitching your whole head through, from end to end. If pulling out a needle is problematic, help yourself with pliers.
- Release the lock of hair and gently, but pull it strongly so that the bundle slips through the hole and remains inside the head.
This method is much faster, because with one movement you get two new strands at once.
There is another option, how to reflash doll hair. It is suitable for those toys in which the head is arranged in such a way that the hairy part is removed. It turns out like a semicircular hat with holes. Most often, the old Soviet dolls are arranged this way.
For this method, you will need only a thin, but very durable hook, as we will knit a new hairstyle:
- take the right amount of strands of double length, moisten them with water and fold in half;
- we introduce the hook from the inside-out movement, inserting it into the central hole on the crown;
- grab the lock and pull it a little inside the “cap”, it turns out a small loop;
- now without removing the loop from the hook, we introduce it into the neighboring hole;
- we grab a new strand and pull it inward, pulling it simultaneously through the hole and the loop already on the hook;
- continue the operation, moving in a circle from the center to the edges.
If you did everything right, then from the inside the head of the doll will look as if it was stitched with a chain stitch.
At the same time, you will get luxurious hair on the outside. The last loop must be secured with an additional thread threaded into two adjacent holes. Tie the ends of the thread to several knots. The new hairstyle is ready, you can put your head back on.
Final stage
After the new hair is completed, we proceed to the styling. If the doll’s hair is made of wool, it’s easy enough to comb it gently.
To style hair made from wigs or factory strands from another toy, you can use hot water from the tap. Moisten the doll’s head and style your hair with a comb.
If you used kanekalon or fiber threads to restore the doll, you can style your hair with boiling water. Just flush the doll's hair from a boiling kettle, it will become soft and obedient.
Attention! In order not to spoil the toy, first start by pouring boiling water on a single lock remaining after restoration, and observe the reaction. Some materials may lose color or melt altogether from exposure to boiling water.
At first flashing and styling doll hair can seem very difficult. But, having a little practice, you will surely master this uncomplicated art.