Fixing an Amrican Girl Doll - Part 2, Re-wigging

Hey peeps! Today I'll be showing you how I re-wigged #27 and the final product! You may remember in THIS POST and in PART 1 that her nose was scratched up and there was a tiny shine mark on her forehead, well I was looking for them when I was working on this post and they were gone! I think that because the scratches weren't very deep, that the graininess of the baking soda filed out the scratches and the shine mark! So I won't be showing how to remove those today, but don't worry! If you take pictures of your dollies outside than you know how often scratches and shines happen XD So when it does then I'll totally do a tutorial for y'all, but for now we'll just be re-wigging :)

 

You will need.....

 

 

A DOLL WIG SIZED 10/11

 I find that the best place to find doll wigs is eBay! Just search "American Girl doll wigs" and you'll have lots to choose from. I'll be putting a Girl of the Year Isabelle Palmer wig on #27, I found it on eBay for $20 and it's in perfect condition! 

 

 

And if you're wondering, yes! It does have the highlights :)

 

 

A SPOON

  Yes, a spoon. No we aren't breaking out the ice cream, it's to pull that poorly cut wig of #27's head (trust me, we're doing her a favor XD).

 

 

E6000 GLUE

I found this to be a really good glue for this project, although it does has a very strong smell. Make sure to do this in a well ventilated area and try not to breathe it in too much.

 

 

DOLL SALON CHAIR (OPTIONAL)

I just find it very helpful to use one of these when you're waiting for your doll to dry, since you can strap dolly in and keep her from moving around. However, if you don't have one than you can sit her on a table or a countertop, just make sure to tell your family not to touch her while she's drying! 

 

 

LET'S GET STARTED!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Alrighty, so when re-wigging, the first thing you have to do is remove your doll's old wig. To do this, lift the hair on ether the left or right side of her head. See that part of the wig were it pulls up a little bit near the ear? That's the weakest point in the glue and that's were we'll start pulling the wig off!

 

 

Gently push the handle end of your spoon, (which I told you not to eat ice cream with, and if you did.... I honestly wouldn't blame you, ice cream is amazing XD) being very careful not to dig your spoon into her head, just carefully work the spoon under the wig cap until you've got a small section free from the head. 

 

TIP: Some people use nail polish remover to help dissolve the wig cap glue, I don't recommend this method because it could make the wig cap bleed onto your doll, and if it goes below the glue line then you've got a problem. I've had no trouble with pulling #27's wig off that required nail polish remover, so if you can get your doll's wig off without it that would be best. But if you get to an area where you just can't pull it off then you can try nail polish remover, just be careful and make sure to use acetone free nail polish remover, regular nail polish remover might melt your doll's vinyl.

 

 



Once you've broken through the glue, push the spoon in a little ways so it isn't super close to the edge of the wig cap, then gently begin to pull the spoon up and away from the head.

 

 

Continue doing this around the wig, at one point you'll be able to use just your hands.

 

 

You may notice that some of the hair is staying attached to the glue, this is normal. We'll be dealing with those pesky hairs later, but for now, just keep pulling :)

 

 

Now there's a giant glob of glue right at the top of the head, and you can't use your handy dandy spoon for that part. So just place one hand on her head, take a firm hold on the wig with the other, and pull like the world's going to end.

 

 

ALMOST OFF!!!

 

 

 And it's off! Well done to those of you are trying this!

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see there is still a ring of glue around her head and the glob of glue on top. We don't need to do anything about the glue, but we do need to trim those hairs.

 

 

Simply take a small pair of scissors and cut the hairs as close to the head as possible.

 

 

Okay beans, now it's time to put on the new wig!

 

 

Before you get started, I recommend trying the wig on and making sure it fits and you like it on your doll. It's always better to find out now before you start gluing! (Take it from me, I did this step and realized there was a bald spot on the previous wig I ordered for her, so NO SKIPPING THIS STEP!!!) 

 

TIP: Putting on the wig takes a LOT of pulling and maneuvering, but if the wig doesn't fit, then look inside the wig cape, there should be a little bit of Velcro inside. Unlatch it and your wig should fit. Too big? Tighten the Velcro to fit.

 

 

TIP: Use the old glue ring as a guide line for lining up the wig! pull the wig slightly over line on all sides :)

 

 

(LOL I just realized how off the wig is in this picture XD) Maneuver the wig until it's in a position you like, memorize where the part lines up then remove the wig.

 

 

Next we'll pull the hair up so it's not getting stuck in the glue while we're, well... Gluing! But first I'll be taking the highlights off the wig to make things easier, and I thought for those of you who haven't seen an Isabelle doll in person, I'd show you how the highlights connect!

 

 

The highlight is one long strip that attaches to loops in the back-middle of the wig with a small plastic hooks.

 

 

There are three hooks, and to remove simply unhook them from the wig.

 

 

Here's the front of the extension,

 

 

And the back.... Kinda weird huh?

 

 

Anyhoo, back to pulling the hair up. This can be a little tricky to do without pulling a random part of the wig in a weird position and making your life five times more difficult. But after several attempts, I found a method that worked really well. Turn your wig upside down, and stick that handy hand of yours inside the wig and spread out your fingers!

 

 

Like so,

 

 

Then with the other hand grab the hair into a loose ponytail.

 

 

Go ahead and hairband wiggy, but please don't tie the hair too close to the wig cap!

 

Woah! blurry picture!

Slip the wig back on dolly's head and line the part where it was when you previously tried the wig on.

 

 

Let's take a moment to look all around the wig and make sure the wig is placed properly. Remember, use the old glue ring as a guide line!

 

 

Ok, so sometimes people will just glue around the head and put the wig back on, but this method terrifies me! So much can go wrong doing that, so this is how I do it. With the wig still on, place your hand on top of your doll's head, and while holding the wig on the head take your thumb and carefully lift the edge of the wig.

 

 

Then take your glue and glue along the inside of the wig cap, don't glue right up against the edge of the wig because once you press the it down the glue will spread.

 

TIP: Don't go crazy with the glue!! If you use too much than it will leak through the cap and glue the hair to the head. (believe me, found that out with Molly...) So just use a small stream, you can always add more later if it's not enough.

 

 

Once glued press down the edge and continue around the head.

 

 

TIP: When you get to the back of the head, don't flip the ponytail so it's hanging down the top of her head and in front of her face, the weight might pull the wig forward. Instead, just take it to the side slightly. Also, I just realized I could have put it in a bun.... So you could do that if you'd like XD

 

 

After I finished gluing, I VERY carefully took her hair down (So the back edge would lay better) and strapped her in to dry, I recommend at least 3-5 hours.

 

And now, may I introduce to you...

 

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

PARKER ANNA ROSE!!!

 

 

Before

 

 

After

 

 

Guys! I'm so happy with how she came out! She's come sooooo far from that poor little TLC doll I found at the thrift store <3

 

 

Ok I think it's time to get to know Parker a little better! Take it away Parker!

 

"What? Me? Uh, ok...."

 

 

So uhhh, hey there, my name is Parker and I'm 14 years old.

 

 

I guess you could say I'm the more serious one out of my family, I'm not really the kind of person to make jokes or go out of my way to pull some sort of crazy prank.

 

 

But don't you think for a second that I don't have my moments ;)

 

 

So yeah, I'm usually pretty chill and laid back.

 

 

I'm really good with technology, I love programing and making things..... Do you want to hear about my new project? I'm actually working on building a robot!

 

 

Something I really love doing is making stop motions! Sometimes I make them with my Mini American Girl doll Kaya, a special gift from a good friend :)

 

 

Say hi to the people, Kaya...

 

"Hello!"

 

 

But my favorite toy to make stop motions with are my Minifigs, Lloyd and Nya. Would you ever like to see one of my Lego stop motions on here? If so, let me know! Maybe I'll be able to talk Katie into letting me post one!

 

 

You probably already guessed this when you saw Lloyd and Nya, but I love Ninjago! The show is my favorite.

 

 

P.S. I totally ship Cole and Nya.

 

 

Avery: OH REALLY?!? I'LL GIVE YOU ABOUT 3 SECONDS TO RUN!!!

 

 

Hehehe ;)

 

 

So now that you know some things about me, I'd love to chat and get to know you through the comments! Do you like stop motions?

 

 

OH!! Do you like Ninjago?!

 

 

If so you have to tell me, who's your favorite character? And who do you ship? Cole and Nya, or Jay and Nya?

 

 

Avery: IF YOU GUYS WANT TO LIVE YOU BETTER SAY NYA AND JAY!!!

 

 

Don't listen to her... Well I'm off! Can't wait to meet you all through the comments!

 

 

Sincerely, Parker Anna Rose :)

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Thank you so much for reading! Have an amazing day!

 

- Katie :)