Hair for Dolls and Amigurumi

Dear users, dear authors,
How do you handle the hair for dolls and amigurumi?

Dear Josefa,
I'm sure lots of craft friends will post later about exactly how to do the ringlet curls and so on. Since I don't make amigurumi, I can't contribute anything about that. But I can cheer you all up a little, or maybe inspire you, with my post about doll hair.

I have lots of old B. dolls, which I also like to buy secondhand. Most of the time the hair is very straw-like, sticky, dusty, etc., and needs a beauty treatment.





That's why, after they arrive at my place, the first thing they always get is a beauty treatment for their hair. I put them headfirst into a container of almost-hot water with fabric softener added.



After about 30 minutes, they come back out. Then dry them in a microfiber towel (don't rub). Now comb with a detangling brush (from the drugstore)—first just the ends, then gradually farther up.



After that, blow-dry, but always only in one direction. Afterward, the hair is smooth, pleasantly scented, and shiny again.



And I've also tried out curly hairstyles . Since it's not real hair but synthetic fiber, it's not all that easy. You wrap fine strands around cut-to-size drinking straws and secure them with hair clips. Then place them headfirst into the fabric-softener solution as above.





Then take them out, lay the head in a microfiber towel, and gently press out the moisture. Now blow-dry the hair carefully with low airflow, or put it outside in the sun. Then twist out the curlers and style the hairdo gently. If possible, don't comb too much, otherwise you'll quickly comb the curls right out again. They're not natural curls, after all :-)

Here you can see the two ladies after their appointment at my hair salon:







Best wishes from Ina

I like to use mohair yarn because it looks so natural. I usually sew the hair on in individual strands, like I did with this princess.


With curly doll’s wool, you can also create beautiful curly hairstyles, like on this angel:

Here, too, the yarn is laid in loops and sewn in place.

I’m not particularly fond of crocheted hairstyles—they look too artificial to me. And I don’t have the patience to tie in each strand of hair individually.

For small dolls, such as finger puppets, the hairstyle is sometimes embroidered on.
Here, the hairstyle is embroidered on. The braid is a foundation chain that was then sewn on.

Oh, and here’s another tip if you don’t have curly doll yarn: Just knit or crochet a small piece with thin yarn (like a gauge), get it wet, and let it dry. Then carefully do the unraveling, and you’ll have a curly strand.

First, I crochet a suitable scalp.
Then I cut yarn that I’ve wound around something the same size—like a book.
I cut it once.
I fold each individual strand in half. I pull it through the scalp with a crochet hook. At an adjacent spot, I pull both ends through. I pull the ends through the loop and tie them together.
I pull both ends through a third spot in the scalp.

I use yarn for the hair that matches the doll.

Wow, what great tips! Since I’m planning to knit or crochet a doll myself someday, I find your tips very helpful.

Ina, what you’re doing with your dolls is really something special. I used to love doing that as a kid—styling dolls’ hair. I would never have come up with ideas like that, though. It’s good to know that the dolls can handle being in the water for so long. The result is really impressive. Absolutely fantastic!

Ina, I’d love to book a hair appointment with you at your studio, too. But I don’t think I’d survive a head-first dip in fabric softener… ;-)

Schnatter_design I didn’t understand where you’re pulling more threads through there... You do it like tying on fringe, right? And then where do the ends go??? 

Ina, it’s great that you’re giving us a peek into your beauty routine. I’d love to stop by sometime.
The before-and-after picture is really amazing. And so simple. Thanks for the tip.

When it comes to the hair on my crocheted figures, I handle it differently depending on the project.
Sometimes I first crochet a cap in the hair color and then knot in the strands.

Other times, I crochet a cap normally in rounds, but into the back loop only. Then I crochet chain-stitch strands into the back loops and slip stitch back (starting from the top and working spirally downward). For example, make a chain of chain stitches into one back loop, depending on the length, slip stitch back, single crochet into the next back loop, alternating, and so on.

For smaller figures, I take strands of yarn—depending on the hair length—and lay them across the head, then sew them in place at the center of the head with a needle and thread. Then I braid the strands on the left and right into plaits and secure the side plaits to the head with 2–3 stitches.

For a ponytail, I tie the strands only to the bottom edge of the hair cap, and then I gather everything upward into a ponytail with an elastic band.

You can also crochet the strands of hair directly into the rounds of the hair cap. If you crochet 2 or 3 stitches into one stitch, you’ll get curly locks.

You can also glue this store-bought angel hair to the head with fabric glue, but I’m still experimenting to see if it holds properly.