Giving a doll wig a “haircut!”

I wanted to restyle a wig this evening and got out a few that were candidates…

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Finally after some trying them on, I decided on this blonde wig with long ringlet curls.

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I just HAD to have it, but it’s never done much for me… that little part that’s pulled over sticks up too much and the bangs seemed too heavy… so tonight was the night for a redo. I wanted more of a little girl style for Janie, my 13″ Little Darling, by Dianna Effner. Janie was gracious and endured pulling and tugging and never said a word back to me!

I’ve cut my hubby’s hair for 33 years so I know a little bit about cutting hair, but a little tiny doll wig can certainly intimidate you. I wanted to lose some of the curls so I just began combing down the ringlets and snipping them off, using the bottom of her panties as a guideline as I went around the first time.

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I went around several times using a different length each time I went around… and then ended up with a somewhat shorter version.

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I tweaked it a little more and then decided I wanted to layer it just a bit on the ends so I wasn’t just a “flip.”

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I was taking lots of pictures as I did it to make sure at least some of them came out the way I wanted. My pile of hair grew bigger each time I went around Janie’s head. This is what I ultimately ended up with.

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As I studied the new look, I still wasn’t happy with the “bump” on the top, so I french braided that part and it pulled it down to where I was happy with it. It’s one of those things that’s hard for you all to see, as my camera can’t quite capture the 3-D effect of it, but in person it’s really sweet looking on Janie. Here are a few shots of the final look…

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Okay so here’s a side by side…

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If you don’t like it, it’s okay… I LOVE long hair on little girls and curls are the best, but this wig didn’t do it for me. Janie just told me she likes her new look! *sigh*

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

21 thoughts on “Giving a doll wig a “haircut!””

  1. Jeanne, what can’t you do? You sew, you cook, you do hair! I love the new do, but also like the longer version. I love long hair on little girls too, and my daughter had long curly hair as long as I could be “in charge” of her hair! However, my dolls mostly have shorter hair,– well, Molly doesn’t, but I think the shorter hair looks more contemporary. Nobody had long hair when I was small, but that was eons ago! Come to think of it, I also cut my husband’s hair and also my son’s, when he was small!

    I got a lot done in the yard yesterday with that wonderful spring day we had! Was yours warm and sunny too?

    1. HI Linda,
      I too, liked the long curls but it was a wig that I had so much trouble keeping the curls nice. I’m not sure it was synthetic mohair, which is what I really like so much because they are so easy to style. If you just bumped it it got messed up…
      I love little girls in long hair and if I had my way, my hair would be down past my shoulders and full of ringlets… dream on Jeanne!

      I have cut my hubby’s hair for 33+ years and did Kristoffer’s and Rebecca’s too when they were little.

      Yes, our yesterday was absolutely wonderful. I had a little picnic with some dear friends. Today has been nice but just a bit cooler. I love this kind of weather. I had a busy day today so I’m just veggin’ out this afternoon.
      Thanks Linda,
      blessings, Jeanne

  2. Your little Janie is as sweet as can be. I completed something new for Patience yesterday and put a little braid in her hair too. It got the hair out of her eyes a little bit. I am always messing with wigs too. There’s always a bit hanging too long here or there. I’m surprised there’s any hair left after awhile. LOL You really improved the look of this wig. I see lots of little girls with this hair style. Too adorable!
    BTW, my husband would never let (trust) me cut his hair. Smart guy!

    1. HI Cindy,
      As talented as you are I’m sure you could cut your hubby’s hair.

      I can’t wait to see Patience’s new hairdo. I love messing with wigs and this one just was blah to me. I hadn’t used it in a photo shot since I got it, so maybe I will now.
      Thanks Cindy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Thanks Christine,
      Some like the new look, some don’t but that’s okay. I was willing to take the chance because the wig wasn’t doing anything for me the way it was.
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Thank you Marsha,
      I think it looks more little girl like too! I LOVE long hair on little girls but I also love the sweet look of the shorter styles.
      Thanks so much,
      blessings, Jeanne

  3. Nice job, Jeanne, I like the braid across the top. Except for braid it looks a little like the blonde one you trimmed before. Could we see them together, please? I have trimmed doll wigs, always wished I had a way to hold them steady except between my knees.

    I also cut dh’s hair and I used to cut my own but I can no longer reach back far enough, stupid stiff shoulders.

    1. Hi Jevne,
      Thanks for the comments on the wig I cut. I will post some pictures of both the wigs I trimmed up. The first one was much shorter than this one, but still had that same little girl look. You can put the dolls wig on her head, if necessary put some nex tape or even a cloth or flexible bandaid on your dolls head and then weigh down the doll stand as she stands in it. I have a sand filled pin cushion that works well for holding the stand in place.

      I think all women have cut their hubby’s hair at one time or another… (except Cindy…:o) )
      Thanks Jevne,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. HI Linda,
      I’m not sure this was much of a tutorial but if you think so…. I hope it helped you.

      There are tons of tutorials on french braiding hair, even dolls hair on the internet or on Pinterest. I don’t have a way of doing a video tutorial, but I’ll check into it. I do French braiding on my daughters hair and love to see what I can come up with.

      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Good morning Jeanne,

    What an excellent job cutting Janie’s wig, It looks more natural now for a little girl – not that little girls can’t have long hair but the wig was too fluffy and big.
    I fuss over my dolls’ hair as well- all hair is the “crowning glory” of a person (or doll). I don’t change their hair style much, it’s more of keeping loose hairs to stay in place. Like the beautiful Caroline I have, her hair is a bit trying to keep loose strands in all her curls.
    Just maintenance for our passions!!

    Have a blessed day!

    1. Hi Paula,
      You said it right about the wig… it was too “fluffy and big!” That was the problem. It was too much hair for Janie’s delicate features. I too, like it better, but I have other long wigs that I just love on her.
      I’ve heard people say that Caroline’s hair was sort of flyaway and hard to keep in place. But it sure is pretty when it is all in order. You have hooked me on looking at the “custom” dolls… and I do it almost every night to see what is available.
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Each time I tried to cut a doll wig it was a lost wig. Congratulations on the new look! I have cut bangs successfully once. I think many doll wigs have way too much hair for the size of the doll, but then many dolls have unrealistic short feet. Why do you suppose this is? I really like the more realistic foot length on Kish dolls. I hope I don’t sound grumpy but sometimes I wonder about the huge amount of hair pictured?

    1. HI Jan,
      I’m with you… I think most of the wigs have too much hair. If they fit, I try to go down one size and squeeze my dolls head into the smaller size… it fits better, if you can get it on the head and looks more realistic.
      I hadn’t noticed so much the feet on the dolls. So you think the Kish dolls, (like Wren are more normal sized?) I’ll have to pay attention next time I see one in bare feet.
      Thanks Jan,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. Hello,
    I agree with Jan…most wigs have WAY too much hair 🙂 Jeanne your trim was perfect…just the right amount of hair for that LD. I’ve been looking for my thinning shears to do some work on a wig I just put on a Dolly patient. She needs lots of trimming too!
    Have a good week!

    1. Kathie,
      Yes, you and me and Jan agree the wigs usually have too much hair. I don’t want a thin wig but not over fluffed up either. I have a pair of thinning scissors and almost used them first but decided I wanted the wig shorter. So I just did some whacking off the ringlets and went from there.
      Thanks Kathie,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Charlotte Trayer

    I figure the good Lord knew what He was doing when He gave me a boy! LOL I have absolutely zero talent with hair. Nada. Zilch. (And, no, I’ve never cut my husband’s hair, nor my son’s either. The most I will do is trim my own bangs.)

    After I had had Molly (AG doll) for a while, her braids were starting to get scraggly, so I took them out, combed out the hair and rebraided them. I took me 3-4 tries on EACH braid to get them to look even semi-even! See? No talent with hair….

    Anyway, I love what you did with that wig–it turned out just darling! Curly, but soft curls, and fluffy.

    As to the reason why doll wigs seem to have so much hair, I think it has to do with the size (width or thickness) of the fibers they use. In order for it to be in a realistic scale with the doll, the fibers would be too fine for us to successfully style. So they use “regular” or perhaps slightly finer fibers for wigs. If they were to use fewer fibers per square inch of wig cap, I suspect the wig would turn out looking too thin. So, they err on the side of caution, and use more fibers, resulting in a wig that, to most of us, looks too thick.

    1. HI Charlotte,
      Thanks for your nice comments! I bet as talented as you are, you could do the dolls hair if you tried, or had someone show you how. It’s fun when you can do it! I’m glad you liked Janie’s new wig. I like it very much and you’ll see more of it in tomorrow’s post. I got her dress all finished.
      I don’t care much for the “fluffy” wigs, and I certainly don’t like the skimpy ones either. I guess you just have to buy what you like and in my case, if you don’t like it, redo it into something else.
      Thanks Charlotte,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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