Trying to give this Barbie hair new life

@shaggin (73059)
United States
January 16, 2025 11:46am CST
I wanted to throw this mermaid Barbie out. My little one chewed the hands and won’t let me cut them off and won’t leave bandaids covering them. It grosses me out so bad. Her father won’t let me throw it out. She gets played with constantly so her hair was a matted mess. I watched a video on YouTube and thought I could make this Barbie’s hair look like new. I washed it and conditioned it. I didn’t have the avocado hair mask but used a different kind that I had in my cupboard. Then I didn’t have a hair straightener so I used a curling iron. Well it’s a lot better but I can still feel the frizzy ends. My oldest daughter buys monster high and my little Pony dolls and fixes their hair and told me what she does. She does shampoo conditioner then blow dries it straight. I may try that down the road but I told her to keep an eye out at work if any hair straighteners come in (she works at a thrift store).
18 people like this
20 responses
@snowy22315 (183622)
• United States
16 Jan
Interesting .I didn't"t know people fixed doll hair. I have enough trouble with my own.
4 people like this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@snowy22315 this is a lot more effort I put into this dolls hair then I do to my own. I brush mine like once a week. I style it maybe once a month
2 people like this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@akalinus is it curly? I just put mine in a sloppy bun most the time and say the heck with it.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (43748)
• United States
16 Jan
I'm laughing because I have a lot of trouble with my own hair. Some days, it takes a walk on the wild side and everyone knows.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (62144)
• Centralia, Washington
16 Jan
Interesting. Washing doll's hair. That is quite the color. I wish you tons of luck.
2 people like this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@sallypup I need a ceramic hair straightener I think. Maybe my daughter is right on the hair dryer though but I think it won’t get straight enough.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
11h
@sallypup I had one many years ago but rarely used it and gave it away a few years ago. Do you recall hair crimpers in the 80s or 90s?
@sallypup (62144)
• Centralia, Washington
20h
@shaggin Ceramic hair straightener is new to me.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (169846)
• Boise, Idaho
16 Jan
Interesting. Conditioner and a blow dry. That one area does need some help.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@celticeagle very true
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@celticeagle it’s so much better then it was but still has a ways to go.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (169846)
• Boise, Idaho
16 Jan
@shaggin ......We can sure say that about a lot of things can't we?
1 person likes this
@averygirl72 (38149)
• Philippines
16 Jan
Nice hair color. It's your child? How old is she?
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
17 Jan
@averygirl72 you mean in the photo you are asking if that is my child?
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@averygirl72 oh my daughter who owns this doll is 3.
@averygirl72 (38149)
• Philippines
23h
@shaggin No the owner of the doll?
1 person likes this
@akalinus (43748)
• United States
16 Jan
My kids solved the hair problem. They had regular Barbies and cut their hair off so they could watch it grow back. Such a brilliant plan.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@akalinus well they thought that would solve the problem I guess but it definitely was wishful thinking. So cute though .
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@akalinus I had a doll that you could cut their hair and put extensions in but I bet it was costly to buy the extension pieces for parents to keep the kids in a steady supply.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (43748)
• United States
16 Jan
@shaggin Their hair never did grow back, lol. I think maybe I should have bought some hair growth potion or something.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (88117)
• Bangalore, India
16 Jan
Happy that it is better than before. I am sure that with further treatment and hair straightener, it would be even better. My elder daughter played gently with her dolls. They stayed like new. But my younger daughter was just the opposite. She played rough and all the Barbies looked tortured and abused. My husband once commented that the dolls seem to have survived a bomb blast
2 people like this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@arunima25 my older sister was like that she was very careful and mostly just collected dolls. I loved my dolls and played hard with them. Sounds like your younger daughter and I can relate.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (88117)
• Bangalore, India
17h
@shaggin Yes, very much. Elder one treated the dolls as inanimate and show pieces. Younger one treated them like real humans, giving them bath, dressing them, talking to them and even thrashing them when she felt angry.. they were good outlet for her emotions
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (161544)
• United States
23h
Maybe if a second hand Barbie comes in you could buy it and trade out the arms on this doll. I think my niece used to use the leave in detangler for kids.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
23h
@GardenGerty gosh I didn’t think arms could be swapped out that way. I’d be scared of breaking them off for good then my little one would be really upset with me
@youless (112670)
• Guangzhou, China
17h
This barbie's hair looks so beautiful. Well done
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
11h
@youless thanks it looks better but still isn’t how I want it.
@Manasha (2845)
• Pondicherry, India
17h
Sounds like you put in a lot of effort to revive that Barbie’s hair! Even without all the "perfect" tools, it seems like you did a great job improving it. Your daughter’s advice sounds promising too—blow-drying it straight might help with those frizzy ends. Good luck, and I hope she finds a straightener at the thrift store soon! ??
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
10h
@Manasha it is definitely improved but still not how I want it to be. Hoping a ceramic flat iron comes into the thrift store to try that as I just don’t think the hair dryer will work as well as I would like either.
@rakski (128446)
• Philippines
23h
I did not know those things when I was younger so all the barbie hair and ponies hair are all tangled and frizzy
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@rakski same here and it drove me nuts. I only had a crimper back then though so I wouldn’t have been able to get the hair straight anyway.
1 person likes this
@rakski (128446)
• Philippines
21h
@shaggin true.
1 person likes this
• West Haven, Connecticut
10h
My 13 year old twin daughters think they are too cool for barbies now lol
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
10h
@Baconstripsxxx gosh 13 already. I remember when they were very small. My oldest daughter stopped playing with toys at 7. It was so young
1 person likes this
• West Haven, Connecticut
8h
@shaggin Yeah they are growing up fast
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (343537)
• Rockingham, Australia
12h
Kids get really attached to some toys, don't they?
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
10h
@Judyev yes and then others I’d love her to love she doesn’t care for
19h
My daughter used to enjoy playing until she got hooked on watching TV and playing Roblox on the mobile phone.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
10h
@Iam_jauntyjen my little one isn’t allowed to watch tv when she’s with me all day but as soon as my husband gets home he turns the tv on for her. I hate it!
@Kandae11 (55356)
16 Jan
That could be a good side business - giving new life to dolls hair... Some children refuse to give up their favorite toy - no matter how battered it becomes.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@Kandae11 some people buy them from thrift stores when there hair is all gross like that and fix it. It can make a doll that is worth money able to be sold for a lot more then what they pay at the thrift store.
1 person likes this
@Kandae11 (55356)
16 Jan
@shaggin Exactly.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (95111)
• United States
16 Jan
That’s a lot of effort to put into a Barbie, but you’ve sure made the best out of a mangled toy. I also suggest saving it to throw at your husband every time a situation ends badly because he doesn’t listen to you.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
16 Jan
@AmbiePam my husband basically said the same that it was a lot of effort on a doll. I can’t stand looking at it anymore it was either try to fix the dolls hair or it had to go. Then my little one ripped the crown out a few minutes ago so I had to attempt a hairstyle that will hold the crown on.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (138908)
• India
16 Jan
What was the final result?
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
17 Jan
@allknowing what you see in the photo is the final result. The ends still feel rough and frizzy.
@wolfgirl569 (109728)
• Marion, Ohio
16 Jan
Glad it's better. My niece used to chew a hand or foot on her dolls. But I think it was to keep her mom from selling them
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
17 Jan
@wolfgirl569 well I guess she had a reason. It makes me want to gag looking at bite marks in anything.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (81617)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Jan
Interesting I didn't know you could fix or renew a doll's hair,
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@RasmaSandra you can learn a lot on YouTube
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Jan
It's funny how our little ones become so attached to their dolls. My girls all had Barbies that were a mess but they loved them anyway. You did a good job on the hair and I never would have thought to do that.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@Marilynda1225 it drove me nuts as a kid how bad their hair would get. I wish I had YouTube back then to know how to fix their hair.
@andriaperry (117559)
• Anniston, Alabama
16 Jan
He favorite doll. Awww, you're a good mom.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (73059)
• United States
22h
@andriaperry well I probably would have tossed it if my husband would have let me and I can’t stand the hair so if I had to keep it I had to try to make at least the hair look better.