How to get a doll's curls back in place?

[EmBee]

So I now have a Li'l Miss Mermaid doll in much better condition than the last.  I cleaned her up and she looks great.  The only problem is her once in-tact, thick, beautiful ringlets are now.. all separated and array after washing.  ._.  I had to brush them when her hair was wet, I just couldn't resist to have it tangle-free.

I tried setting them back with my fingers but it just gets all tangly.  I also tried scrunching it when damp.  Is there an easier way to do this?

*Also, does anybody know what this could be?

Nail polish remover cannot get it off, so I'm hoping it's not that mold stuff that Rainbow Brite dolls get...

Thanks a bunch for any advice, I really love this doll!
-Em

[catlover51]

I cheat and use the curlers from My Little Ponies. But wrapping it around a pencil has worked before.

[flowersinherhair]

On My Little Ponies I have used drinking straws as curlers and held the hair in place with bobby pins, but I bet since this doll is much bigger than that, you could even use human-sized curlers.

The stain in the photo looks to me like it's from a marker - marker ink sinks into vinyl and nail polish remover doesn't take it out. It doesn't look like mold to me, don't worry!

[invaderhorizongreen]

well i would try an empty crayola marker if the doll is really big and try that 

[mouse]

The mark on her head looks like faded in felt tip marker/texta I think if it won't come off with sort sort of cleaning agent then you can leave it out in the sun and it should fade some more in the sun. Looks like her hair would cover it though so it's no bigger - unless of course it a crazy toy ruining mould. Maybe you could take the head off and look inside and see if there is more on the inside of the plastic?

[pikapal]

On My Little Ponies I have used drinking straws as curlers and held the hair in place with bobby pins, but I bet since this doll is much bigger than that, you could even use human-sized curlers.

The stain in the photo looks to me like it's from a marker - marker ink sinks into vinyl and nail polish remover doesn't take it out. It doesn't look like mold to me, don't worry!

I like to use straws too. They are really good for ponies with spiral curls like Goldilocks.

[EmBee]

@flowersinherhair
Thank you!  The fact that it's vinyl and could hold a stain like that really makes sense.

@mouse
I have heard that you can put vaseline on dolls to enrich the color of the skin if it's faded; but I also have heard that the sun can dullen colors, especially vinyl.  Two totally contrasting points!  Maybe the vaseline makes a difference?  So, I'm afraid to try anything with the sun, but thank you.    I am also too afraid to pop the head off, but I will keep a close watch on it.  Thankfully you're right, though, her bangs cover it well.

I have tried pencils and markers, but to be honest her hair curls are very s-shaped, and it's incredibly difficult.  Maybe I'm just bad at curly hair on dolls..!  XD...

-Em

[natnolly]

Those are genous ideas, I never thought of wrapping the hair around a straw or a pencil, wow!
As for the mark...  It looks like a ball point pen stain to me, that is soaked in and bloated.  I have marks like that on a favorite doll of mine from childhood and sure enough they are from a BIC ink pen.

[pikapal]

For the stain I heard some people use Oxy pimple cream to clean marker and pen stains. I personally have never used it though.

[natnolly]

So about the straw wrapping for curls technique, I did it with dry doll hair on my LLL curly crown and it worked very well but does it work better on wet hair? Kinda skittish about getting her hair wet...

[EmBee]

@natnolly
Wow, I had no idea BIC pens were capable of such stains on vinyl!    Awesome, that's very comforting that it probably isn't mold.

Maybe one day if I have a doll in horrible condition I will mark her up and test her with different solutions.  That would be infinitely helpful.  The only thing I cannot test is a stain that has been set for like 10 years.   

I will keep trying the the markers in the hair, maybe this next time when it's still wet or something.  What scares me is that my other Li'l Miss Mermaid's curls are practically just waves now, so I want to make sure that doesn't happen to my nicer one.   

Thank you all for all of your advice!
-Em

[MercurialMonster]

For the stain I heard some people use Oxy pimple cream to clean marker and pen stains. I personally have never used it though.

I have heard of people using Oxy pimple cream as well, though I haven't met anyone who actually has, and what the results were.  It turned out most of them used it because they were confused by the name of a product specifically made to clean stains on vinyl dolls:
http://www.twinpines.com/Catalog.html?VT=iji_PFmz10eyjIi_aQ2iigqkDbpbcuKQ1VlA8Ib3fv&Tmp_CategoryID=00002

Why they call it Remove-Zit instead of Removez-it, or better yet, some other name  (with out a "z" near the word "it") is beyond me.  It is not a pimple cream at all, and it causes confusion in doll communities because of that mistaken belief.   

[EmBee]

Wow that stuff looks awesome!  Thank you so much for the link.  I will most certainly check it out.

-Em

[pikapal]

MercurialMonster thanks for clearing that up. I would have been cleaning doll heads with pimple cream.

[EricaVee]

You definitely have to do the curls when the doll's hair is wet. If the markers don't work, try pipe cleaners--fold one in half, put a section of hair between the two halves and then roll it up. Fold the ends of the pipe cleaner back onto the hair to hold it. This is more likely to give you the s-shaped waves I have seen on other Li'l Miss Mermaid dolls. Then just let the hair dry like that and take them out.

I have also had success using styling tools on doll hair using VERY low heat, so if you want to heat-set the hair you could use a hair dryer very carefully, on low heat and from a distance.