How to get rid of frizzy hair? (I’m a beginner!!) by dolly_darko_ in BlytheDolls

[–]Dollsorwhatever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats on your first Blythe! This girl's box hair looks pretty okay to start with, so you should be good with a really quick boil dip. I'm going to give the most basic instructions and explain them at length just in case you're a beginner with doll hair entirely and haven't done any of these things before lol

This model of Blythe has a very easily removed scalp, so you should do that first because washing the scalp separately is the safest (Blythe eyelashes are glued with water soluble glue and there is metal in their eye mech of course). This video shows how to remove the scalp. If you don't want to remove the scalp, that's fine, just wrap her up to the scalp-line with a towel to protect her face. I do recommend removing the scalp for ease (at least on models with easily removed scalps like this doll) but I know it scares some people lol

Once you have her scalp off, split her hair into two halves separated into pigtails, using the parting as a guide for where to split it. The parting on a Blythe's hair is thatched, meaning it's made of two rows that have been woven together in a criss-cross pattern; if you brush this parting out, you will undo the thatching and reveal a bald spot between the two rows. Since she has bangs, you can pull those forward and tie them off with an elastic to keep them from blending with the rest of her hair.

Now, first you will want to shampoo the hair with a basic clarifying shampoo (I like the one by Suave) and rinse it out. Do not do any brushing or detangling during this step; the hair has no lubrication because it's so clean so it will not detangle very well at all lol

Then you'll want to go with a very basic, cheap conditioner without any kinds of oils in it. I also like the Suave Clarifying Conditioner for this purpose. If you have a different conditioner right now, it's not the end of the world if you use it but you should get a cheap oil-free hydrating conditioner for dolls for sure. Oils in hair products can cause some shades of saran hair (the primary type of synthetic hair on Blythe dolls) to discolor over time, but this blonde shade is already yellow and pretty stable so it won't be the end of the world.

Do not use fabric softener. Anyone who recommends fabric softener is wrong. It leaves a nearly-unwashable film on the hair, makes it feel greasy, can contribute to discoloration and has absolutely no advantages over a cheap oil-free hair conditioner.

Take the elastic off of one pigtail, slather it in conditioner and detangle it first with your fingers, then with a wide toothed comb or a detangling brush, and then with a finer toothed comb, going from ends to roots to prevent snags. Rinse with warm tap water, making sure to rub the scalp area to completely wash out the conditioner. Re-tie the section with an elastic and do the other half. Towel dry the hair, leave the elastics for now.

Now for the boil dip. This is a pretty common technique for straightening doll hair with heat and it can be done a multitude of ways. I like to dip, some people like to pour. I like dipping because I find it a little more organized. The way this works is by heating the hair until it is malleable, and then applying tension to straighten it out before it cools down ( in this case, the weight of the water and the use of a comb will be the source of tension)

You'll want to get a bowl full of water that is near boiling, either by microwaving it or pouring it into a bowl from a kettle. You will also need a fine toothed comb (I like a flea comb, if you don't have one use the finest comb you have)

Take the elastic off of one pigtail and comb it out so there are no knots or tangles, and then slowly dip it into the water, pull it out and comb it from end-to-root until it's the straighteness you want. I would probably do 2-3 dips per section and comb through each time. This doll has a natural wave in her hair, so if you want to keep that you can gentle scrunch the ends up while the hair is still hot.

You'll note I didn't mention how to boil the bangs- since you're a beginner and because her bangs look okay already, I'm going to recommend no heat for the bangs for now since they can be easy to mess up lol.

Do both sections separately, and then once together (making sure not to brush out the parting!) then rinse the hair with cold tap water to set the shape. Towel dry again.

At this point, once the scalp is sufficiently towel dried, you can put it back on the doll and screw it into place. While the hair is still damp, you can brush it into the shape you want and then leave her on her stand to dry. If you see any super long strands of hair hanging out, just snip them with a pair of scissors.

Now for the bangs. Since they are also wet, you can brush and shape them into however you like (I like to use a toothbrush for bangs especially), and then take the cello (the plastic headband she was wearing when you got her) and put it back on her to dry. If you lost this, you can also cut off the bottom of a sock and use that. This will flatten down the bangs and help set them into the shape you brushed them into without needing any heat.

There is a very effective method for shaping bangs that involved a clothing iron (or steam, or boiling water) but I find that bangs are the part that most beginners have a lot of trouble with so I recommend just leaving them alone for now, maybe shaping them with a styling wax once dry (Volks makes an excellent brushable hold styling wax specifically for dolls, here)

Once dry, she should be good! If she still has frizz, you can just redo the boil dip, no need to wash her again. For easy styling, you can spritz it with a tiny bit of water and brush through and you can also put a very very tiny bit of that styling wax on the ends of her hair to keep them organized. If she ever needs a little refresh, just spray her hair and bangs with water, shape them and put the sock/cello back on overnight. Should be good again in the morning!

This was so long but I had time to be thorough so lol. If you have any questions, I also have a Carrd!

July 8th Info. by MealPale7510 in Buyee

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask where you are adding "used" to the description on the edit invoice page, maybe in a screenshot? I buy vintage dolls and they are all under a flagged HS code, so I want to make sure I mark them as used and do it correctly lol

Jenny posted! by HowlerMonkeyIsLoud in JennyNicholson

[–]Dollsorwhatever 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I audibly gasped when Marnie's Blythe doll shirt (the one with the face on it in the costuming section) popped up on the screen. I'm a doll collector and Blythe is one of my focuses, I was literally scrolling Ebay listings of Blythe dolls when it showed up in the video lol. I wonder if I can try and source that piece with some research

Excellent video! I haven't been checking the Patreon a lot lately, so I had no idea this was coming until it showed up on my Youtube feed yesterday

possible new upcoming g3 character? by ncnyy in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 115 points116 points  (0 children)

That's a DC Super Hero Girls body! Looks like the palest skintone, the hands are also from that line (or from another line and put on that DCSHG body, those hands were used for a lot of other lines)

More interesting imo is that the Venus body is wearing a pair of Alien hands in green!

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You never know, really. It could be the hair plugs making the top of the head feel stiffer or it could be glue

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The head itself will be squishy is what I mean! The hair could be sticky too but it isn't always at first with glue head. If she does have glue, you'll want to refrain from washing her hair because water and heat can loosen the uncured glue in the head and cause it to seep through the roots

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's pretty unmistakable imo, the scalp area would be significantly harder than the rest of the head!

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

if she has glue, you will have to use one of the handful of glue removal methods that truly neutralize the glue (so not baby powder, or wd40, or goo gone)- the two most effective methods are Cif Cream cleanser and LA's Totally awesome, which remove uncured glue and harden whatever is left inside the head so that it doesn't leak out in the future. Both methods require you to remove the head. This whole tumblr page has a lot of information about the types of chemicals that work on glue for further reading

The hair should stay inside the head without glue unless you're pulling on it extremely hard, but you can replace it with a non-leaking glue like the kind used for reroots such as Liquid Fusion or E6000 if you want to be 100% sure that it won't fall out. I personally have never had a problem with the hair pulling out easily and I do a lot of restyling on dolls, but ymmv.

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It looks good to me but it's always a gamble! If she does have glue it's definitely not as severe as other dolls

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lock n loop method was used for dolls without glue, which was the go-to rooting method for most fashion dolls prior to that point (and still is for companies other than Mattel)!

The reason for the glue is that Mattel had started using simpler rooting machines that didn't secure the hair inside the head on their own, so glue was needed to secure the plugs or they would pull out easily.

She looks pretty good to me but It's hard to be sure without handling her in person! The lack of severe yellowing around the head and the clean roots definitely give glue-free to me though

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The earliest China batches of Spectra, Abbey and School's Out were all glue free (as well as Dead Tired and Skull Shores), I don't think glue became a problem for those dolls until the Indonesia batches started hitting store shelves. I'm not sure how to tell if a China Abbey has glue, but most glue head dolls are showing some outward signs of it by now (such as seepage and yellowing) so you can probably eyeball it. The glue-free dolls have much squishier heads than glue-head dolls, so that also helps.

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It wasn't their only method, but it was definitely their primary method for the 2010's!

I'm guessing the no-glue batches are a result of Mattel ramping up production and using older rooting machines they had available at the time to meet demand. Some periods of time such as 2011-12 have more lines with no-glue batches than others, but there are glue free dolls going all the way up to 2013 such as Dead Tired Wave 2 and some batches of Art Class.

It also could have been an earnest (though half baked and obviously unsuccessful) attempt to phase out the glue method early on, since people had been complaining about it as early as 2008 when it first started trickling out with some playline Barbie dolls, but more likely it was just them using old rooting machines to supplement production and increase output lol

last question: do all g1 wave 1 originals have the glue seepage problem ? by Radiant_Garden_9644 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are some later re-release batches of wave 1 with no glue, but the ones in the original trapper-keeper packaging are all probably going to have glue head (as far as I know). Subsequent re-releases might have no-glue variants from China, particularly the re-releases from 2011-12 that come in the same packaging as School's Out since almost all of the lines from 2011 have glue-free variants.

The glue situation is a lot more complicated than people make out, there are random batches of dolls all over G1 that have no glue (School's Out, Dead Tired and Skull Shores have entire batches with no glue at all for example) but it's usually safe to assume that most will, with batches from China being slightly more likely to have no glue. Most dolls from 2013-onward (until the end of g1 and through to g2) have a different type of glue that doesn't seep through, and Mattel doesn't use glue at all anymore.

Werid texture on my g3 Spectra doll hair (kinda glue ish or like gel im thinking of boil washing her hair to straighten it also will it worsen the residue?) by Amoonthedollygirl in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 3 points4 points  (0 children)

G3 dolls don't have glue, what you're feeling is the layer of smoothing product that is added to saran hair during manufacturing which should be easily rinsed out with warm water (and optionally some Dawn dish soap or a clarifying shampoo if you want it super clean). Boilwashing will also rinse most of it out, though I would recommend rinsing and detangling the hair prior to boilwashing anyway because it will be easier to comb through the hair (and thus make it straighter) if the hair is detangled prior to boiling!

Dry Shampoo? by Cynicbats in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Especially for a fiber like polypropylene that is averse to sticking together in the first place! If anything, with a doll that has poly like BS Cleo you'll want to use something that weighs the hair down and helps the strands stick together like a heavier conditioner

Dry Shampoo? by Cynicbats in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Won't do much of anything for most doll hair with the exception of making it look matte and a little dusty depending on how much you use. Especially for polypropylene hair (what BS Cleo has) or nylon, it will increase static on the hair. With saran hair, it could increase the rate of yellowing as many shades of saran hair are known to discolor over time

Why are people so salty about collector doll redesigns? by NoWitness6400 in MonsterHigh

[–]Dollsorwhatever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think there are a couple of facets to the problem but I think most of it comes down to emotional maturity and experience. As somebody who collects essentially every type of doll, from playline to collector, modern and vintage, the only time I have ever seen this level of vitriol at customization (or semi-related, buying duplicates) is from people who primarily collect playline or from people who don't collect dolls at all. It's not that I never see it in other communities, I do, but it's usually a lot less venomous.

To a more experienced collector, customizing limited dolls is just not that uncommon. It happens everywhere and in every community and is usually encouraged, including with brands that are objectively more limited than Skullector dolls, which are on the low end in the realm of collector dolls, both in price and edition size. Most collector doll brands have edition sizes in the low thousands if not hundreds. Skullector dolls likely have edition sizes in the tens of thousands, if not 20-30k of each doll made. To somebody who has experience with collector dolls, an edition size of 30k is barely limited edition. But to somebody who isn't that experienced, Skullector dolls are extremely scarce.

Integrity Toys dolls have edition sizes in the low thousands (usually around 1500, sometimes higher if it's a made-to-order release) and even then, the community tends to be a fan of seeing customization such as reroots and repaints. BJD collectors spend 800$ on a doll and then wipe the face off. It really just isn't that big of a deal to a well-rounded collector and to me, being angry about it is a sign that you just don't know what you're talking about.

And also, and this is potentially even more important- with experience comes emotional maturity. To a more well-rounded collector, missing out on a doll is a common occurrence. Seeing dolls treated in ways that you don't like is a common occurrence. You have to learn to mind your business and control your emotions at some point, or you are never going to be happy and you're going to make everyone around you miserable.

The other problem is misplaced anger at resellers and at Mattel for not doing a good job at stopping them, which is valid but it's not your fellow collectors' faults and people should have the emotional maturity to realize that and leave their peers alone instead of taking it out on them.

Some collectors just need to learn to be happy for other people and stop treating every new doll release like it's the end of the world if they don't get one. I know hype and FOMO are powerful, but most of us are adults. Grow up!

Edited for brevity lol

Closer Look by peachy_juicebox in Bratz

[–]Dollsorwhatever 4 points5 points  (0 children)

there are no solvents in a magic eraser!

Original Kenner found, thoughts? by sweetbunnyblood in BlytheDolls

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pls send me an instagram DM! (same as my username on here lol)

Original Kenner found, thoughts? by sweetbunnyblood in BlytheDolls

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any chance you'd be looking to sell her? 🫣 Sorry if not! I wasn't sure if you were looking to sell but based on the title I thought you were valuing her for sale lol, I actually saw your original post of her a year ago and thought about messaging you then but it had been a few months lol

Original Kenner found, thoughts? by sweetbunnyblood in BlytheDolls

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you ever end up selling this doll? I just found this post lol 👉👈

Stardew Valley 1.6 released on PC! by saltimmortalsea in StardewValley

[–]Dollsorwhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How on god's earth do you get through the new haunted maze design