Doll Hair

By Jean Lotz

No, I don't believe the statement that "hair makes the doll" since some stunningly beautiful dolls have the hair carved or modeled into the sculpture simply finished off with a delicate paint job. I personally love modeled hair especially since no one can mess up the hair-do. But a doll artist can not ignore that fact that many collectors LOVE dolls with a lot of soft hair they can feel and fluff.

A doll artist really needs to know how important well done hair is to a doll collector. One of my favorite doll artists once told me that she had noticed how much her collectors loved dolls with a lot of hair. Her collectors actually have raved over her doll’s hair! But then she does doll hair wonderfully and this hair compliments her exquisitely sculpted dolls!

This does NOT equate to a new dollmaking formula, "big hair sells dolls", since no amount of hair will improve a less than wonderful sculpt.

If a doll artist wants hair, then they need to decide if they will wig the doll, glue bunches of hair directly to the scalp, root the hair into the head, or glue an appropriately hairy animal skin on to the head.

Fibers For Doll Hair

There is a great variety of fiber available so what is best for any particular doll? The hair must be in scale to the size of the doll. Human hair on a tiny doll will stick out like a broom while ultra fine hair on a large doll will look limp and unrealistic. But then out of scale hair can be useful when a doll artist is looking for a wild, comical look.

Some synthetic fibers used on full scale wigs today are amazingly realistic but a doll artist must keep in mind that many collectors greatly prefer organic fibers for doll hair and in all costuming materials! There is a very valid explanation for this preference: Collectors (especially those who also collect antique dolls) do not want to risk dissipating fumes from any synthetic fibers or non-organic materials damaging the rest of their collection.

Creative miniaturists always keep their eye open for potential of any fine fibers. I know someone who even experimented with the long belly fizz trimmed from a favorite cat! But still most miniaturists shy away from natural fibers since they can NOT easily find natural fibers in scale, while finer synthetics can be easily purchased that look more in scale with their tiny dolls. Having all elements of a miniature doll in perfect scale is extremely important to a miniature doll artist and perfect scale is especially important to their dedicated miniature collectors.

Doll Wigs

By Jean Lotz

There are many very good commercially available wigs on the market but many doll artists choose to make their own wigs.

Good grade commercial wigs are made from synthetic fibers and possibly thin mohair sewn onto medium grade wig caps. In better wigs, the hair wefts are strongly stitched to extremely stable, well made wig caps. High-end commercial doll wigs are available in human hair and mohair. Some are even hand-tied. You get what you pay for. If you use a cheap wig, then it will greatly depreciate the value of your doll.

Ideally, an artist would bring her doll into a well stocked doll supply store, but how many are that lucky? Instead, the artist measures carefully and order wigs. Hopefully the wig can be returned if it doesn’t live up to expectations.

Wigs are measured by the circumference of the doll’s head. Wrap a cloth tape measure around the doll's head just behind the ears and across the forehead. Most wig sizes are in inches.

Standard wig sizes are: 4", 5-6", 7-8", 8-9", 10-11", 11-12", 12-13", 13-14", 14-15" and 16-18". If you need anything larger then you can look into a human wig catalog. Obviously if your doll is smaller than 4", then you have no alternative but to make your own wig.

Applying A Wig

Painting Glue Over The Whole Scalp

Some people like to firmly glue wigs down all over a doll’s head so all parts of the wig are firmly attached.

The biggest mistake many people make is to use too much glue to apply a wig! Never just paint a huge amount of glue onto a doll’s head then pull a wig over this bed of glue. The excess glue may slush all over the doll’s face or seep through the wig cap into the hair fibers entangling it all into an unmanageable mess! In addition, glue will not dry properly if applied too heavily.

Instead, paint only a minimal coating of white glue all over the hair area of the doll head, carefully position the wig, hold it till it is tacky or almost dry and carefully wipe off all excess glue. Check it again before setting it aside to dry completely.

Tacking A Wig To The Scalp with Glue

Others prefer to tack the wig down ONLY in select critical spots with a minimum of white glue. This allows the wig to be easily removed if it needs to be washed any time in the future and does not affect the stability of the wig cap’s material.

I prefer this method for gluing wigs onto a wooden doll's head using rather than risk damage if someone accidentally pulls the wig hard - hopefully the glue or the wig cap will fail before damage is done to the painted surface or the wood itself. For the same reason, many antique porcelain doll owners want to use the absolute bare minimum glue rather than risk damage to the valuable doll's porcelain surface if the wig hair is grabbed or pulled.

A minimum of white glue can be placed in about 3 spots at the forehead hairline, tacked with one dot again by the temples, once again above the ears and 2 - 3 times along the back hair line.

Tacking A Wig

Schoenhut dolls (manufactured in the early part of this century for children) tacked the mohair on to the doll head with small upholstery tacks. Three tacks were placed at the forehead hairline and 3 more held the back of the wig down at the hairline. Of course we would NEVER use tacks or nails on a doll manufactured for children with today's safety guidelines. But this was obviously not a big issue then. The same minimal tacking technique can be achieved today much safer with 3 dots of the best quality tacky glue instead of the nails.

Using Animal Skin

By Jean Lotz

Hairy animal skins have been used to wig dolls for centuries. They are fitted onto the head and glued in place, then combed out and styled.

Animal skins are available with hair in all lengths, colors, curl and texture. A petite doll may be created with tiny curls on a skin wig likely from a baby animal. Master Doll Sculptor, George Stuart, regularly uses skin wigs for his very realistic museum historical figures. George tries to find a skin of an animal with the appropriate texture, curl and length he needs for his project. Although having the color perfect would be a big plus, he is fully prepared to dye the hair the color he needs.

Occasionally antique dolls are seen with only traces of hair tufts remaining on an old dried out skin wig. Or the leather may have been removed for some reason and then the only indication of the doll once having a skin wig is an empty depression behind the hairline where the skin wig once fitted – a recessed scalp.

Skin wigs are either glued directly to the scalp or they are fitted into a recessed scalp.

Preparing The Skin

A firm cloth or paper pattern MUST be made for a skin wig that perfectly fits the particular doll's head! Since hair/leather is so very expensive, no one should chance making a mistake with the fit of a skin wig. The pattern would be drafted by draping over the head, cut out in firm material and trial fitted.

The darts will not have the customary seam allowances since the skins are butted together at any seams and whip stitched together (if sewn at all).

Only when the fit seems perfect, then the pattern might be double checked by cutting it out in a cheaper leather about the same thickness as the hair/leather. Only when this leather pattern test is a perfect fit should the artist feel comfortable cutting hair/leather into the skin wig.

The pattern should be marked with any reference points needed: center forehead, center back, ears, hair growth arrow, and etc.

Carefully study the skin to locate a segment of hair that best suits the current project. Note the direction that the hair naturally wants to flow since the pattern should be positioned so the hair on the resultant skin wig will fall as naturally as possible. Find the corresponding spot on the reverse side of the leather. Carefully position and trace the wig pattern on the wrong side of the skin. Double check to insure the hair flow direction is perfectly aligned with the pattern!

Skins are always cut from the leather side being super careful to only snip through the leather - never cut any hair! Carefully separate cut leather segments and gently pull attached hair away. Example: After a dart is cut, the leather will be pulled away and the hair attached to these dart triangles is gently pulled out of the remaining hair mass left on the skin wig.

Once the leather is cut to the pattern lines, the darts are butted together and sewn by hand while working on the leather side. All the while, the artist should be very careful to keep the hair as untangled and free of any sewing.

Dry fit the skin wig to the head and glue only when it fits perfectly.

Skin Laid On Top

Some artists glue a skin wig directly on top of a head. But in this case, something must be done to minimize the thickness of the leather at the hairline or else the thick leather hairline will be extremely obvious and ugly.

This is done by carefully beveling the leather. Working on the leather side, the excess leather is beveled carefully by sanding or the excess is carefully sliced away with a very sharp knife and finished off by sanding until the leather at the hairline is much thinner. Always take care to avoid distorting the hairline edge!

Skin Inlayed into the Head - Recessed Scalp

An alternative to beveling the leather is to recess the scalp at the hairline. Ideally, the depth of this recession should be equal to the exact thickness of the leather to be used. In workable material, the recess is carved and scraped out to the level needed. The hairline is carved away in a very realistic shape and the skin wig will be cut to exactly fit this irregular shape.

Porcelain presents special challenges for recessed skin wigs. Planning, measuring, calculations, and perhaps guesswork are needed when working in porcelain. If a scalp recession was not provided for in the mold, then the recessed area must be carved out at the leather-hard stage. After firing, the scalp may be too shallow or too deeply recessed. If too shallow then the hairline edges of the skin wig can be shaved a bit to blend it in, and if too deep, then a layer of fill material may be needed to lift the skin wig.

Alternatively, the porcelain could be completely cut away at a realistically shaped hair-line. This void would then be filled with stiff stuffing and a custom-made stiff pate sitting at a level for the skin wig to look realistic.

Glue the skin wig

Only after a dry fitting sits perfectly on the head will it be ready for glue. Any leather glue can work, but George Stuart has been known to use epoxy glue.

Some effort should be made to protect the hair from getting in the way and getting contaminated by glue! The hair should be gathered up into rubber bands so it can be protected inside a plastic bag if possible.

Mark the hairline on the doll head to limit glue to just the wig area. Carefully apply a minimum of glue to the pate and then push and pull the skin wig into position being very careful NOT to stretch or distort any bevelled hairline edges. Carefully wipe away any excess glue immediately!

Insure the hairline is perfectly glued even if you have to place glue up underneath with the tip of a tooth pick! Cautiously press it all down into the glue and hold it till the glue sets and then carefully set it aside till the glue cures.

Unwrap the hair, comb, thin and style the hair. While most doll artists will be content with big doll hair, George Stuart drastically thins his wigs until they look natural as possible. George then carefully plucks one hair at a time out of the hairline to make this naturally thin area look just right.