This recommendation for washing your sweeties hair is made of my personal experience as a Blythe lover and dolly spa enthusiast. It is suitable for stock haired Neo Blythes and for Kenners too. If you follow my instructions carefully, you won’t harm dolly’s hair but PLEASE TAKE CARE to avoid damage. If you are unsure, better send your Kenner to a professional (see bottom of this post).

NOTE: Mohair reroots are different! You need another care for mohair, don’t try this way or your mohair girl could end up as a dread head!

You need

• common plastic comb (not too tight!)
• plastic brush (I really use this doll brush! It’s from Barbie and it is perfect in my eyes)
• (soft) rollers (especially to defrizz your Kenner) for a wavy style – the rollers are perfect to ease out Kenner frizz btw

If dolly’s hair is dirty or frizzy or smells bad, get also

• soft detergent (for wool or silk) or wig cleaner – better no shampoo, even not baby shampoo. She has plastic hair and the care for human hair is much too overloaded with stuff you don’t want to stick on your dolly’s hair – just my few cents
• fabric softener with no smell or the one you like best (she keeps the smell for a long time!)
• patience, especially to defrizz your Kenner!

1. Protect lashes and chips

Remember to protect lashes of the Neos, they are water soluble! Dip just her scalp/hair in, not her head! Maybe you should seal the spring hole on her backplate with tape.

2. Wet her hair

Fill sink or bowl with hot water (hot, not boiling) and put your Blythe’s hair in.

Then move her hair into the water a few times… to the left, to the right… woooosh… woosh… not too quick, take your time to avoid tangling. When her hair is wet go on with 3.

3. Add soft detergent or synthetic wig cleaner

Refill sink or bowl with hot water (you may reuse the water of the first round if it is still clean).

If your Blythe’s hair is pretty frizzy or dirty add a tad of soft detergent (the one you would use for wool or silk) or wig cleaner to the water and let her soak 10 minutes. You may help with your fingers running through the hair in the water like in the picture (don’t worry, it just looks sadistic but isn’t )

Repeat with a fresh filled sink or bowl of hot water if neccessary.

Rinse under hot water.

4. Add dye-free fabric softener

Refill sink or bowl with fresh hot water and add some fabric softener (Make sure it is dye-free or it may harm your doll’s haircolour)

For Neos with stock hair just add a small amount and dunk her into it a few times, rinse her hair well in hot water and squeeze out the water first with your hand, then with a towel. Don’t rub or twist, just squeeze. Then go on with Point 7.

For Neos and Kenners with frizzy hair go on like this…

**What follows is a recommendation only, it is my experience with my Kenners. If you are unsure, better send your Kenner to a professional (see bottom of this post).**

Get a flat bowl and spread her hair out. Mix 2 parts fabric softener with 1 part boiling water, mix it and pour the thick hot (not boiling anymore) mixture directly on her hair. Keep her hair submerged for about 20-30 minutes, move it from time to time. When your mixture starts to cool off, take the doll out and reheat the mixture until it’s hot (not boiling) again (e.g. with a microwave). Put the hair in again. Let her soak. Repeat if necessary.

TIPP: In case your Blythe’s hair is very tangled, try CAREFULLY detangling it with your fingers or a hook from bottom to roots while her hair is still dunked. Don’t be brutal or the hair will be ruined.

		Take her out of the softener and squeeze it out gently with your hands and dry it with a towel the best you can but please don’t rub or twist, just squeeeeeeeeeeeeeze! Spread her damp, still fabric-softenish hair out on paper towels.
		5. Comb or Brush Then separate her hair with your fingers and try gently working with your comb or brush through the hair. Start at the bottom and go up and up until you can comb through every strand easily. Again… don’t be brutal or the hair is ruined. You need patience and love, that’s all. Never try combing or brushing wet hair, it gets frizzy. 6. Rinse her hair Rinse her hair in hot water.

7. Add Style

a. Waves and Curls

If you want having her waves, put curlers in her hair and let air dry over night or even some days. The longer you leave the curlers in, the curlier/wavier is the hair.
To make the curls last longer you can also also give her a boil perm. »I wrote a tutorial how to make a boil perm, please click here.

b. Straight Hair

If you prefer staight hair, put her hair between 2 paper towels and fix it with tape onto a table or something flat and let dry for 2 days.

You can also steam it dry but TAKE CARE!! Add a wet towel between the hair and the iron. Don’t make experiments, better ask someone who knows better!

c. Defrizzing Kenner Hair

De-frizzing Kenner hair is a science of its own. But you can try and help her hair with careful treatments. I recommend putting her hair in curlers/ rollers AGAIN AND AGAIN. You don’t need to make the whole procedure again, just wet her hair with hot water and put it into the curlers.

Don’t forget: Patience is the highest value when de-frizzing at home!
»Have also a look at Puchi Collective’s Kenner Cleaning Guide

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In case you are unsure or chicken, send your Kenner to a professional restorer like »Yatabazah. His de-frizzing results are stunning. »Or have a look at the restoring section of my links page.