It all started when I decided to go through a crate of dolls I’ve had packed up for more than a year. I wanted some new subjects for fashion doll Friday and this crate contained a lot of dolls I used to have on display until I had to declutter the doll room when the house went on the market.
I duly took all the dolls out of the crate and did a couple of quick photos of each of them, mostly for record purposes but some may be used for future posts. At the end of the afternoon, I set aside a few who I felt needed a bit of a tidy up or a change of clothing to take care of over the weekend.
This afternoon after doing some chores I sat down and started to comb out the hair on several dolls. These were dolls that had very long hair and all I did was to comb some diluted conditioner through it and tidy it up. The first two dolls, no problem at all. Then I picked up one of my Charice dolls. Now I bought this doll and another one new in the late nineties soon after we discovered the internet. I actually bought them directly from the creator’s site brand new. Over the years she’s been displayed on a shelf. I’ve never taken her original outfit off her or really handled her all that much except to take photos. All I wanted to do was to comb out her hair which looked a bit wild the same as the others. I started off with a wide-tooth comb gently combing out the ends they way you are supposed to do. There seemed to be some loose hair but I wasn’t too worried at first until I thought a lot of hair seems to be coming out. I have had this happen on cheap dolls but not on good ones. Below is a photo I took of Charice before she was put away.
Well, I stopped combing but I could see a lot of hair had come out and I don’t think it was just because I combed it. I sat and thought about what to do and whether she had enough hair left to restyle. When I saw how many plugs were missing I decided it was a lost cause. I might as well keep combing because I was probably going to have to replace her hair anyway. By the time I was done she only had one hank of hair left on her head. Honestly, I was flabbergasted. Here is Charice when I photographed her yesterday. I thought she looked a bit messy, hence the plan to tidy her up. Looking at the photo I think some hair had already detached itself.
Here’s how she looks now poor thing.
What’s left of Charice’s hair 
The hair
I don’t particularly want to reroot her because I haven’t done much rerooting and her head feels rock hard so I’m probably going to get her a wig. Naomi says she has a couple she doesn’t need so we might try those out before I buy something.
Redhead Charice needs tidying too but I’m kind of scared to touch her now. Has anyone else had that happen with Charice dolls?
Dolls, Dolls, Dolls 
How horrible! My best guess is that either the actual fibre of the hair has deteriorated due to age or else glue was used inside the head to secure the hair instead of some kind of knotting method. Or maybe it’s a combination of both. The hard head would suggest glue inside. Sadly, I don’t think most doll companies consider the longevity of dolls when they manufacture them. Like everything else, dolls are considered disposable products. 😦 I only have two or three Charice dolls – bubble cuts and longer hair secured in a ponytail. I guess I won’t be trying to comb their hair any time soon. I’m so sorry you had this terrible experience. When you do find a suitable wig for your Charice, please give her another photo shoot.
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I’m inclined to think the same thing, that the glue became unstable over time. I have other Charice dolls with different hair styles who seem to be fine but I will take care about touching the other one like this. Naomi wants to buy some wigs for some of her guys so we’ll order together to save on postage and yes I’ll certainly do another photo shoot with her when the wig comes.
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Did her hair feel brittle? It probably is an age thing. She does look sorry for herself now doesn’t she? I think I have a blonde and a red wig going spare but could be too big but we can check them out.
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It was that coarse kind of hair but it came out from the roots it didn’t break off.
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wow, will have to check mines,a bubble cut so could swipe a fashion queen wig, but I do have a ponytail I might look at but it has hardly been on display at all. I have a Candi w/ similar dark/full hair as well, good thing I was going through thee clones bin anyway. Good heads up,
I know you wigged a doll before and it was fabulous, but what a shock.
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My Bubble Cut and other Charise dolls sem OK so maybe it is just the Fabulous Fur series.
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How upsetting especially since she had been carefully stored. Just as dolls have problems finding clothes that fit like real people, now they’re balding too. Perhaps embrace change by giving her a short hair look, scarf or hat.
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I have had this happen with my Fleur doll. I had her stored in a drawer. her hair looked to have changed colour slightly but the same thing happened when I combed it, lots came out even though I was careful and not pulling it. I dare not comb it anymore now. She still has plenty of hair so I’m going to leave it before she loses it all.
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I guess it might be an age thing but I’d never seen it happen before.
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It could be an age thing or maybe the type of hair used. My Fleur doll is the only one it has happened to (and I have over 100 dolls) I think Fleur is from the early eighties. Her hair was auburn but has taken on a slightly green tinge and just came away as I started to comb. It’s not the coarse hair type, it’s softer than that and a bit wavy.
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Happened to a Christina Agulera doll hair fell out, but I was able to give her a cheap generic wig I wonder if anyone has tried a orig. Ken (fuzzy head ) approach? I love my Liv dolls w/o wigs.
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I’m sorry but thank you for making me laugh so hard after I had such a terrible day.
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I can see the funny side of it. Luckily she can be fixed with a wig so it’s not the end of the world.
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