One of the dolls that I have to make an outfit for is this doll marked Lorrie, made in Hong Kong. As you can see she has a serious hair problem.
Apart from the plugs that have been cut her hair is very dull and coarse. I’m going to try a few things out because I really can’t make it worse than it is. If I can’t do anything to improve it I’ll cut it short and make her a hat. Eventually I may look at a wig for her. I don’t want to ditch her because apart from a scratch on her body she’ s not in bad shape.
My first task was to wash and condition her hair. It didn’t really come up looking a lot better. I decided to risk a boiI wash. I hope to use some of the plugs around the crown of her head to create a new fringe but I’m not sure if that is going to work. I have pinned it in place and wrapped an elastic bandage around her head to keep it in place.
Another thing that I might try is the baby oil treatment. I did do that once on Snoozy Thumbelina although she didn’t need it that badly. This girl really does. One article I read about restoring bad hair said that there are some dolls from the 1970s mainly that you just can’t fix, the type of fibre the hair is made from gets very dry and frizzy and there is not much that can be done about it. I hope that she is not one of those but my guess is that she was made in the late 60s or early 70s.
I’ve been trying to find out a bit more about Lorrie dolls. They were made in Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s and they had a big range of dolls from small drink and wet babies to large Patty Playpal sized walkers.
Two Days Later:
Lori, that’s what I’m calling her, had two baby oil treatments. The first time I left it on for a short time then washed it out and wrapped her head. The second one I ended up leaving on overnight and part of today. I hadn’t intended to do that but I’d just oiled her hair when Naomi wanted to put Toby into the bathroom. (We have to have the dogs in the living room at different times because Cindy is a bit aggressive with small dogs now she’s older and the two little dogs are scared of big dogs.) Anyway, I decided that the longer soak in oil would not hurt Lori and might even be good for her. I unwrapped her a little while ago and took the following photos before washing her hair again. This time I conditioned it with fabric softener as suggested in the video. Then I oiled it again and re-wrapped her. She’s standing in a sunny window now and I will leave her until tomorrow.
The articles that I’ve read about using baby oil suggest using a few drops and I admit I used a lot more. It’s really awful hair and as I said I doubted that I could really make it much worse. I poured some on, maybe a tablespoon full, I didn’t measure and combed it through the same way I do conditioner.
I did think that her hair looked a bit more shiny and seemed a bit easier to comb out so I will keep going with the treatment. Unfortunately the haircut is so bad I doubt that I’ll be able to completely cover her missing plugs so I have started knitting her a hat.
In my next post about Lori I’ll give you an update on the hair situation and show you what I am planning to make for her to wear.
Dolls, Dolls, Dolls 
Love that title – scary hair indeed! I can empathize with you because I have an Italian made doll that I got in a doll lot. She has a whole section of hair at the front which has been cut as short as a crew cut. While the rest of her hair is in good condition, it is a short style which doesn’t allow for covering the cut hair. She has a pretty face and came with a hand-knitted outfit so it’s all very sad. Who gives little kids dolls and scissors at the same time?? I hope the oil and fabric softener do the trick with your doll’s hair. She is certainly receiving Tender Loving Care.
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Who does give little kids scissors and dolls at the same time. Maybe little kids don’t understand that doll hair doesn’t grow back or maybe it is just fun to snip. I do think it is important that parents and carers take the time to teach children how to look after their toys rather than just telling them off or letting them get on with it. It used to annoy me when mothers I met at the Op Shop would take the attitude that leaving dolls lying around dirty and naked was “just what kids do.” Don’t agree with that at all. They can learn.
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I have lost 3 Strawberry Shortcake dolls due to their hair just falling right out. I donated them in the hope that someone who knows how to reroot doll hair will buy them to save them( I am uncomfortable with trying to do it myself). I have a Chrissy doll that had been cut too short just above the bangs. To fit the 1960-1970’s hair styles, I decided to use a wide cloth( has some thin wire on the edges to be snug fitting) ribbon to give her a headband to cover the problem. It looks nice on her. Maybe that would work for you too. I have made a few crocheted beret type hats to cover up bad hair cuts as well. I hope you can give her a wonderfully unique style including a hat!
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I had been thinking about a headband if I can get the remaining front hair to sit down flat.
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If it was a tiny bit longer I’s try a root perm with red perm rods..but the hairband sounds good too. I like pin curls too but some hair isn’t up for styling. I keep some wigs because I seem to be attracted to dolls with hair-cuts. Your cutie will look adorable in a beanie or cap. Good time/pre-holidays for knitting/crochet knit projects.Cool blog..look forward to before and after..have fun!
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