Welcome to the Tips Page!

On this page you'll find tips I have obtained through personal experience along with assistance from Sarah Feel free to email her if you have any questions about any of her tips and these were obtained with her permission. As these tips were copied from her site. I hope you enjoy them all!

Wigs


The size wig you will need for Gene/Tyler/Alex is 5-6 - I would recommend either Global dolls or Monique Trading Corp. ... Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, either way, you will find the wig you want!

ReRooting


For rerooting the larger fashion doll I would recommend you purchase the following: Several tapestry needle threaders, Doll soft sculpture needles, Hemostats, And purchase at least 2 Barbie or Friends heads(if getting one of the oversized styling heads, however, 1 styling head will do a reroot of 2 16" dolls). Have patience & Use hot water and soaking to get that bottom row, And also wear a leather thimble - Your fingers will love you for it :o)
Barbie dolls make great hair donors! They are easily found in a variety of hair colors and price points!

Some Repainting Tips


To remove facial paint from a doll: Use the following together; Non acetone nail polish remover, Q-tips(for applying), Toothpicks(for scraping off the original paint), And terry cloth for that final clean.

Removing of Heads


EASY HEAD REMOVAL for Gene/Madra/Tyler/Alex/Kitty Collier(Yes, I have used this method on each doll, and with great success!) Dolls:
STEP 1: Warm up the head(either with a blow dryer, or using the "water immersion" technique)
STEP 2: Once the head is warm and pliable, push DOWN on the head, bringing it almost to the base of the neck(yes, it will look VERY odd!)
STEP 3: After waiting approximately 15 seconds, pull straight UP on the head, Bringing the head up and over the neck knob-by pushing down first. This will temporarily widened the neck opening allowing you to remove the head without it catching on the knob! This method completely eliminates any possible damage you could do to either Gene or Madra! And makes the whole beheading process last about 2 minutes! Very very simple!

ROOTED/WIGGED Dolls


This will allow you to have a doll that can both wear wigs and also have her own rooted hair. You will need the doll, A pair of hemostats, Hair cutting scissors, A brush, And a rubberband.
STEP 1: Take the doll and brush her first 2 rows away from the body of her hair. You will only be keeping these 2 rows of hair, All the others will be removed
STEP 2: Taking the main body of the hair in one hand clip all of it off as close as you can to the scalp of the doll
STEP 3: Remove any excess "nubbies" of hair with the hemostats pulling up on them from the outside of the dolls head
STEP 4: Take the 2 first rows and make them into a VERY tight ponytail or bun, Whichever style you would prefer. The point being the hairstyle must not be very bulky, And must be as close to the scalp as possible. Now you may take your doll and swap her wigs as often as you would like! Because her original hair has little-to-no bulk to it, But is still present, You may put her in different wigs, Or keep her wig-less! The choice is entirely yours!

Dyeing Doll Hair


To dye Gene's hair: You will need one pack of dry Rit dye (your choice color), 3 cups water, 1 medium sized pan, 1/4 cup salt, And a stirring implement of some sort. Some people will tell you should also have something to cover Gene's face with, But not me...I used surgical tape to wrap Gene's face up with, It did an ok job. I missed a lot of places around the hair line though so I would recommend you just put the surgical tape on the back of Gene's head, To protect that all-important back part. Also - PLEASE rememeber to wrap Gene's body in plastic wrap. This should come up to her neck, and you want to secure it in place with some more surgical tape.
Step 1: Preparation: Put the 3 cups water and 1/4 cup salt into the medium pan, Stirring the mixture together over a medium-to-high flame. After the mix is thoroughly blended, Let it sit until just before it boils then reduce the heat to simmer/low, And get Gene ready!
Step 2: Dunking: Hold Gene so that her face is to you and carefully dunk her hair into the mixture. Make sure you pay attention to not getting any of the dye onto her face. This should be pretty easy. I found that being able to see Gene's face as I dunked helped me gage how dark a color I wanted for her hair. If you are afraid to dip her head in to her front line of her hair, Just take a toothbrush or a fine comb and "brush" the mixture up to her front line. The dye actually takes pretty quickly, But to achieve the dark blue of Whimsy, I would recommend about 5, 30-60 second "dunks" of the hair into the hot dye mixture.
Step 3: Rinsing: Take Gene away from the stove and over to the sink(or bathtub), And rinse her hair. You will need about 6 rinses to get all the run off out of her hair ... When I did the rinse, I did 3 regular warm/hottish water rinses(that were really more like letting Gene's hair soak in warmish water)(I hate to see all that water just pour down the drain), And the other 3 consisted of warmish water and a shampoo of Gene's hair(I prefer to use the Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo). Finally, after you have rinsed all the run-off out, do a cold water conditioner treatment on Gene's hair; this will make it very soft and manageable. Again, I use the Daily Clarifying Conditioner, As it is mild but thorough, And very like the conditioner given in Huan hair dye jobs.
Step 4: Ending: Let Gene's hair air-dry, Preferably on a surface where she can lay down and let her hair drip dry away from her body.
I think that's everything - Please keep in mind I did a very dark color dye job - For lighter colors, You will need less rinse time.

New Eyes For Kitty Collier


For this project you will need: The doll, A long handled iced tea spoon(or some other long handled object), A wooden mixing spoon, And a pair of 10mm glass oval halfback eyes.
A side comment: My advice on new eyes for Kitty, But sadly not my name, is in the November/December 2000 Fashion Doll Scene - How can I be so sure that is my advice? Who else has ever posted step-by-step directions on how to re-eye Kitty?! And on so many different boards! - Sarah
STEP 1: Warm Kitty's head up, Again either by blowdryer or immersion. When her head is soft enough, Remove it from her body(she has a very sturdy neck knob, don't be afraid!)
STEP 2: Insert the handle of the iced tea spoon into Kitty's head, Positioning it behind an eye "cup". Push the eye out of it's socket - Repeat for the other eye. Please, Don't worry - Kitty has very strong, Smooth, And flexible vinyl - This will not harm her face or her eye structure!
STEP 3: Take your glass oval halfback eyes, And push one into each socket, Using the spoon part of your wooden mixing spoon(I use wood at this point so that neither glass or vinyl can be scratched). This may be a little tricky for you - I would suggest that you warm up Kitty's head again at this point - You want her vinyl to be as flexible as it can be
STEP 4: Now that Kitty's eyes are in her sockets - Have fun! See the different types of expressions she can give you! Kitty looks SO funny with crosseyes! Once you have her eyes in a position that you like, Simply put her head back onto her body, And you're all done!

Disclaimer


These tips were copied and used by permission C\O Sarah - I have used these tips myself and agree they do work as do MANY others, But, If you use these tips and they do not work out for you I will not be held responsible. Use these Tips at your RISK - I have and stand by them! I hope you find one you want to try and I hope you have lots of FUN giving your dolls make overs! Thank you, Amy ;o)