Girl's Doll w/Hair that doesn't "freak out"?

[Marshay]

Is there a type of toy doll where the hair doesn't get all messed up and raggedy? (American Girl? My Twinn Doll?, etc)

I'd love to get my DD4 a nice doll when she turn 5 but I want to make sure the hair will stay nice, like in the package when you first get it. I'm willing to pay more not to have to sit and brush out hair that has freaked out.

All of her Barbie dolls do this and I bought the Disney Girl doll at World of Disney, and the hair is just a mess.

Thanks for the help!

 

[eduk8r26]

The American Girl Bitty Baby has no hair, but the Bitty Baby Twins have short hair that should not get all ratty. For a 4-year old, I'd think she'd like Bitty Baby better anyhow.

 

[robinb]

Is there a type of toy doll where the hair doesn't get all messed up and raggedy? (American Girl? My Twinn Doll?, etc)

I'd love to get my DD4 a nice doll when she turn 5 but I want to make sure the hair will stay nice, like in the package when you first get it. I'm willing to pay more not to have to sit and brush out hair that has freaked out.

All of her Barbie dolls do this and I bought the Disney Girl doll at World of Disney, and the hair is just a mess.

Thanks for the help!

Sorry, but I don't think there is a 5-year old alive that can keep a doll's hair non-raggedy. It's more a function of the child than the doll. That being said, my DD's American Girl dolls' hair is in great condition. Start with a Bitty Baby (no hair at all) or one of the Bitty Baby twins with short hair that you can find on eBay. Often people will buy a set of Bitty Baby twins to keep one and sell the other.

 

[Marshay]

The American Girl Bitty Baby has no hair, but the Bitty Baby Twins have short hair that should not get all ratty. For a 4-year old, I'd think she'd like Bitty Baby better anyhow.

Thanks...she already has a baby doll with no hair...she wants one with hair now...

Sorry, but I don't think there is a 5-year old alive that can keep a doll's hair non-raggedy. It's more a function of the child than the doll. That being said, my DD's American Girl dolls' hair is in great condition. Start with a Bitty Baby (no hair at all) or one of the Bitty Baby twins with short hair that you can find on eBay. Often people will buy a set of Bitty Baby twins to keep one and sell the other.

Sigh...I was afraid of that answer! I guess it's the user more than the doll, right?

Maybe shorter hair would be a good compromise. Not sure why I didn't think of that.

Thanks!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

American Girl. My dd has had her dolls for a few years and plays with them all the time. Their hair is in excellent condition and doesn't get all frayed and tangled like normal doll hair. It's one of the reasons I really like AG.

 

[owensamo]

My DD has 2 American Girl dolls - one with really long hair (Elizabeth) and one with short hair (Kit). Kit's hair stays *soooo* much nicer than Elizabeth's!! Elizabeth's gets tangled (though not matted/horrible) on a regular basis, but Kit's hasn't really had a problem.

I would recommend not only shorter hair, but straight hair - the curly hair seems to tangle more.

Fortunately, the AG hair is pretty easy to brush out. Dampen it with a light mist of water (make sure the eyes are well protected!) and then use an AG brush gently and the tangles will come out. It takes time and a little work, but it's much more reasonable than my DD's My Little Pony manes and tails - which I can never get unmatted, and which even she eventually takes scissors to!

 

[lindsmom]

Just want to add with AG dolls, the textured hair gets very matted - found out the hard way because DD asked for Josefina first! And it's tough to brush out - even the women at the salon in Natick struggled with her hair.

 

[mjkacmom]

We have 3 AG dolls who need a serious trip to NYC to the store to have their hair done! Dd6 and dd8 have finally gotten the knots out, but the hair is total frizz.

 

[Hannathy]

Sorry, but I don't think there is a 5-year old alive that can keep a doll's hair non-raggedy. It's more a function of the child than the doll. That being said, my DD's American Girl dolls' hair is in great condition. Start with a Bitty Baby (no hair at all) or one of the Bitty Baby twins with short hair that you can find on eBay. Often people will buy a set of Bitty Baby twins to keep one and sell the other.

I agree with this 100%

My DD's American girl dolls hair is in excellent condition after 12 yrs BUT she took care of it! I have seen American Girl dolls with hair that was totally ruined after a few months. She also played with her doll a lot. The hair is of very good quality but if you brush it with a regular hair brush or use rubber bands on it it is going to look bad.

I do have a hint if you have a younger DD with an American Girl doll with long hair. You (Mom) braid the hair into one long braid and leave it like that for everyday play. It won't tangle or get frizzy and it stops your DD from brushing it too much or with the wrong kind of brush or any of her little friends doing it.

 

[Erica09M]

Even if your AG/BT doll gets tangled hair, you can send it to the salon to have it fixed (for a charge). So the doll wouldn't be a total loss.

And there are some 5 year olds who can keep AG dolls' hair in excellent condition. But yes, the user plays a huge roll in this... not just the doll.

 

[Marshay]

wow! Thanks everyone for all the answers. I may just wait another year and do a "nice" (i.e. expensive) doll when she is 6.

Just curious, do anyone have or know someone with a My Twinn doll? That's the one where you send them a picture of your child and they build the face around the picture.

 

[Hannathy]

wow! Thanks everyone for all the answers. I may just wait another year and do a "nice" (i.e. expensive) doll when she is 6.

Just curious, do anyone have or know someone with a My Twinn doll? That's the one where you send them a picture of your child and they build the face around the picture.

Yes it was nice BUT and this is a huge BUT, they are a lot bigger than the American Girl dolls SO none of the clothes fit, they are too big for the furniture or the knock off furniture that is all designed for American Girl doll size. So please consider this if buying one.

(unless this has changed just recently?)

 

[livndisney]

Yes it was nice BUT and this is a huge BUT, they are a lot bigger than the American Girl dolls SO none of the clothes fit, they are too big for the furniture or the knock off furniture that is all designed for American Girl doll size. So please consider this if buying one.

(unless this has changed just recently?)

They are still 23 inches (vs 18 for AG). Plus the company has changed hands a couple of time and "gone out of business" atleast once. If they continue to have problems, it would make getting clothing and "stuff" in the 23 inch size even harder to get.

 

[sl_underwood]

My dd has several AG dolls and I must say the hair is far easier to take care of than many of the other dolls out there. I agree with buying one with shorter straight hair for while she is younger.

 

[zoemurr]

Yes it was nice BUT and this is a huge BUT, they are a lot bigger than the American Girl dolls SO none of the clothes fit, they are too big for the furniture or the knock off furniture that is all designed for American Girl doll size. So please consider this if buying one.

(unless this has changed just recently?)

because my DD wanted it to have a birthmark like hers (and then my son decided he needed one too..) They wear newborn clothing which is easy to find on clearance. (There are also many talented women who make clothes like the one in the attached pic.) My DDs has long hair that is a pain, but probably not worse than any other doll. These have become a part of the family.

The company did have problems before, but I think they are owned by etoys now.

HTH. Sorry pic is so big.. I tried to make it smaller..

 

[kohlby]

I'm not sure if this will work on dolls but spraying some kid's detangler into the Little Pony's hair made an amazing difference! I wouldn't do that to an expensive doll unless you know it's okay. But it would be worth trying on those barbies.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

While I agree that the short, straight haired AG dolls are easy to care for, another option is Gotz dolls. They are often at Tuesday Morning stores for $30 or under, so considerably less than AG. The Maxi Muffins (I don't name these things, lol) have hair and are the same size as Bitty Twins. DD has had hers since she was 2, it still looks great. The Precious Day 18" are same size as the regular AG, also great hair. A bonus to the Gotz too, is that they are machine washable. (A bonus, say, if your 3 year old has a tea party with hot cocoa and, oh, spills it all over her doll? Just hypothetically! )

With both AG and the Gotz, it is much better to only use a wire brush and it should only be used on the doll. Human hair oils not good for dollie hair. You don't need to get a doll one specifically (I got a wig brush at Sally's Beauty for $3).

 

[ireland_nicole]

wow! Thanks everyone for all the answers. I may just wait another year and do a "nice" (i.e. expensive) doll when she is 6.

Just curious, do anyone have or know someone with a My Twinn doll? That's the one where you send them a picture of your child and they build the face around the picture.

We got a My Twinn doll first; maybe it's the longer hair, but the hair is the biggest pain in the world to take care of, plus, they're much bulkier; that extra 5 inches makes a bigger impact then you would think, especially on a small child. Now that DD has AG's (lots), she never, ever plays w/ the twinn. In fact, the last time I cleared her room I put that doll and all her stuff in the attic and DD hasn't asked for her once.

I would second the recommendation for either bitty twins, or if you want to step up to a "big" doll, kit can't be beat. There's something about her hair, you just can't screw it up, and Kit still looks brand new after two years of hard play.

 

[bear_mom]

We have 4 different AG dolls and the hair varies. Kirsten has the hardest hair to care for. Felicity's, Chrissa's and Mia's is easier to care for. For the longest time, I had to brush out Felicity's hair and keep it braided to keep it nice. Dd is now 10 and can care for it herself.

Emily

 

[TinaLala]

So I'll add to the vote on AG - but I'll say Bitty Twin! That's what DD7 is getting for Christmas this year. We have an Our Generation doll and her hair is constantly in a braid because it tangles and gets matted quickly.