My First Dolly Makeover

Do you know a doll in need a makeover?  Meet Chloe, a well-loved My Life doll.  She was our first dolly spa client.

This is her before photo.  Messy hair, lazy eye, dirty skin, and black nail polish.

Before we got started I gathered these supplies.

Her skin was incredibly dirty. My daughter rubbed all her skin with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  She was careful not to to scrub too hard on her face, because we didn’t want to take the paint off.

As always be careful, Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser contains chemicals and is also abrasive.  Please read and follow the instructions found on the box.

Here is the leg half finished.  As you can clearly see in the photo above the difference the Magic Eraser made, her skin was much cleaner after.

Sadly the same cannot be said for the Magic Eraser!

As you could see in the first photo, Chloe’s left eye didn’t open all the way, when she came to us.  I found out that her owner had used eye shadow on her eyelid.  Now to get out that nasty old eye shadow.  (Gentle reminder: eye shadow and dolls are not a good idea!)

First I took a Q-tip and pulled and flatten the cotton on one end like you can see in the photo above.  The flattened Q-tip is on the right side.  I did this so I could slip the Q-tip inside the mechanism and clean around the actual eyeball.

Next I dipped the Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and squeezed out the excess liquid.

Using the rubbing alcohol and the flattened Q-tip I cleaned around the outside of the eye. Trying to remove the eye shadow from the mechanism.  I chose alcohol over water, because the alcohol will dry quickly, and not cause the eye to rust.  I worked the Q-tip around the eye several times…

…and we had success!  Try not to rub too hard because the alcohol will dull the finish on the eyelid.  I also used the Q-tip to clean other small areas on her body, like the fingers, toes, ears, etc.

Using the nail polish remover and a cotton pad my daughter took off the old nail polish.  Be sure to use acetone-free nail polish, as acetone may melt your doll’s skin.

Next to tackle is the hair!

Next we divided her hair into sections and started brushing.

We used a Maplelea wig brush, so we didn’t snag her hair as much as we would have with a normal brush.  I recommend using only wig brushes on your doll’s synthetic hair.  You can get them at just about any beauty supply store or on Amazon.

We started at the bottom in small sections, and worked our way up.  With her hair all brushed, now she is ready to have it washed.

Before I got started I wrapped her body in a plastic bag so it wouldn’t get wet.

I then used a sulfate-free shampoo on her hair.  As with any synthetic hair you want to use sulphate-free shampoo as it is gentler on the hair.  I choose Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil shampoo.  I also used a bit of conditioner and rinsed it out. Remember you don’t need much shampoo or conditioner, the doll’s head is much smaller than your own.

After I towel dried her hair, I added a bit of Dove’s Frizz-Proof Cream-Serum, and combed it through.  I then left her hair to dry overnight.

This is what her hair looked like the next morning.

As any good makeover artist would do we also provided her with a new outfit and got rid of her tired old house dress.  She looks pretty good!

The little girl that owned this doll was so excited to see the transformation the next day!  That’s the best part of this job!

~Meg~