Selecting Hair



Types from which to choose:
NYLON:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers or taken from other dolls.
Easiest to style.
Lighter weight than saran, doesn't have the waxy feel.
Extremely strong, less breakage prone other kinds of hair.
Takes a curl very easily, and can just as easily be straightened again, if need be.
Does not need to be boil permed. (See Styling page.)
Withstands a rapid boil.
Can be baked without having its integrity affected! To read more about baking it, please refer to the Styling page.
Dyes with Rit and iDye Poly fabric dyes.
Available in regular, "Vibrant" (has a neon, multi-tonal appearance), "Matte" (opaque), "Brilliant" (EXTREMELY reflective, the opposite of "Matte"), "Glow-in-the-Dark" (only in white,) and precurled.
Used primarily by Hasbro (My little Ponies, Corn Silk Cabbage Patch Kids, etc.) and by the Ashton-Drake company (Gene, Madra, etc.)



SARAN:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers, taken from old\cheap wigs, scrunchies, other dolls, novelty head bands and hats.
Heavier than Nylon, has a waxy feel.
Slightly weak.
Loves to snarl.
Is somewhat resistant to curling (overcompensate by about 50%, with smaller curlers and smaller sections of hair).
Can be boil permed.
Withstands a mild simmer.
Saran doll hair will frizz if it gets too hot.
Dyes with iDye Poly fabric dye.
Available in regular, matte (opaque), "Color Change", and precurled.
Used primarily by Mattel (Barbie) and Tonner (Tyler, Sydney, etc.)



ACETATE:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers.
More closely resembles human hair than other synthetic hair types.
Can be boil permed.
Withstands a rapid boil.
Dyes with Rit fabric dye.
Toy use unknown.


POLYPROPYLENE:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers, taken from old\cheap wigs, scrunchies, other dolls, novelty head bands and hats.
Looks and feels like nylon hair, although many say that it's more like a cross between saran and nylon.
They say that it feels like saran, but it has the easy styling properties of nylon.
Regardless, everyone who tries polypropylene absolutely loves it.
Can not be dyed with fabric dye.
Available in regular and "Matte" (opaque).
Toy use unknown.


COTSWOLD LOCKS:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers.
Sheep fur.
Looks and acts like mohair.
Great for more ethereal creations (fairies, mermaids, etc.)
Can be baked without having its integrity affected! To read more about baking it, please refer to the Styling page.
Dyes with Rit, iDye, Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Flyaway with a nice natural curl.
Cruelty free! (The seller attests, "The sheep are never harmed! It's shipped from the farm of a friend of mine, one of the nicest ladies you'd ever meet. She takes really good care of the sheep and loves them dearly!")
Toy use unknown.


MOHAIR:
Can be purchased from doll hair suppliers.
Goat fur.
Great for more ethereal creations (fairies, mermaids, etc.)
Can be baked without having its integrity affected! To read more about baking it, please refer to the Styling page.
Dyes with Rit, iDye, Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Flyaway with a nice natural curl.
Murderous! The baby goats are killed for their hair. (Ever notice that most is sold skin-on, "To prove its authenticity"?)
Found on vintage dolls.


HUMAN FUR:
Can be purchased from beauty supply stores, wiggeries, or self sheared.
VERY weak.
Either really expensive or really cheap.
Dyes with Rit, iDye, Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Available in strait, curly, and wavey.
Found on vintage porcelain dolls.

SPUN POLYESTER:
Can be taken from old\cheap wigs, scrunchies, other dolls, novelty head bands and hats.
Snarls into undisentanglable knots.
Uneven and inconsistent fibre thickness.
Can not be baked.
Can not be dyed.
Found on cheap blown plastic dolls and every thing else from the dollar store.

"REGULAR" DOLL HAIR:
Can be taken from old\cheap wigs, scrunchies, other dolls, novelty head bands and hats.
Very course, waxy, and snarl prone.
Frays badly.
Can not be baked.
Can not be dyed.
Used on cheap, dollar store toys.

TOYOKALON:
Can be purchased from beauty supply stores, wiggeries, taken from old\cheap wigs.
Rayon like synthetic.
Dehydrates after a few weeks.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit, iDye, Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Toy use unknown.

KANEKALON:
Can be purchased from beauty supply stores, wiggeries, taken from old\cheap wigs.
Rayon like synthetic.
Available is loose, tasselled, and wefted. Dehydrates after a few weeks.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit, iDye, Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Used on Barbies and LIV wigs.

EMBROIDERY FLOSS:
Can be purchased from craft stores.
Cotton, polyester, rayon, or silk.
Available in plain, shinny, variegated, metallic, and twisted (looks like a mini rope). Great for rag dolls.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit, iDye(Poly), Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Toy use unknown.

YARN:
Can be purchased from craft stores.
Cotton, polyester, wool, bamboo, and silk.
Available in plain, shinny, variegated, metallic, twisted (looks like a mini rope), nubbly, feathered, and eyelash. Great for rag dolls.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit, iDye(Poly), Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Used on rag and rag look dolls (Monster High rag\plush dolls and Cabbage Patch vintage\reproductions).

THREAD:
Can be purchased from craft stores.
Cotton, polyester, rayon, nylon, silk
Great for rag dolls.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit, iDye(Poly), Dylon, Tulip, and dyes for human hair.
Available in solid color, variegated, metallic, holographic, iridescent
Toy use unknown.

RIBBON:
Can be purchased from craft stores.
Polyester
Available in satin, metallic, sheer, and variegated. Great for rag dolls.
Either the coarsest or the finest "fibre," depending on whether or not you leave it raveled.
Can not be baked.
Dyes with Rit and iDye Poly.
Toy use unknown.



Home Doll Home