For best styling results, lightly mist your doll's hair with water as needed before you brush or pick it. Use just enough water to make the hair easier to work with. Be sure not to get water in her eyes—they may rust! Try the misting bottle and styling cape from the American Girl Hair Care Kit.
When brushing or picking your doll's hair for the first time, some loose hair will come off. This is normal and will lessen over time. The wire Doll Hairbrush and Sparkly Hair Pick were designed to work best with American Girl dolls' hair.
Never use styling products such as gels, mousses, or sprays as they can damage your doll's hair over time.
To help with styling, we recommend our Hair Care Kit for Dolls, which includes a misting bottle to lightly mist her hair with water.
Never use a blow dryer, a curling iron, hot rollers, or a straightening iron on your doll's wig. The fibers are made of a special acrylic and any heat source can dry, stiffen, frizz, or even melt them.
For braided styles, tightly braiding the hair while damp will control loose ends. The misting bottle in our Hair Care Kit helps you spray the right amount of water to make styling easy. Let hair dry overnight or place your doll in front of—but not too close to—a cool fan. Remember, if you leave a doll's braid in for a long time, her hair may have a permanent wave when you take it out.
The skin of American Girl dolls is made of vinyl with a soft, matte finish. It's been developed to look as authentic and lifelike as possible. Unlike hard plastic, this soft vinyl is a porous material that will absorb some strong dyes found in textiles, makeup, colored markers, pens, and ink. That's why American Girl creates doll clothing with colorfast dyes to prevent any staining of the doll's skin, particularly over a period of extended wear.
While cleaning your American Girl doll, always cover her eyes to avoid getting water in them, which can cause rust, and try to keep her soft-fabric body and her hair as dry as possible. And remember, never submerge your doll in water.
For ink stains or other blemishes that won't come out, ask an adult to read our Doll Care section for more information.
For general cleaning of your doll's skin, ask a parent or trusted adult for help. We recommend the following simple method using water and baking soda:
- Dampen a soft washcloth with
lukewarm water.
- Make a paste of baking soda and lukewarm water.
- Rub the vinyl gently in a circular motion with the paste.
- Wipe with a wet washcloth to remove residue, and rinse washcloth frequently with lukewarm water.
- Towel dry your doll.
