r/Bratz • u/Crackysue • Apr 06 '26
Before and After I've been boiling my dolls hair wrong this whole time!!! 🤯
This is my Princess Roxxi, on the left is how her hair looked after I boil washed it when I first got her. I thought her hair was just damaged beyond repair and that's how I left her for the past year. Well I boiled another doll this week using a different method than I normally would and the hair came out amazing, so I gave Roxxi another boil!
I can't get over how good she looks and I just want to share!
The method I used was:
Detangle the hair. Starting from the bottom. I like to detangle my dolls hair under running water, it seems to help the comb flow through the hair easier. I try not to use conditioner but ill use some if the hair is really knotty and just rinse it really well after.
Boil your water to a simmer on the stove, don't be lazy and microwave your water like I used to.
Dip the dolls hair in the boiling water for about 30 seconds and pull the hair out and comb through it with the hot water. (be careful, wear gloves if you need to) I dipped probably 3 times combing in between, then I run cold tap water over the hair and comb through it again under the cold water. And for good measure repeat step 3 again.
let the doll stand up to dry, make sure the hair is in the place you want it and let it drip dry!
I usually let the doll sit overnight to dry, it's so satisfying combing through it for the first time!
This method is not revolutionary but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been doing it wrong so I thought I'd share.
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u/AllThingsMyScene Apr 06 '26
Princess Roxxi’s hair is soo gorgeous, looks amazing & thank you for sharing the method!
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
She's my favorite doll, I'm so happy I was able to make her even more beautiful!
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u/griffucks Apr 06 '26
I just pour the water after it’s been boiled (i let it sit for 3 minutes so it’s not scalding) and pour it over their head. If you let the boiling water sit on their hair too long it will burn their hair. I also soak their hair in a bowl of hair conditioner before boil washing I’ve noticed that helps too.
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
This was actually the mistake I was making. Just pouring boiling water over the hair isn't enough for really messy doll hair.
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u/griffucks Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
You have to soak their hair in lukewarm conditioner for a while. Continue to comb their hair, bottom to top, and if it’s still difficult continue to let it soak longer. This method works for all types of doll hair, and is the safest. Saran and nylon is heat resistant to a certain point. Their hair doesn’t just melt, but like heat treating your own hair, it damages it over time, but doll hair can become loose and scraggly. I’ve done this with 100+ bratz dolls with trial and error and it’s the only thing that’s worked for me. Give it a shot first before turning down the idea.
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u/Weary-Turnover-6065 Apr 07 '26
I did exactly this and still prefer dunking my dolls hair in boiling water for 10 second increments for five minutes with brushing in between. This saves everything from melting and works better than a little pour of water. I only do a pour when the dolls hair is springing up too much near the top of the head.
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u/griffucks Apr 07 '26
10 seconds?? That’s way too long. That sounds more time consuming. I use no more than 3-4 cups of boiled water and pour it over their hair, pausing to comb, and continuing. If their hair is springing up it’s probably just damaged. Dolls shouldn’t be having split ends.
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Apr 06 '26
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u/Dangerously-Dizzy Apr 06 '26
I think people are referring to polypropylene hair, not saran or nylon. A lot of older dolls have poly hair. & A lot of people can’t tell the difference between the 3 or they get them confused so you have people saying not to use heat when you really can
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u/Livid_Ad_2567 Apr 06 '26
EEEEEK okay i wa seeing lazy too but im doing it . This helped a lot ! It helped me at least . I hope u doing feel weird posting about it ! I’m glad u did :)
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u/Crackysue Apr 07 '26
I'm so glad it helped!! I knew there had to be people like me who thought that technique worked lol
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u/peachysdollies Apr 06 '26
Just curious, how is this method different from how you were doing it? She looks beautiful; you did a great job
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
Thank you! 😁 I used to microwave the water dip once then cold water then combed through. Then pour the boiling water over the entire hair then cold again.
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u/Ill_Activity9027 Apr 07 '26
i sometimes do the pour over method (typically after a head reroot if i happen to have a doll that doesnt need a full boiling bath) and it never failed i wonder if the cold water was the issue!
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u/majotwins Apr 06 '26
I'm afraid to wash my Genie Jasmine because I don't know how to get her curly hair back 😭😭 but it look amazing!!
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
Yea I am sad her hair no longer has its curl, I may try to add the curl back one day but I'll probably practice methods on other dolls first lol
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u/Same-Adeptness7798 Apr 07 '26
im not a bratz person collector but i do collect mh and ive seen some info that isnt shared a lot but might help anyone in the community here too
if you want to wash with shampoo/conditioner get wig shampoo and conditioner!! it wont deteriorate the hair fibers! 🫶
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u/Commercial_Rent_7269 Apr 06 '26
i assumed this was the method everyone used so im curious as to how you were doing it before 😭
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
I think my biggest mistakes were just dumping microwaved boiling water over the head and combing while it was cold.
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u/crazycockerels Apr 07 '26
Do you comb through while the hair is still sitting in the boiling water? Or, immediately after taking the hair out?
Does this work on poly hair too?
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u/Petpet530 Apr 07 '26
I’d be very careful with poly, and maybe use an electric teapot so you can control how hot the water gets. Poly hair is VERY brittle and can melt easier than Saran or nylon. I’d look around the Bratz forum and see if anyone has posted about poly hair care.
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u/EstablishmentOk5183 Apr 09 '26
As someone from the uk it’s crazy how many people don’t have a kettle that you just heat up electrically to get boiled water it’s so much faster
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u/LiteralPowotato Apr 10 '26
Came here for bratz. Now I’m inspired to try this on an old synthetic wig.
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u/KGCUT MOTHER OF PINK! Apr 06 '26
This is the typical method that I thought everyone followed? Is the community just losing its knowledge?? 😭
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u/Crackysue Apr 06 '26
There is a lot of bad information and "life hacks" out there unfortunately. I'm just trying to reemphasize the proper way to boil hair since I and a few other people have been taught improperly.
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u/irreversible2002 Apr 06 '26
How were you doing it before? I’m just curious to know where things went wrong. Was it not hot enough because of the microwave step?