About Sasha dolls ·

HOW TO WASH A SASHA DOLL'S HAIR

To allow you to learn how to best take care of your collection we would like to share Carol Sluy's tips on how to wash Sasha dolls' hair. The information below is based on her own knowledge and experience. It is not endorsed or linked to the Sasha Morgenthaler museum or family.

CAUTION : Before attempting this hair washing method, be certain your Sasha does not have "falling hair". If hairs come out with a slight tug, you will end up with a bald doll...

Falling hair is usually only found on Brunette dolls from 1967-1980 but it is always safer to check.

If your doll has a human hair wig, please do not use this method.

Supplies

Several clean towels
A wide tooth comb
Cotton balls or rounds
Baking soda
A small bowl to make baking soda paste
Q-tips
Blue DAWN liquid. This needs to be the original product as they have several that are much too stringent for a Sasha doll. Don't use the red, yellow or green DAWN it will tint Sasha's hair.
pure cold pressed Argon oil
LOMA “Nourishing” conditioner. This one has no wax, parabens, sulfates or gluten which is important since it will avoid attracting bugs or leaving a deposit on the hair.
Ziplock bags of various sizes for clothing and to protect the joints from taking on water
Absorbent, white cotton socks to use as a shroud and to protect the body from taking on water.

Step by step instructions

1. First comb out the hair until no snarls from root to end are present

Start at the end and go up and back down again until you can go straight through, with the little end of a comb, without pressure.

Then lay your naked doll on a towel by the sink with her head and hair hanging over.

Make sure not to tug on the roots. If you run into problems hold the hair and get the snarl out. You can lose a whole plug with a tug. A sink with a hand sprayer is preferable.

2. Prepare all your supplies and get the doll ready

Prepare all your equipment, insert the doll in an absorbant white cotton sock and plastic bag to protect her and avoid water from entering in the body.

White is important so the color doesn't bleed on the doll. My scissors are cutting on the red line I drew on the plastic bag. That bag will tuck into her neck joint and act as a cape to keep her dry.

3. Take Loma "Nourishing" conditioner

Ue a tablespoon or two for 70's dolls and three for 1980's dolls. Now that your hair is combed though, lay her hair in your hand and wet it under the faucet. Then squeeze the Loma on the hair. Avoid the root holes as much as possible with both product and water.

Move the conditioner around so every hair is coated. Then once again comb through top to bottom. This should glide with no problems. If you run into a snarl, clear it.

4. Take Dawn dishwashing liquid and wash the hair

Squeeze it and swish it but never scrub it or allow the hairs to cross or get tangled. Rinse it and do it again.

I have my naked doll on a towel with her hair hanging over the sink. I squeeze and scrunch until the hair is clean... While in this position I comb through and it should be slick as a whistle. Sometimes I hold her straight upside down to rinse.

5. Squeeze her hair with a towel

Keep the same position, (lying on the sink) and squeeze to get some water weight off from it. Never rub or scrub. You can also squeeze while upside down but always be cautious to scrunch/squeeze. You don't want to pull out any curl.

6. Swish her hair back and forth

Here's one of the trickiest parts to write. Holding the doll upside down but fully supporting the neck and shoulders, swish her hair back and forth. Up and down to separate the hair. It should untangle and fluff.

How to wash a Sasha doll's hair

7. Comb slightly

When you turn her right side up, you should have a fluffy mass of curls. You will notice that you have not touched it with a comb or brush since step 3.

You might have to take a comb to slightly rearrange the bangs but that should be all. Any combing will pull out the curl. Don't do it until it's totally dry for a few days and then only do what is needed to separate hairs.

8. Wait

Now set your doll with her face but not her hair towards a window and every couple hours for the first day, turn her upside down and scrunch her hair. Don't swish it around at this stage as it will start to pull out the curl.

9. Day Two after washing

In my house she would still be very slightly damp. So 2-3 times the second day go in and scrunch the hair. I usually hold her so her hair is angled down when I scrunch at this stage. Do not hold her straight down as it gets dry, anything you do that might tangle it is counter productive..

10. Day Three, keep it in a warm window

You might need to scrunch it again but I doubt it. You just want it to bake a day or two after it is totally dry.

Heat sets curls in old dolls but resist the urge to place her outside to toast the curl in quicker. Sasha doll vinyls, in the early years are not totally stable and your doll might get too hot and collapse or sink in on herself. The window will be hot enough.

11. Final step

At this point I would dress her and with the edge of a comb, comb out strands that need to be placed differently.You should have scrunched it enough that it shouldn't need a full combing or brushing. Brushing will make it real bushy and you will lose the free and easy look.

Trimming

If you need to trim off frayed ends, turn the hair upside down while it is still damp and trim off the tips evenly. You will find that all the hair in your dolls head are the same length. When you hang them upside down and when wet, it's easier to get a good, even un-chopped up look.

Product info

If you cannot find Loma products and have to change, get one with no alcohol, parabens, paraffins, gluten, artificial fragrance or dyes. Try to find one with only plant extracts. The Dawn dish soap is important too. I have used all different types of Dawn but don't use the green or red one. Only blue or clear. I would not deviate from the Dawn.

Additional tips on how to wash your doll's body

Baking soda paste is a great way to wash your Sasha's body. You can use it on her face too but never where there is painting.

To remove dirt from eyes and lips, use Qtips and clear water and dub very gently.

Please be careful as baking soda loves to get into the hair plugs so do your cleaning before the hair wash and even then try to avoid the hair plugs. You don't want water in your doll unless or else you will have to remove her limbs and re-string. Restring ONLY if necessary. Always save the elastics from both the arms and legs. Bag them in a small ziplock and stuff them back in your doll. The elastics help identify your dolls age.

We do not claim responsability for the consequences of following the instructions above but remain available to answer your questions or provide more details. Please contact Carol at carolsluys@mac.com

Sasha doll - Tips on how to wash a doll's hair

Shop our Sasha doll outfits

Learn more about our Sasha doll and her adventures with Burlington Bear

Sign up to be first updated on our new Sasha doll collections and take part in the journey

To receive all our content, we invite you to become part of the Charlotte and Burlington family. Click here to learn more and join us.

Charlotte and Burlington french Family club learn and play

Language

Supplies

Step by step instructions