Re-wigging a doll is one of the more fun and easy things to do to customize your doll and make it your own. As well it is an essential part of restoring an older doll who has seen better days with her hair style and re-wigging can make her look like new. But before we get into that there are things you should know before buying your doll wig.
How do I know what size to purchase for my doll?
We make it easy on our website for the dolls that we support to find out which size to purchase because we have all the clothing, shoes, wig size, and eye sizes pages listed under the picture for each doll. As well on our category pages we list out the doll brands that we know fit that size. But if your doll is not one that we've discovered or maybe we don't offer products for that doll, you'll need to figure out your doll's head size to know that you are buying the right size wig. Ideally you want to take a measurement of your doll's head with the wig removed. This would be wrapping a tape measure around the head at the hair line where the old wig was. If you haven't removed the old wig you can try measuring just above where the edges of the wig are. It can be more tricky because you can add extra inches by including the old wig hair in your measurement so try to get a measurement without including the existing wig.
How do doll wig sizes work?
Each size is a range that covers about an inch of flexability. We can't speak for every brand, but generally speaking the wig cap is made right in the middle ie. if the wig size is 11-12" the cap size is made at 11.5" to expand and contract to that full size range. On larger doll heads (anything from 10" to 17") that .5" difference or flexibility is not a game changer and will fit your doll easily. On smaller dolls where the head sizes tiny, .5" can be a big difference in feeling like your doll is swimming in that size. For this reason, if your doll is on the lower or higher spectrum of the size you want to get as close to the cap size as possible. Too small won't work, but also you don't want it to be too big. For example let's say your doll's head is 8". There is a 7-8" category and a 8-9" category. This means that you have a cap size 7.5" that will stretch to an 8" and an 8.5" that will stretch to a 9. On smaller dolls you probably want to go with the 7.5" that will stretch to an 8" because you will have a snug fit. If that doesn't work having an 8.5" that is .5" bigger might only work if you purchase a silicon cap to go underneath it and keep that excess amount from sliding around on your doll's head.
How do I know what a wig's quality is for my doll?
You will find 3 types of wig vendors out on the internet and you want to know which type you are purchasing from because it will tell you a lot about the wigs they carry.
Type 1: Doll Supply and Doll Wig Resellers. These are companies that purchased wigs from a wholesaler. The most common one was Monique Wigs which went out of business a few years back. Monique was a major doll supplier and there are only a few other brands that wholesale so it is very likely that a doll wig reseller is carrying a supply of Monique Wigs. You should start to see familiar stock photos that look a bit dated as an identifier. The thing about this is that for the past 2 years Monique has been liquidating all their inventory and so have all the resellers, so another clear sign is that the stock items don't come back or you see many out of stock sizes or colors for which have already sold out. We are not sure what will happen when all these resellers don't have any more Monique wigs to sell but it is something to watch. Wigs generally sell for less than $20.
Type 2: Doll Wig Artists. This category are those that are selling wigs that they are hand making. There's a lot of room for quality level here as some glue the hair down to a cap, some sew, and some specialize in re-rooting doll's hair and don't do a wig at all. It is a tedious process so wigs will generally go for upwards of $90 and you'll see a lot made from goat hair or high quality synthetic to justify the price and the labor.
Type 3: Independent Wig Designers. This category is where we fit in and there are a few others like us. The list is small but we are handling the doll wig community with fresh designs and high quality fibers at affordable prices. It's not as cheap as the resellers and wigs will run from $20-35 per wig, but the wigs last and are of good quality. All the independent wig designers have their own website and a few much smaller ones sell on Etsy. We are a growing group and it's fun to see the independent companies coming out with their own doll lines, eye lines, wig lines, and clothing lines. They are all independently designed and offered through their own stores so you won't see any company reselling them, they are always selling direct to collectors.
I want to restore my childhood doll to look like she did when I first got her. Do you have a wig for her?
We are the only doll company that offers replacement wigs for specific character brand dolls that can restore your doll back to it's factory look. This is popular for the Pleasant Company and American Girl collectors as some of their favorite childhood dolls from the 1990's need restoration for characters such as Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Addy, Felicity, Elizabeth, Kanani, Kaya and others like that. We are also the only doll company that is doing historical wigs that center around specific eras in time. As far as we know we are also one of the only doll companies that is offering new lines of historical clothing and shoes for collectors for American Girl and 18" Dolls. So these things do set us apart even in our own category as doll designers.