If you've done any crafting before or even entered the world of industrial strength bedazzling, you will be familiar with the glue known as E6000. This industrial strength glue is a goliath for bonding things and is popular for attaching rhinestones that never come off and basically bonding anything together that you never want to come off. There are definitely a lot of uses for that, in fact here in our workshop we do use it for attaching gems but also bonding metals and plastics when making crowns and props. In fact here in our workshop, I use Gorilla Glue on attaching boot covers to boots, and super glue to seal the edges as it's fast acting and I don't have to wait forever. I use Barge to repair shoes or attach rubber to surfaces. And yes I will use hot glue for certain crafting projects. But when it comes to my dolls, I do not bring out the e6000 and here's the reasons why.

1. Take a sniff, no rather don't take a sniff because if you ingest, inhale, or come into prolonged contact with the skin or eyes it is completely toxic. The degree of toxicity depends on the level and the duration of exposure, as well as an individual's sensitivity to the chemicals. It emits fumes during the curing process, and it is recommended to wear protective gear and use in well ventilated areas. Sound like something you want to put on a children's toy that they may want to sleep with at night? Not me.

2. It takes 24 hours to cure, and sometimes even longer. That means that you have to wait a whole day for it to bond. Don't shift it, don't move it, and don't make any mistakes on your placement.

3. Think of it as NEVER coming off. Recommended ways of removing e6000? A. Use a heat gun, nope you will melt your doll B. Razorblades, um double nope C. Pouring industrial solvents such as dry cleaning chemicals on it, um my child is going to play with this D. Pouring nail polish remover with acetone on top of it, double nope. Oh and this glue is designed to withstand heat and cold. And if none of that works, the recommendation is to try combinations and persistence to get it off. Oh and do that without damaging your doll.

4. It's got a oozing consistency that loves to keep coming out of that tube even when you want it to stop. Don't let it get on your skin, remember it's toxic and you'll want to read up on how to remove it. Don't let it get on anything else, no dabs of glue on the face or parts of the doll, you will need acetone to get it off. Because it oozes, people often have a tendency to put too much even without intending to. When that happens, the glue soaks through the wig cap and into the hair. I have definitely seen my share of customer nightmares.

5. Ok so you went ahead and permanently glued that wig down using e6000, you've now made it harder on yourself to remove that wig later down the line when your child cuts the hair, or the hair loses it's luster, or needs a new wig, etc. You've eliminated the great thing about wigged dolls in that removing and replacing their wigs continually brings them years more of life and keeps them looking new.

It seems I am constantly reading on people using this glue because they are afraid that using craft glue will not be strong enough for their child's rough play, but craft glue is just fine. So here's my list of why I 100% recommend using it rather than e6000 (despite what people in doll groups or other vendors say).

1. Craft glue goes on white and dries clear, which means you can easily see where you are putting it and therefore are less likely to have accidently "clear" drying glue in spaces you don't want it to be.

2. It is thick enough not to drip, but comes from a very controlled bottle, if you got a new one snip a smaller hole than usual and you can really control how much comes out. Less glue means less soaking into the wig cap. Yes you can also apply too much craft glue and have it soak into your wig as well, so remember less is more in this case. Apply glue to the top of the head and then around the hair line and your wig will be secure. You do not need to cover the doll's entire head in glue.

3. Craft glue has no scent and is not toxic, though don't eat it either or sniff it for that matter.

4. Craft glue accidents are easily wiped away with a baby wipe or paper towel. I love baby wipes because they are damp sometimes a dry papertowel just doesn't do the trick.

5. Craft glue will bond the wig for play time but it responds to heat, water boil, spoon prying, and all the other methods mentioned in doll groups for removing wigs (see also our post on putting on a new wig for all the techniques). No razorblades or chemicals needed.

6. If you make any mistakes, this is probably the easiest glue to wash out and start over. Can't really do that with e6000.

Most parents, and/or collectors maybe do 1-2 wig changes, or if they are heavy into customization more than that. Believe me when I tell you, as we run our own doll hospital and have been selling doll wigs for years, that this is our best recommendation. Of course this is my opinion and others may disagree, but this is what I recommend to our customers and what I do myself for all my children's dolls and believe me, my 6 year old loves chopping off her dolly's hair, so ehem we do some wig changes at my house too.