♥ Restoring a NA Pretty Faced Sailor Moon Doll ♥
Hi there! :D
So, a few days ago I was inspired but Saigo_no_oni's post about her Super Sailor Moon Nakayoshi Babydoll restoration. She did such a fantastic job at fixing up the doll's hair! I also took a look at ainominap's post about fixing her Chibiusa Nakayoshi Babydoll's hair as well. I believe I have heard of this method before, so I decided I'd give it a whack. I'm so glad there are other daring peoples in smcollector, otherwise I would never have to courage to do it myself!! So thank you~
So here we go. This is what I was faced with:
I do hope you can see the wondrous condition of her hair. I have never in my life seen a doll with so many tangles, knots, and snarls in her hair. I figured I may as well try it on her before a more expensive and treasured doll however.
I brought the doll to my bathroom sink. I filled the sink with steamy hot water and dish soap. Then I took a fine-toothed comb to the doll's hair and started working from the bottom of the pigtails up. I was pulling so hard that her head actually popped off. Surprisingly, she didn't loose all too much hair, however. At least we know Irwin rooted well! xD I worked at simply COMBING her hair for about an hour and a half before I was even half-way satisfied.
I then got a small amount of fabric softener for conditioning. I poured it gently over the damp ponytails and then re-submerged them in the fresh hot water and continued combing. After another twenty minutes or so, I was finally able to smoothly pass the comb through each section of hair. I was amazed! I decided to pull her out then before continuing.
I placed the bathed doll on a towel in my room to dry over night. After I returned from school the next day, I started working some more. I had to get her clothing washed, the ends of her hair trimmed, and her tiara back in. The latter did not work all too well.
The tiara still had it's pegs, but I could not for the life of me get it back in the holes! So I decided to remove the pegs and use cement-glue for plastic models to stick the tiara onto her forehead. Permanently. :D
I also had to re-administer her "odangos". I used clear elastics to tie them back into her hair and keep her hair together. That was one of the hardest things to do!!
Here are some more pictures of my process and the final product:
So over-all, I consider this project a success! I have to say, I was pretty nervous when I started. Even if she is an Irwin doll who was before a piece of crap, I have to say, I have sentimental feelings for her, seeing as she was the first doll in my collection. :( I'm happy that she looks almost new now! I love doing this kind of thing with Sailor Moon toys; it makes it feel more like a hobby.
I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you for looking! Please try this yourself if you feel so inclined, it really is fun! ♥