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How to Dye Yarn Hair on a Doll

Dressing dolls in the latest fashions, makeup designs and hairstyles is a favorite playtime activity for many girls. Doll fashion parties are just as popular as traditional tea parties, allowing little girls and their dolls to come together for hours of entertainment. Dolls' clothing and hairstyles can be changed, and their hair color can be dyed to match their outfits. You can dye a doll's yarn hair one of a variety of colors using the same techniques used to dye yarn for crochet projects. Using a punch drink mix as the colorant is one way to dye yarn hair.

Things You'll Need

Rubber gloves
Plastic wrap
Medium bowl
Tape
Package of punch drink mix in desired yarn hair color
Distilled white vinegar
Stainless steel pot
Plastic spatula
Liquid detergent

Instructions

- 1
  Put on a pair of rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands from the dye mix.
- 2
  Wrap the doll's body, from its feet to its head, with plastic wrap. Cover the doll's face, neck, ears and as much of the forehead as possible with the plastic wrap. Leave all of the doll's yarn hair exposed. If the doll's head is detachable, you may remove it instead of wrapping the rest of the doll in plastic.
- 3
  Pour hot water in a medium-size bowl. Dip the doll's yarn hair in the water, and let it soak for 20 minutes. You may prop up the doll's body while the hair soaks by taping the doll upside down against a wall, allowing the hair to hang down into the bowl.
- 4
  Pour water and distilled white vinegar in a stainless steel pot at a ratio of three parts water to one part vinegar. Because you will dye a small amount of yarn, 3 cups of water and 1 cup of vinegar should be enough to cover the doll's hair. Pour one package of punch drink mix into the water and vinegar mixture. Stir the solution with a plastic spatula. The solution is the dye.
- 5
  Place the stainless steel pot containing the dye on low heat until the heat forms many bubbles in the dye. Remove the pot from the heat before the dye starts to boil.
- 6
  Remove the doll's hair from the bowl of hot water, and squeeze out as much water from the hair as possible.
- 7
  Dip the doll's yarn hair in the dye, soak all strands of the yarn. Let the yarn hair sit in the dye for 45 minutes.
- 8
  Rinse the yarn hair in warm water, and wash it with liquid detergent. Rinse out the liquid detergent, and allow the doll's hair to air dry.

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