How To Give Your Old Barbie A Makeover Pt. 1

Ever wonder whether thrift store Barbies were worth the $0.99? Should you toss the one with the wonderful haircut by your three year old? 

Reclaim it!!!

Before.

After.

Unless the Barbie's body is completely maimed, they are worth salvaging! New dolls are great and all, but having a personalized doll is so much better. Being the hairstylist, fashion designer, storyteller, etc. is so much fun too! If you are making this for your little one, have them help in the decision process. What will her name be? What is her job? What hairstyle should she have? What type of clothes would she like? This can be a wonderful imagination process and a great way to show them that you can reuse things instead of just tossing them in the trash!

The first thing to remember when fixing up a thrift store Barbie is to thoroughly clean it. Who knows what kinds of germs are on this thing?! I usually wash it under super hot water (be careful not to burn yourself though!) and give it a sweet scent by using my own shampoo to wash the hair! Make sure that you rinse the head off well enough, sometimes bubbles will build up inside! Try squeezing them out every so often while rinsing! 

While still damp, I tied down my Barbie's poofy hair to make cutting it more manageable. I did an angled cut with the back shorter than the front. It took a few times to get it right, but it was completely worth it! I also trimmed her out of control bangs and tied them down with a small rubber band! 
A great way to keep shorter Barbie hair in check is to make your own 'gel'. I apply a small amount of Elmer's glue (and I mean small, just a dab!) to damp hair as I would use hair product in my own. Try spreading the glue out on your palm to avoid putting too much in one area! After it's applied evenly, style it! I wanted my Barbie's hair to look more sleek and modern than her previous cut, so I secured it as flat as possible with rubber bands and hair ties. Don't remove until the hair is dry. If you do this technique right, the hair should be in place, but not a solid mass of glue and hair!
Originally, I wanted to keep the hair long, but the previous owner cut the back of the hair really short. The cut I did is a perfect example that if your little ones decides to play beauty shop with their dolls, its not necessarily the end of the world! In fact, many times, it makes the Barbies more unique and personalized! How many Barbies are sold now with short hairstyles?

Here's a shot of the end product! The bangs look great here and she definitely looks more pulled together now!
Watch out for a tutorial of how to complete the makeover with some simple Barbie clothes to sew!