BRIGITTA MOON BOOKS: Fixing Up My Old Pleasant Company American Girl Doll Kirsten

I have a Pleasant Company American Girl doll Kirsten. She has seen some rough times.

My goal was to detangle her hair, clean her skin and tighten her wobbly legs so she could stand on her own. Her face paint is pale, so I wanted to give her a little color to get rid of the sickly look. It didn't take long to accomplish most of my goals, just a few hours on a lazy Sunday.

I started by washing and conditioning her hair. I didn't buy anything special. I just used my own. Then I used a wig brush and began the massive detangling. I detangled very small sections at a time starting the brushing at the ends of the hair and working my way up to the scalp. I used a water bottle to moisten the hair if it was dry. I didn't want to loose a lot of her hair. I did loose some but not much. Sometimes I switched to a wide tooth comb. I thought this tedious process was going to take a life time, but it didn't. Avoid getting water in her eyes, on her scalp and on her body. Water damages her eyes and causes mold on the scalp and body.

Next I flat ironed her hair while it was wet. The hair must be wet to prevent damage, not dripping wet. I towel dried her hair. The flat iron should be on a low setting. As I drew the flat iron down her locks I heard sizzling and watched as her hair straightened and shined. The sizzling is okay.

The next step was to clean her skin. I was going to use a brillo wipe and erase which I think is suppose to be like the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I wasn't sure and I could not take the chance of damaging her skin, so I opted for baking soda and water since she really didn't have any marks on her. I mixed it to a thin, watery solution and rubbed her down. The most important point is not to get water in her eyes. The water will damage them and they will not open and close properly. I looked at my girl. She was pretty clean. Her hair was looking much better, but her face was pale. I was going to have to head out to Walmart and pick up some acrylic paint. Now it was time to tighten her limbs so she could stand alone and hold her arms up.

To do this I had to untie her neck strings and remove her head. Then the un-stuffing of her body began. So much stuffing. I put it all in a bag so I wouldn't lose any. Inside her body I was able to see the joints. At the top of the limb is a white cap and a gold clamp strung on a piece of elastic. Between these two pieces I added an elastic band. This tightens the limbs. Then I re-stuffed her making sure to push the stuffing way down in her butt area. I was able to fit it all in and she was as plump as before. I put her head back on and tied her strings. I tested my work. She stood on her own and held her arms high. I pat myself on the back.

I really needed to do something about her pale face, so I pulled out my bronzer and blush. I put a little bronzer on my finger and rubbed it into the apples of her cheek. Next I used a cotton ball to even out the tone. The bronzer had a shimmer effect. I moistened a cotton ball and wiped her cheeks to remove the shimmer. It still wasn't the color I wanted, so I dabbed a little peach blush on my finger and rubbed it over the apples of her cheeks. Evened out the shade with a cotton ball. The blush acts as a stain on the cheeks.

Now it was time to give her a hair do and an outfit from the doll trunk.

I was pleased with my work, so off to Walmart I went to get the paint. I mixed the red and white, but it was not the shade I needed. I want more of a flesh tone. I have to tackle her lips another day.

See you next time!