How to Make Curly Doll Hair with Yarn

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 24, 2021 Tested

If you made a crochet or amigurumi doll, you will need to give him or her some hair. You can always take the easy route, and give your doll straight hair, but why not try curly hair? With a few extra steps, you can create beautiful, curly hair for your doll! If you want to give a cloth doll curly hair, don't worry, you can still use these methods; you will need to create a crochet wig cap first.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Curly Doll Hair

1
Have a crochet doll ready. This method works best on crochet amigurumi dolls. If your doll is made from cloth, or any other material, you will have to crochet a wig cap for the doll first, follow this method, then attach the wig cap.
2
Wrap the yarn tightly around a thin dowel. The thinner the dowel, the tighter the curl will be. Something around 3/8-inch (0.95-centimeter) would be ideal, however. Make sure that you are only wrapping the yarn in a single layer; don't let the yarn overlap.
- You can also use a knitting needle instead. A size 4, or smaller, would be ideal.^{[1]
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- Loosen the first and last loops, then tuck the tails ends under them. Tug on the tail ends to tighten the loops. This will keep the yarn from unraveling.^{[2]
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3
Soak the yarn with boiling water, then blot the excess. Boil some water in a pot or kettle first, then pour it over the yarn. Use a towel to gently blot any excess water. You want it to be soaked, but not dripping.
4
Place the dowel on a rimmed backing sheet. Make sure that the ends of the dowels resting on the rim. Do not let the rest of the dowel or the yarn touch the actual baking sheet. If you let the yarn touch the sheet, it may not dry properly. The hot metal may also scorch the yarn.^{[3]
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5
Bake the yarn in your oven until it is dry. Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature possible, about 200 to 250°F (94 to 122°C) first. Once it reaches the right temperature, stick the yarn into the oven. Let it bake until it is completely dry, about minutes.^{[4]
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- Check on the every 15 minutes, especially if it is acrylic, so that it doesn't melt.^{[5]
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- If you are using a "soft" variety of yarn, raise the temperature to 300F, and bake it for 55 minutes instead.^{[6]
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6
Allow the yarn to cool before unwrapping it. This will take about 10 minutes. Once the yarn has cooled, gently unravel it from the dowel.^{[7]
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7
Wrap yarn around base object. Choose a book, folder, CD case, or even a piece of cardboard that is about twice the length you want the hair to be. Wrap the curled yarn around the base object tightly, so that the strands become straight. Keep wrapping until you run out of yarn.
8
Cut the wrapped yarn along one edge. When you wrapped your yarn around your base object, you will have two folded edges. Choose one, and cut along it. Slid the yarn off of the base object, but keep it folded. The fold will be your guide for the next step.
- Consider separating the yarn into individual strands. You will get about 4 strands from each piece of yarn. Treat these four strands as a single strand for the rest of this method.^{[8]
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9
Attach the yarn to the doll's head with a slip stitch. Push your crochet hook through a stitch on your doll's hairline. Catch the curled strand by the middle. Pull a loop back through the stitch with your hook. Pull the tails through loop, then tug on them gently to tighten the loop.^{[9]
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- If you are using a crocheted wig cap, then push the hook through a stitch on the wig cap.
10
Continue attaching the yarn to your doll's head. Start around the outer edge, where the hairline is, and work your way towards the center in rings. You don't have to insert the yarn into every stitch, especially if your doll is very small.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Crochet Doll Hair

1
Have a crochet doll ready. This method works best on crochet amigurumi dolls. If your doll is made from cloth, or any other material, you will have to crochet a wig cap for the doll first, follow this method, then attach the wig cap.
2
Attach the yarn to the back of the doll's head with a slip stitch. Poke your crochet hook through a stitch on the back-right of the doll's head. Pull a loop of yarn back through the stitch with the hook. Leave behind a short tail of yarn.^{[10]
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- Where you start crocheting will be the edge of the hair line. Plan carefully!
- Use a crochet hook that matches your yarn. When you buy your yarn, look at the label to find out what kind of hook you should use.
3
Chain stitch your first strand. Once you have the yarn attached to the doll's head, begin making your first chain stitch. Make it twice as long as you want the hair to be. Hair shortens as it curls. If you make it the right length at the start, it will end up too short in the end!^{[11]
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4
Go back down the chain. Insert your hook through the third chain from the hook. Pull a loop of yarn through the chain. Begin slip stitching down the length of the chain until you reach the base.^{[12]
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- If your doll is large, or if you want thicker curls, use a single crochet instead of a slip stitch.^{[13]
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5
Close the strand with a slip stitch, then move on to the next space. Insert your hook back into the starting stitch on the doll's head, and out the next one. If your doll has thick hair, your might want to poke the hook out a few stitches over instead.^{[14]
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6
Start your second curl, catching the tail end of the yarn under the first chain. Before you make the first chain, place the tail end of the yarn over your work. Chain stitch right over the tail end, pinning it down.^{[15]
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7
Continue crocheting your doll's hair. Keep making chains until your reach the left side of the doll's head. By now, the tail should be completely hidden. If it isn't, you can trim it down now.
8
Move onto the next row. Poke your hook back into the stitch you just attached your last curl to. Instead of poking the hook out of the next stitch on the left, poke the hook out of the next stitch above.
9
Finish crocheting your doll's hair. Keep working left to right, right to left, in zigzags until you reach the front hairline. Try to follow your doll's hairline—you can do this by making each row a little wider than the one below it. You can also lightly sketch out a hairline using a washable dressmaker's marker.
- The chains will curl naturally on their own. You can help them curl further by wrapping them around your finger.
10
Cut the yarn and pull it through the last loop. When you finish your last curl, cut the yarn, leaving behind a tail. Use your hook to pull the tail back through the last loop of yarn. Gently tug on the tail to tighten the loop.^{[16]
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11
Stitch down the last row of hair, if desired. This is not absolutely necessary, but it will help the hair on your doll lay down better. Start by threading the tail through a yarn needle. Then:^{[17]
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- Pull the needle through a stitch between the last two rows of curls.
- Push it through the first curl on the last row, close to the base.
- Bring the needle down through the next stitch.
- Continue stitching across the head, catching curls as you go.
- Tie the yarn to the last stitch, weave the tail under a few stitches, then cut it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making a Crochet Wig Cap (Optional)

1
Make a crochet wig cap if you do not have a crochet or amigurumi doll. Once you have attached the hair to the wig cap, you can then sew or glue the wig cap to your doll. Use the same type of yarn as you will for your doll's hair.
2
Start a magic ring. Make a loop with the yarn, overlapping the working and tail ends. Pull the working end of the yarn through the middle of the ring. Pull it up towards the top edge of the ring and make a chain stitch.^{[18]
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3
Do your first round in the magic ring. Make six single crochets in the magic ring. Finish with a slip stitch in the first single crochet. Gently tug on the tail to tighten the stitches.^{[19]
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4
Start your second round. Chain stitch two. Do two half-double-crochets in each stitch. When you reach the end of the round, close it with a slip stitch in your first half-double-crochet.^{[20]
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5
Do your first increasing round. Start your third round with two chain stitches. Next, do a half-double-crochet in the next stitch, followed by two half-double-crochets in the second stitch. Do this six times, then close the round with a slip stitch in the first half-double-crochet.^{[21]
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6
Make your second increase for the fourth round. Start with two chain stitches. Next, do a half-double-crochet in each stitch over the next two stitches. (This is your increase). Follow it up with two half-double-crochets in the third stitch. Do this six times, then close the round with a slip stitch in the first half-double-crochet.^{[22]
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7
Make your third increase for the fifth round. Start with two chain stitches. Next, do a half-double-crochet in each stitch over the next three stitches. (This is your increase). Follow it with two half-double-crochets in the fourth stitch. Do this six times. Close the round with a slip stitch in the first half double crochet.^{[23]
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8
Continue making increases until your wig cap is one round away from being the right size. The wig cap needs to be big enough to fit over your doll's head and extend from hairline to hairline.^{[24]
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9
Finish off with a half, increasing round. Start with two chain stitches, then 2 half-double-crochets in the first stitch. Continue where you left off with your increases: a half-double-crochet in each stitch. Instead of going for the entire round, stop when you are half-way across.^{[25]
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10
Finish off with a slip stitch in the next stitch, then cut your yarn and tie it off. You will be left with something that looks like a cap, but that is longer on one end. This longer end goes on the front of the doll's head. The shorter end goes on the back.