The most popular activity at American Girl camp last week was the hair salon station. We had a hair salon set up every day. We gave instructions on how to properly brush and care for American Girl doll hair. The girls could visit the hair salon area any time they finished a camp activity. We had doll brushes, spray water bottles, and hair accessories available along with directions about a specific hair style each day.

On Caroline day, the campers learned how to put their doll’s hair in a bun. Caroline lived during the War of 1812. Ladies during the early 1800s might wear their hair with curls around their face and have a bun in the back.

Salon Secrets

• Keep your doll still. Hold between your legs or use a doll chair.
• Always use a wire doll hairbrush. Plastic bristled hairbrushes snag and frizz the doll hair.
• For best styling results, lightly mist your doll’s hair with water. Cover the eyes and face with a small cloth or paper towel while misting. Protect the body from water too.
• Take a small section of hair at the tip and brush gently. Work your way up the small section of hair.
• Don’t pull the doll’s hair too hard when brushing. If possible, hold the doll’s neck as you work.
• NEVER use a blow-dryer, hot rollers, curling iron, or straightening iron on your doll’s hair. The hair is made of plastic and will melt and burn.

Materials

• American Girl Doll Hair Salon Kit w/Book (optional– we got a few styling ideas from the kit, and it came with a doll brush and spray water bottle)
• wire doll hairbrush
• styling spray water bottle (found spray bottles that will lightly mist in the soap making section at Michael’s crafts)
• short bobby pins
• classic hair pins (the kind that are wide)
• small elastics (the kind that look like Rainbow Loom bands or rubber bands for braces)
• paper towel, washrag, or some type of covering to protect the doll’s face and body when misting hair with the water

Classic Bun

• Gather the hair at the back of the doll’s head and make a high ponytail. Tie with an elastic. Twist ponytail tightly; spritz it with water; wrap twisted ponytail around the elastic. Tuck the end of the ponytail under the bun and insert a hairpin to hold. Pin the rest of the bun in place, crisscrossing pins.

Classic Bun Step 1

Classic Bun Finished

Messy Bun

• Make a ponytail and tie with an elastic. Using small sections at a time, very loosely pin the ends of the ponytail around the elastic.

Messy Bun Back View

Messy Bun Side View

Rope Braid

• Brush all of the hair back into a high ponytail or pull a small section into a side ponytail. Tie off with an elastic. Separate the ponytail into 2 equal sections. Twist both sections of the hair clockwise. Tightly cross one section over the other counterclockwise until you reach the end of the ponytail. Tie off with another elastic.

Rope Braid Step 1

Rope Braid Step 2

Rope Braid Finished

Some campers visited the hair salon and did nothing but brush their doll’s hair. If you plan to host an American Girl camp, I think having a hair styling area is a must! I think this would also work well as an activity at an American Girl birthday party.