It's Blaire Again - Dry Hair Restored

I finally brought Blaire Wilson back into my collection!

I found a great deal on eBay that included several outfits, including her garden outfit, which I've wanted for quite a while. I've seen the garden outfit alone listed on eBay for around $75. I also used Capital One Shopping, which helped me save quite a bit of money on the purchase.

Blaire actually has a bit of history in my collection.  My first two American Girl doll restores were both Blaire Wilson.  I regrettably sold the first one (for less than what I paid) because I needed to thin down my collection because I was running out of space in my house.  The second Blaire became my mini-me. I actually use her as several different models by swapping out wigs. Since I haven't glued the wig down, I can easily change her look whenever I want.

Even though I already had my mini-me Blaire, I've always liked her character and collection, so I was excited to find another one.

When she arrived, she was in excellent condition. All she needed was a quick wipe-down and a hair wash. However, her hair was very dry. I first tried sponge curls, which made it curly but still left it dry and frizzy.

I followed a video by Amanda Boylston that she posted in one of the doll groups, and I'm so happy with how Blaire's hair turned out. Working in small sections, I lightly misted the hair with water as I went. Then I used a Revlon 1.5" curling iron set to 180°, gently gliding each section through several times until it was mostly dry.

The process took more than two hours, and my arms were killing me! I had to take several breaks.

I originally planned to curl her hair afterward, but I actually love how it looks just the way it is. You can really see the difference in the photos.

The ironic thing is that I had forgotten that when I restored my first Blaire, I didn't like how using a flat iron removed all of her curls. I recently reread my old blog post—which is another reason I blog. Sometimes I don't remember exactly what I did years later. I don't even remember whether I dampened the hair first.

For Blaire's cheeks, I added Red Iron Oxide stencil paint, which I also use on Cabbage Patch Kids and sell in my Etsy shop. I posted about it on Facebook, and I sold three containers the same day.

I absolutely love her garden outfit and honestly think it should have been her meet outfit.  Lesson learned: Never sell Blaire again.

She also came with these adorable bird earrings.