Melted rubber in hair is a common problem among vintage Barbie dolls. But can this be fixed without damaging the hair? If you are wondering how to remove melted rubber from Barbie’s hair, here I share how I do it.
Barbie dolls, especially from the 80’s and 90’s, had their hair tied with rubber bands which decay over the years. It is normal to find broken, dry and hardened rubber bands, and in the worst case, melted like caramel, completely stuck to the hair of vintage Barbies. But this situation has a solution! The process of removing melted rubber from Barbie’s hair may vary depending on how serious the problem is and the person doing it. Someone else may do it a little differently, but I want to share what has worked for me.
My first Barbie doll officially as an adult collector was Crystal Barbie from 1983. As you can see in the photo the rubber band was completely melted, it was part of her hair! There are times when the rubber band is just broken and can be easily removed. On other occasions it is shredded, and it is also easy to get it out of the hair. But the high temperatures over the years cause the rubber band to melt and so it is a little more work to remove, but it can be done!
Since I had no previous experience, I looked for some information and after educating myself, I proceeded with the method that seemed most reasonable to me and the one that used the items I had at home. First, I dipped my Crystal Barbie’s head in a small bowl with equal parts of Pantene 3 Minute Miracle hair conditioner and water. You can use whatever hair conditioner you have; fabric softener works great for the purpose too. I left it submerged for about 1 hour to let the conditioner soften the melted rubber. I later learned that applying baby oil with a cotton swab directly to the area helps soften the rubber and saves you time. That’s something I started doing with subsequent dolls.
After I left her soak in the conditioner and water mixture, I took her out and began to brush her hair with a fine-tooth comb, putting emphasis on the area where the melted rubber was. I could notice that the hair fibers were starting to separate but it needed more treatment. I rinsed her hair with tap water and soaked it again for a little while longer. Believe me, it was worse than it looks in the photo! But there are cases where just one dip is enough. After the second submersion, I brushed with the comb again and rinsed. The hair strands were already separated but there were still rubber residues. So, I washed with a neutral shampoo and after rinsing I applied conditioner directly to the hair and brushed again. After I didn’t notice any more traces of rubber, I rinsed her hair, removed the excess water with a towel and let it air dry.
This is a procedure that I have had to repeat on several occasions. Sometimes it takes me less work and time. There are times when I just apply conditioner directly to the part that has rubber and then brush with the comb and that is enough to solve it. But my first time was quite a challenge! I felt satisfied with the result since it seemed that the rubber was not going to come off and that gave me the confidence to carry out the process on subsequent occasions. Now my Crystal Barbie shines with glamour!
