Fixing really badly tangled, frizzy doll hair?

[ShortyBoo]

So I recently got Disney Animator's Collection Rapunzel and her hair is awful. I want to try to get it as close to its original condition as possible. I kept hearing about using fabric softener, so I tried that first. I filled the sink with a litter water and a lot of fabric softener. I let her soak for like 3 hours and rinsed it out, but her hair hasn't improved much at all. Does it take multiple treatments? Also, is there something else I could try? What about conditioner? I have like a quarter of a bottle of Aussie Moist conditioner and a new bottle of Aussie Hair Insurance leave-in conditioner. Would either of those make a difference? I've used boiling water to straighten frizzy hair on EAH dolls, but I don't know if it will work as well on bigger dolls. Any help with this would be appreciated.

[apanda0622]

I think with the fabric softner you need to put some in a spray bottle and mist it in the hair while combing it from top to bottom.  I have never tried it, but I think that is the process.

[ShortyBoo]

I read you're supposed to comb from the bottom to the top. I'd comb part at the bottom, it would seem ok, so I'd comb a bit higher, and it would tangle up the hair below it that I had just combed. It's pretty frustrating, but I'm not giving up yet.

I'm going to get a wig brush and see if that helps. I have a wide tooth comb that I was trying to use (in small sections) but it doesn't seem to be helping. I'm now out of fabric softener so I'll have to go get more, so I guess I'll get a spray bottle then, as well.

[parryscereal]

I've used a flea comb on Barbie-sized dolls, and I'm sure it would work on a larger one. I left their hair in fabric softener/water mix for an entire day(although you might want to comb and spritz on a large doll), let air dry, then followed up with a boiling/near boiling water wash and combing their hair against a very flat surface(usually a plate) and letting it dry again against the plate to prevent the fibers from not drying straight.

[CoonhoundBetty]

definitely following this--DD has the same doll, and her hair is atrocious I did the soaking with conditioner and the fabric softener tricks, and it's sad. Her Snow White doll's hair is perfect, but poor Rapunzel 

[Vertefae]

It needs to soak for 24 hours at least. Then put conditioner on it and start combing it through. It's going to take some time but it will straighten out. If it's really bad you may have to do only a few plugs at a time. And always from the bottom up. I've restored 30+ year old doll hair this way. You can also wrap the hair in plastic wrap once the conditioner is in and leave that for another 24 hours.

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[ShortyBoo]

Ok, I'll try that as soon as I get some more fabric softener and conditioner. I did make some progress on the top half of her hair, it's just the bottom half that's horrid. I ended up ordering a new Rapunzel from the Disney Store's site and what I'm planning to do is keep trying to restore my first Rapunzel's hair and if I can get it looking ok, I'm going to give her to my niece along with the Cinderella I got for her.