Partial Lash Replacement Tutorial

 

Today I am replacing a few of Kissy's lashes. Part of her eyelid got chipped and the lashes fell out from just that one spot. In the case of a partial replacement I just use little lash flares available from drug stores. If you need to replace all the lashes you can find doll-sized lashes in my eBay and Etsy shops (link on the Home page). 

Kissy was sent to me at great cost by her owner. I tried to talk her mom into doing this herself to save the postage but she wasn't confident. I am going to show you how to do it so you won't have to spend so much to ship your doll.  It is a tedious process but not really a difficult one. Most people just send the head for eyelash replacement but Kissy has complicated internal mechanisms allowing her to give kisses so the owner isn't want to risk removing the head. Normally I would remove the doll's clothing so as not to risk getting glue on it but in this case Kissy's dress is so tight I was worried I would damage it trying to get it off, so I covered it with a thick napkin. Please ignore my gnarly hand; first I bruised it during our kitchen demo and then I burned it turning a pan in the hot oven.

When replacing lashes first take the point of a straight pin and scrape out the channel where the lashes will go. You want to clear out old glue so the lashes can be inserted into the channel. If you're doing a partial replacement be careful not to dislodge any remaining lashes. Clean off the pin with a napkin. Then insert the sticky top of the lashes or lash flares into the channel and push them in with the point of the straight pin. Clean off the pin and use it to brush the new lashes into place so they are going in the same direction. If your doll has thick layers of lashes like Kissy just do one layer first. Draw a bead of glue along the eyelid using the straight pin. Clean the pin off. When the glue is dry add another layer of lashes if necessary to match the originals. Repeat the process until the new lashes are as thick as the originals. When all the glue is dry trim the lashes to the correct length. I use Aleene's Tacky Glue, which dries clear. If there is any white glue residue I just tint it with a Sharpie marker to match the lash color. If you get ink on the eye or eyelid remove it with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

I do have a photo tutorial rather than a video if you prefer. You can see that here.