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Basic Smart Doll Care/Tips for Beginners

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Sn0wy_W01f

So I just ordered my first doll yesterday, a vinyl Smart Doll Kanata (Alternate).

While waiting for her to arrive I have some questions to ask you guys.

General
1. What to look out for? Any common beginner mistakes?
2. What is your doll care routine?
3. Any shop recommendations for doll clothes?

Wig Care
4. How to maintain the wig? (Come from figure collecting, no experience with wigs XD)

Stains
5. Do all colored materials stain? or only dark colored ones?
6. Do stain prevention garments stop staining or only make it harder to stain? (Have a few dark colored clothes)
7. Are there any materials that don't stain/high risk of staining?

Thanks!

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BeyondTime
21 minutes ago, Sn0wy_W01f said:

Stains
5. Do all colored materials stain? or only dark colored ones?
6. Do stain prevention garments stop staining or only make it harder to stain? (Have a few dark colored clothes)
7. Are there any materials that don't stain/high risk of staining?

Congrats on your Kanata.

Any color material can potentially stain, but dark colors tend to be worse and light colors tend to be better.

Stain prevention clothing / wig caps can slow stains, but the dyes can still bleed through. You have to undress them and check the fabric to make sure there aren't spots where bleed through is happening.

Black wig caps are the worst imo. What's more, while stain removal methods are effective, stains on the head are the most stressful to remove because you don't want to damage the faceup. After that I worry about blacks, dark blues, and dark reds. Whites are the safest. Some materials are so bad that touching the cloth, and then touching the doll will cause stains.

It really depends on how much you are concerned about stains. If you really want to avoid them, dress her in white when she isn't being played with. If you don't mind periodically treating her for stains, dress her as you want to. Just be careful with the head.

I always periodically check them for stains.

Edited by BeyondTime

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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UnderOrange

 Congrats!

1: It's mostly common sense, if you're posing her and something resists, don't brute force it. Also apparently pushing both legs into a sitting position at the same time can put stress on the lower spine, so best to avoid that.

2: If I'm not sure when I'll interact with them again I just make sure they're sitting in a way that their vinyl doesn't touch anything too dark (including the shelf, siiigh.) Usually I just leave them in light colored stuff or have a layer of white. Arms out zombie style if I'm especially distracted, lol. Sometimes mid project they end up in their undies sitting on undyed cloth, lol.

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Poofiemus

It's so weird what stains and what doesn't, in my experience. Seems like cotton and polyester are generally pretty safe, but faux suede and leather can be pretty damn nasty. . . .and doll companies basically never label what their clothes are made of, so that's no help. 

The thing with vinyl dolls is that they WILL pick up random stains. It just is a fact of life with them, no matter how paranoid in their care you are. So definitely pick up some zit cream or some hair developer, just keep it on hand. I like to do major stain treatment on everyone in late spring/early summer, since warmth and sunshine accelerate the reaction that takes the stains out, but sometimes you find a nasty one and wind up sticking them in treatment ASAP. Eventually you get weirdly blase about stripping your doll naked, slathering them in goop, and sticking them on the windowsill or the patio. 


In this household, sanity is considered a tresspasser.

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Resilient

 

On 12/21/2019 at 3:28 PM, Poofiemus said:

So definitely pick up some zit cream or some hair developer, just keep it on hand. I like to do major stain treatment on everyone in late spring/early summer, since warmth and sunshine accelerate the reaction that takes the stains out, but sometimes you find a nasty one and wind up sticking them in treatment ASAP. Eventually you get weirdly blase about stripping your doll naked, slathering them in goop, and sticking them on the windowsill or the patio. 

I think we should have considered how we could protect them from sunlight. I have the strong feeling that sticking them on the window sill will damage their appearance due to UV rays. Just thought I'd put that out there.


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Poofiemus
5 hours ago, Resilient said:

 

I think we should have considered how we could protect them from sunlight. I have the strong feeling that sticking them on the window sill will damage their appearance due to UV rays. Just thought I'd put that out there.

UV discoloration is a MUCH bigger concern for resin dolls than for vinyl. Vinyl doesn't usually change that much from the sun. (I've been in this hobby for over 12 years in a very high UV type area, with minimal to no discoloration issues.) Alternately, if you're really worried, OR, if you live in a climate that just doesn't get enough heat/sun even in summer, I've had friends use heat lamps and, oddly, crock pots or steamers, to great effect. I just basically live in an oven so it's usually easier for my lazy self to stick them on the patio for a couple hours lol. 

That said, that does make me think of a small PSA: Many artist eyes are made of resin! So in that case you probably want to take eyes out (or heads off, if they don't need treatment) when stain treatment day comes. The vinyl doll may not discolor, but resin eyeballs sure will, and I don't think most of us want our dolls to look like they have a liver disease lol. 


In this household, sanity is considered a tresspasser.

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Resilient

I don't know what to make of your comment because I think Culture Japan's Danny Choo recommends keeping them away from sunlight. 


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Resilient
On 1/16/2023 at 10:09 AM, Poofiemus said:

UV discoloration is a MUCH bigger concern for resin dolls than for vinyl. Vinyl doesn't usually change that much from the sun. (I've been in this hobby for over 12 years in a very high UV type area, with minimal to no discoloration issues.)

You've had dolls for twelve years. Do you have many vinyl dolls ?

Edited by Resilient

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Poofiemus
26 minutes ago, Resilient said:

You've had dolls for twelve years. Do you have many vinyl dolls ?

The majority of my dolls are vinyl, actually! I have 2 DDs, 1 DDB, 1 DDS, 1 DDDy, 1 Azone/Obitsu 48cm, 1 Smart Doll Boy, 1 MDD Mochi Ashi, and one MDD hybrid with a resin head. (I also have two Tinyfox dolls I got fairly recently, but I'm not 100% what they're actually made of? Like they're really heavy for their size lol)

My oldest full dolls are Fate and Nanoha, who were manufactured in 2009. There's barely any difference between their old bodies and the new DDS and DDDy bodies I got in 2021, and you can't even see the difference in most light. I also have a DDS Marisa head manufactured in 2011 on that new 2021 DDS body, and you would never guess they were manufactured a decade apart.

In fact, the difference may well be due to batch more so than yellowing. The only vinyl I've had overtly yellow is the DD01 head I have on my Mochi Ashi, and 1, I have NO clue how old her head actually is, and 2, she was very much a rescue. Given that she had what looked like ball point pen stains on her, who knows what may have caused the yellowing--good chance that it may have been some weird storage or pigment used on her, rather than UV. 

The main yellowing concern for me has been Abby, my MDD with a resin head. That head has definitely yellowed compared to the much more color stable vinyl. That said, I never stain treat her with her head on--I always decapitate her for the procedure and re-capitate her after lol. Her yellowing is from being on display, being taken out to meets and photo shoots, and frankly just. . .existing. I really should "retro-brite" her in peroxide soon, I just don't wanna redo her faceup lol. 

Edited to add photo examples lol

20230124_115711.jpg.accc2cab0f6b18867e178bd0529e5f47.jpg

Here is Katya, my DDS Marisa head on a DDS F3 body. Head was made in 2011, body made in 2021. There's SOME difference, but it's honestly pretty subtle. And fwiw I vaguely recall people discussing Volks changing the color of normal/fresh skin around the time Semi-White came out, which may also account for the difference.

20230124_115758.jpg.b3dfa59892d61c1f96249651f694c945.jpg

Contrast Abby, who is a resin head from Out of Base on a vinyl MDD body. Her head has clearly yellowed. . . But I did her faceup mostly in water color pencils so slathering her in peroxide very likely means redoing and hngg I don't wanna lol

Edited by Poofiemus
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In this household, sanity is considered a tresspasser.

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LaRosePetite
On 12/21/2019 at 2:28 PM, Poofiemus said:

It's so weird what stains and what doesn't, in my experience. Seems like cotton and polyester are generally pretty safe, but faux suede and leather can be pretty damn nasty. . . .and doll companies basically never label what their clothes are made of, so that's no help. 

The thing with vinyl dolls is that they WILL pick up random stains. It just is a fact of life with them, no matter how paranoid in their care you are. So definitely pick up some zit cream or some hair developer, just keep it on hand. I like to do major stain treatment on everyone in late spring/early summer, since warmth and sunshine accelerate the reaction that takes the stains out, but sometimes you find a nasty one and wind up sticking them in treatment ASAP. Eventually you get weirdly blase about stripping your doll naked, slathering them in goop, and sticking them on the windowsill or the patio. 

I’d like to know more about the zit cream treatment. I’m new too, I plan on getting a smart doll in mid May when they are available again. 

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