There are so many ways to make and attach yarn hair to your amigurumi and crochet dolls!  After creating amigurumi for the past decade, I have narrowed it down to a few go-to methods that I love.  I'll be sharing them with you in this post, as well as a helpful and comprehensive resource that is jam-packed with even more creative ideas! 

With each hairstyle, I include my doll designs that feature it.  You can click into the link to view the pattern and follow along if you wish to recreate it!

Let's get started, shall we?

Making an updo hairstyle for amigurumi dolls is SUPER easy with this method of mine.  Start out first by simply crocheting a hair cap (which would follow the same instructions as the head, except without the decrease rounds), and adding a hair bun or two on top.  It's the way to go if you want to crochet a doll for little ones without worrying about adding strands of hair that may get easily fuzzed up or pulled out with rough play.

A great way to "dress up" this hairstyle is by adding small flowers, beads, bows, or other appliques!  For instance, pictured above is my Sakura Kimono Doll (free pattern), who looks lovely with three colorful flowers pinned to the side of her bun.

Here are some of my other dolls that feature the Hair Bun style:

  

  

 

Here's an alternative to the prior method!  Instead of adding hair only towards the bottom of the doll's head, you'd be adding strands all the way around the hair cap to create a fuller look.  It's great for pulling aside into a long braid, making a side-part, or for dolls where you'd want to sew accessories (like the horn, ears, and flowers on the unicorn doll) to the hair cap.

Here are some of my other dolls that feature this style:

 

This hairstyle starts off with the second method ("Easy Hair-Down Style") as a base!  It's ideal for dolls that would look cute with braided pigtails, or as dolls for little ones that might be very well-loved.  Instead of having strands that can get fuzzed up, the braids will keep the hair together and compact, and is suitable for young children to play with.

Here are some of my other dolls that feature this style:

Now, for better lack of words, this full-head-of-hair method is one where hair is attached all around the hair cap, allowing the doll to have hair strands coming from all sides without bald spots!  This is my favorite method for adding hair to my more detailed and prized dolls.  The strands stay in place within the hair cap, so you won't have to worry about them coming out. 

My sweet Princess Maeve (crochet pattern), for example, uses this method!  It's so fun to style the hair with twists and ties.

If desired, you can create a smoother, hair-like texture by using a dog brush to brush through the yarn strands.  My sweet Woodland Leaf Fairy (free pattern) below shows what the hair looks like when it's brushed out.  I just love the smooth yet wavy texture! 

Alternatively, you can also keep the yarn strands the way they are, or split each strand to make hair with curly texture! 

If you're interested how to make this, check out my comprehensive video tutorial for this hair method.

Here are some of my other dolls that feature this style:

 

   

In addition to my personal hairstyle methods above, I'd love to share with my fellow crocheters an amazing resource on amigurumi hair: the Amigurumi Hairstyles eBook by Huipei Zhang!  This is a very comprehensive and must-have guide for creating fun and functional hairstyles on your little amis!  

There are almost 60 pages, and it's jam-packed with information!  Topics include: 

• Basic Head Shape
• Techniques for Making Hair
• Loop and Hook
• Sewing Down
• Loop Stitch
• Direct Crochet
• Chain Loop Fringe
• Wig Cap
• Short Hairstyles
• Long Hairstyles
• Bangs
• Men's Hairstyles
• Moustaches
• Beards
• Crown Baldness

My personal thought after looking through the eBook is that it's an absolute treat for any amigurumi artist.  It's detailed and well-written, with so many creative methods that I hadn't even thought of! 

You can get your copy of the Amigurumi Hairstyles eBook here!

I hope that you'll find these strategies to be helpful for adding hair to your amigurumi doll.  There isn't just one way to doing so, as you can see, and it is truly a really fun part of the creative process in doll-making!

What's your favorite of these hairstyles above?

Do you have a different go-to method?

I'd love to hear from you!

Warm wishes,