Veronika and Mandy were changing into their bathing suits. They were not going to the beach. They helped each other by fastening the tape of the bathing suit at the back of the neck. Neither of them can reach that spot, because their elbows don't bend enough. It's nice to have a friend who can help.
Mandy had asked Veronika to help her with a new hairstyle. She had read about a new way to make your hair curly. the nice thing about curling your hair was, if you didn't like it or got tired of it, all you had to do was wash it again and let it dry straight.
Mandy told Veronika what she wanted her to do, and of course Veronika would help!
First Veronika brushed Mandy's hair. Brushing takes out the small tangles and shows you where each big section of hair belongs.
Then Veronika used the comb. She started at the very bottom of each section of hair, because if you start at the top, you collect the tangles, one after another as you bring the comb down, and it ends up making one very big tangle you can't comb through. When Veronika had a section of hair tidy at the bottom, she moved the comb higher up, then higher, until that section was free of tangles.
When Mandy's hair was all combed out, the girls went down the hall to the bathroom. They climbed up on the bathroom vanity, so they could get to the sink. Veronika was going to have to climb into the sink, so she took her sandals off. Mandy took off her necklace, so it wouldn't be in the way.
Mandy put a towel down on the edge of the sink, so she could be more comfortable. While Veronika ran the water to get it warm enough, Mandy held the shampoo ready.
Veronika put the water all over Mandy's hair. She was very careful not to let any water get into Mandy's eyes. Mandy can't close her eyes, so she can't keep water and shampoo out of them. Veronika didn't have to be careful about Mandy's ears, though. Mandy's ears don't have holes, so no water can go into her head through her ears. Dolls' ears are just decorative. They have pretend ears on the inside of their heads so they can hear.
When all of Mandy's hair was wet, Mandy handed the shampoo to Veronika, who applied it to the wet hair and then gave the bottle back to Mandy. They used a shampoo that had something called conditioner (con-DIH-shun-er) in it. That will make Mandy's hair soft and easy to comb.
Veronika worked the shampoo into all of the hair. Next Mandy scooted back again so Veronika could rinse the shampoo out. Veronika was careful to rinse every bit of shampoo out of Mandy's hair. Again she was careful not to get any water in Mandy's eyes. Mandy had to look at the ceiling the whole time, so the water would run down her head away from her eyes. Mandy knows that water runs down, not up. As long as Veronika keeps the water below Mandy's eyes, they will stay dry.
When all of Mandy's hair had been thoroughly rinsed, Veronika climbed out of the sink, and Mandy sat up. Mandy dried her hair with the towel, and Veronika dried her legs, and anywhere else she had gotten wet. Neither one of them had gotten water in their eyes. Real human children can get water in their eyes, but not dolls!
The dolls went back to the work room. Veronika gently combed out all of Mandy's hair. Then she began to braid it. For each braid, she started at the bottom and worked up. She used a large clip to pin the upper hair away from the area where she was working. She took a small section of hair in her hand and divided it into three parts. Then she began braiding the hair.
She continued braiding until there was very little hair left in her hands. Then she took a stretchy band from Mandy and fastened it around the end of the braid.
The next step was to wait for Mandy's hair to dry. This would take a long time, but Mandy didn't have to sit still while her hair dried.
"How does it look?" Mandy asked.
"It looks...interesting," Veronika said. Of course, it didn't matter how it looked with all the braids. The point of putting your hair in curlers all over your head isn't because it will look beautiful in curlers. It's the same if you use braiding to curl your hair.
"Let's go look in the mirror," Mandy suggested.
The girls went back down the hall to the bathroom where they had washed Mandy's hair. They looked in the mirror.
"You're right," Mandy agreed. "It does look interesting."
It was like looking at a different doll.
"You know, Mandy," Veronika said then, "I can see your scalp and the roots where your hair comes out of your head."
"I wonder if mine looks like that underneath my hair," Veronika added, taking a closer look.
"Yes," Mandy said, "your scalp is full of roots, too, only the they're arranged a bit differently." Mandy had seen Veronika's roots, but she couldn't see her own. Not without another mirror to hold up, so she could see one mirror in the other.
"Do I have two rows of roots running down the center of my head?" Mandy asked.
Veronika told Mandy she did not. The roots were just scattered around.
"Well," Mandy said, "I think I know why you do. It's because you're supposed to have braids. The back of your head looks very tidy when you have your hair in two braids."
The two girls walked back down the hall to the workroom again. They needed to put the hair things away.
What do you think Mandy's hair will look like when it dries? How long do you think it will take to dry? What will Mandy do while she's waiting? Do you know how to braid hair yet? Do you have roots for your hair all over your head, or do you have two rows running down the back?
Read the conclusion to "Hair Today, Curly Next Week?" next week!
To be continued....
Learn to braid your dolls' hair. You can start with grass. Here's how.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
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