These Barbie Doll Hair Transformations Are Amazing
If I knew as a child that my Barbie's hair could look as good as the dolls on Instagram account @welovetheroyaldolls, I would have had fewer dolls forced into early retirement after a session with my scissors left them with janky buzzcuts. Or, at the very least, I could have had a Barbie with hair that matched my own texture.
The account run by Brazilian artist Rafinha Silva garners millions of views per video, in which he showcases how he takes the dolls from basic to total baddies. In one video, which currently has over 1.6 million views, Silva darkens a blonde doll's roots, adds curly extensions in track by track, and even blends the leave-out. He uses a tool that looks like a tiny curling wand to get the perfect coils. In other posts, he turns dolls into characters like Harley Quin, The Little Mermaid, and celebrities like Cher.
Don't let the 60-second transformation videos fool you. Silva told Allure in an email that it can take on average about 16 business days to customize each doll. Most of the dolls you see on his Instagram are made to order and cost $154 USD.
Silva's favorite part isn't even the hair! "The part I love most about customization is eyebrows and eyelashes — I love eyelashes," he explained. Silva, who never studied cosmetology, says his work is paying the bills in spite of his lack of formal training. "The Royal Dolls are my main source of income. Before working with the dolls, I was a journalist. That was for a long time my greatest passion."
OK, so he's a former journalist who now can slay a cut and color. Meanwhile, I can barely get my twist-outs together.
Proving that teamwork makes the dream work, Silva, who started out by styling the dolls himself, now employs some help. "For a long time, I was my complete company. Today, I have incredible professionals who help me. I have a super creative head who makes all the clothes unique to the dolls. [I have someone] responsible for digital art, creating the new packaging for the dolls. I [command] most of the company, [doing the] social networking, creation, development, and delivery of the product to the carrier."
I'm seriously impressed with the care and detail that goes into creating these dolls. I'd gladly dish out the cash to get one made in my likeness — or, maybe even one that looks like Beyoncé.
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Now, find out how to get an '80s Barbie doll makeup look:
