Who would have ever thought forty years ago that Barbie Dolls would still be such a popular item with little girls today? It seems as if these dolls are always in vogue. Many girls play with their Barbies so much it is amazing that they stay in one piece. Some of the older Barbie Dolls that remain in good condition bring big money from collectors and online auctions. Here are some of the things that you can do to make sure that your Barbie stays in the best shape possible and that she will last for a long time.

Like anything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the same is true with collectors of these dolls. The true value is really dependent upon the person who is interested in the doll and what they are willing to pay for one. One of the things that goes a long way to determining the value of a Barbie is the hair. The hair used for Barbie and the hairstyles have been modified constantly for over four decades now. Taking care of a Barbie's hair is crucial to her maintaining value.

Even though a girl may not particularly care about what he Barbie is worth she will in most cases care about keeping her Barbie clean and looking pretty. This is one of the reasons that Barbie has remained such a timeless doll, her incredible beauty and exaggerated figure. So, even if the girl isn't concerned at all with keeping Barbie's hair in perfect condition for monetary reasons, she still wants it to look nice and like most dolls a Barbie's hair is the thing that is most likely to be damaged.

Keeping a Barbie's hair clean is an easy thing because you can shampoo it with regular shampoo. This makes it easy and fun because the doll can share the bathtub with the child and they can both have their hair washed at the same time. Just be sure that the water used on the hair isn't too hot because that can damage it. After shampooing and rinsing, a conditioner can be applied and the hair combed through to remove tangles. Be sure to never allow a blow dryer to be used, the heat can melt the doll. Now you have clean hair to play with any style any way you want.

Some little girls, particularly those who are very young, tend to want to use Barbie like a coloring book and will mark all over her. Most of these if they are just crayon or pencil can be easily cleaned up with soap and warm water. Also make sure that you don't use soaps that are dyed with color because that color can be transferred to the Barbie's skin. If a Barbie gets particularly dirty she can be cleaned with some Softscrub and a cotton ball, just use care around her face. One little tip that is good to remove magic marker or ink pen marks is Clearasil. Just apply a little on the affected are and let it dry, then scrape it off gently.