10 of the best doll styling heads for kids

Whether your child is a fan or Frozen or Barbie, or just loves to practice hair styling, there are plenty to choose from in our list of the best doll styling heads for kids below.

And, if you're looking for more of the best toys, here's the must have toys for Christmas, the best toys for 3 year olds and the best toys for 4 year olds.

Best styling heads for kids at a glance

• Disney Princess Moana Styling Head, £21.99
• Barbie Totally Hair Colour Change Styling Head, £43
• L.O.L. Surprise! Tweens Swap Styling Heads, £7
• Miraculous Ladybug Styling Head, £29.02
• Chad Valley 100-piece Styling Dolls Head, £15
• BABY Born Sister Styling Mermaid Head, £45
• Barbie Totally Hair Deluxe Neon Styling Head, £43
• Disney Frozen 2 Anna Styling Head, £22
• Princess Coralie Makeup and Styling Head, £61.68
• Buki Professional Hair Studio, £47.44

Jump to:

• How can I look after the hair on a kids’ styling head?
• What to consider when buying a styling head for kids
• Best doll styling heads

How can I look after the hair on a kids’ styling head?

If you’re spending money on a styling head for your child, you want it to last beyond the first brush. Hair that instantly tangles will only lead to disappointed kids and an un-played with toy. Parents of our child testers have been there, done that and know exactly how to deal with tangled dolls’ hair. Their secret? Just mix a little fabric softener with water in a spray bottle, then spritz any matted hair and comb through for luscious locks. You can also wash and condition dolls’ hair, so why not make a game of it and let your child bring their doll (only ones that don’t use batteries though) into the bath next time for a good hair wash?

What to consider when buying a styling head for kids

Size – While most styling heads are relatively compact, think about how much space you have to store this (after all, it’s not a toy that can be folded down) but also consider the age of your child. Small styling heads are just the thing for preschoolers to get to grips with, while older children will prefer something larger that feels a bit more realistic.

Base – If your child plans on creating some elaborate hair styles, look for a styling head with a suction base so you can fix it to the table to stop it moving around. Also look for a doll with a rotating head, to help make styling easier.

Hair quality – The quality and manageability of dolls’ hair varies hugely, but with a styling head you should expect to be able to brush and comb through easily to create different styles. If hair gets matted, make sure you follow our MadeForMums top tip and spray the hair with fabric softener mixed with water to fix.

Accessories – Some styling heads come with just the basics, like a brush a couple of clips and elastic bands, while others have a huge variety of barrettes, headbands, clip-in extensions and more to keep your budding stylist busy. Often more accessories mean a higher price tag (though not always – this 100-piece set is actually the cheapest in our round-up), but you do want enough accessories included to make sure your child doesn’t bore easily.

Extras – Additional features add to the play potential. Some styling heads include make-up kits, while others have nail art or even tools to decorate your own hair accessories.

Safe to use in water – If you plan on washing the doll styling head’s hair, make sure you check whether it’s safe to get wet first. On the whole, if anything requires batteries it’s a no-no, unless specifically designed for water use like the Mermaid styling head in our round-up.

Our pick of the 10 best doll styling heads

1. Disney Princess Moana Styling Head, £21.99

– Best styling head for preschoolers

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L15cm xW6cm x H22cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x hairbrush, 4 x seashell clips, 3 x hair spirals, 1 x hair clip and 4 x elastic bands

Fans of Moana will love this styling head for kids. The doll includes 13 accessories such as seashell clips, elastic bands and a hairbrush for styling her long hair. The clips can also be used on children’s own hair so they can dress up just like Moana.

I love Moana – her hair is so pretty and I like this starfish clip the best.

Available from: Very and Asda

2. Barbie Totally Hair Colour Change Styling Head, £43

– Best styling head for creativity

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L16.7cm x W26.5xm x H26.6cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x hairbrush, 1 x headband, 1 x clip-in hair extension, 4 x elastic bands, 3 x hair bands, 4 x barettes, 8 x colour reveal clips, 1 x water pot, 1 x colour change sponge and 1 x colour change brush

This large Barbie styling head is packed with accessories and features to get stuck into. As well as a brush and hair accessories, there are hair bands, barettes and a customisable headband, too. Barbie’s long, rainbow stripe hair offers plenty of cool styling opportunities. But, the star of the show has to be the 10 colour-change surprises; you just have to fill the water bowl (included) with icy cold water, then dip the brush and sponge in and gently sweep over Barbie's hair extensions and lips to activate the colour-change magic.

Available from: Argos and Amazon

3. L.O.L. Surprise! Tweens Swap Styling Head, £7

– Best mini styling head

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L6.35cm x W10.7cm x H14.6cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x comb and 2 x hair clips

Designed to mix and match with the L.O.L. Surprise! Tweens Surprise Swap Fashion Dolls, these are cute styling heads in miniature form. There's 9 different styling heads to collect, each with a cool hairstyle and brightly coloured hair, but if you're ordering online it's pot luck which doll you're sent.

Available from: Argos and Very

4. Miraculous Ladybug Styling Head, £29.02

– Best styling head for superhero lovers

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L15cm x W10cm x H21cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x mirror comb, 2 x coloured hair extensions, 2 x hair bobbles, 2 x hair spirals, 2 x hair clips, 2 x hair bands, 12 x hair beads, 1 x hair beads applicator, 1 x Ladybug mask, 2 x pairs of earrings and 1 x sheet of glitter stickers

Ladybug from the much-loved Miraculous cartoon series has been brought to life in this great quality styling head. With her iconic blue hair and spotty red catsuit bodice, this doll is instantly recognisable and guaranteed to be a massive hit with Miraculous fans.

Available from: Amazon and Toy Street

5. Chad Valley 100-piece Styling Dolls Head, £15

– Best budget buy styling head

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L25.5cm x W16cm x H25cm | Batteries: None| Accessories: 1 x hairbrush, 1 x hairdryer, 1 x water spray bottle, 1 x heart-shaped accessory case, 3 x clip-in hair extensions, 15 x elastic hair bands, 2 x star hair bobbles, 8 x large clips, 70 x assorted small hair clips and beads

This styling head from Chad Valley comes with a wide array of accessories giving a multitude of ways to style the doll’s hair. Everything from clip-in extensions to butterfly clips and star bobbles are included, with a super-handy, heart shaped zip-up pouch to keep them all in one place. The hairdryer is a fantastic touch, adding to the role play element of this toy and we especially like how it makes a ‘hairdryer’ noise when you press the button, without the need for any batteries.

Available from: Argos

6. BABY Born Sister Styling Mermaid Head, £45

– Best styling head for hair washing

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L23xm x W19cm x H38cm | Batteries: 4 x AA (not included) | Accessories: 1 x electronic shower head, 1 x brush, 1 x tiara and 6 x hair clips

Offering something a bit different to other styling heads, this mermaid is designed to be used in the bath. With suction cups at the base, just stick this to the bottom of your bath, stand it in water and wash the doll’s hair using running water from the shell-shaped shower head. If ever there was a way to get kids in the bath quickly, the promise of a mermaid joining them has to be the most original, surely?

I like how you can wash the mermaid’s purple, pink and blue hair.

Available from: Argos and Amazon

7. Barbie Totally Hair Deluxe Neon Styling Head, £43

– Best afro hair styling head

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L39.5cm x W17.5cm x H29.5cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x hairbrush, 1 x headband, 1 x clip-in hair extension, 4 x elastic bands, 3 x hair bands, 4 x barettes, 8 x colour reveal clips, 1 x water pot, 1 x colour change sponge and 1 x colour change brush

Barbie and neon rainbow hair? What’s not to love? With her cool, colourful eye makeup and rainbow-streaked afro hair, this stylish head is a great quality pick, with plenty to play with. Customise with the clip-in hair extensions and numerous hair bands and barettes or just while away the hours braiding and brushing.

Available from: Argos, Very and John Lewis

8. Disney Frozen 2 Anna Styling Head, £22

– Best styling head for Frozen fans

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L15cm xW8cm x H18cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x comb, 4 x barrettes, 3 x hinged clips 2 x snowflake claw clips, 2 x hair elastics and 1 x large hair clip

Anna from the Frozen franchise is likely to be recognisable to just about every child (and adult!) almost immediately. This styling head is modelled on the famous sister and comes with a comb and accessories to style her gorgeous red hair – which is so incredibly shiny we’re actually a bit jealous.

I like playing hairdresser and doing different hairstyles on Anna.

Available from: Argos, Smyths Toys and Amazon

9. Princess Coralie Makeup and Styling Head, £61.88

– Best styling head for hair and makeup

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L23.5cm x W13cm x H27cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x hairbrush, 1 x comb, 1 x hair beading tool, 1 x clip-in hair extension, 9 x hair clips, 14 x hair bead and 1 x heart-shaped makeup pouch, including applicators

This styling head has a real classic appeal and comes with everything your child needs to give Princess Coralie makeover after makeover. The decent-size brush does a good job of gliding through the doll’s hair, while the mini hair clips are easy enough to clip into place. Although there are no hair bands included, there is a selection of hair beads and a threader to help transfer these to the doll styling head’s hair easily. What caused the most excitement was the cute heart make-up kit included. With brightly coloured eyeshadows, blush and lip colours – as well as all the applicators you need – there’s plenty here for little stylists to go to town on their doll

It would have been handy to have had somewhere to store the beads as they are so small they can easily get lost. We used an old tub to keep all the accessories together in one place.

Available from: Amazon

10. Buki Professional Hair Studio, £47.44

– Best styling head for older children

Age suitability: 7+ | Size: L28cm x W20cm x H29cm | Batteries: None | Accessories: 1 x brush, 1 x comb, 1 x hair donut, 1 x headband, 1 x scrunchie, 2 x hair extensions, 8 x bun hair slides, 2 x large hair ties, 30 x small hair ties, 3 x self-grip rollers, 1 x beaded hair clip, 1 x hair spiral, 1 x clamp and hairstyle instruction booklet

For budding hairdressers who really want to practise their skills, this premium styling head from French brand Buki is hard to beat. It can be used as a standalone styling head, but also comes with a handy clamp to secure to a table so your child won't have to worry about the doll toppling over at all mid-plait. The hair is super soft and super long, and the numerous accessories provide a huge range of inspiration when it comes to trying out different styles.

Available from: Amazon and Very

Read more:

• 13 of the best dolls
• 11 of the best dolls houses for kids
• 10 of the best robot toys