How to Make a Barbie Headband

I had so much fun making doll clothes for my daughter when she was young.  I embellished every outfit to sparkle! Now I enjoy making them to donate, many for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.  I think the Accessories are almost as much fun as the clothes, don’t you? With these instructions, you can make a Barbie headband perfect for any fashion doll.

Start with Plastic Bottles!

For the base of the headband I’ve used the plastic ring that I found on the neck of milk containers! You could also use the ones from water bottles, oil containers, juice bottles, etc.

You can see the ring, right under the cap.  Twist the safety cap to open and the ring stays around the neck of the jug. (Check soda, juice, and energy drinks as well – they might also fit Barbie or other small dolls.)

Carefully snip off the ring – Use a small sharp scissors or a sharp knife – just be careful not to cut yourself.

In addition to the plastic ring to make your Barbie headband,  you will need a GLUE GUN or E600 glue.


I prefer a lo temp one for this job because you must handle both the glue and the beads and I am not fond of burning myself!  So you must BE CAREFUL!  I picked THIS ONE up from Amazon last year and it works great.  But you still must BE CAREFUL!  Even lo temp glue and guns can burn.  Here you can find the E6000 Glue.

Gather your fun glittery decorations!

You can use sequins (loose or on a string), rhinestones, plastic pearl lengths, ribbons, or buttons.  Really and all kinds of trim are great to make a Barbie headband.  You can use almost anything!  I found discounted Christmas trims and decorations that worked well.  Be creative.

Simply glue the trim along the plastic ring to make a Barbie headband.

Yes, that’s all there is!  Could this be any easier?  The hardest part will be picking the trim!

I love these dresses from Amazon and use them all the time for my “girls”.  The prices at Amazon change constantly.  Last year I was able to get gowns for about $1 each.  The prices are definitely more now – but this lot comes with the shoes!  These gowns from Dollar Tree are a little cheaper, no shoes (you might have your own).  You can have them shipped to your local store to save on shipping costs.

Important TIPS to Make a Barbie Headband: 

For the beads or pearls – first I lightly “hot” glued them on. (Yes I say “hot” glue but I am using the lo-temp “hot glue” lol!)  Then I added more glue pushed into all the gaps.  Since it dried clear it still looked nice but added extra stability since the bottom of the beads only slightly touch the ring.  You can almost see the clear glue in the red beaded headband above.  You could use E3600 GLUE as well and might last even longer than hot glue.

For the green headband in the very back of the picture above, I used some fun wrapping trim from Christmas clearance with big glittery sequins!