I had one heck of a time getting Ruthie's wig off. I used floral wire cutters (small wire cutters or "dikes"). Cuticle nippers would work too. I used it to pull/twist off the sections of the wig that would not come off or to trim off as much as possible. I then used an acrylic nail grinder to grind off what was left. Her head does have several pock marks from the surgery and the grinder (which would be similar to using sandpaper, just faster) did take off the surface of the vinyl. But, once you put the wig back on, you won't see any of it. I do not have Ruthie's wig glued down, and even so, it's never been a problem for Ruthie.