G1 Strange problem with frizzy hair

LittleFlurry

Flighty Pegasus
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So I have been cleaning up a bunch of my childhood G1 ponies to sell. I read online about how to fix frizzy pony hair with hot water and fabric softener. I tried it on this pony, who I've identified as Strawberry Scoops. The hot water and fabric softener smoothed out the pink and blue sections of her hair quite nicely, but for some reason, only the white hair is still frizzy! I tried dipping it in the hot water and fabric softener again, and even soaking it overnight, but the white frizz has not improved.

Has anyone else run into this particular issue? I wonder what it is about the white hair that makes it impossible to de-frizz? Any ideas on how to fix it?

This is my first post here, by the way! Hi. :)
 

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Okay, so in case anyone was wondering, I ended up taking a flat iron to it, and that finally got the white hair almost as smooth as the other sections! I used lots of heat protectant spray and ran the iron over it very quickly on the lowest setting. There's still just a little frizz at the ends, but I think it's acceptable now and can probably be hidden with curls.

The pony hair salon is in session! :p

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Unfortunately, this is a problem I run into a lot with a lot of lighter-colored hair, but mostly with super light pink, white and blonde hair. Even on non-Hasbo dolls (I'm lookin' at you, Barbie and blonde mermaid dolls :/ ). It's stubborn and doesn't want to un-kink for some reason. If I were to guess, it's due to the hair being dry or broken from the inside-out, so conventional methods of fabric softener or conditioning masks are not going to saturate the hair as much as what we would like. It's a non-porous plastic, after all, so conditioning and softening is only surface-deep.

And, for the love of all that is pony, you don't want to trim the frizz off because it adds weight- removing them can allow broken strands to kink and frizz upwards, so the hair would have been cut for nothing.

Another thing to remember is that flat irons and curling irons are not a tool that can be applied to any sort of doll hair for a constant period of time, and you have to be mindful of kinks if you are not sectioning properly. While it may be easier to some extent, the effectiveness on any degree of frizzed hair is variable because it will eventually evaporate any sort of moisture and may affect the texture in the opposite direction than intended. The less fizzy the hair the better the results- the tools are not meant to be used for an extended period of time in one spot on plastic and vinyl.

So, while backing away from heat tools, there is only one method that has "worked" where it's tamed it a bit for me. But, the likelihood of it being perfectly-perfect is slim. To my logic, boil-perms are used to curl doll hair without using a curling iron, so why not use it the opposite way?



For this, I use heavier reusable plastic straws that I cut in quarters or thirds. Specifically, I use Tervis brand straws because they are not going to collapse under boiling heat (and what I had available the first time I gave it a whirl), and do smaller sections across a longer surface as flat as possible so the strands are not too much on top of each other. I don't start at the very ends, but more 3/4s or 1/2 way from where the frizzing starts. You will need the aid of a spatula to help keep the hair fairly taught, as straight and downward as possible in the water without pulling.

I use bobby pins as a weight, so depending on how bad the hair is, you may need to add more bobbys (flat side on the outside) to the straw, and you need a taller pot to boil water. The ends themselves will be tended to later- you would be starting on the hair well above the ends to straighten them out downward to the tips just in case the strands are broken a bit higher than what we can tell with the naked eye.

I dip the ends well passed the kinks in pure water that was brought to a rolling boil on the stove, and hold it there for a couple minutes (or longer) in the constant heat. The pot should be a 3 or 4 quart size because you want the hair to hang freely in the water and do not allow it to touch the bottom to prevent slack. I remove the pony, let the hair cool, un-pin to comb the strands back over the straw and move downward if it appears that the strands above the straw are starting to lay flatter and have a flatter texture.

There may be times you need to start the straw a bit higher than expected and repeat the process multiple times down the locks, but do not twist the hair around the straw as if you are trying to curl- it's purely to straighten- the goal is to restructure the strands from the "okay" part of the hair down. After the boiling I do the conditioning or softener to restore the outside sheen and prevent tangles.

Sometimes it works really well. Other times it just makes it more tolerable, and I proceed with the full-on curl with everything to hide the ends of the hair that can't be saved. The texture may not be fully restored to like-new condition, but it won't look as if the pony stuck a fork in a light socket and called it a day.



Some have done a finish with leave-in organic dog/horse hair conditioning sprays because they are less acidic and won't "dry" or perfume the hair as much as what human shampoos and softeners have the potential to do, as some sources have said. I have not tried this, but I may as well pass on this information. I personally am not a fan of things being labeled "organic" because "organic" doesn't necessarily mean that it's "good", so this is not a route that I will personally take. Though, I won't poo-poo the method because it apparently has its good points.
 
Wow, Sweet Daes, thank you for that detailed reply! Some very interesting tips there!

I did actually try just dunking Strawberry Scoops' hair in pure boiling water, but this seemed to have pretty much zero effect on her white sections. How strange that lighter hair seems to me more problematic! I've never heard of the straw method you described though. Could you possibly show us a picture of how exactly you secure the hair to the straws? I'm having trouble picturing it from your description.

I went for the flat iron as a last resort, and thankfully it tamed the frizzy hair without causing damage! I was very careful though.

Strawberry Scoops now has her curls back and is all ready for her photo shoot! I think she looks pretty darned good!

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Now I just have to figure out what to do about this poor Rainbow Curl pony I have who's in a very sorry state. This is what her hair looks like AFTER trying the hot water and fabric softener trick a couple times to little effect. I haven't tried the flat iron on it yet, but I'm afraid this hair might be beyond repair. I might just see about getting new hair for her.

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Wow, Sweet Daes, thank you for that detailed reply! Some very interesting tips there!

I did actually try just dunking Strawberry Scoops' hair in pure boiling water, but this seemed to have pretty much zero effect on her white sections. How strange that lighter hair seems to me more problematic! I've never heard of the straw method you described though. Could you possibly show us a picture of how exactly you secure the hair to the straws? I'm having trouble picturing it from your description.

I went for the flat iron as a last resort, and thankfully it tamed the frizzy hair without causing damage! I was very careful though.

Strawberry Scoops now has her curls back and is all ready for her photo shoot! I think she looks pretty darned good!


Now I just have to figure out what to do about this poor Rainbow Curl pony I have who's in a very sorry state. This is what her hair looks like AFTER trying the hot water and fabric softener trick a couple times to little effect. I haven't tried the flat iron on it yet, but I'm afraid this hair might be beyond repair. I might just see about getting new hair for her.

I can definitely try. It's been a really busy last month but I will as soon as I can (heaven knows I have enough ponies that are crying for a lovely spa day).

That second one, as far as the photo goes of Rainbow Curl:
Do you see how her hair is thinner at the middle and down into the tips but seams reasonably "okay" at her scalp and rump? That is an indication that the hair is stretched because someone well-loved this pony and was rough on her hair, and/or when it was stored it was so dry that the thin vinyl shriveled. When Rainbow Curl was sold she came with a curled mane and tail, so I would guess that they were brushed out in a rough way after the hair got tangled.

That is hair that I would decide on redoing.
 
@Sweet Daes , that would be great! I look forward to seeing your technique when you get a chance.

Yes I do think the Rainbow Curl's hair is stretched, but mostly just dry and frizzy beyond saving. She's mine from childhood, but I don't remember what I did to her! I've never rehaired before, but I think I might make her my first rehairing project. I've really been wanting to try it, and this is a common pony that's not worth much so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I messed it up!
 
@Sweet Daes , that would be great! I look forward to seeing your technique when you get a chance.

Yes I do think the Rainbow Curl's hair is stretched, but mostly just dry and frizzy beyond saving. She's mine from childhood, but I don't remember what I did to her! I've never rehaired before, but I think I might make her my first rehairing project. I've really been wanting to try it, and this is a common pony that's not worth much so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I messed it up!

I've found that rehairing is more of a tedious task rather than something that is difficult, per se, because you have to count how many strands you have and that they are somewhat even before punching them through the holes, and keeping your tool straight so not to re-pull the strands out. If you have trouble seeing up close or have unreasonably grumpy arthritis it could be pretty well up there as an insurmountable task (or like me where you have some trouble paying attention and mix your materials by accident...), but nothing is set in stone until you glue it.

If you don't like the way the hair looks you can always start from scratch. When that glue is put down on the inside of the head is the point of "no return". You can take your time and go slow- there isn't a time limit of when something needs to be done, and when you have the correct amount of hairs in one hole they are fairly snug and won't come out without a firm tug.

Practice makes perfect! There are plenty of tutorials out there on rehairing, and if you are not sure if you would like it, I would recommend finding a plentiful G3 (because heaven only knows how many Pinkie Pies were produced in the G3 era...) and give it a go with one or two colors- three at the most- before jumping in the deep end with 5+ colors on a vintage piece that you're going to have to strip the hair from.
 
@Sweet Daes : Oh, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy doing it! I'm a very artistic, crafty person in general, so it seems like the sort of thing I could get into. Maybe I should start with something simpler first though. I don't personally care for anything but G1s, but trying it out on a G3 first doesn't sound like a bad idea.
 
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