Need Help Restoring Star Catcher Plush's Curls

[NameIsChurch]

Hi friends, long time no see; I've been very busy, but I finally got the time to work on restoring the Star Catcher backpack I bought a while back.

I've been working on her for almost an entire week, I'm on to my last stage; drying and the curls.

Originally, it was just some light stains I thought I was dealing with; and a quick condition and brush.

Oh, how wrong I was...

First, Star Catcher received just a damp washcloth and detergent bath; but when I realized I was gonna have to soak Star Catcher's hair, it turns out her body too needed a good soaking.

Originally my goal was to restore her factory curls that were visible behind her frizzy and matted hair! After over three days of brushing delicately, conditioner, detangling spray, and soaking; it became clear there was no possible way to rescue her curls. Her hair was loaded with knots containing a hard glue like substance, small rock hard chunks of what I thought to be very old food; and very small foreign pieces of hair that were almost impossible to see via the human eye, that were entwined into her curls. In the end, I had to go out and buy a hair straightener; and it took many rounds of hair straightener to remove the frizz from her hair!

She's now drying, which is why her fur currently looks so scruffy in these photos. However, I need some suggestions! She's far too massive to curl her hair with small curlers and paper towels, but using a curling iron on her hair could damage it. I want to try and get curls identical to her factory ones, what can I do to achieve these curls?

 

[Sweetforestcat]

I don't know what her factory curls looked like but thinking you could substitute a paper towel roll or even plastic PVC pipes to use as rollers?Perhaps a hair claw clip could be used to secure? I've used clean socks as curlers before too! Such as, I have this lone tube sock that I use to roll the hair up with then tie both ends of the sock together at top and clip with a hair claw to keep in place.

 

[minticat]

you might be able to use flexi rods! they come in a variety of sizes for different curl shapes.

 

[NameIsChurch]

I don't know what her factory curls looked like but thinking you could substitute a paper towel roll or even plastic PVC pipes to use as rollers?Perhaps a hair claw clip could be used to secure? I've used clean socks as curlers before too! Such as, I have this lone tube sock that I use to roll the hair up with then tie both ends of the sock together at top and clip with a hair claw to keep in place.

Oh thank you for the suggestions! Do you know if there's a tutorial online for the sock method?

you might be able to use flexi rods! they come in a variety of sizes for different curl shapes.

Thank you for the suggestion, do you know where's a good place to purchase these?

 

[minticat]

Thank you for the suggestion, do you know where's a good place to purchase these?

any beauty supply store, or amazon/target/walmart should have them.

 

[Leave a Whisper]

Wonderful job. You were very patient and determined

 

[Sweetforestcat]

Oh thank you for the suggestions! Do you know if there's a tutorial online for the sock method?

I do not know. I just made it up. It seems very similar to the flexi rod method. I also saw a method before plastic was invented that uses strips of fabric much like the sock method.

 

[Rebeldream]

Maybe something like this?

Heatless Victorian Rag Curls | Prose - YouTube

 

[MintamenaPie]

Hi there! I recently took out the plastic on my own Starcatcher backpack plush, and I don’t remember it being very curly. Maybe at the ends. Due to how she’s been stored over the years, I did have to wash her completely so I just slid these plastic tubing that was over her mane and tail right off. So you can style her as you like, but I’m not sure how curly her hair was ever supposed to be. I had gotten her brand new from an eBay auction several decades ago, and it’s entirely possible that by the time I took her out of the area where I had her, whatever curl was actually in the ends of her hair had fallen out.

But you did an amazing job, I’ve had some frizzy pony hair that I’ve managed to tame over the years with a similar process and a low temperature straightening iron, and I still don’t think I’ve managed to get it as good as you have!