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Thanks, Zabe77 and Kar Red Roses! ^_^
Yes, the Perfect Curlers follow basically the same method as the straw-and-bobbypin (or chapstick) method... with a few time-saving improvements.
Instead of a straw or slick plastic, the Center Stick of the curler is a sealed wooden dowel. This means that:
- It is extra sturdy, and won't collapse if you wrap the hair tightly. (Like a straw can)
- It has a little bit of friction on the hair, making the curling process much easier and quicker than if it was slipping off all the time.
- You can use them over and over and over again... no more trying to find a replacement during a curling session.
The clips are specifically chosen to provide a lot of holding power while remaining SMALL enough that you can place a whole lot of curlers on one pony, and the clips won't crowd each other out.
Certainly, collectors could make these for themselves... but if you figure the time involved...
(driving to the hardware store, getting the dowels cut, rounding off the sharp ends, water-sealing and drying the dowels, putting it all together, etc.)
...and the various costs and tools involved...
(saw, sander, sandpaper, sealant, drying rack, the wood, the clips)
...it's a great convenience to have all this done for you in one deal, as well as getting a very detailed instruction sheet on how to use them successfully. It has drawings, too. ^_^
Kar... I don't know about that custom hair. I have found that stiffer hair (as expected) pulls out of a curl faster than looser hair. My Rainbow Flash has chronically stiff hair, and will only keep very loose curls, at best.
I have heard that when you have a curler in, some people put hairspray or a diluted solution of water and Elmer's GLUE onto the hair, and letting it dry that way. I understand that that keeps the curls intact longer.
I personally haven't done either of those things... I prefer to keep as much foreign substances OUT of my pony's hair as possible! I only use water to make my curls. And the Perfect Curlers! ^_^
Ironing is very tricky, too. I've practiced using one on ponies over a very long time, slowly using hotter and hotter settings as I got more familiar with it. I've just heard so many stories of someone MELTING their pony's hair because they left the iron on it too long! O_O I'm fairly comfortable using it now, but as I said earlier... one heat-treatment on plastic hair is enough for me to risk! ^_^
I prefer to use the curling iron to SMOOTH out frizzy hair, and get curls IN after that by using just water and the Perfect Curlers. To me, that minimizes risk of heat damage.
*HUGGLES*!!!