Can I use Fairy/Yes dish detergent to clean ponies? + how do I fix frizzy hair?

[SwirlyWhirly]

Fairy (also known as Yes) is the dish detergent I have at home and I was thinking about cleaning my ponies with it. I couldn't find any info here or elsewhere about whether it's gentle enough though. MLP preservation project says Dawn dish detergent is the best but I've never heard of it and I'm pretty sure it's not even sold here. What damage could be done to the pony if I used the wrong kind of dish detergent? Anyone have any experience of cleaning ponies with Fairy/Yes?

[applejackbunny]

Yes, absolutely fine. I always use it and have done for 20 years with no ill effects on the ponies Good luck!

[SwirlyWhirly]

Yes, absolutely fine. I always use it and have done for 20 years with no ill effects on the ponies Good luck!

Thanks!  Going to start cleaning those ponies now! 

[Safflower]

It should be fine! As with any soap or detergent, just be gentle especially with the symbols and other paint, but you really should be fine, and you don't need to be too careful I hope you have fun, and good luck!

[invaderhorizongreen]

I use dawn pure and clear, just to be on the safe side.

[Baby Sugarberry]

In my experience, any hand-wash dish soap works just fine, doesn't have to be Dawn.  Just be sure to avoid machine dishwasher soap - that stuff usually contains chlorine and harsh abrasives.

[achab1984]

I use an off brand to dawn and it works great on So Soft ponies! I use a very soft kids toothbrush and work it into the ponies in a circle motion. I use cool water to wash it off. One thing though about using dish soap it hard to get out of the tail at the base of it!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Liquid dish soap is the way to go!  Gotta clean plastic with other plastics!    Yay chemistry.

[SwirlyWhirly]

Thank you for all the replies!   I really appreciate all the tips I can get. I haven't restored a pony in more than 15 years and I don't think the jobs I did back then were the best either so it's like learning everything from scratch all over.

I'll throw in another question in the thread so I don't have to start another on a similar subject.

How do you fix frizzy hair? I washed it with conditioner and then dipped in hot water and combed it but I don't think it worked all that great. Then I tried washing it with conditioner and then using a ceramic straightening iron on it and the result was better but not perfect. Some hairs are still very frizzy and curly and the tips of the hair still feels rather dry even though it looks much better than before. I washed out the conditioner before using the straightening iron and before dipping in hot water, should I have left it in?

Also, dipping plastic hair in hot water, is it quite safe? Aren't all kinds of nasty stuff released by doing so? The water looked a bit oily afterwards, like particles of the hair had dissolved and created a sheen on the surface. As for using a straightening iron, it feels safer but isn't heat on plastic more or less always a bad idea? Obviously a lot of people do it so I might just be overly worried but I'm one of those people who loves to have all facts before starting a project. I want project fixing up my collection to be safe for both me and my ponies.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Thank you for all the replies!   I really appreciate all the tips I can get. I haven't restored a pony in more than 15 years and I don't think the jobs I did back then were the best either so it's like learning everything from scratch all over.

I'll throw in another question in the thread so I don't have to start another on a similar subject.

How do you fix frizzy hair? I washed it with conditioner and then dipped in hot water and combed it but I don't think it worked all that great. Then I tried washing it with conditioner and then using a ceramic straightening iron on it and the result was better but not perfect. Some hairs are still very frizzy and curly and the tips of the hair still feels rather dry even though it looks much better than before. I washed out the conditioner before using the straightening iron and before dipping in hot water, should I have left it in?

Also, dipping plastic hair in hot water, is it quite safe? Aren't all kinds of nasty stuff released by doing so? The water looked a bit oily afterwards, like particles of the hair had dissolved and created a sheen on the surface. As for using a straightening iron, it feels safer but isn't heat on plastic more or less always a bad idea? Obviously a lot of people do it so I might just be overly worried but I'm one of those people who loves to have all facts before starting a project. I want project fixing up my collection to be safe for both me and my ponies.

1.  that is how you do it!  small sections, leave in conditioner, work quickly and smoothly

2.  Nope, rinsing in hot water is fine.  You likely saw either the oil from YOUR hands, some remnants of conditioner, and some other dirty stuff you cleaned off.     Unless you have curls in the hair, like factory curls, then ONLY use cold water! 

[applejackbunny]

Yes, that is how you do it  If the pony has *very* dry/frizzy hair though, it might take a few attempts - so persevere! I too would leave in the conditioner as you straighten, just to protect the nylon. Use a moderate temperature that isn't too high and the hair will be fine. I would *not* use straighteners on hair with tinsel in it, but I only say that because I personally have never done it and so am more cautious of advising others to do it. However, I have used this method many times on ponies who don't have tinsel, and never had any melted manes or tails, lol! 

Edit: one other tip you might find useful - if the pony's hair is very dry/frizzy and you don't get the results you want from the first few treatments, then smother the pony's mane and tail in conditioner and leave it overnight in a sealed plastic bag (like a freezer bag) to stop the conditioner from drying out. That way the conditioner will have a lot longer to do its thing and hopefully you will have a pony with lovely, silky hair again! Good luck

[SwirlyWhirly]

1.  that is how you do it!  small sections, leave in conditioner, work quickly and smoothly

2.  Nope, rinsing in hot water is fine.  You likely saw either the oil from YOUR hands, some remnants of conditioner, and some other dirty stuff you cleaned off.     Unless you have curls in the hair, like factory curls, then ONLY use cold water!

Thanks! Stupid question maybe, but how do I know what is factory curls and what is re-curled hair? Does re-curled hair straighten easier than factory curls?

Yes, that is how you do it  If the pony has *very* dry/frizzy hair though, it might take a few attempts - so persevere! I too would leave in the conditioner as you straighten, just to protect the nylon. Use a moderate temperature that isn't too high and the hair will be fine. I would *not* use straighteners on hair with tinsel in it, but I only say that because I personally have never done it and so am more cautious of advising others to do it. However, I have used this method many times on ponies who don't have tinsel, and never had any melted manes or tails, lol! 

Edit: one other tip you might find useful - if the pony's hair is very dry/frizzy and you don't get the results you want from the first few treatments, then smother the pony's mane and tail in conditioner and leave it overnight in a sealed plastic bag (like a freezer bag) to stop the conditioner from drying out. That way the conditioner will have a lot longer to do its thing and hopefully you will have a pony with lovely, silky hair again! Good luck

Thanks for the tip! I'll probably have to try that overnight thing on some of my childhood ponies because they are very frizzy. A sign of being well loved. 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It's rare to encounter factory curls when dealing with secondhand ponies.  BUT!!! It looks like nice shiny ringlets that wrap around your finger on a pony that looks fresh out of packaging.  Look at lots of pictures of ponies MOC to see what it looks like. 

It is not common at all to encounter frizzy hair and factory curls on the same pony.  Obviously the playwear frizzes the hair and the first brush of the hair would destroy the factory curls.

IF you straighten out factory curls, or use hot water, they are GONE.  GONE FOREVER. 

[SwirlyWhirly]

One more question, after I've straightened the hair with conditioner in, do I wash it out? I left it in and curled the poines hair over night and although it turned out good I can feel the conditioner on my hands after handling the hair.

[applejackbunny]

Yes, wash it out.