Restoration Question - How do you curl pony hair?

[Marshie]

I've tried looking on the MLP Preservation Project website for some curling tips, but everytime I follow those, the curls never stay and fall right out by the next day or so! I don't want to put any styling gel or hairspray on the ponies, so I'm looking for some help on what you all do to get those amazing curls!!
Thank you for the help!
 

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Which tips are you following, and on what ponies?
I've found success just using room-temperature or cold water and leaving the curlers in overnight. If you need more reinforcement, you can try boiling the curls or dipping them into hot water. You can also try leaving the curlers in for longer periods of time.
If you're trying to curl the ponies from the later years of the G4 reboots, they may need to be heat-set using a curling iron or straight iron. I find that some G1 ponies have stiffer hair that doesn't listen, too.

[Marshie]

Which tips are you following, and on what ponies?

So I'm following the tips found here
I also only use this on G1 ponies, as those are the ones I collect! I take out the curlers usually after 24 hours, so I may have to keep them in longer?

[SunPony]

Are they ponies ones that originally had curls, or ones that originally had straight hair?  I'm not sure if it matters but maybe it does?

If it is a pony that started its life with curls, make sure you are giving it a good wash, condition, and comb first.  You can usually find the original curl direction by doing this and kind of feeling it in your hand - use that to guide you as you wrap whatever you are using as a curler.

Personally I've had pretty good results with the boil-perm method, though I haven't used it on original mlp hair all that often.  I start with wet hair (that has been conditioned and combed previously) and wrap it around about a 3 inch length of bubble tea straw.  Then I wrap a piece of paper towel around that, then use four bobby pins with the flat side out to secure the whole...situation.  You can use tiny hair claw clips instead of the bobby pins, I just prefer the pins.
 Then I dip in in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then cold water, then boiling water, etc about four times.  I'm not sure if the cold water part matters, but someone suggested it and I just ran with it.  Then I let it dry for a day or two.  If you want it done sooner maybe you could blow dry it?
 Sometimes I use curlers instead of straws, but I think I prefer the straw method.

Good luck!  Maybe share some pics if you get a chance?

[Shaiyeh]

I use straws, and leave them for at least 24 hours. Do you mess with the curls once they're free? I have a couple ponies with curls that have had them for 10+ years. One (admittedly, a g3, but still) has been through me selling it, buyer selling it, next buyer selling it back to me, haha. I can tell it's the same curls from photos I have of her whne she was originally in my collection (and that was just shampoo, conditioner, wrap tightly around straws and let dry for maybe 48 hours)


I tend to wrap around the straw, secure with paper, and then secure the straw to the pony's leg rather than spreading them out with the pony laying down.

[Marshie]

So I have some curlers that I got from the Dollar Tree, I usually just wrap the wet hair up, then dip in boiling water, then let them sit for 24 hours. I could try switching up the curlers for just straws? Some ponies I have tried to curl has been Heartthrob, Fizzy, and Sweet Pop.
Hope this answers some more questions!

[MintyMyndi]

If a pony even shows signs of factory curl, I'll just do a condition and comb. Gently wet it, add conditioner, comb the curls around your finger, then rinse just as gently. Dry as described in the next paragraph, which is what I'll do if this doesn't get satisfactory results- either not curly or just really dry/frizzy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUL3JfdseZY
I follow this tutorial, but I hold the curls for ten seconds, let them cool, comb them around my finger, then repeat until I like the curls I've made, applying drops of water with my fingers as necessary. I rinse gently with cold water while supporting the curls.
I let the hair dry with conditioner in it for 48 hours (makes the hair super shiny!), then gently rinse it out. When you let the pony dry both times, comb the curl around your finger and lay the pony down so that the wet curls aren't as affected by gravity, so basically in a pile next to her. Resist the temptation to touch the hair until it's dry.
That gets a natural curl look, similar to factory curls; it doesn't work very well on metallic tinsel, though.

If you want to use curlers and boiling water, that will get curls that look a bit artificial, but can be neater and tighter than the first method. Rustling them with your fingers afterward can make them look a bit less stiff.
If you have a stubborn pony whose hair refuses to accept curls, smuggle some coffee straws out of Mickey D's and use those. They'll result in tighter curls, which will become normal curls after some slight loosening if it occurs.
A little while before you start setting the curls, get a dish that the hair can be dunked in and fill it with cold water and a couple of ice cubes, and place the dish in the fridge. Let is sit for a few minutes to make sure it's nice and cold.
I use a wide-mouthed mug for the boiling water. I fill it with hot sinkwater and nuke it for two minutes just before I use it.
Place the dishes close together on a towel, because there WILL be drippage! Dunk either the mane or tail in the boiling water for thirty seconds, then into the ice water for thirty seconds. Gradually decrease the time while going back and forth; I usually go 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, then just immediately dunk back and forth a few times for good luck. After I'm finished with one part, I'll move on to the next one.
You can dab the pony dry a bit, but wringing out may make it set weird. Just put her somewhere on a towel with maybe a fan or two on. It takes a little while for the hair to dry, but you should only remove the curlers when it's bone dry.

Also, if you use bobby pins, consider taking anti-rust measures, since I've had even brand-new pins stain hair, and it suuuucks. It mostly washes out, but it still suuucks. You can buy coated wire at Dollar Tree, but I haven't tried it yet. Latex elastics will survive hot water, but latex-free elastics will snap the second they touch it, so do be careful if you go that route.

If all else fails, you can leave conditioner in indefinitely and it will act as a sort of hairspray. It will give the hair an odd texture, though, and seems to make it more rough and/or tangly. Try it and decide if you like it or not. When in doubt, grab a G3 Happy Meal pony and use her as a guinea pig. My "Experimental StarSong" has a place of honor in my herd due to her sacrifice!

Whether you take any of my rambling advice, I wish you good luck in your pony-curling endeavors! I'll never forget the time a few years ago when I accidentally gave my Twilight Pink an afro, but it was a loose wave the next day and completely straight the day after. It was super discouraging. Now she's got pretty, shiny ringlets that I'm really happy with! I hope you get results you love, too!

[Leave a Whisper]

I use straws, and leave them for at least 24 hours. Do you mess with the curls once they're free? I have a couple ponies with curls that have had them for 10+ years. One (admittedly, a g3, but still) has been through me selling it, buyer selling it, next buyer selling it back to me, haha. I can tell it's the same curls from photos I have of her whne she was originally in my collection (and that was just shampoo, conditioner, wrap tightly around straws and let dry for maybe 48 hours)


I tend to wrap around the straw, secure with paper, and then secure the straw to the pony's leg rather than spreading them out with the pony laying down.

Haha! Its interesting that she boomeranged right back around to you.

[SunPony]

So I have some curlers that I got from the Dollar Tree, I usually just wrap the wet hair up, then dip in boiling water, then let them sit for 24 hours. I could try switching up the curlers for just straws? Some ponies I have tried to curl has been Heartthrob, Fizzy, and Sweet Pop.
Hope this answers some more questions!

Maybe try holding in the boiling water longer?  I think the amount of time you need to hold it in varies by type of hair.  This one kind of hair I use in customs says to hold it in the boiling water 4-5 minutes, but other types can be less - not sure what recommended length is for original mlp hair.  I don't think curlers vs straws will make a difference.  Straws just make tighter curls that some people like. 

Also MintyMyndi has some great advice there! 

[SkyCakes]

I ususally do the boil perm method but its not fool proof for me. I do use straw curls for the ponies. I sometimes lose curls in the pony. There have been sometimes I just let the pony as is and not mess with original curls.