FAQ about Hair Types

[JoshsPonyPrincess]

As requested in the "Let's Talk Hair" thread - I have compiled all my information about hair types so that other customizers know what to expect when searching for hair and trying new hair types.

For the purposes of this FAQ Hair Type sheet I will break each supplier down into categories of the types of hair they sell and their properties. Each different hair type has both strengths and weaknesses. I will also include some other types of hair that customizers seem to ask about. Some people do not like to mix their types of hair and some don't mind - I do many fancy updos and find that mixing them generally doesn't matter when doing this - it does however matter when you are doing curls.

RestoreDoll

- Nylon – It comes in generous hank proportions but the diameter is bigger (than standard MLP nylon) and the hank is shorter than the standard MLP hank (38").  It is silky but not as flexible as MLP nylon. Stylability is great for long straight hair but curling it can be tough. It will take a curl but they are not very tight curls and have a tendency to fall out over time. Fancy updos are easy with this hair. It can be dyed but takes a really long time and the colors are always muted.

- Saran – This hair comes in a circular loop and you have to cut it yourself - no matter how straight you cut it you will have some uneven edges to trim up. It comes in two sizes – regular and large. The hanks themselves are generous in proportion but the smaller size is best suited for G2s, G4s and baby ponies. The smaller size would also be great for shorter hair styles. Same quality as Dollyhair Saran. Heavier denier than nylon and is also much more difficult to style. Curls can be achieved but they tend to be loose curls and can fall out with time. Fancy updos are easy with this, as the hair really lends itself to being smooth. Does not Dye. More colors than Dollyhair. RestoreDoll has the widest array of Saran hair colors available to purchase.

-Nylatex – The hanks are generous and of a decent length. The texture is very similar to their nylon but with a slightly heavier feeling - I believe it is a blend of nylon and some other material. Again hard to curl and does not boil curl well - some lovely colors though that cannot be found in other hair types. Fancy updo styles are easy with this hair.

RetrodollsUS

-Monofiber Silky - Wonderfully silky and smooth. You will have some hair loss when rehairing if you do not wet it, so much easier to work with wet. Now here is my tip for curling it - use a doll curling iron - it will withstand temps of up to 400 degress. A roiling boil is also necessary to use the boil curl method but I like the doll curling iron better - you can also use a standard size one (best size for ponies or dolls is 1/8”) They do make an even smaller one but you must order it online- remember not all curling irons are created equal, so please experiment.  Some gorgeous colors not available in other hair types. Have yet to try and dye it but don't think it would take it.

-52" Nylon (only at RetroDollsUS) - This is nylon 6 just like MLP nylon only it is longer and feels a bit silkier. Takes dye and curling just like Dollyhair nylon. LOVE THIS HAIR SO MUCH - so versatile and the colors are not available anywhere else.

-38" Nylon (available at both RetroDolls - However on the Retrodolls site (not US) it is intermixed with synthetic) - This is true nylon 6 - same manufacturer as my little pony and Dollyhair. The colors that match so far (she is working on getting more) can be found on her website. Same exact properties as Dollyhair nylon. Curls very easily and dyes very well.

-Synthetic - (Here is where there are some issues - on Retrodolls (not US) there is synthetic hair mixed into the nylon section and therefore labeled nylon). RetroDollsUS has done their best to put these hairs in the correct category.  The other synthetics that are available through the RetroDolls site seem to be polypropylene and have similar characteristics to Dollyhair polypropylene - however Dollyhair polypropylene is more greasy looking and feeling. Hard to give good curls to and doesn't dye.

-Saran - All the saran that I have tried from Retrodolls has been the same as Dollyhair and RestoreDoll saran. Still difficult to curl like all saran but lays flat beautifully. Best for straight hairstyles or works great in a twisted updo. The tinsel saran has a little bit different texture but I believe that is the tinsel in the hair. Some gorgeous colors not available anywhere else. Like all saran it cannot be dyed.

-Thermal Saran – This hair changes color when hot or cold. Really neat stuff. Some different colors available than at other suppliers. Feels the same as all saran.

 -Thermal Pilot - Feels the same as saran. Maybe a tad more silky. Different colors available than the other color change saran.

-Kanekalon - The Kankelon sold at retrodolls US is very similar to Dollyhair Kankelon which is doll grade Kankelon. It is gorgeous and shiny when left straight but curling it can be difficult. You must use extremely hot water to get a decent curl to it.

-Polypropylene – This hair is shiny and comes in a wonderful array of colors. It is soft but not as soft as nylon. It is best to work with it wet. Where Dollyhair Polypropylene has some sort of oily residue on it, Retrodolls Polypropylene does not. If you are not careful, it can become tangled easily. This is easily remedied by wetting the hair and combing the hair from the ends and working your way back to the top. It cannot be dyed and does not curl easily. It can be curled with a roiling boil perm. Best suited for long straight styles or twisted updos.

RetroDolls

-Nylon – On this website there is some discrepancy on whether everything listed as nylon is truly nylon. Melanie (site owner) has worked on rectifying this problem by denoting whether each color is 100% nylon. The new colors (ones that say 100% nylon) are in fact MLP nylon, the same as Dollyhair sells. 100% nylon has all the same properties as Dollyhair nylon too. It curls well and takes dye. The other “nylon” is a synthetic blend which is very close to nylon. It is slightly coarser than MLP nylon but is still soft. (RetroDollsUS has placed all unknown fibers into synthetic.) It can be curled but cannot be dyed. Excellent for long straight styles or twisted updos. Beautiful colors not available other places. They have several different sizes of hanks, regular, Large and XL. The Large and XL are huge, with the XL hank weighing in at 100 grams.

-Saran – Oilier and more dense than nylon hair. Same qualities as all other saran hair that has been discussed. More colors available, some not available any other places. Some beautiful blends too. Again they carry this also in regular, Large and XL hanks. Again the L and XL hanks are huge. The XL hanks weight about 100 grams.

-Kanekalon – This is doll grade Kanekalon. It is soft, smooth and silky. It is gorgeous for long straight styles and can be curled. It does take boiling water to achieve curls. More easily broken than other hair types.

-Natural Fibers – This section on RetroDolls includes several types of wool, including fleece, mohair and alpaca hair. The difference between these types is length of fiber and curly or not. Fleece is a long wavy type fiber. Mohair is very curly and long. Alpaca hair is long and straight. The mohair and fleece come in a wide variety of dyed colors and are truly wonderful. Rerooting with natural fibers can be challenging to anyone who has not worked with it before. Anytime you reroot with natural fibers, there will be some fiber loss. This is normal and to combat having a skimpy looking reroot I recommend rerooting thicker than you normally would.

Dollyhair

-Nylon – Soft and silky texture. Most colors are very easy to style into curls or left long and straight. Many colors available and many correspond to MLP. Hank size is small for the price. Takes at least two hanks to rehair a MLP with normal length hair. People who rehair heavy will need 3-4 hanks per pony. They also offer curly nylon. Very few colors available and not many curl sizes offered. Some curly colors not available in straight format.

-Saran – Same as all the saran above. Slightly oily in nature. Heavier denier than nylon. Does not curl. Best suited for straight hair styles. Does not dye. Longer than other Saran suppliers. Not many colors available. They also offer a curly saran. Very few colors and limited availability. Not many curl sizes available.

-Polypropylene – Where other suppliers have soft polypropylene, Dollyhairs Polypropylene is more stiff and has an oily feeling. Easily separates into “plugs”. 38” length. Not many color choices, but several colors are not available anywhere else. Does not curl well. Does not dye.

-Kanekalon – This is doll grade Kanekalon and is silky and smooth. Best suited for long straight styles. Will curl with lots of effort. Not many colors available – mostly in normal hair colors. Like all Kanekalon, breaks more easily than other hair types.

-Pilot Hair – As mentioned above is very similar to saran. Has the same texture without the oiliness. Same colors available as other hair suppliers that carry it. Only comes in 38” hank – so you cannot order a little bit to try it.

-Acetate – I do not have a whole lot of experience with this hair as I don’t really care for it. It is soft but it breaks easily. Similar to human hair. Can be used in updos but expect to trim lots of broken hairs away. Must comb gently. Easily tangles.

My Little Customs

-Nylon – Same nylon as Dollyhair as that is their supplier. 

-Saran – Same colors available as Dollyhair with several of the RestoreDoll colors available as well. Better color selection than Dollyhair but not as many as RestoreDoll.

-Polypropylene – Same as Dollyhair as that is their supplier. See above for additional info. They also offer the UV Reactive and Glow In The Dark colors that custommall.net offers. See below for info on them.

OTHER SOURCES OF HAIR

Custommall.net

-Glow in the Dark Polypropylene – I personally have not tried it yet, although I want to. This particular hair is also offered at MyLittleCustoms.

-UV Reactive Hair – This hair changes colors so well. It is not heat that changes this hair like other color changing hair but actual UV rays, just like the G1 Sunshine MLP. This hair is sensitive to over combing and can become tangled if combed too fervently. Hanks are generous in proportion as well. Softer than other polypropylene hair.

Dollar Tree Hair
This hair is always brought up when new customizers find it, so I figured I would add it on here so people know about it’s good qualities and bad. The price obviously is very good at only a $1 per headband (which is what it comes on) and contains a decent amount of hair. It tangles very easily and has a slightly plastic feel to it. It is extremely hard to style and I would only recommend it if you are doing a twisty updo. It stays well in this style. When left straight it has a tendency to stick up from the scalp slightly. It does not curl. It breaks easily too so you must comb is gently. It does however come in colors that you cannot match with any other type of hair.

Wigs
Many new customizers think that buying a wig is a good deal for lots of hair. Truth be told, it can be if you buy the right type of wig. Wigs come in so many varieties of hair that it can be hard to tell if it is a good quality hair or not. Cheaper wigs are generally not good quality hair and tend to be plastic feeling and not suited for styling. Higher priced wigs generally have better quality hair and many of them can be styled anyway you want. If going the wig route I recommend spending more money and opting for a long wig. Wigs with skin-tops are generally high quality hair and some can even rival the best of rerooting type doll hair. Human hair is also used in many wigs. These are very easy to style, just like your own hair but the color palette can be limiting. Other high quality wigs come in a wide array of colors than cannot be found in other types of hair. Some wigs are nylon and these are highly recommended as they are the same as normal nylon hair.

Clip-in Hair Extensions
This is another option that many customizers turn too, either when funds are low or when a specific color cannot be found. The beauty of the extensions is that they come in many colors and patterns that cannot be found in traditional hair sources. Some have printed patterns on them (like leopard spots or zebra stripes). Some come in glow in the dark colors that are not available anywhere else. The cost can vary from $1 a piece to $7 a piece. The hair in the clips also vary greatly. Some extension clips utilize doll grade kanekalon or nylon while others use cheap plastic hair. My advice is to do your research on them before you buy them. Look at their product contents. It may or may not say what the hair is made of. One of the disadvantages to these are the length of the extension and the quantity of hair per piece. If length is a problem, I recommend doing the needle/knot method which is more tedious and time consuming than using the reroot tool. The only thing that can combat the quantity is to buy more than one or to only use as an accent.

[Saja]

wow, amazing info, thanks so much for sharing!

[jupiternwndrlnd]

very useful information

I added a link to this thread in the custom supply sticky! thanks

[Alatariel-Silimaure]

awesome! this is so helpful! :3

[JoshsPonyPrincess]

So glad it helps
Thanks Jupi

Also if there are other hair types that you would like to know about let me know and I will add it

[rybett]

 

[sd_dreamcrystal]

I'll have to read though all of this. There is a curling iron specific to doll hair oO?

[jwalraven]

Very awesome resource! Thanks again for doing this.

[Diamond]

Do you work with Mohair at all?  I have seen some mentioned now that are wafted and I would love to know about that aspect.  I work with mohair on model horses but it has been years and I am sure there are more types out there now then when I was buying.

Also what type of hair is used for perfume puffs?  I am not a fan but do have something in mind where puffy hair would work. 

[Elfpony]

Fantastic resource, thanks for this!

Elf

[JoshsPonyPrincess]

Thanks so much everyone

Diamond - I do work with mohair including dying it. The wefted mohair they are probably talking about is actually still attached to the skin from the animal. I have worked with it many times and really like it. I generally cut it off at the base of the hair and rehair with the tool (pushing the tool into the hair about 1/4" from the end - so I still can utilize the whole length) You could also use the knot and needle method. It comes in many colors or white (which can be dyed using RIT dye). It is fairly affordable and you get a lot for the cost. I buy it on ebay from MorezMore. Hope that helps.

For Perfume Puffs- I have heard of people using yarn (combed out), wool roving and mohair. I personally would use the yarn or wool roving. Wool roving has the almost exact texture of PP hair. It however is not brushable due to fiber loss problems. It is highly affordable and can be found at many craft stores or online.

[Diamond]

Thanks for the info, model horses are not haired like ponies, the most you do is make a channel down the neck to tuck the hair into but most folks just glue on neatly. 

[Buddafly]

Also what type of hair is used for perfume puffs?  I am not a fan but do have something in mind where puffy hair would work. 

I've always wanted to use this stuff for a perfume puff custom.  http://amphigory.com/braid_silky_jumbo.html  I bet it would work great!  (and I buy from this site all the time - it is very reliable, and they are super nice)

[Malancaiwen]

That's a nice sum up of all the info we need!
For the record, I made my website (customall.net) to sell different types of pony hair but it turned out way too time consuming and only got few orders as I only propose "special" hair. So now, I keep it up for information and I'm working on distributing the hair to bigger providers as my only solution is selling through full spools (around 3 or 4 Kg each :p)

[JoshsPonyPrincess]

Malancaiwen - I love the UV hair I have from you so much. I am sure it is very time consuming and I don't blame you for wanting to sell to other providers