The MLP Arena

Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 02:11:41 PM

Title: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 02:11:41 PM
Every time I cut pony hair it just looks like it's been chopped off... I'd like to be able to cut pony hair and keep it looking more natural looking.... anyone experienced with this or is it just going to look chopped no matter what? I'm restoring a few ponies right now and I want to give them close to their original hairstyle
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: PandaBerryInSpace on September 06, 2012, 02:16:44 PM
Don't just chop it at the length you want it to be in one swift chop... Start from the bottom, and gently trim it, gradually, until it's at the desired length. I've gotten much better results like that. C:
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 02:18:35 PM
I was thinking about getting an inexpensive salon hair shaper/feathering razor.... I'm wondering if that would help make it look more natural
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Maniah on September 06, 2012, 02:41:43 PM
I twist mine into a cord, then hack it off a little bit longer than I want, then I cut it shorter by snipping the longer bits off at an angle. I cut up into the mane also. Sort like like \ as opposed to ---

Did I make sense?

I would love to find a better way to give it a more feathered look, but so far, this is what I have found works best for me.
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 02:44:24 PM
that's definitely useful :3

I think I'll get that shaper and see if that works too
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: StrawberryMeadow on September 06, 2012, 02:46:23 PM
please update if you get that shaper because I have this problem too! >_<
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 03:34:49 PM
I will :3 I ordered it, it was only like $4
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: NoDivision on September 06, 2012, 04:51:47 PM
I twist mine into a cord, then hack it off a little bit longer than I want, then I cut it shorter by snipping the longer bits off at an angle. I cut up into the mane also. Sort like like \ as opposed to ---

Did I make sense?

I would love to find a better way to give it a more feathered look, but so far, this is what I have found works best for me.
I sometimes trim like that as well, it depends on the pony and the hairstyle :) I know I do that to my own hair when I trim it XD
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: aellos on September 06, 2012, 05:06:02 PM
I typically keep it long and then curl it around the leg a bit. So when the curl is set it kinda hides the end?
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: PonySeeker128 on September 06, 2012, 05:33:29 PM
I usually make my cut for removing whatever length I need to get rid of then I cut upwards into the hair at a slight angle. Not far cuts into the hair just a little ways. Pretty much what Maniah said except I cut my initial length off like you would cut normal hair then work on getting rid of that straight line from there.
My husband (he's a hair cutting specialist) said you could use a feather razor, they're a little pricey though so you may want to look for a cheaper alternative unless you plan on using them on all of your ponies.
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 06:19:45 PM
I got a feather razor on amazon for $4 >.>
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: PonySeeker128 on September 06, 2012, 06:47:18 PM
I got a feather razor on amazon for $4 >.>
Yeah my husband said his salon razor was around 30, he's got all sorts or those things though so he doesn't remember how much he paid for each one. But hopefully the one you got will work good :)
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 06:48:45 PM
should work fine for what I need, it's got a few extra blades too
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: tiktok on September 06, 2012, 08:03:24 PM
I've found that it's important to remember that if you want it to look natural and normal, the hairs themselves should all be the same length - they shouldn't be cut so that they all end at whatever level you want the hairstyle to end, they should be cut so that the hairs closest to the end fall exactly where you want the hairstyle to end, and the rest of the hair should be the same literal length from root to tip as those hairs. This creates a natural-looking taper, which is kind of important, since a pony neck tapers downwards.
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Alatariel-Silimaure on September 06, 2012, 08:08:37 PM
yeah that I always keep in mind. I always pull it out straight and cut it
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: Griffin on September 07, 2012, 01:16:23 AM
What tiktok said. That's actually why I usually don't cut the hair after the rerooting unless it's something like a fringe or a special hairstyle like Renji's. And that's one of the major reasons I don't use the tool even though it would be much faster... Knotting and cutting each plug beforehand allows me to get the ends even and make the hair fall naturally.

I'm sure you can get good results by trimming the hair afterwards if you use the rerooting tool, it just takes practice and patience which I don't have. XD
Title: Re: How do you cut hair and make it look natural still?
Post by: NoDivision on September 07, 2012, 07:07:41 AM
My hair is generally pretty exact in length using the rehairing tool too - I mean you cut and line up the hair plugs just as you would using the needle and thread method. I least I certainly do! I have seen other people just shove in random lengths though without trying to make it even. I've received a couple of ponies like that and it comes off as a little lazy :\
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