When is a Pony a Candidate for Rehairing?

[babystarz]

Now that I've got a good stock of dollyhair, I'm trying to decide which of my ponies could benefit from rehairing. This would be a restore rehairing, with the original color. I'm on the fence about several ponies and I'm wondering what other people use as a standard. They are otherwise in NM to M condition, so their hair is the only flaw they have. Obviously I'm making every effort to save the original hair, be it flat-ironing frizz or deep conditioning and olive oil shampoo treatments or boiling to try to coax the nylon back into shape. But sometimes this isn't enough to improve the hair to the point that the pony has nice hair on display. Here are some main questions I have, but feel free to deviate from them:


- How short must a haircut be for a pony to need rehairing?
- How much frizz is acceptable before a pony's hair is a lost cause, after boiling and flat-ironing?
- Should I use a rehairing method that is "accurate" i.e. close to the original, like knotting instead of using a needle? (certainly not trying to pass off ponies as not restored here, and I have no plans to sell. If I were to sell in the distant future, I would be sure to disclose the rehairing)
- Should I aim for transplanting hair from baits or use new (but matching) dollyhair?
- Am I being too picky in feeling rather dissatisfied with white hair that has faded to ivory/slightly yellow tinged?
- Is it worth it to replace missing plugs/forelock trims, or does this just open a whole new can of worms with color matching?


Thanks all, I appreciate your input in this decision. I don't want to just start rehairing willy nilly, and regret altering a pony later.

[partypony566]

I think when  the pony looks like this:

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It's time to rehair ( I am leaving her like that as I think  she looks cool) however yeah thats the sort of length I think is past being able to style or whatever.
One thing though....I never rehair nirvanas ( incase I sell them later on) as I think nirvana collectors prefer the original hair whatever the condition/length...

[Baby Sugarberry]

I usually rehair anything with significant hair loss, over a third gone.  As for frizz, I would say anything that doesn't look at least decent on display, particularly if mane/tail don't match up condition wise.  Knotting is my preferred method since it's more secure, but use whatever you like best.  Hair from bait or dollyhair are both just as good, provided the bait hair is in great shape/long enough to match.  Don't see much difference personally. 


For white hair, some of it is naturally a different color, like Minty - make sure you aren't mistaking actual variation for damage?  Beyond that, yes, I'd say nitpicking over shades of white is a bit fussy, unless it's really far off. X3


I've never had a problem matching hair colors for forelocks, but if you're really concerned, you could always use a few strands from the tail to make new plugs.

[Elfpony]

I'd pretty much second all of what Baby Sugarberry says.  If you've exhausted all the methods of trying to save/repair the original hair, then I think the pony's a good candidate to rehair.  If you're trying to colour match for a partial rehair though it's going to depend on the colour how close a match you can get.  Some colours keep their shade really well thorugh the years, but some like the Fading Pink you'd have a hard time matchng with a new hank of Dollyhair.

Good luck with your projects!

Elf

[michelle53]

This is what I consider a candidate for rehairing:
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She turned out quite lovely!!
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[PinkRosedust]

I have never actually rehaired a pony, but I still wanted to chime in. I'm a little biased toward trying to salvage original hair, I'll admit...so I only offered my opinion on a couple things you mentioned.

- How short must a haircut be for a pony to need rehairing?

Personally, I like certain haircuts. They can be cute! But if there's only like an inch of mane left on a female, I generally would be okay with rehairing. Boys, however, usually still look even with a buzzcut. =D It actually makes me sad to see some ponies rehaired just because their hair is shorter than it should be. I just don't see the point in removing the original, factory, from-the-80's hair if the pony still looks pretty.

- How much frizz is acceptable before a pony's hair is a lost cause, after boiling and flat-ironing?

For me, especially if it's a G1, I can usually get past it no matter how frizzy. I just do the best I can to minimize the frizz, then try to style it - it can often still be curled or braided or even just tied with a ribbon or two. I think it gives them some character! I even sometimes just think of them as having Perfume Puff-ish hair. =P

As for faded/discolored hair, I again think this gives the pony character. I went out of my way to buy a Honeycomb whose mane and tail were partially faded to a pale yellow because I thought she looked so unique and pretty that way! I like to also think that I maybe saved her from being rehaired needlessly... =)

[BlackCurtains]

When is a pony a candidate for rehairing?

When it bothers you.

Are you collecting for other people or are you doing it for yourself? If all you see when you look at one of your ponies is the haircut, then rehair, because it's not supposed to bother you.

Ponies are supposed to make us happy If rehairing will make YOU happier, then do it.

[mlp4me]

When they only have a forlock left....
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Any major buzz cut or missing tail...

[PhyllieBean]

When is a pony a candidate for rehairing?

When it bothers you.

Are you collecting for other people or are you doing it for yourself? If all you see when you look at one of your ponies is the haircut, then rehair, because it's not supposed to bother you.

Ponies are supposed to make us happy If rehairing will make YOU happier, then do it.

THIS!  If your collection is just for you, and you don't really have plans on reselling (of course that could change later, but you know what I mean), then go for it!  If it bugs you, fix it!  They're for your enjoyment, so make them look however they need to in order for you to be satisfied with them.  If there's a consequence for the rehair you're only going to meet it if you sell down the road, but if it made you happy with it as part of your own collection, then it would be worth the miniscule monetary hit that you might take on it. 

There's never going to be a standard, set in stone answer as to when it's appropriate to do certain resortations.  Some people are always going to want ponies as original as possible, no matter how grody they may be.  Chances are, if you go to resell later, those people won't be interested because they probably have that pony anyway!  It's a lot easier to find a manky pony than a pristine one!  It's only the super picky collectors you'd have to worry about.  And even then, the super picky ones would probably rather have a good rehair than a blank spot in their display cabinet.  Especially if we're talking about regular release G1s.