G3 Tinsel Issue

[fireglides]

Hey there. I received a G3 in the mail and the hair turned out differently than it looked on eBay . . . At any rate, the tinsel is crinkly and yucky looking. I believe someone had posted a thread or a link to a some tips and tricks on how to improve/fix it. Can someone help me out?    Thanks!

[Septima Windsong]

Oh, tinsel is always a total disaster... It feels like there's nothing that could hold it on! =) Try to use something for hairstyling like fixing gel. I use it on my ponies. Their hairstyles are so hard to ruin after using this thing, and tinsel doesn't stick out. Just don't brush your tinselled pony anymore =)
But there's another thing - you can remove it. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do it right. Maybe somepony else knows?

[Shimmer Mist]

I'm glad you posted a thread like this, I've got the same questions about tinsel as well and would also like to know how to tame/smooth it down. I've seen so many photos of older ponies with nice tinsel so there's gotta be a way to do it.

[BlueyBirdy]

I wouldn't recommend putting leave-in product in a pony's hair. Over time there might be a chemical reaction that could potentially ruin the hair.

Tinsel is just special, no matter what generation. My technique to tame it is as follows:

1. Gently wash pony's hair with conditioner. You can comb it through at this point too - use a metal pet comb for best results, but don't comb too hard and try not to pull the tinsel.
2. Pat the hair dry with a paper towel so it's still wet but not soaking. Don't use a hairdryer as heat damages pony hair and you don't want the hair to be dry anyway.
3. Carefully wrap the pony's mane around its neck and wrap the tail around a back leg. The choice of back leg doesn't really matter, but in more complicated poses you can just wrap it around whatever leg's easiest for you.
4. Cut some long strips of plain white paper towel. Never use coloured or patterned paper towel as the dye can sometimes leach into the pony! (Been there, done that, there's a G1 Italian Windy out there with a new yellow spot.)
5. Take the strips and wrap them gently around the mane and tail. They should hold in place by themselves if the hair is still wet, but you can use a tiny amount of sellotape (stick it to the paper towel, not the pony) or a hair tie to hold the strips in place in need be.
6. Put the pony somewhere safe and leave it to dry overnight.
7. If the paper towel strips are dry then gently remove them. If not then wait a little longer.
8. Voila! You should have a nice neat hairstyle with much tamer tinsel. Now place the pony somewhere where it won't get knocked over, or the tinsel will come free from its moorings and you might have to start again.

I've used this method on tons of ponies with tinsel and as long as the tinsel is in good condition it should work. Keep in mind though that tinsel is evil and mastering it is an arcane art.

[hathorcat]

Unless its something soft like conditioner or baby oil, I agree with not leaving anything in pony hair - some of the things we use are far too astringent for nylon and could cause everything from discolouration to turning it brittle.

One of the most nuisance things about tinsel and why it often ends up such a problem is that it is so easily damaged by brushing. When we brush it we stretch the tinsel and, unlike nylon which for a short period of time will bounce back, tinsel doesnt. So the more its brushed, the more it stretches until it begins to break or curl or warp...hence crazy tinsel head ponies.

I will second BlueyBirdy's method - sounds like a great technique (only thing I would add is that when you are winding the wet hair around the ponies neck/leg I would put kitchen roll/paper between the hair and the body (some colours as not colour fast and you dont want to stain the body).

You can use flat irons on a very low heat to try and flatten tinsel but I sometimes find it hard to get the temperature right. When it comes to tinsel I usually use a clothes iron. Damp hair, placed between two pieces of cotton then spray the cotton to make it damp and gently "iron" over the hair. The residual heat in the cotton and the hair helps flatten and calm the tinsel without risking the high heat of a flat iron.

Good luck with taming your new pony!