Hair curl value question

[NanoRuby]

So a little while ago I was lucky enough to get a Tux n Tails off of ebay. He's in fantastic condition overall, but his hair is kind of a mess. Usually I would just wash and brush hair like that and it would all be good, but in this case he still has some factory curls. Are original curls valuable enough that I should just leave his hair alone even though it's messy, or am I okay to fix up his hair without reducing his value too much?

I'm not planning on selling him any time soon, he was my grail pony and is possibly my favourite G1 overall, but I just want to know should I ever decide to sell him in the future, or in case I ever come across other ponies with factory curls.

[Beth3346]

i think it depends on how messy. personally i think a pony with clean, styled hair is better than messy, original hair. it may depend on the collector though but i don't think you'll lower the value.

congrats on getting your grail pony

[BlackCurtains]

How messy we talking? If you think you can just brush it out, do so from the bottom up, do it gently and with the hair slightly damp. Then you can try to "re-fresh" the original curls by scrunching the hair in the palm of your hand, supporting the curls, while the hair is wet (but not dripping wet). If he needs a full shampoo and condition, I think if you're gentle enough you still might be able to salvage some of the curl.

That said - I'm a big advocate of "your pony, your rules" and that the point of a collection is to bring you happiness. So if his hair really bothers you, fix it up however you like

edit: As far as value it would depend on the buyer. I would not mind fixed hair, and if it was messy would probably fix it myself. Other people wants ponies in as original condition as they can get even if it means terrible hair, rubbed symbols, etc. I think Tux 'n Tails is sought after enough that if you ever sell, no matter what his hair looks like, you won't have any problems.

[SunPony]

I think you could probably neaten the curls up without damaging them, like BlackCurtains says.  Start brushing at the bottom very carefully.  I usually use cold water and a bit of conditioner and that doesn't seem to harm factory curls.  BC gave great drying advice too.  And there are some tips on mlp preservation project website as well.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I agree with this about styling gently with cold water and a little conditioner. Also I try to look at a mint or mint in package pony to see how the hair should look. Comb out a section and wrap it around your finger to get the curl, try to get it going in the right direction and leave flat to dry.

[Taffeta]

If you intend to sell the pony, it's probably better not to damage the curl more than you can help. It takes time and patience but it is possible to comb the curls without losing the original styling.

If it were your own pony to keep that may be different, but there are definitely collectors out there who value factory curl.

Recurling the hair would not be the same thing in that context, so it's better to work with the original styling as much as possible, or leave it to the new owner to sort out.

[ScotchHop]

Firstly, congrats on your Tux n Tails! He’s one of my Grails too!

If you are just doing a bit of a straw poll on preference, I have a strong preference for factory curls, no matter how messy! I have been able to preserve a few of mine with a gentle wash in tepid water and then scrunching them to let them dry as was, but I have a few I’d rather not chance, like Barnacle with a rats nest of gorgeous orange original curls 

[Artemesia's Garden]

Firstly, congrats on your Tux n Tails! He’s one of my Grails too!

If you are just doing a bit of a straw poll on preference, I have a strong preference for factory curls, no matter how messy! I have been able to preserve a few of mine with a gentle wash in tepid water and then scrunching them to let them dry as was, but I have a few I’d rather not chance, like Barnacle with a rats nest of gorgeous orange original curls 

You may know this but hair that colour is prone to disintegrate so I would probably also avoid combing it just in case. A good point that all ponys are different!

[tailrustedtealeaf]

If you don't intend on selling, I would just try to preserve the curls using the methods mentioned. I don't tend to care much about them but it's always easier to have a sort of base to work off of, like when you stumble across messy curls on the candy cane ponies.