General Washing & Cleaning
This section explains how to give a pony a light washing. Every time I acquire a new pony for my collection, it gets a bath. I like to use a mild anti-bacterial foaming soup to gently wash the pony's body and hair. I use this in place of shampoo. Anti-bacterial soap is important because you don't know where your new pony came from! Old toys are often stored in basements or attics, where rodents may defecate and urinate on them. PLEASE wash any new ponies you find in your house or buy elsewhere before handling them too much.
I like to use a nice-smelling, moisturizing conditioner that contains dimethicone silicone. This silicone detangles and leave the pony's plastic hair feeling silky. A leave-in creme may help tame tinsel or slightly dry hair.
You will also need a comb and 2-3 inch strips of paper towel.
Use the soap to clean your pony's body and hair. Rise very thoroughly. Saturate the hair with conditioner and comb the hair using the comb or your fingers. Rinse out conditioner.
I like to use a nice-smelling, moisturizing conditioner that contains dimethicone silicone. This silicone detangles and leave the pony's plastic hair feeling silky. A leave-in creme may help tame tinsel or slightly dry hair.
You will also need a comb and 2-3 inch strips of paper towel.
Use the soap to clean your pony's body and hair. Rise very thoroughly. Saturate the hair with conditioner and comb the hair using the comb or your fingers. Rinse out conditioner.
The hair will need to air dry. I wrap the tail around one leg and wrap the mane around the neck. Take the strips of paper towel and secure the hair. The dampness from the hair will make the paper towel stick and hold the hair in place. If you need small pieces of tape to secure the towel around the hair, that's fine.
Let your pony dry for several hours or overnight. Don't remove the paper towel so you can maximize the curl!
This even works on ponies with stick-straight hair like Sundance arrived with.
Let your pony dry for several hours or overnight. Don't remove the paper towel so you can maximize the curl!
This even works on ponies with stick-straight hair like Sundance arrived with.
Ponies with factory or "box" curl look beautiful, but those curls can get unruly.
You can take care of them to ensure they last!
You can take care of them to ensure they last!
When you condition a pony's curly hair, don't use a comb on all of the hair at once.
Comb EACH CURL SEPARATELY, otherwise the pony's curls will lose definition or even become frizzy.
As you condition, smooth conditioner through each curl and softly scrunch from the ends toward the pony's neck, then rise.
Factory curl is something I always apply leave-in creme to.
To dry, skip the paper towel method above.
Identify the direction each separate lock curls in and twist in that direction with your finger.
While the hair is wet, this is your chance to tidy up those curls!
Comb EACH CURL SEPARATELY, otherwise the pony's curls will lose definition or even become frizzy.
As you condition, smooth conditioner through each curl and softly scrunch from the ends toward the pony's neck, then rise.
Factory curl is something I always apply leave-in creme to.
To dry, skip the paper towel method above.
Identify the direction each separate lock curls in and twist in that direction with your finger.
While the hair is wet, this is your chance to tidy up those curls!
Do you have grubby ponies? Me too.
Thankfully, grubbiness is an easy fix. the best way I've found to fix overall body dirt and marks, especially around the feet and ears, is to dump a small amount of OxiClean in a bowl or bucket and mix it with hot water and let the pony sit for a while. If the ponies float, be sure to turn them over occasionally to let both sides soak. After a couple of hours, the dirt will rub right off with your fingers or a damp cloth. Use a Magic Eraser on a dry pony to remove the last of the marks.
WARNING: Do NOT soak a Magic Message pony or any pony whose symbol changes with warmth. The hot water will destroy their symbols. I haven't had any issue with soaking ponies with glitter symbols, but I keep a close eye on them and don't soak them for long.
Thankfully, grubbiness is an easy fix. the best way I've found to fix overall body dirt and marks, especially around the feet and ears, is to dump a small amount of OxiClean in a bowl or bucket and mix it with hot water and let the pony sit for a while. If the ponies float, be sure to turn them over occasionally to let both sides soak. After a couple of hours, the dirt will rub right off with your fingers or a damp cloth. Use a Magic Eraser on a dry pony to remove the last of the marks.
WARNING: Do NOT soak a Magic Message pony or any pony whose symbol changes with warmth. The hot water will destroy their symbols. I haven't had any issue with soaking ponies with glitter symbols, but I keep a close eye on them and don't soak them for long.