PONY PARLOR
Here I shall show you my tips and tricks learned from other sites and my own trial and error.
*NOTE*: All of these are only what have worked for me, your results may vary. If you do not want to possiblly irreversibly harm your pony, do not try to clean it!
MY TOOLS:
SOFT bristle child/toddler toothbrush
Shampoo (I prefer shampoo/conditioner combo)
Detangling spray
Cotton swabs and/or cotton pads
Hand towels
Pony comb (do not use a regular comb as it usually makes pony hair frizzy)
Straws (cut to 2.5" lengths)
Claw hair clips
Foam hand soap (CLEAR only)
Nail Polish remover
PART 1: Cleaning -
First you have to determine what kind of substance is making your pony dirty. Is it dingy from dust, are there pen marks, did someone use fingernail polish on it, does it have pony cancer, etc.
Dust/Dirt: I simply lightly rinse the pony off with warm water (NOT hot) making sure to angle the pony so the water runs AWAY from the mane and tail holes (I have to rotate the pony to do this). I then put a very small amount of soap on the toothbrush. Then I gently scrub the pony all over, making sure to get all crevaces and between legs and in ears, etc. I NEVER scrub glittery symbols with a toothbrush. I'll gently go over them with my fingers only if they need it. I then rinse with warm water, never immersing the pony. I then repeat the scrubbing if necessary. Ponies are porous so be sure to dry your pony quickly after cleaning so mold will not have a chance to get a hol of your precious pony.
Pen Marks: After cleaning regularly I then go after those pesky pen marks. Markers tend to bleed into ponies very badly. They MAY come out with a scrub with polish remover and a cotton swab. Be very careful to never get the polish remover near paint and it will come off!!! Grease pens seemed to be a very popular thing to make lipstick for ponies ... That is pretty easy to wipe off the excess and then scrub it hard with the toothbrush a few times and it 99% of the time comes off that way. BE SURE to clean your toothbrush thoroughly after each scrubbing when removing ANY substance from your pony or it will just be redistributed somewhere else on the pony! regular ink pens have a tendency to bleed but I found that most have come out with come polish remover as well. Be sure to wash your pony again with soap and water whenever you use polish remover.
Fingernail Polish: BE VERY CAREFUL WITH POLISH REMOVER!! I find it common in older ponies to have glittery nail polish put onto their symbols. OMG! You can get it off but you have to be very careful not to remove the original paint! (see Cotton Candy below) I use a cotton swab and dip it into the polish remover. Carefully work your way around the symbol paint to remove the nail polish. If the nail polish is ONLY on the symbol or even the eyes, you may want to determine if you absolutely have to remove it, which may result in having to re-paint the symbol or eyes.Again, be sure to clean your pony again with soap and water whenever you use nail polish remover.
Pony Cancer and Mold: Ah, well I am no help to you here. I am still in the process of figuring this one out...
SOME BEFORE AND AFTER EXAMPLES BELOW:
on to PART 2: Hair Styling
*NOTE*: All of these are only what have worked for me, your results may vary. If you do not want to possiblly irreversibly harm your pony, do not try to clean it!
MY TOOLS:
SOFT bristle child/toddler toothbrush
Shampoo (I prefer shampoo/conditioner combo)
Detangling spray
Cotton swabs and/or cotton pads
Hand towels
Pony comb (do not use a regular comb as it usually makes pony hair frizzy)
Straws (cut to 2.5" lengths)
Claw hair clips
Foam hand soap (CLEAR only)
Nail Polish remover
PART 1: Cleaning -
First you have to determine what kind of substance is making your pony dirty. Is it dingy from dust, are there pen marks, did someone use fingernail polish on it, does it have pony cancer, etc.
Dust/Dirt: I simply lightly rinse the pony off with warm water (NOT hot) making sure to angle the pony so the water runs AWAY from the mane and tail holes (I have to rotate the pony to do this). I then put a very small amount of soap on the toothbrush. Then I gently scrub the pony all over, making sure to get all crevaces and between legs and in ears, etc. I NEVER scrub glittery symbols with a toothbrush. I'll gently go over them with my fingers only if they need it. I then rinse with warm water, never immersing the pony. I then repeat the scrubbing if necessary. Ponies are porous so be sure to dry your pony quickly after cleaning so mold will not have a chance to get a hol of your precious pony.
Pen Marks: After cleaning regularly I then go after those pesky pen marks. Markers tend to bleed into ponies very badly. They MAY come out with a scrub with polish remover and a cotton swab. Be very careful to never get the polish remover near paint and it will come off!!! Grease pens seemed to be a very popular thing to make lipstick for ponies ... That is pretty easy to wipe off the excess and then scrub it hard with the toothbrush a few times and it 99% of the time comes off that way. BE SURE to clean your toothbrush thoroughly after each scrubbing when removing ANY substance from your pony or it will just be redistributed somewhere else on the pony! regular ink pens have a tendency to bleed but I found that most have come out with come polish remover as well. Be sure to wash your pony again with soap and water whenever you use polish remover.
Fingernail Polish: BE VERY CAREFUL WITH POLISH REMOVER!! I find it common in older ponies to have glittery nail polish put onto their symbols. OMG! You can get it off but you have to be very careful not to remove the original paint! (see Cotton Candy below) I use a cotton swab and dip it into the polish remover. Carefully work your way around the symbol paint to remove the nail polish. If the nail polish is ONLY on the symbol or even the eyes, you may want to determine if you absolutely have to remove it, which may result in having to re-paint the symbol or eyes.Again, be sure to clean your pony again with soap and water whenever you use nail polish remover.
Pony Cancer and Mold: Ah, well I am no help to you here. I am still in the process of figuring this one out...
SOME BEFORE AND AFTER EXAMPLES BELOW:
on to PART 2: Hair Styling