Now that we have Part I, materials and tools, under our belt, let's talk about hair in this Part II! The thing is though, I can only speak to my personal experience so I won't be discussing all the types of hair you could use. Like I know in the early years of hairing, before the advent of mohair and other fibers, customizers turned to pony hair, wigs, pets, their own hair, and craft fur. In the end, craft fur rose to the top and while it's a blast from the past, it's not to be knocked! Really, the very best craft fur still can make a stellar hair job that lasts and lasts with proper care. For example, my Lady Angelina by Julie Froelich and Nancy Strowger (1981) has still-pristine craft fur for her mane and tail, and it's gorgeous! Plus, craft fur doesn't succumb to the elements or insects like natural hair can, so it's not to be overlooked when you're considering which type of hair to use. It can actually be really great stuff as many Vintage Customs can prove! Hey, I'm a fan!
So with personal experience, I can speak to these hair types:
Mohair: This ubiquitous stuff is pretty nifty! A great first choice! Pro: It has a fine texture and comes comes in a wide array of colors. It's easy to style and glue, and easy to trim. Just a solid choice for hair. Con: It can be wavy, sometimes markedly so, so if you want straight hair, this often isn't your choice if you don't have a straightening iron.
Ramie: This is actually a plant fiber and I just love this stuff! A good choice, too! Pro: It's one of the most in-scale hair we can get, being super fine (the other being the harder to find mulberry fiber), making it a great choice for Arabian models, in particular. It's super easy to glue and style and trim as well. Con: It can be a little tricky to work with as it's so fine, but you'll get the hang of it. Most of all though, it's highly sensitive to moisture so use styling products and water very very carefully! Once it's been over-wetted down, for instance, there's no getting back its necessary "fluffiness." Use moisture with great caution.
Viscose: Another plant fiber that's just lovely. Pro: It's just as fine, if not finer, than ramie. It's very much like ramie, in fact, and makes a good substitute. Con: Similar to ramie in its minuses, and it also doesn't have such a wide array of colors, mostly coming in black and white.
Mulberry fiber: Another plant fiber. Pro: Similiar to ramie and viscose. It's also very silky and sheeny, just lovely stuff! Con: Similar to ramie and viscose, and it's also hard to find.
Alpaca: This is a good choice, too, if you'd like to adventure beyond mohair. Pro: It has a fine texture, natural ombre effects, and lots of natural horsey colors. It glues and cuts easily, and is easily workable. It can also be super shiny and silky. It's lovely stuff! Con: It has a much heavier body and so it doesn't style as easily as the other types of hair. It has weight to it that fights styling, making it a better choice for standing pieces where the hair just hangs.
Angora: This is magical stuff! A wonderful choice for adventuring beyond mohair! Pro: It's in scale, super soft and silky with a nice sheen. It also glues and trims nicely, and styles really well. Con: Limited color palette and hard to find. It's also often quite curly, which can be great for certain situations, but if you want it straight, you'll need a straightening iron.
Craft fur: Hey, I love this stuff! No, seriously! It has its perks! Pro: Like, it's straight, it comes in a wide array of colors and ombre effects, it's very easy to cut and glue, and it's exceedingly durable and lasting. Con: Its length is limited, easily one-half or one-third the length of mohair so if you need a lot of length, craft fur isn't a good choice. It can also be a bit difficult to style because it resists styling products quite a bit. It's good then for standing horses with draped manes and tails that don't need strong styling.
So if you were brand new to this and were buying hair for the very first time, I would recommend mohair. It's a great starter hair and a terrific all-around workhorse. It gets the job done, it's durable with proper care, easily worked and styled, and comes in a ton of beautiful colors. Now if you're already an advanced hairer and would like to explore something new, I recommend trying the alpaca. It's wonderful stuff!
I also recommend getting more than one color. That's to say, if you aren't doing just white or black hair but something in browns, golds, tans, and whatnot, think about buying at least two in that shade family so you can mix them together for a more natural, varigated effect. Now granted, the costs will go up because you have to buy more ounces, but the end result could be so worth it! And costs aren't to be trifled with when it comes to hair. It can cost from about $25-$50 for a single ounce of quality hair. But trust me...it's well worth it! It'll last you several horses and the higher the quality of hair, the longer it'll stay intact and beautiful.
So that's it for Part II. In Part III, we'll discuss the hallmarks of a great hairjob so you have a bar to jump over plus the importance and nature of practice. See you next time!
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
~ Marcel Proust
