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Hair rats

Miss Scarlet

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
Tring, Hertfordshire
How strange, I was looking at this thread yesterday before anyone updated it...making my own hair rat now.

Anyway I know someone who bought one of those Vidal things to poof up the back Amy Winehouse style, but she said she needed to put grips in it to help it hold as the comb just kept slipping out. I think we're talking about the same thing.
 

Puzzicato

One Too Many
Messages
1,843
Location
Ex-pat Ozzie in Greater London, UK
Do you know where she got it?

I don't usually think of myself as squeamish, but there is something I find disturbing about making my own hair rat. Which is totally bizarre, as it is my hair and I know exactly where it has been!
 

Miss Scarlet

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
Tring, Hertfordshire
Hehe, I think she bought it online. She's out of the country at the mo so I can't check. I can understand why it could feel yucky, but I'm skint so it's the best I can do, plus waste not want not...I think that can be applied to hair :confused:
 

Wire9Vintage

A-List Customer
Messages
411
Location
Texas
I've never forgotten David Letterman joking a few years back about hair. He said people love hair, call it the crowning glory, stress over losing their hair, comment on the beauty of women's hair, stroke each other's hair, etc., but then, as soon as a single hair becomes unattached from a head, it becomes the most disgusting thing in the world! How true and how weird!

Did anyone see Manor House? Those big Edwardian hair styles were pumped up with a mixture of human hair and, if I remember correctly, sheep's wool? Now THAT seems an odd thing to carry around under your hair all day!
 

MissElainey

Familiar Face
Messages
52
Location
Lynnwood, WA
Foam a no-go

Alas. My middy cut is a little too short on top to adequately cover the foam rat you can buy off amazon.com. :( I read in this thread that someone tried a bunch of hairnets in one to make their own that was smaller, I'll have to try that. They're only about a dollar for 3 at the drugstore. I'd use my own hair, but the thought icks me out a little. Has anyone tried the rolling up a piece of coarse netting from the fabric shop? You'd get a lot of rats out of even only a quarter yard.
 

Sunny

One Too Many
Messages
1,409
Location
DFW
MissElainey, I just have to say that your username is hilarious and awesome! :eusa_clap
 

fortworthgal

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,646
Location
Panther City
Puzzicato said:
I don't usually think of myself as squeamish, but there is something I find disturbing about making my own hair rat. Which is totally bizarre, as it is my hair and I know exactly where it has been!

Same here! For some reason I am extraordinarily creeped out by hair rats. Use of the word "rat" doesn't help things. lol

Shame, because I have extremely thick hair and it sheds like mad. I could probably produce 1 good-sized rat per week just from what ends up in my shower drain and in my brush.
 

Miss Scarlet

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
Tring, Hertfordshire
My very own hair rat is now finished after about 3 months of collecting hair and works so well! Fortunately I am in no sense squeamish about hair that is not on my head. However hair that has is stuck down a plug hole that you pull out with your fingers definately makes me gag *yucky* .
 

jillybeanlynn

Familiar Face
Messages
53
Location
New Orleans, LA
I'm attempting to make my first hair rat from my own hair, collecting it in a ziplock bag from my brushes. Surprised I'm not grossed out by it but we'll see if I make it all the way to actually creating the hair rat.

Using fake hair is a good alternative though. It's not too hard to find fake hair that matches your hair color. All you do is cut a good-sized chunk from the long weave, keeping the part that has it all woven together to keep the messy factor down. Have boiling water on hand and a towel for drying. And I do a sequence of teasing the hair, dunking it in boiling water, drying it in the towel, and doing it all again until I have a hair rat in the shape and density I want. Then I wrap it up in a fine hair net and sew it closed. Ta-da! DIY non-gross hair rat!
 

buddy5909

One of the Regulars
Messages
105
Location
Kansas City, MO
You guys remind me of a George Carlin joke I heard. People love their hair. They wash it and style it but as soon as it falls out they think it's gross. lol
 

Goldfish

A-List Customer
Messages
336
Location
EU
Has anyone with dark ash blonde hair found a way to fake rats without their own hair? I have been looking for fake hair but nothing comes even close to my hair color.
 

Mugwump

One of the Regulars
Messages
105
Location
Toronto, Ont.
Wow, never knew this was here - was saving my hair for a rat, but now I have some instruction for making one. Thank you ladies, so much!!
 
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MarieAnne

Practically Family
Messages
555
Location
Ontario
Goldfish - I know you can use crepe wool as hair rats. Just find the right colour.....I believe Ben Nye has some. But so do most costume suppliers.
 

MissElainey

Familiar Face
Messages
52
Location
Lynnwood, WA
That is brilliant. I don't know why I haven't thought of that. I don't care to collect my own hair, and the only foam things I can find are either too dark or too hard to take pins. I'll have to try that, we have several costume shops in town.
 

MarieAnne

Practically Family
Messages
555
Location
Ontario
Plus, with halloween only a few days away, crepe wool should be easy to come by. In fact, I may wait until monday and get it on special!
 

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