Horse hair jewelry is a great gift for equestrians and a fun way to honor your horse.
Bracelets and necklaces are not easy to make but with some practice you can make gifts for your friends and yourself.
So, how do you start?
Instructions:
- Collect tail hair from the horse(s) you want to use. If you have horses with different colored tails you can braid them into a pattern!
- Take the hair from the bottom of the tail bone. You need to take long ones. You’ll need about an inch in diameter. Put a rubber band on them (a braiding band works well).
- Next, wash the hair with shampoo. It’s really important that the hair be very clean; you may need to wash it more than once. Don’t use conditioner on it!
- Get supplies at a craft store such as Michael’s, AC Moore, or JoAnn’s Fabrics. They sell jewelry findings that you can use to attach the ends.
- When the hair is dry, take carpet thread that matches the color and wrap it tightly. Then use E-600 glue around the thread to help it hold.
- Decide what kind of braid you would like to try. Round braids work well. If you’ve ever braided a lanyard, you will find the same techniques work. Here’s a site with instructions.
- Attach the finding to the end of the bound hair. Put some glue in the finding, insert the hair and then squeeze it shut with small pliers. You should put a cloth around the finding before you close it to prevent the pliers from scratching the metal.
- Tie the end to something sturdy so you can pull on the strands while you braid and help keep the braid tight.
- When you reach the end, wrap it with thread, seal it with glue and add the second finding.
Tips
- Make sure to keep the braid snug but not too tight as it will kink.
- Trim any hairs that stick out of the braid with scissors.
- You can spray the braid with hair spray to make it stick together better and make it shiny.