What Goes Into a DIY Pom Pom
Homemade pom poms are simple projects that use everyday materials. Most tutorials call for tissue paper, crepe streamers, or plastic sheeting cut into strips and gathered around a handle made from a rolled catalog, a dowel, or tape.
Common DIY Materials
- Tissue paper layered and cut into thin strips
- Crepe paper streamers bundled and taped to a handle
- Plastic tablecloths cut into strips for a sturdier option
- Mylar sheets added for shimmer
- Tape or ribbon to secure the handle
Where DIY Works Well
- Fan sections and student spirit squads at games
- Themed parties, pep rallies, and school fundraisers
- Craft activities with younger kids
- Parade floats and community celebrations
The process is quite easy: layer, cut, roll, tape, and fluff. With the right colors, a homemade pom can look spirited right after assembly. For anything casual and short-lived, a homemade pom brings color and energy without a big spend.
What Goes Into a Professional Cheer Pom
Professional cheer poms are manufactured with performance in mind. The strands, handle, and construction are all designed to hold up under the physical demands of cheerleading, from sideline routines to full competition schedules.
Unlike DIY poms, professional cheer poms use durable vinyl strands designed to hold colour, resist shedding, and keep their shape through regular use. The vinyl base can be in different finishes, depending on the visual effect a team wants:
Solid Vinyl
Solid vinyl poms carry a matte color that stays true in any lighting.
Metallic
Metallic poms add a reflective foil coating for high-shine impact.
Holographic
Holographic poms use a prismatic finish that shifts color with the angle.
All three poms at Varsity come pre-fluffed, shed-resistant, and ready to use. The baton grip handle provides a smooth hold for clean rotations and sharp motions.
The Real Differences: Side by Side
Putting DIY and professional poms next to each other, the gap becomes clear once you start using them.
Durability
This is where the comparison tilts the most. Tissue paper tears after a few shakes. Crepe paper wilts in humidity. Plastic tablecloth strips hold up better, but the handle construction rarely survives more than a few uses before loosening or falling apart.
Professional vinyl poms are built for a full season. The strands stay intact through daily practices, outdoor sidelines, and competition weekends. A quick rinse and air-dry is all they need to stay fresh between events.
Visual Impact
A homemade pom can look colorful up close, but from the stands or under stage lighting, the difference shows. DIY strands are often uneven in width, and tissue paper does not reflect light the way vinyl does.
Professional poms deliver a consistent, polished look that reads well from every distance. Metallic and holographic finishes add reflective quality that homemade materials cannot match under arena or stadium lights. Professional poms also have uniform strand lengths and consistent fullness, creating a cleaner, more polished appearance during routines.
Cost Over Time
A single DIY pom costs less up front, but the math shifts when factoring in replacements. A set of tissue paper poms for a squad could need remaking every few weeks during a busy season.
Professional poms are a one-time seasonal purchase. With proper care, they hold up from the first game to the last competition, making the per-use cost lower over time.
A Coordinated Team Look
Poms are one piece of a bigger picture. When pom colors match the uniform, cheer bows, and accessories, the team comes across as polished and coordinated. That level of color matching is built into the ordering process with professional poms, making it much easier than trying to match craft-store tissue to a specific school shade.