sillygirl

Alright ladies,

I've always sucked at curling my hair. Anything other than curling it under, straightening it, or curling it out makes me look like Einstein or something.

The look I'm ATTEMPTING to achieve is a loose, sexy curl. I'm trying to find a picture of exactly what I'm trying. It's a look I saw on Scrubs, actually...


So.. what do you ladies do when you want that perfect look?

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Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly-Rose Franken
....absence makes me miss him more...

Lizra

Heh! Thought this was about getting rid of the curls never mind, carry on....

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cadre

Well..on the rare occasions that I do attempt to curl my hair I'm told to use hairspray on your hair before and after you curl it to help it keep the curl longer and use a very hot curling iron. I don't have a favorite type of hairspray or anything because it doesn't work too well on my hair (curls are gone in like a couple hours).

What my sister does that works well is that she puts one of those little bun maker things in her hair (the ones that you put your hair through and then twist up and hook the ends to make a neat little bun) when it's wet and sleeps with it in. Then in the morning her hair has dried with curls. It's neat actually, it works well for her hair and gets you somewhat of what I think you are looking for. It doesn't work as well for me because it seems like my hair is just puffy instead of curly. I'd suggest trying this though because it's pretty easy to do and you don't have to spend forever trying to curl your hair in the morning.

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Sultana

Instead of hairspray, I'd suggest a heat-protective "starch", like Redkin #15.

Then I make big ole sausage curls, making sure to catch the ends, and gingerly pull them off the barrel so that they're all still rolled up, and pin them to my head with big giant pins (look like long toucan bills). I curl it all in what ever pattern I want that night (and curling it different direction achieves different results!), and let it cool completely in the hairpins. Then I finger comb them out after removing the pins, and tease up what needs teasing, add clips, flowers, scarves, whatever.

I've actually been taking classes with a gal who is a talented stylist, and we deconstruct all different styles from the 1940's on, and she tells me how to do it, and I do it myself. We done beehives, victory rolls, generic "sexy" hair, Bridget Bardot, etc. I think I'm gonna go for Ann Margaret next.

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My goal? To fulfill my potential.

shesus

Good luck! I have rarely been able to get the curls I want. I usually get HUGE hair that is tragic. Hairspray makes my hair too heavy and the curls fall out. Even for my wedding the lady that tried to curl it had a rough time. Some hair just can't have some looks.
So, I've just accepted that straight hair is me. But, I'm sure with the right styling products, curlers, brushes, and patience it is possible. Sultana's sounds great, but I would have my hair yanked out. I can teach 25 first graders, but curling hair...no patience for that.

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Grasshopper Green

I have naturally wavy hair, so my hair takes to curls really well, so my advice may not be best for your hair type. I've found my best curls come from hot rollers or brush rollers, not curling irons.

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Formerly Medusa

sillygirl

I will have to try this stuff out

How do you clip them? I have a couple of those clips, I just envision it as twisting it up in one big thing at the back of my head, which would flatten the curls I seriously suck at hair

I love playing with my hair, but it seems like all I can actually handle doing right is a ponytail or a french braid.

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Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly-Rose Franken
....absence makes me miss him more...

mx5me

Oh boy, I've had curls on the mind lately too. I have naturally curly/wavy hair, but it always just ends up frizzy. I've tried some of the frizz-ease type of products, some of that silk stuff, etc. It never looks like it does for those first couple of days after I get a haircut, when all the curls are well-defined and bouncy and happy-looking. If anyone has some advice, I'd love it. I don't even own a blow dryer, so that probably tells you how much I like to fuss with this stuff.

little_tippler

If you have curls, I'd say a blow-drier is a must. I know that my life before learning how to use a blow-drier properly was very different, in terms of how my hair looked.

Here's what I do:

I only comb my hair in the shower, and then only delicately. Never when it's dry - that just turns it into a horrible mess. I also use a wonderful conditioner called Aussie's Miracle Frizz Remedy - wonderful and also smells delicious. I have had compliments about the smell of my hair when it's washed, alone.

After washing my hair I wrap my head in a towel - though I don't towel dry as that breaks a lot of hair. I leave it in until my hair is rid of excess moisture. Then I take off the towel and finger comb it to get my parting right etc.

Then I can do one of two things:

My regular routine would be to blow-dry my hair upside down with diffuser attachment, and to scrunch the hair in my hands while I do it. Also since my roots are pretty flat I lift it up at the roots and blow hot air in there to get a little volume. I only dry the hair until it's almost dry, not completely dry as that gets it to start going frizzy. Then I turn my head the right way up again and straighten things out a bit with my hands. Sometimes I wet my hands a little and run them through the hair if I think I've overdried it.

The second option, that might work for ladies with straight hair and wanting loose curls, is to use velcro rollers. I set my hair in large velcro rollers (it's very easy to do and you don't even need a mirror), and then I put one of those plasxtic blow-drying caps over my head and attach the blow drier to it. When the air goes through it it swells up and acts like one of those seat hair-driers in salons. I have to sit there for about 40 minutes to get it right, but then when I take the cap and rollers out, it's a near salon perfect finish.

On humid days, I'd advise using a moisture-retardant spray before you dry the hair.

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Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

MsMebaby

Try this: New Image Blue Tornado Creme Gel (You can buy it at Sally Beauty if you have one of those near you.)

My daughter is a cheerleader and her coach requires that the girls have their hair curled for all games and competitions. Competitions typically last all day and it never seems to fail that my daughter's squad ends up being the last to show. Her hair is very, very straight and difficult to curl. Through the years, we have gone through numerous products and numerous techniques to get her curls that last all day long. We finally found it with Blue Tornado.

I can put this on her hair wet or dry - although in-between seems to work best for her because her hair is so thick and heavy. We then roll her hair in whatever size sponge rollers she wants... we have to use the smaller ones for competitions. Unfortunately, her hair is so thick, she has to leave them in usually over night (TG for sponge rollers), but the next morning, she has a head full of beautiful bouncy curls that last all day. (And sometimes even into the next day - although not nearly as tight - if she has a lazy spell and decides not to wash it right away.) The key to avoiding the frizzy look is to make sure the ends are well-lubed and wrapped up inside the curl... not hanging out everywhere. Hope this helps!

mx5me

Ok, maybe I'll finally give in and buy a blow dryer. I'll be sure to post a picture of it if I do. Just kidding. Thanks for the info! Are there any products that anyone would recommend to give hair some gloss and curl definition (instead of some hair being in curls and other hair hanging out in frizzy middle ground)?

Eowyn_Vala

Similar situation as mx5me for me when my hair was long and I wanted it curly. I'm one of I guess what you'd call lucky people, for the most part my hair just has a lot of body and wave if I leave it alone. But I could use some gel, a diffuser and my hands to scrunch it and come out with pretty curly hair naturally. I get it from my mom. I think I've totally gotten it straight only a few times cause it took me forever with a straight-iron. My hair was too long and is super thick. A little over a year I ago I chopped it, super short, shorter than my husbands. Which at the time his was short for him. I'm growing it back out cause I miss my long hair, I used to do some really neat stuff with my hair in braids and updos. Anyway back to the thread. Even now I have the same problem I've always had, whether I blowdry or not it ends up pretty frizzy. If I don't dry it all the way, only part way it doesn't get as bad, but I've tried so many different products and none of them have every really worked for me. I'll have to try some of the ones listed, but I'd love to learn how to style my hair in a little bit of time each morning without the frizz.

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DG: And, how am I doing?
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SparklingDot

What I like to do is let my hair air dry. Then I brush it smooth and clip up the top half. I style my hair in three different layers. I spray the bottom layer with Dove aerosol spray (Garnier works well too), brush that through my hair, and then curl small sections with a very hot iron. Do not brush curls through! Let them cool. Then divide the remaining hair in two and pin up the top half of it. Again, spray, brush spray through, and curl small sections with a very hot iron. Repeat again for the top section. Allow all curls to cool completely and then GENTLY brush or finger comb to break up curls. Touch up any sections necessary. This works for me. The key is to take small steps and take your time. I like this way because I don't end up with stiff or sticky hair because I brushed the spray through before it dried.

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mx5me

Eowyn_Vala, if you find a way to get tamed curls fast, let me know! I did buy a blowdryer, and after I got out of the shower I put a little frizz-ease in my hair, twisted chunks of my hair into curls and pinned them up on my head. Then I blew my hair dry and let the curls down. It looked cute! It really didn't take long, but I still don't have the patience to take the time to do it on a regular basis...

maleficent

When I was a kid, my hair was long (mid back) thick and straight - (unlike now that it's got more curl than I know what to do with)

What would curl it was using good old fashioned rag curls or sock curls.

In the evening, before going to bed, mom would spray my hair with a mister of water so that it would be damp - then working in big chunks of hair she'd tie the sock or strip of cloth to the bottom of a chunk of hiar -and roll it up then tie it again.. Repeat with all the chunks of hair (and it was easy to sleep in too)

In the morning when my hair dried - rags would be untied and just finger combed (do not touch a brush to it)and I'd have a head full of loose curls... (sexy didn't work when i was 8 but it sure would now)

what tames my curls and frizz these days super easily is a large barrelled curling iron... my curling iron is abouot 1 1/2 inches around -and if i work in 1 - 2 inch chunks of hair -starting at the bottom - i can get it straight and smooth in less than 10 minutes. no product no blow dryer - just a large barrelled curling iron

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