Help with curling hair

[HennaDancer]

I've finally decided on a Halloween costume- the Gatekeeper from Ghostbusters. Now I have to figure out how to do her hair. My hair is just above my waist, mostly straight, fine, all one length, and medium to thin thickness. My goal is this: http://outcaststudios.com/forums/index.php/topic/13198-dsc-zuul-the-gatekeeper-wed-sept-18-2013-vol-27-no-38/ How do I get there?
I am very inexperienced with doing any styling with my hair other than putting it up, and I don't have any "equipment". I was thinking about buying a pack of cheap curlers and wrapping my hair up in them while it's wet, then I'm not sure how to keep the curl and volume once it's out of the curlers. Mousse or gel? Should I put that in before I curler it? Or is there a better way?

[cranberrymoonz]

If your hair is like mine and curls fall out easily, it'll be hard to achieve this. I have had some great results with soft rollers, though. Put them on damp hair(small piece at a time), let them set for 9 hours at least until compltely dry, and don't touch them af you've taken them out. Do not go out in the rain/wind.

EDIT TO ADD: try this sometime before your party, it is a skill you need to master;)

[velorutionista]

I've gotten similar results doing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MQeDA_R5pM

I made smaller buns than she does (the tutorial is for looser waves) and it turned out almost afro-ish on my hair (sorry, don't know a better way to describe it--it was awesome)...play around with it to practice, maybe put a little gel in your hair if it doesn't hold curl well, and don't pick them apart too much to avoid tangles...

[Rio040113]

Have you considered flexi rods*? There are loads of youtube tutorials, they're really cheap to buy, easy to use and heat free :) They should give you a pretty voluminous curly 'do.

*These things, I see people call them all different things (bendy rollers, twistee rollers, foam rollers, etc) so I thought I'd link - https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=flexi+rods&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=IHL&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=RRVYUo_CA4nW0QXb-YHACQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=639&dpr=1

Edit: No idea why the link is so messed up and had a smiley in it haha, not sure if I've fixed it but it still works I think!

[Anje]

Gel beforehand, not afterward. The real key with curls is to take it out from the rollers and don't touch it! Just let it do its thing. The curls will probably soften over a few hours; light scrunching can get rid of the gel crunch and help encourage the curls to loosen faster, but I think it's really easy to overdo it. Definitely practice before you actually do it for the costume, because there's a learning curve.

[DreamWalker]

My hair is classic length, and fairly thick, and will not hold a curl for anything. When it was shorter, I had good results using the bandana curl method I found at rapunzelsresource, but that may be too tame for what you're going for. http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp2Fm1fzjSAMmlnZ8F-C1nA has a million variants of ways to curl your hair with straws, which might work for your length (I have too much hair, but she gets some impressive curls). I don't really know any ways of fully mimicking the look you're going for though...sorry about that.

Either way, to echo what has been said already, experiment before you actually need your hair for the costume, because it'll take a bit of messing around to figure out what works for your hair. Also, don't put it up too wet - just damp, or it may never dry :)

[BlazingHeart]

Definitely test it - some people's hair just won't hold a curl. To get a curl to stay in my hair, I need to use a curling iron and a LOT of hairspray, so it's really not very hair friendly for me to have curls. I've been that way all my life - stubborn hair.

[HennaDancer]

If I braid my hair, even dry, and leave it in for a day, I get waves that last until I wash it. I'm pretty sure it'll hold okay. Must experiment! Thanks :)