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Lady Stardust
April 25th, 2018, 08:01 AM
I have questions for the vintage loving gals. I’ve done 1950s style roller sets in the past to get Marilyn type waves and I’d like to again now that my hair is getting longer.

I know that wet sets work well for me and I’d like to avoid using heat. The only thing that worries me is the possibility of mechanical damage from brushing out the curls and I wondered if there was anything I could do to minimise this? My hair splits if I so much as look at it and finger combing has helped me a lot. I don’t see how that could get me out of the poodle-just-out-of-rollers stage though.

I would really appreciate opinions as to whether changing any of the following factors would help:

1. The size of the rollers. In the past I’ve used medium rollers for most of my hair and small rollers for the fringe. I can’t do pin curls without doing a roller set first because my hair does not want to bend. I wondered whether larger rollers would mean less manipulation as the curls wouldn’t be so tight?

2. The placement of the rollers. I usually set them for maximum root lift but maybe a more gentle style without root lift and just curls at the bottom would be easier to handle? or rather, not handle! I would still need root lift on the fringe though, I don’t know if the two styles can be mixed.

3. The brush. I’ve used a standard Denman brush in the past. Would any other type of brush or comb help me get there more easily or with less manipulation?

4. Anything else?

Thank you for any suggestions or information about how you brush out your curls.

nycelle
April 25th, 2018, 10:08 AM
hmm.. I've only used roller sets a couple of times in my life (the waves they give me last for about an hour so not worth the trouble for me), and they were the larger ones. When I took them out, I must of finger combed and/or used a WTC as I don't use brushes.

I prefer just using on the length for waves, to the ears down. If your roots are very flat, there are styling products that can do a good job at giving you texture and lift at the roots. But it really depends on the length and how you wear your bangs. The Monroe look you're going for has teased at the root bangs that are parted to the side. Can you do that with your bangs?

Can you post pics of your hair? Easier to give advice when we can see what it normally looks like.

lapushka
April 25th, 2018, 10:16 AM
My mom does a roller set each time she washes her hair (which is usually monthly). She last washed January 29th, and then April 9th, just to give you an idea how far she can stretch and no her hair still smells fresh. For some reason there is zero sebum there.

Anyway, she uses old-fashioned metal rollers with the bristle brushes inside.

She uses a wide tooth comb to gently separate her curls. She has thin, babyfine hair that is about 1b.

MoonRabbit
April 25th, 2018, 10:42 AM
I think using a bbb would work. Since you want the curls to smooth out in a uniform wave pattern.

*Wednesday*
April 25th, 2018, 02:04 PM
In the summer I do wet sets alot. I also do satin sponge rollers overnight. For me, I flip my hair upside down and tousel it. My hair type I don't comb or brush or I'll take the curl out.

spidermom
April 25th, 2018, 06:12 PM
As *Wednesday* was saying, curls are going to relax anyway, so I don't brush them out. When my hair is most tightly curly, I just use a fork or my fingers to gently separate and tousle the hair, then I pin one side back with a flower or something else that is pretty. Once the curl relaxes, usually by the end of a few hours, then I will carefully comb it out if needed.

If I start out by brushing out my curls, by the end of a few hours, all I have is body wave.

spirals
April 25th, 2018, 09:52 PM
If you make the curls tight enough you can brush them out into waves that will have real lasting power. I brush my natural curls out often. I use a detangling brush but I spray the bristles with shine spray first. I like to do that so I don't get too much applied to my hair. I've been known to put serum on the very ends before brushing out, too. I don't think I've experienced too much damage from roller sets, tight or loose, not in and of themselves. It's brushing that is hard on my hair and silicone helps a lot. Oil can, too, if you don't like silicone.

Edited to add: sometimes I make 2 rope braids with long tassels and put soft curlers on the ends. It's easier.

Hexen
April 25th, 2018, 10:12 PM
If you make the curls tight enough you can brush them out into waves that will have real lasting power. I brush my natural curls out often. I use a detangling brush but I spray the bristles with shine spray first. I like to do that so I don't get too much applied to my hair. I've been known to put serum on the very ends before brushing out, too. I don't think I've experienced too much damage from roller sets, tight or loose, not in and of themselves. It's brushing that is hard on my hair and silicone helps a lot. Oil can, too, if you don't like silicone.

Edited to add: sometimes I make 2 rope braids with long tassels and put soft curlers on the ends. It's easier.

How in theee freak....do you make rope braids with the undulations of your hair??? Do you do it wet?. My brain doesnt even compute roping from what ive seen here. Magick fingers are no longer meant for obscure motel beds!

spirals
April 25th, 2018, 10:45 PM
Hee hee! I need to make a tutorial. Basically my method is to cross one hand over the other and then switch.

Hexen
April 25th, 2018, 11:10 PM
Hee hee! I need to make a tutorial. Basically my method is to cross one hand over the other and then switch.

Actually, I already know how to rope me locks. Ive done it and have pics. But my hair is purty darn straight. Yours though, appears "alive". Almost prehensile. Which I mean as a really great compliment actually. So essentially.....if you could put your hair on my head.....and then let me try and twist it into a rope (3 strand) ...I'd likely fail.....big time. But if it were MY hair....I could probably do it....the first time.

Like Shankar shredding his sitar, in the vid I posted. Some peoples hands just seem to be able to do the impossible. :)

Lady Stardust
April 26th, 2018, 03:39 PM
Thanks for your replies everyone. Wet roller sets give me the strong waves that spirals has described, they hold their shape for a couple of days until I wash my hair again. I think it might be worth trying bigger rollers so that I get looser waves, and maybe just use them on the ends of my hair or offset them so that I’m not getting root lift and I won’t need to brush out the top part. I think gravity will lend a helping hand that way.

I don’t want separated curls, I want strong waves, so I think there will still have to be a degree of brushing involved. Thanks for the brush recommendations and tips, it’s a great idea to give the brush some help in gliding over the hair.

The more I think about it though, the more I think I should avoid any unnecessary manipulation, keep my hair straight, and wear big flowers instead! I used to do roller sets quite often and didn’t see any damage from them, but recently my hair splits so easily I think I should err on the side of caution. I’ll have more options as my hair gets longer.

MoonRabbit
April 26th, 2018, 04:57 PM
The more I think about it though, the more I think I should avoid any unnecessary manipulation, keep my hair straight, and wear big flowers instead! I used to do roller sets quite often and didn’t see any damage from them, but recently my hair splits so easily I think I should err on the side of caution. I’ll have more options as my hair gets longer.

I don't see a problem in doing this hairstyle every so often. Any type of style is going to cause some damage, it's inevitable. If you really enjoy this look, do it for special occasions. No need to limit yourself on this journey. The point of growing is to enjoy your hair!

spirals
April 26th, 2018, 06:18 PM
Yes, there are other styles that don't require roller sets that are 1940s/1950s. Crown or coronet braid comes to mind. Twisting the sides back into a half-up or bun would be '20s or '30s. I do that often. And consider this: braiding is manipulating and I have been doing so every night for almost 4 years. I've made it from just past APL to BCL with relatively healthy hair and the only reason it isn't longer is that a) during that time I've trimmed off feet, not inches, because I used to color my hair and b) I tried homemade hair products for a while which dried out my hair and caused damage. I definitely don't think braiding nor roller sets nor the occasional heat style have caused the bulk of the damage.

Lady Stardust
April 27th, 2018, 03:48 PM
I don't see a problem in doing this hairstyle every so often. Any type of style is going to cause some damage, it's inevitable. If you really enjoy this look, do it for special occasions. No need to limit yourself on this journey. The point of growing is to enjoy your hair!


Yes, there are other styles that don't require roller sets that are 1940s/1950s. Crown or coronet braid comes to mind. Twisting the sides back into a half-up or bun would be '20s or '30s. I do that often. And consider this: braiding is manipulating and I have been doing so every night for almost 4 years. I've made it from just past APL to BCL with relatively healthy hair and the only reason it isn't longer is that a) during that time I've trimmed off feet, not inches, because I used to color my hair and b) I tried homemade hair products for a while which dried out my hair and caused damage. I definitely don't think braiding nor roller sets nor the occasional heat style have caused the bulk of the damage.

Thank you, you’re both right I need to relax and enjoy my hair. It will get damaged just from every day stuff and as long as I’m careful the occasional roller set shouldn’t do any harm. One of the reasons I decided to grow out my pixie cut, which I loved, was to give me options to do more styles. It’s easy to lose sight of that when I’m focusing on keeping it in good condition. Length isn’t everything to me, condition is far more important. I might end up with a shorter length that I have more fun with, who knows.