How to curl hip length hair?

[Isilme]

Hi all!
I wanted to ask if you have any tips on how to curl thick hip length hair? I'm going to a friends birthday party on saturday and I wanted to do a hairstyle someting like Reese Witherspoon's hair in the movie Vanity Fair. I have a large curling iron, but the thought of using it all over my hair makes me tired just thinking about it, and curls made from heat doesn't tend to last very long on me. I have some sponge rollers too. If all else fails I have to buy more of them because they are way too few for my hair. Also, my hair has a tendency to only curl at the ends and don't hold it very well (and when I say curls, a curly person would probably say waves)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241025/mediaindex
Any tips would be more than welcome!

[jel]

Have you seen this article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=82)about creating deep waves by Elainehall? I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to one day!

To make the waves last I'd probably use some form of styling product - a gel or spray. Although styling products make my hair dry, crunchy and tangly, so it would have to be a really special occasion...

[EvaSimone]

Reese Witherspoon's hair looks awesome in Vanity Fair!

The suggestion I would have is to use freshly washed hair and let it airdry until it is damp but not wet. Then use a mousse or AVG depending on if you use chemicals in your hair. After the mousse, wrap your hair in the rollers and give each section a light spritz with hair spray. Then using a blowdryer spend a few minutes just blowing warm air on your hair. Let the rollers stay in your hair for a few hours.

Then before you take them out blow cold air on the rollers (cold air helps set the curls). Then take the rollers out and using a curling iron fix some of the curls that don't look right. Finger comb if you want and then lightly spritz with hairspray again.

Just a tip I would use larger rollers and not tiny ones, those have a tendency to frizz badly.

If you can I would also suggest a bonnet dryer instead of a regular hair dryer.

[Magdalene]

My hair is past my hips and I occaisionally use hot rollers- I have a set of all small ones. Big ones don't curl my hair at all.

[Dolly]

Heat won't curl my hair, either.....

I do my BSL hair in spirals with wrap snap n go rollers from walgreens. Sometimes I use Aussie catch the wave which is mousse +leave-in condish, and sometimes I don't. If you use a lot of rollers and small sections of hair, you can get some really nice curls. I put them in when my hair is damp and leave them overnight. I love mine.....they are indispensible.

I can also do it with sponge rollers, but it is more difficult to do the spiral type wrapping....it works better with longer rollers.....

[Ohio Sky]

I don't ever really intentionally curl my hair but I get really great deep waves from oiling damp hair and bunning it for the night.

[Chromis]

I've done rag curls when I was at tailbone. Just take them out right before you need to leave and try not to mess with them too much and it works out just fine!

[Isilme]

thanks for all the advise, I think I'll buy some more sponge rollers:)
Jel, thank you for the link, do you think those kind of curls/waves would work? Looks so easy, maybe I'll try that before going out buying more rollers.
Unfortunately I haven't heard of hot rollers before I came to LHC, I doubt I would find them here:(

[Sherri]

I use a pair of socks to curl my hair with sort of like rag curls but I get bigger curls. There was a link here somewhere but I can't remember where it is?

[Elainehali]

if you understood how to make the deep waves then curls are easy!


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d112/elainehali/curl-1.jpg

Just wind damp hair around a sock or rag and then connect the two ends together with an elastic. The doughnut shape should hold it's self together if the roots of the hair are trapped in the center.

(lol hard for me to explain. There are two ways to wrap it. One will hold it's self, and the other will start to unravel immediately.) Obviously you want them to hold while you sleep on them.

I did this today actually. My hair is maybe 2 inches past waist. Held like a charm!

[Isilme]

thanks! I'll have to try that, looks more like what I wanted than the deep waves:)

[goldenwaves]

I just twist damp hair into a cinnamon bun on top of my head and sleep in it. It produces beautiful, natural looking ringlets and I do it quite often. Hope that helps and good luck!

[Renee86]

My hair is to my waist and naturally straight. If I want to curl my hair for the next day, I wash my hair in the evening and let it dry. I use the spong rollers with the clip, and I also have the ones that twist. I take out the rollers in the morning to a heard full of curls, but even with the best hair spray, by the end of the day, sometimes it isn't as curly but I still like the extra body from the waves. This is what works best for my hair texture. The weight of your long hair is what pulls out your curl, and also depending on the texture of your hair. If you hair is thicker, and heavier then it will be hard to have curl last as long.

[Robbi Dehlinger]

Hip length hair with bouncy big curls sounds so pretty! I hope it works for you!

[Giggy2]

just wind damp hair around a sock or rag and then connect the two ends together with an elastic. The doughnut shape should hold it's self together if the roots of the hair are trapped in the center.


What a great idea! I use the wrap, snap and go's, but the sock idea is great for people with longer hair. I will definetly use this idea when mine reaches longer lengths.

:cheer:

[jel]

thanks! I'll have to try that, looks more like what I wanted than the deep waves:)

You do know we'll need pictures??? :twisted:

[plainjanegirl]

Yes if you try the sock type curls please post pics.



Also would you put your hair on the sock wet or dry??

[Isilme]

Jel, of course I know you need pics! I had my dad "the happy photographer" take some pics, I'll just have to upload them:) I went to the cosmetic counter and bought foam curlers, three packages of them and I had some from before too and I used all of them except three. I even went shopping for ice cream in the curlers and had two little boys stare at me, lol :D I did try out the style I wanted and quickly realised I didn't have a single curl in the scalp area but lots of ringlets at the ends so it's going to be some sort of half up or messy ponytail with strands hanging out everywhere. I got awesome curls but I think I need to let them sit more than two hours for the hair to dry (I had used some leave in spray) and now, three hours later the curls are dropping, me thinks I need some gel or hairspray;) What would be best, to gel the hair before I set the curls or spray them after I have taken them out? Whatever I use I need some leave in spray to keep the hair from unvinding the foam rollers.
It's really nice to have curly hair for once, if it wasn't such a hassle to do it I would have it all the time:D
I'll upload the pics in my album
ETA, pics in my album now! I could get used to having curly hair!

[Anje]

Oooh, I like the curls! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to have that without the work?

Better than gel or spray, I think what you want is "setting lotion." Of course, even if I knew some good brands in America (which I don't), it probably wouldn't help you in Sweden. The point is that there is some liquidy hair stuff that is supposed to help curls to hold. There have to be little old ladies who know all about the stuff....

[Isilme]

Oh, never thought about that! I know dad has told me that granny used stale beer to set her curls, hehe. Setting lotion, I thought that contained nasty chemicals like ammonia, peroxide or something that would damage my hair. I'll see if I can hunt down something like that now that I know it won't hurt my hair.
The funny thing is, my hair holds the curl much more now when I have had a 1,5 inch trim than before.

[Alethia]

I have to let my hair air dry until it's almost totally dry. I spray it with setting spray and twist each strand before rolling onto rags/socks and then coil it up. I do this in fairly small sections otherwise my hair won't dry even with just the dampness from the setting spray. These days I'd probably use Kimberlily's defrizz spray instead of setting spray.

If your hair is thick AND long, don't curl it when damp. It will still be damp when you take your curlers out HOURS later and the curl will just fall out. I do mine dry, with setting spray and leave it in for at least 4-5 hours. I unwind one section at t time, starting from the nape of the neck and I run my fingers through each section from the roots as I unwind it. This helps to separate the curl without tangling. If you just unwind it and try to deal with all the curls together - therein lies tangled mayhem!

If you leave your hair loose, the curl will drop out fairly quickly, especially from the roots, so I suggest adopting one of Becky Sharp's Grecian-inspired styles with a little support from pins and ribbons wound round the head. They will help to take the weight of the hair and give the roots lift. Hope it all turns out well for you!

[Anathema]

I did the deep waves on my boyfriend the other day, after reading this thread. Good for me that I checked back in though, since I also found the sock curls interesting. Since I had never done it before I felt a strong urge to try it out.

Pictures of the sock buns and the result can be found in my gallery!

[longhairedfairy]

This isn't quite the same thing, but kind of interesting: http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip1177.htm
I imagine it could be done without perm chemicals. I don't like that they didn't curl the ends, but it's still kind of neat.

[Shandra]

If you want curls all the way up to the scalp, I use 2 curlers per strand of hair. I use one to curl the top half (start at the scalp, and wrap the end around it), and another to curl the end (start at the bottom and curl your way up).

This gives me more uniform curl instead of more wave as you go down the strand.

[longhairedfairy]

Oh, good idea!:)

[Isilme]

thanks Shandra, I'll try to think about that. I was in city today but they only had tinting setting lotion.

[Sherri]

NEP natural energy perm?? What is that? Has anyone here had one? Details please.

[MischiefsMuse]

Elainehali have you posted this in the style articles? I am so glad you provided a variant on the rag waves! I'm really excited to have both options. Have any of you tried tying it up while the hair was dry and then misting with water after? Just curious. Sometimes my hair is too 'sticky' while damp and might be easier to keep smooth around the sock while dry. Of course, my hair would probably be curly the next day even if I slept with them dry :)

[Bene]

i don't know if this will work on hair of that length, but making a bunch of tiny cinnamon buns all over my head in damp hair usually does the trick.