Pin Curls

[Noetsie]

Hi guys I used to do pincurls on my hair all the time but now that it's getting longer it's been harder to keep the curl in for long. It's just heavier now I think because I do have been using the same setting lotion (flaxseed gel) for years and the curls are only lasting shorter now that my hair is longer. When it was shoulder lenght I could set my hair once and enjoy a week of curls, but then again it also took me half the time to set my hair then it takes me now. The point is that I don't pin curl my hair often anymore but I did today and I'm so happy with how it turned out, so I wanted to show off, here is to hoping that it holds up for more than a day!

Anyway I was curious if there are other people here who use pincurls to curl their hair and if so how do you deal with it when it get's longer?

anyway here is my hair after I remove my pincurls:
https://i.imgur.com/DG2351X.png

And here it is after the brush-out:
https://i.imgur.com/2Pc8Zfr.png

[aloewurly]

First of all, your brush-out looks absolutely gorgeous!
Second, I'd try using a gel with a stronger hold, and letting it dry more. My hair is shorter than yours, but I find if my curls are not crunchy, bone dry before taking them down, they last way less. Maybe since your hair has gotten longer it just needs a little bit more drying time. I find sitting near a room fan helps :lol:
Also, I'd watch the amount of product you're using. Too much gel can actually soften the hold you get! So can applying the gel on too-wet hair, as the water dilutes it.

[Solovey]

I use to wet-set my hair often when it was tailbone/classic as a teenager, What I found was the wetter I put my hair up the longer it last so I'd do it on sopping wet hair and against the nature of LHC I wouldn't use shampoos/conditioners that were super slippery, I even forgo conditioner most of the time as it made the curls fall quicker. re-setting at night is helpful as well if you have time

That said this time around even if I do the same things as I did before my hair tends to not hold curl very well anymore and it's shorter than it was then but I think the cuticle of my hair is less damaged and smoother so it just slips out now :shrug:

[Noetsie]

First of all, your brush-out looks absolutely gorgeous!
Second, I'd try using a gel with a stronger hold, and letting it dry more. My hair is shorter than yours, but I find if my curls are not crunchy, bone dry before taking them down, they last way less. Maybe since your hair has gotten longer it just needs a little bit more drying time. I find sitting near a room fan helps :lol:
Also, I'd watch the amount of product you're using. Too much gel can actually soften the hold you get! So can applying the gel on too-wet hair, as the water dilutes it.

Thank you so much! I'll definitely try and get my hand on something with stronger hold! I tend to apply my setting lotion on dry hair to prevent water from thinning out my product, but I never even thought of too much product also causing problem! I'll definitely also experiment with that!


I use to wet-set my hair often when it was tailbone/classic as a teenager, What I found was the wetter I put my hair up the longer it last so I'd do it on sopping wet hair and against the nature of LHC I wouldn't use shampoos/conditioners that were super slippery, I even forgo conditioner most of the time as it made the curls fall quicker. re-setting at night is helpful as well if you have time

That said this time around even if I do the same things as I did before my hair tends to not hold curl very well anymore and it's shorter than it was then but I think the cuticle of my hair is less damaged and smoother so it just slips out now :shrug:

OOohh my hair has been getting healthier so that might definitely play a role! Another thing I hadn't thought about! And I tried setting my hair wet before but it will take days to dry even when not sopping wet (like 3) And I don't have a hooded dryer attachment to speed that proces up so for now setting on wet hair is out for me but maybe in the future!

[Shorty89]

Wow! Those are gorgeous. At TB, I've never tried pincurls. It feels like just too much rolling at this length. But I've used Flexi rollers with decent success. I always do mine on damp hair. I've never tried gel because it tends to make my hair crunchy and cause breakage.

[Iyashikei]

Those look gorgeous! Makes me want to try them as well. Are rollers confortable to sleep on?

[missmelaniem]

I dont use pincurls but they are great for avoiding damage. Rag curls too which my mom used to do... similar principle but you use the piece of rag like a roller.

Your hair looks gorgeous. It would have been fun to see your hair all pinned. How many do you usually use?

[Lady Stardust]

Wow, gorgeous :crush:

Do you ever do a dry set to make it last longer? (Redoing the pincurls on dry hair and keeping them in overnight. Apologies if I’m teaching my granny to suck eggs here :)) I’ve never tried that myself and I imagine it could make my hair frizz, but I know some people do it habitually.

I used to do wet sets but I don’t know if my hair would stand up to regular brush outs so I haven’t done one for a while. I’m going the beatnik unstyled route instead :)

[Jools69]

Those are absolutely gorgeous curls and suit you wonderfully. How long do you leave them in for?

I do pin my hair similarly when curling with my Dyson Airwrap, as it helps to make the curls last longer. I’ve noticed now at hip, the curls don’t last as long. I’m guessing it’s due to the weight from the length eventually pulling them out. I also find once I carefully comb them out or separate them with my fingers, the curl seems to drop quicker.

I’ve recently bought a pack of Curlformers which had nice results without any product, but again, didn’t seem to last as long. I’m yet to see if mousse or gel may improve that.

I love the look of long curly hair. I just wished it didn’t take so long to do and last longer than it does at this length!

[Noetsie]

First of all thank you all for your kind responses!!


Wow! Those are gorgeous. At TB, I've never tried pincurls. It feels like just too much rolling at this length. But I've used Flexi rollers with decent success. I always do mine on damp hair. I've never tried gel because it tends to make my hair crunchy and cause breakage.

Thank you do much! They are definitely a lot of work! I tried doing overnight curls (pincurls, flexi rollers, pillow rollers you name it I tried them all) on damp hair but I have definitely always had better results using flaxseed gel as a setting lotion for overnight curls. When I use other gel it also leaves my hair crunchy but when I use flaxseed gel it just leaves my hair soft so I definitely recommend trying it out :D


Those look gorgeous! Makes me want to try them as well. Are rollers confortable to sleep on?
Thank you! I did a mostly flat pincurl set for this hairdo so no rollers were involved. I do use foam rollers sometimes to get my curl set but I prefer pincurling and holding them in place with pincurls because I find the flat pincurls very comfortable to sleep in, the foam rollers definitely less so...


I dont use pincurls but they are great for avoiding damage. Rag curls too which my mom used to do... similar principle but you use the piece of rag like a roller.

Your hair looks gorgeous. It would have been fun to see your hair all pinned. How many do you usually use?

Ooohh I haven't tried ragcurls on my longer hair yet but I'll definitely have to try some of those soon! And I don't have any pictures of it all pinned up but I do have a youtube (https://youtu.be/JtU_zFDy-Vc) video where I show how I pincurl/set my hair where you can see how it looks. I honestly don't know how many pincurls I make in total but it's quite a lot to be honest. Only the front section can have around 21 pincurls and let's just not even talk about the back of my head.


Wow, gorgeous :crush:

Do you ever do a dry set to make it last longer? (Redoing the pincurls on dry hair and keeping them in overnight. Apologies if I’m teaching my granny to suck eggs here :)) I’ve never tried that myself and I imagine it could make my hair frizz, but I know some people do it habitually.

I used to do wet sets but I don’t know if my hair would stand up to regular brush outs so I haven’t done one for a while. I’m going the beatnik unstyled route instead :)

Aaahh thank you so much! I have to admit I'm generally too lazy to reset my hair after the first wet set but I might just have to try it out to see if it help my hair hold the curl just a little bit longer. And I have to admit I've also been worried a bit about the brush out proces and any damage it might do on my hair, that's why I haven't minded scaling back my vintage hair adventures a bit now that I've started to grow my hair out. So I'll definitely join you somedays with unstyled route! :)


Those are absolutely gorgeous curls and suit you wonderfully. How long do you leave them in for?

I do pin my hair similarly when curling with my Dyson Airwrap, as it helps to make the curls last longer. I’ve noticed now at hip, the curls don’t last as long. I’m guessing it’s due to the weight from the length eventually pulling them out. I also find once I carefully comb them out or separate them with my fingers, the curl seems to drop quicker.

I’ve recently bought a pack of Curlformers which had nice results without any product, but again, didn’t seem to last as long. I’m yet to see if mousse or gel may improve that.

I love the look of long curly hair. I just wished it didn’t take so long to do and last longer than it does at this length!

Thank you so much! I'll leave them for at least 12 hours, most often overnight but sometimes during the day too. And I was thinking the weight of the hair was affecting my curls too! Personally I have tried mouses and different gels but the only thing I actually like using that gives me extra hold is flaxseed gel. I'm going to try and search for a stronger alternative though!

[Jools69]

First of all thank you all for your kind responses!!
Thank you so much! I'll leave them for at least 12 hours, most often overnight but sometimes during the day too. And I was thinking the weight of the hair was affecting my curls too! Personally I have tried mouses and different gels but the only thing I actually like using that gives me extra hold is flaxseed gel. I'm going to try and search for a stronger alternative though!
It’s interesting that you mentioned flaxseed gel to give you extra hold. I’ve read elsewhere that aloe vera gel can also be used as a styling product to hold styles. I have some at home, so may give that a try! ;)

[shelomit]

Whoa, those are beautiful pin curls! And you have such a lovely hair color, too. As your hair gets longer, you may want to try rag curls. They give a pretty similar result and I find that they're easier to put into long hair, if for no other reason than that it's very difficult to secure one ringlet with only two pins at my length.

I do often put in a pincurl in the tail of a braid if I'm putting in a coronet-type style; I pin the tail into a ringlet and tuck it behind the rest of the hair. Once I undo the braid, it usually has a hard hold for about three days. I suspect that one factor in getting it to hold well is probably that it gets a little bit of body heat being trapped between my head and the bulk of my hair. Perhaps you might try wearing a hat over your pincurls when you put them in, to build up a little bit of heat while they set?

[Noetsie]

It’s interesting that you mentioned flaxseed gel to give you extra hold. I’ve read elsewhere that aloe vera gel can also be used as a styling product to hold styles. I have some at home, so may give that a try! ;)

Oohh I actually keep hearing about aloe vera gel, I just have to figure out where I can buy some pure aloe gel around here but I'll definitely put it on my "to try with my hair" -list. Thank you so much for the suggestions!


Whoa, those are beautiful pin curls! And you have such a lovely hair color, too. As your hair gets longer, you may want to try rag curls. They give a pretty similar result and I find that they're easier to put into long hair, if for no other reason than that it's very difficult to secure one ringlet with only two pins at my length.

I do often put in a pincurl in the tail of a braid if I'm putting in a coronet-type style; I pin the tail into a ringlet and tuck it behind the rest of the hair. Once I undo the braid, it usually has a hard hold for about three days. I suspect that one factor in getting it to hold well is probably that it gets a little bit of body heat being trapped between my head and the bulk of my hair. Perhaps you might try wearing a hat over your pincurls when you put them in, to build up a little bit of heat while they set?

Thank you!! Funny thing about my haircolor is that I wanted it to be dark purple but somehow the salon managed to turn it into this color xD I actually like it a lot more now that the top of my hair is back to my original color. Also great thinking with the gentle heat! I recently made a flaxseed filled deep conditioner cap for myself that I can heat up in the microwave so I actually might just try and use that next time I set my hair in pincurls! Thank you so much for the suggestions! And the last time I tried ragcurls my hair was so much shorter so I definitely will have to try those out again!

[Sunny]

Pincurls are great. I've done them from shoulder-length hair to just-above-waist hair. The curling is fine, and I love the strength of the hold. I set on The challenges I have with pin curls at any length:

* My hair loves to curl so much that brushout can be extremely difficult. At longer lengths it just will not straighten out into waves. It would rather twist around itself and tangle when it's brushed. It's hard not to break a lot of hair. A Denman brush made a HUGE improvement in this, but it's still very difficult. (It's a challenge even when my hair was at Rita Hayworth length, i.e. not long at all by LHC standards.)

* Curl size. As my hair got longer I had to increase the curl size. Due to #1, smaller curls at mid-back length is all but impossible to brush out. The result is a frizzy ringlet mass. Tons of volume, but not exactly neat!

But increasing the curl size means I start to run out of space on my head for curls. They need to overlap, which makes drying time longer. Larger sections also mean thicker curls and longer drying time. I set from just-washed but slightly air dried hair, and sit under a bonnet dryer for about an hour before going to bed.

* I cannot avoid some kind of brush out. The ringlet curls straight out of the curler will tangle with each other and mat up during the course of a day. It's not pretty, LOL!

* Weight pulling out the curl. You're right about this; curls inevitably stretch out more when the hair has more length and weight. For me, stronger setting lotion doesn't make as much of a difference, but more product can sometimes increase the tangles. Which drives more vigorous/frequent brushing and stretches out the curl more.


My hair is right about classic now. Since above waist length hair, I've done a rag/pin curl hybrid to get lasting waves and texture:

1. Wash hair once a week. Let down and comb out, which will air dry it somewhat. I don't typically use setting lotion any more, but sometimes I'll spritz with Lottabody.

2. Curl: Roll each section around a form, then slide out the form to have a pin curl shape. Tie a rag through the curl.

3. Sit under the bonnet dryer for 45-60 minutes and go to bed.

4. Take it down and brush in the morning.

The curl relaxes throughout the week, especially with sleeping on it and brushing at least daily, but there is always wave and curl left until the next time I wash. Especially at the ends.

[_Melly_]

That looks sooo pretty!

[Noetsie]

Pincurls are great. I've done them from shoulder-length hair to just-above-waist hair. The curling is fine, and I love the strength of the hold. I set on The challenges I have with pin curls at any length:

* My hair loves to curl so much that brushout can be extremely difficult. At longer lengths it just will not straighten out into waves. It would rather twist around itself and tangle when it's brushed. It's hard not to break a lot of hair. A Denman brush made a HUGE improvement in this, but it's still very difficult. (It's a challenge even when my hair was at Rita Hayworth length, i.e. not long at all by LHC standards.)

* Curl size. As my hair got longer I had to increase the curl size. Due to #1, smaller curls at mid-back length is all but impossible to brush out. The result is a frizzy ringlet mass. Tons of volume, but not exactly neat!

But increasing the curl size means I start to run out of space on my head for curls. They need to overlap, which makes drying time longer. Larger sections also mean thicker curls and longer drying time. I set from just-washed but slightly air dried hair, and sit under a bonnet dryer for about an hour before going to bed.

* I cannot avoid some kind of brush out. The ringlet curls straight out of the curler will tangle with each other and mat up during the course of a day. It's not pretty, LOL!

* Weight pulling out the curl. You're right about this; curls inevitably stretch out more when the hair has more length and weight. For me, stronger setting lotion doesn't make as much of a difference, but more product can sometimes increase the tangles. Which drives more vigorous/frequent brushing and stretches out the curl more.


My hair is right about classic now. Since above waist length hair, I've done a rag/pin curl hybrid to get lasting waves and texture:

1. Wash hair once a week. Let down and comb out, which will air dry it somewhat. I don't typically use setting lotion any more, but sometimes I'll spritz with Lottabody.

2. Curl: Roll each section around a form, then slide out the form to have a pin curl shape. Tie a rag through the curl.

3. Sit under the bonnet dryer for 45-60 minutes and go to bed.

4. Take it down and brush in the morning.

The curl relaxes throughout the week, especially with sleeping on it and brushing at least daily, but there is always wave and curl left until the next time I wash. Especially at the ends.

Aahh thank you so much for your detailed response! I'll definitely have to try your rag/hybrid pin curl! And I have been considering investing in a Denman brush for a while so it's good to know it works so good for you! I absolutely love hearing how other people go about getting vintage inspired hair/heatless curls, thank you so much for sharing!


That looks sooo pretty!

Thank you so much!

[illicitlizard]

Gorgeous pincurl result! I'm really impressed by people who can make pin curls work for them, they're so pretty, and the brush out is lovely too!

[lapushka]

So so pretty. I love them best when they're not brushed out, though, even though both looks are very nice! :)

[blackgothicdoll]

So so pretty. I love them best when they're not brushed out, though, even though both looks are very nice! :)

This!

I wonder if you don't brush them out and let them fall naturally throughout the week if they would last longer. Plus you get a 2-for-1 hairstyle!

[Noetsie]

Gorgeous pincurl result! I'm really impressed by people who can make pin curls work for them, they're so pretty, and the brush out is lovely too!
Thank you so much!! It definitely took some practice but I just love the results :)

This!

I wonder if you don't brush them out and let them fall naturally throughout the week if they would last longer. Plus you get a 2-for-1 hairstyle!
I honestly have such a routine with setting/brushing out pincurls that I never considered just not...brushing them out. hahaha I'll definitely try it out though! I will probably give me at least one extra day of wearability!


So so pretty. I love them best when they're not brushed out, though, even though both looks are very nice! :)
Thank you! I always feel a bit like a doll before I brush them out and I do like that look too!