How can I get spiral/corkscrew curls?

[WritingPrincess]

I'm taking Irish Step Dancing lessons (ever heard of Riverdance?) and my first performance is next Friday. I was informed that I am to wear my hair in a half-up with curls. Corkscrew curls. I have been trying for sometime to get these curls on my own, and have had limited success. I would really rather not do it the way the teacher said--take a section of hair, spray a ton of hairspray on it, roll it up. Repeat until entire head is in rollers, then go to bed and take them out shortly before the performance. I don't want to use that much hairspray if I don't have to. I have some "Wrap, Snap, and Go" rollers that I've had the most success with. Does hairspray wash out? If so, maybe I could use it for the performance and then wash my hair as soon as I get home. Just a thought. Anyway, any tips on getting my hair curly, and then getting it to STAY that way for at least a few hours?

[practikalmagik]

Would rag curls work or do they have to be corkscrew curls completely? Cos that way you'd have to use less junk on your hair and less heat damage if you slept on the rags?

[lapushka]

Don't they normally use these sort of wig-things? I remember seeing that somewhere. They're locks of curly hair on a comb, and I think that you just put them in over a bun and tadaaa!

[Honey39]

"SKIP" curls might do it - it depends how easily your hair takes to curling? Skip curls is when you take a section of damp hair, and kind of 'skip' it around into a ringlet (hold the ends and sort of twirl it). Takes a while if your hair is straight-ish - it worked pretty easily on me, but I have different hair to you. But it's easy enough to do when you're watching a film or something!

Or you could use bendy curlers I suppose, which would do the trick as well.

[eyesofsummer]

The only time I've seen an Irish Step performance, they all used the wigs Lapushka mentioned. I'd look into them so you don't have to put lots of sticky things in your hair!

If you have to use the hairspray, it shouldn't be that bad; as long as you wash it out later that night I'd imagine you'd be fine.

Good luck on your performance!

[Furiana]

Pin curls would be more corkscrew-y than rag curls, I would think.

[marajade]

I would think hairspray would be ok as long as you don't touch it or rake your hands through it after the hairspray is already dry. .

I would Detangle after you have washed and done a deep treatment or used lots of conditioner.

Seriously, I can't believe she isn't helping you out finding some wig/hair pieces like others have mentioned.

I've had good success with pin curls, although sometimes I get a funny wave really close to my head. . so I may not be doing it correctly.

[Tornerose]

Roll it up when wet, and let the curlers sit for a couple of days. Very uncomfortable to sleep on, but it works on me. There's also a spray you can spray on wet hair to make the curls stick better, but I don't remember what it's called. Some kind of hairspray that' not a hairspray I think.
I usually comb the corkscrews out though, I like big poofy hair. But the texture holds for over a week if I don't wash my hair, fading s very slowly.

[Elphie]

Try putting a good coating of aloe before using the rollers. I'm sure a little bit of hairspray would be ok, but you might not even need it with the aloe.

[HairColoredHair]

If you do do hairspray don't comb before you wash it out and condition thoroughly after, it should be all right.

[Morticia]

I just posted this thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=544541#post544541)on how to get spirals in straight hair.

[NurseMama]

My daughter is an irish dancer and this is a problem that we have had. The only way I have found to get the tight spiral curls in her hair are the long rod curlers overnight and tons of hairspray. To save her hair, I bought her a wig which is uncomfortable for the performance, but saves all of that damage and trying to sleep in the rod curlers!

Have you talked with some of the other students? They will give you the best advice!

[Aicha]

I used curlers like these last night and got spiral curls: http://www.anntorrence.com/blog/at-images/curlers_0510.jpg

The trick is when you take your hair out you have to be careful to pull the hair off the roller in such a way as to create the spiral. If you just unroll the roller the same way that you rolled it up, you will have bouncy waves and curls, but not spirals.

I did not use hairspray when I was putting the curlers in, but I did do a light misting of spray after I took them all out. My curls have lasted pretty much all day, but I wasn't dancing or anything strenuous like you will be doing.

You should probably practice one night this week so that you can make sure you like the result before you performance on Friday. Good luck at your performance! :flower:

[WritingPrincess]

I think I'm experimenting tonight. Thanks for the tips! I'll do different things with different sections and see what happens. If nothing else works, I'll use hairspray and just not touch it until I get home and can wash my hair and condition well.

[feralnature]

I am sure you will be beautiful and do well at the performance :)

[WritingPrincess]

Today my head is covered in curlers. It looks like a monster is on the back of my head. :lol: I wet down my hair and put aloe gel on each section. When I take them down, I'll spray them well. I hope it works!

[spidermom]

Rag curls make great corkscrew curls as long as you don't try to comb them or run your fingers through.

[Aicha]

How did the performance go? I'm sure you were wonderful! Which technique ended up being the best for your spiral curls?

[NurseMama]

How did the aloe work? Should I give it a try with my daughter?

[WritingPrincess]

The performance went well! I used the Wrap Snap and Go curlers and they worked pretty well. The aloe helped hold it, and I sprayed with hairspray when I took them down. I had the curliest curls of all the older girls, even though mine were stretched from the weight. A couple kids wore wigs, and they looked ridiculous. Way too much hair. For the recital in a few weeks, I think I'll take the curlers out and do what I call a false high ponytail. It's hard to describe, but basically I make the first wrap or two of a bun, then flip it upside down and pin so that the ends spill out and look like a shoulder-length high ponytail. That way the hair that's showing with have more bounce and not be stretched, which is the point. Thanks for all the help!

[Teacherbear]

I missed your thread the first time around, WP, I'm so glad the performance went so well. It sounds like a LOT of fun!

I'm sure you figured this out, but after taking out the roller, don't do anything to the hair. Brushing and combing pull out the curls.

I'd love to see a picture of your hair with all of those curls!

[WritingPrincess]

Yup, no brushing or combing until I got in the shower back home after the performance. I did seperate a few of the curls with my fingers.

Here's a pic:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3452766093_eae4c6d4c5_m.jpg

[Roseate]

Wow, those look great! Very spiral-y and shiny. Glad you got the curlers to work for you.

[klcqtee]

I'm not sure how well your hair holds a curl, but the way I do it (and it stays incredibly tight or 24 hours without hairspray):
Comb hair, then wash (do whatever you normally do, but with some extra conditioner, even if you are no poo), then I gently divide it in sections (about 1 inch wide), comb only one section at a time! If your hair dries before you get it all put up, the curls won't hold as well. Then, I wrap the section around my finger gently, and use a hair clip (some people call them "bannana clips") to hold the loop. I do this all over my head, then sleep on it. I find the clips tend to be quite comfortable to sleep on. (A softer pillow might help, if you have any trouble.) If your hair naturally does not do well with curls, you may want to gently mist it with hairspray when you get up, but you may not need that. Just take it out in the morning, and stretch them. Don't even think about trying to brush them! Just take out the clips, and stretch each one down individually.

With my naturally wavy hair, I can wear it, then sleep on it, and wear it again, (with no brushing/washing/upkeep) for about 4 days. During the four days it is usually in a "Shirley Temple" hair style (for those of you who know her).

Good luck!

[klcqtee]

I guess I'm too late to help with this performance, but I hope you can use my method in the future, since it requires (for me) no hairspray, and in my mind, that equals less damage to the hair.

[Darkhorse1]

I haven't read the response, but you can try:

rag curlers
Pin curls--both require wet hair/sleep over night. These should stay for a few hours without hair spray, but I have natural wave to my hair, so curl stays in my hair until I wash it.

There are mild hair sprays, and they won't damage your hair for 1 use. in fact, I found hair spray made my hair grow! :D

[Darkhorse1]

Oops! WP--those are GORGEOUS! I used sponge curlers with horrid results. I looked like Shirley temple my hair curled so tight. Again, it's because I have natural body to my hair.

Glad your performance went well! :)

[Dolly]

The wrap snap & go curlers work really well....they give my pin straight hair a beautiful spiral pattern (my siggy pic is after I combed them to fluff and separate)....if you don't want to use spray, you can use some mousse....helps hold the curl but isn't nearly as stiff....

[heidi w.]

Actually most Irish Dancer's that I've known actually wear hair pieces, or falls, or even a full-on wig!

This'll actually save your hair the most.

Hairspray does wash out except that it's hard to detangle hair before a hair wash with hair spray in it, depending on the type of spray you use.

You could do some of the suggestions here to make these curls, and use a "setting gel" to help with hold. Then a spritz of a holding spray.

But with sweat, and lights, and all that, if you're basically a straight-haired or low body head of hair, I recommend a fall to solve your problem.

Also, the fall or wig or piece is the least time-consuming in terms of getting dressed for such an event. It has the least frustration factor, and the least issues with someone complaining that your hair falls apart or doesn't look right.

Personally, if you're not getting "paid", what's the big deal if you don't have the perfect corkscrew curls. If you're doing it for fun, then the point is the dance, not your hair! But I guess I'm different.....

heidi w.