How to make bunwaves, ragcurls, etc. stay?

[Tiina]

I'm definitely not the only straighty who has this problem but I couldn't find anything specific enough in the search. So if anyone has any tips to share... :)

[Juneii]

I find it works best if you bun/braid your hair when it's still slightly damp. And if it falls out use a bit of hairspray..

[lapushka]

Use product of some kind. Curl defining mousse, spray, or gel, and also use something to smooth out the frizz afterwards (serum or oil).

[Spike]

Start with damp hair and MINIMAL manipulation afterwards. The more you brush, the more it will frizz (and then fall flat) and combing just drags it flat faster.

If you want waves and curls down, just fingercomb once and shake when done. If you're going for a wurly/curly updo, get the base of the do in place first, then curl and pin the resulting sproings in place.

[IStand4u]

When pulling the rags out for rag curls, to get the perfect ringlet you need to put some product in before putting the rags in and also make sure the hair is 100% dry before taking the rags out. If you blow dry them use a low setting and then wait for your hair to cool or use the cool setting and then wait 10 min or so just to make sure. Untie the rags, and pull the one end down and out. Don't unwrap them, just pull them down and they should slip out, but be gentle! This is the best way to get the perfect shirley temple curls, and if you want them looser just shake them out!

This is just my :twocents:

[torrilin]

I'd try to figure out first whether your hair is low porosity or high porosity... straight hair should be low porosity, but if you read through the straight and silky thread, it's real clear that there's some serious variance. And it's not necessarily related to chemical treatment. Some straighties are so low porosity that even styling sopping wet and air drying for as long as it takes will still leave braid waves or pin curls falling out in a few hours. And their hair might be treated within an inch of its life. Others can get pin curls to hold easily, even on virgin hair.

Next look at whether your hair tends to be dry. I've found that skin type seems to be a good rough proxy for that. My skin is dry, so my scalp tends to be dry and my hair tends to be dry. Straighties who are more towards the oily end seem to have less trouble with curl falling out, even if their hair is low porosity. And curlies are always striving for the perfect moisture balance. So trying to get my dry hair to be less dry has been helpful for holding a style. Pretty much any intense moisture treatment seems to work well for me. SMTs are easy, and don't require me to buy anything special (tho ymmv on this since most people don't seem to keep pure aloe gel on hand).

The last thing I did was really read up on a variety of methods that curlies use, to try and wrap my head around what the techniques were for. A lot of straightie default methods are explicitly listed as bad things... because the stuff we do to get smooth and sleek breaks up curl. So if you're trying for curl or wave, it really helps to try and learn the curly mindset. Otherwise you'll just help all your hard work fall outta your hair, which is kinda counterproductive.

[spidermom]

Damp hair and product such as setting gel definitely helps. Some straight hair just won't hold a curl, however. My niece longed for curls and we tried several things, but the curls never lasted for longer than about 2 hours.

[Anje]

Damp hair with gel or aloe or something worked through it should help. If anything will....

[cubedcoley]

This is a very interesting topic for me as well since I have been heat free for about 4 months now. I get amazing pin curls that seem to stay for about 4 hours then I have another few hours of waves, but I use no product because I am cone free....does anybody have any favorite "setting" gels, sprays, brews that help? I tried aloe gel, but this leaves my hair "gritty" feeling and heavy! :( And, I am timid about putting anything extra in my hair since I am trying to take good care of it by avoiding sulfates and cones. Any assistance would be appreciated! :grouphug:

[nytquill]

Pre LHC, when I was using regular drug store s&c with cones, my hair would never hold a curl, not even from a curling iron. The only things that ever worked were a perm and hot rollers. Braid waves would stay in for a little while if I braided damp.

When I went off of cones I found my braid waves staying in for DAYS at a time, until my next wash. But my hair was also dull and flat looking. Now that I'm using coconut oil shampoo method my hair is MUCH shinier and softer but once again the braid waves and such do tend to fall out quicker. Though you can still see a bit of wave at the end of the day, by the time I get up the next morning I'm back to straight.

So while I'm not recommending dry, damaged hair as a way to get curls to stay in, my point is that the shinier and more moisturized and protected my hair is, whether by cones or coconut oil, the more it wants to stay straight. When it was dry and rough after going off cones it would hold shape more. I don't particularly want my hair to curl so it's not a problem for me but I dunno if other straight-haired girls might have to choose between curls and moisture?

[Magdalene]

For me it's finding that perfect ratio of dampness to dryness before I braid, then leaving the braid in long enough. My hair takes forever to dry when it is braided, so it needs to be almost dry before I braid.

[LaurelSpring]

Pre LHC, when I was using regular drug store s&c with cones, my hair would never hold a curl, not even from a curling iron. The only things that ever worked were a perm and hot rollers. Braid waves would stay in for a little while if I braided damp.

When I went off of cones I found my braid waves staying in for DAYS at a time, until my next wash. But my hair was also dull and flat looking. Now that I'm using coconut oil shampoo method my hair is MUCH shinier and softer but once again the braid waves and such do tend to fall out quicker. Though you can still see a bit of wave at the end of the day, by the time I get up the next morning I'm back to straight.

So while I'm not recommending dry, damaged hair as a way to get curls to stay in, my point is that the shinier and more moisturized and protected my hair is, whether by cones or coconut oil, the more it wants to stay straight. When it was dry and rough after going off cones it would hold shape more. I don't particularly want my hair to curl so it's not a problem for me but I dunno if other straight-haired girls might have to choose between curls and moisture?

This has pretty much been my experience as well. I use to get perms just to hold a curl. Now if I want curls I can set it at night on the sponge rollers or do my braid waves, but its basically pretty temporary. I mostly do it to get some volume to hold updos better so that they dont slip out. If I make it really tight I might look really crazy the first day and get some drop the second day but at some point I just have to accept my type and live with it as long as I dont want to incur damage. I do prefer healthy hair over damage now. Even when I set it I dont like the way the ends feel crunchy even if I use end papers to roll. Going coneless did help with volume alot and I have much more lift then previously but still wont hold a curl for long. I do enjoy variety, so when I do want some curl I set with aloe on damp hair and just enjoy what I get for as long as it holds then go back to putting it up.

I do want to mention that I got some nice curls from using my Caruso steam rollers. I dont like to do it alot, again because of possible damage, but for a night out I get lots of curl and volume for the evening. Got lots of compliments last time I did it!

[Angeletti]

I'm not that experienced with using bun curls yet, but when it comes to doing my sponge curls and braid waves the biggest thing that I have to do is let them stay in my hair braided or with the curlers at least overnight and some of the next day. I usually put them on damp hair, but not sopping wet, and then they will be completely dry the next day. When I've put them in and taken them out the same day before my curls and waves didn't last nearly as long.

[ddiana1979]

I have very straight hair too, and curls seem to just slip right out of it within 30 min. to an hour if I don't use products to help.

Things that have worked for me:

Wash 'N Curl shampoo (http://www.washncurl.com/products.shtml). . . I haven't used it in a long time, so I don't know if the ingredients would be considered LHC approved. ;)

Using Goody Pillow Soft Curlers (http://www.amazon.com/10-PCS-PILLOW-SOFT-CURLERS/dp/B001V9EMOO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1291413258&sr=1-1) after I've put a liberal amount of aloe in damp hair, and sleeping in them overnight.

[MissManda]

The way I get bun/braid waves and rag curls to stay in my hair is to make sure that my hair is completely dry by the time I take the bun/braid(s)/rags down. If my hair is the least bit damp, the curls/waves will fall out within a day. For a while, I thought that my hair would curl better when completely dry and with a little oil+AVG, but that is not the case. Since my hair takes forever to dry it really holds on to the moisture and it can appear to be dry when it actually isn't. I'm still learning the subtle differences between the barely damp and completely dry hair because they can be so difficult to tell apart.

[Belledandy]

I second the aloe in damp hair trick! Also, make sure hair is completely dry and/or cool before taking out. My wedding hairdresser rolled the curls back up and pinned them to the nape of my neck after styling and I took the clips out when it was show time. I imagine a snood or net would be useful too.