Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Desilu on July 23, 2013 at 6:56am

The way I get my curls to last (at least two days; if not, one day with 2 days of awesome brush out!) is by setting it for as long as possible. I usually get 2-3 days off in between work shifts (don't get me started on that!), so I will do a wet set. I've used Garnier's Wonder Waves with Garnier's root booster, also used Suave's curl mousse (which is a very light curl setter and great if you just want a little body, but not so much for pincurls and curlers - it doesn't last); now, I'm trying out Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls and the Quick Curls. I like Miss Jessie's in that there is no crunchiness there - the curls are touchably soft and awesome. The other does give me curls, but if I'm not careful, I end up with crunchiness. Anywho, I do the sides and front of my hair in pincurls and the back in curlers (usually). I wrap the back with a bandanna, and leave it in for 2 days before I have to go to work. When I take the curls out, I always let the hair sit for at least 5 mins before I start styling. Since I usually wear the back curly on day 1, I leave the back curls alone, and usually fingercomb them and hair spray them. If I'm doing a barrel roll in front, I make sure it's day old hair (another reason to set for longer than one day), and do a small (tenny) back tease, and spray both sides of the hair, then using my finishing brush to comb it all the way through, then roll. I really hope that makes some kind of sense!!

I also learned from Cherry Dollface (and Lisa Fremont St - she's awesome as well), but I finally figured out that 1. it's not rocket science, 2. the harder I tried, the harder I failed (and therefore the worse my hair looked) and 3. when I relaxed and started playing with my hair and different designs, I actually became quite good at doing the hair. And 4. (most importantly) PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Find the product that works for your hair and stick with it, you'll get it.

Hope this helps!!

Desilu xoxox

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer McKeever on July 23, 2013 at 9:35am

I follow Cherry Dollface too and she usually curls her hair with a curling iron and then puts them in pin curls, let your hair cool completely before styling, that usually works for me, I spray them with hair spray while they are in the pin curls just to make sure the curls stay, or you can pin curl your hair wet and leave it overnight :)

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Permalink Reply by Miss Angela on July 23, 2013 at 5:04pm

Thanks for the advice, ladies. I may play around with a few more products, too...I may need a better kind of hair spray! Also, I haven't done a wet set before so it may be something I need to try!

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Permalink Reply by Amber on July 23, 2013 at 5:41pm

Like Desilu the only way to get my hair to stay is a wet set. I suck at pin curls (seriously - combs go flying across the room followed by some f-bombs). Instead I use good old sponge rollers from Walgreens. I use this setting lotion: http://www.target.com/p/jane-carter-solution-wrap-and-roll-8-fl-oz/...

It makes your hair stay and it's not crunchy. My curls stay super soft. To make my set last a couple of days I pin the curls back up using pin curl clips, spray lightly with setting lotion (LottaBody mixed with water) and wrap my hair in a scarf when I sleep.

The only exception to any of this working is humidity - that's when my hair goes in a scarf or pony tail haha.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer McKeever on July 24, 2013 at 9:52am

LOL!!

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Permalink Reply by Lady K on July 23, 2013 at 7:23pm

My hair is fine and straight and it pretty much resistant to staying curly or wavy.  The only product that has worked for me thus far is Lottabody, but I haven't tried the Jessie's Pillowsoft curls that Desilu mentioned yet.  Also, I found that wet sets do last me much longer than heat styling.  I use Lottabody to set my hair in pincurls overnight, brush them out in the morning and hairspray hairspray hairspray. 

If your hair doesn't hold a curl well, I would also maybe experiment with some retro updos?  Lisa Freemont has some great hairstyles for humid weather, and she has mentioned before that her hair has a hard time holding a curl in humid weather as well.

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Permalink Reply by Shy Anne on July 24, 2013 at 4:09am

If I pincurl my hair I get about two hours of awesomeness and then I get little wavy things, but I usually get that by curling wet and then spraying my hair until it's wet again once it dries and letting it set again. I have better luck with mermaid curls though because those I can just spray with brushable hair spray and good to go 

Great question by the way!!

I think I have the same problem as LadyK my hair is really fine and light. Definitely going to go shopping for some of these products that LadyK and Desilu mentioned! I also have a problem that my hair is really long and when I curl it, I have to do millions of curls in order to avoid having big foofy bits on top of my head that weren't curled tightly enough ha! 

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on July 24, 2013 at 7:09am

Hey Brandy -

I know that ordering directly from missjessies.com won't ship out of the US (which is why I sent the order to Leanna's cousin to take over), but they are now also in target, so maybe you'll be able to order it that way. I recommend it because it gives me the curl without the crunch, but if I want a strong, no-nonsense, non-straightening wet set, I use the Garnier. I get a crunch if I use a little too much (and there is a fine line between perfect and too much product), but it holds the curl for the entire three days that I leave my hair alone for. I just prefer the gradual lessening of the tight curl to just body and stylish.

Also, I cannot emphasize enough the wonder of 2nd (or 3rd) day hair - day 1 is never perfect, hold fails, and is a nuisance in general. Days 2 and 3 are the zen of pinup hair.

One last note: when I first started doing vintage hairstyles, I tried hot curlers and curling irons, including doing Cherry Dollface's recommendation of pinning the curl until it cools completely, and using a little spray on it. But:

1. My hair is too heavy and literally pulls the curl out. Seriously. By the 3rd hour, it looked like I had not curled my hair, and we all know how it looks when you walk out of the house with a great styled 'do, and a couple hours later, your hair looks like wth?... yeah... no bueno (for me)

2. As a redhead, I color my hair regularly. And while coloring can be beneficial in some aspects, it can also be extremely damaging. Add to that the heat from hot curlers and curling irons (and straighteners), and my hair was turning into a nightmare. Add to that hormones, stress, and all those other things that affect our hair's strength and awesomeness, and well, again, no bueno. So I wanted to go as minimal as possible, and giving up my coloring is not going to happen anytime soon. Gave up heat (because any of the heat protectant sprays weren't really doing anything for me) and started wet sets. 20mins = 3 days of great hair? Hell to the yeah! And (this is for Amber) I am not perfect at setting pincurls, but the more I practiced (and less I looked in the mirror for whatever odd reason) the better I got. I don't use the foamy curlers Amber mentioned because I get the dent in my hair from the closing bar, but I use a plastic curler that has a "cap" (I'll see if I can find them online so ya'll can see what I'm talking about). I pincurl the front and curler the back (literally dividing my hair in half) mainly so that I can wrap a bandanna around it and run errands looking like my hair was intentionally done this way and styled (not just a wet set setting!).

3. I have found after lots of years of experimenting that washing my hair daily actually does more damage and I cannot actually style my hair; it won't hold anything. Then I started paying attention to articles on hair, and they recommended that you wash at the earliest, every other day.

4. I like Miss Jessie's alot because their products are non-chemically altering, which means all bueno stuff. I know this is more important for ethnic hair, but I firmly believe it's just as good of a thing for mine too.

5. Trim your hair regularly. I can usually tell when mine needs a trim because it starts losing curl faster.

Hope this is all helpful for everyone!!

xoxox

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Permalink Reply by Miss Angela on July 24, 2013 at 6:57pm

So I think I'm going to go out and buy myself some wet set curlers (would be interested in seeing the kind you have, Desilu, because I've only seen the foam ones with bar), and I suppose the setting lotion? Sounds like LottaBody is the way to go...can I get that at Walgreens and places like that?

My hair is super thick, long and heavy, so curls fall out fast. I just bought hot rollers (which worked well for about 20 mins before curl started falling out) and on top of that my hair is so thick I had to buy two sets just to cover my head in the curlers... I'm hoping for better luck with the wet sets!

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on July 24, 2013 at 8:09pm

These are IDENTICAL to the ones I have... but I purchased mine about a year ago or so, at KMart. I think they were $2 or $3 for a set of a dozen (but I don't completely remember). They also came with a smooth set of curlers; same plastic, size and closure, but instead of having like mini-combs on them, they are perfectly smooth. I read somewhere (a couple of places when I went searching) that the ones that have the minicombs on them (like the pic), it helps with de-frizzing. Hope that helps. The Lottabody I can't help with; other than the Miss Jessie's, the Garnier Products I can find at WalMart, KMart, Target... just about anywhere.

Hope that helps clarify!

Oh, and I make sure my hair is not soaked (made that mistake a couple of times... oops), but damp instead. The products seem to work better this way, plus it doesn't take as long to dry. I have the same problem with the hot curlers - heavy thick hair which pulls the curl out. A wetset is the only way to go for me, unless it's an emergency or I need a touch-up on day three. And then, I make sure I pin them after I take out the hot rollers until they are cool, then I blow the hair dryer's cool function over them for a few minutes to help set.

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Permalink Reply by Ms. Natalie Ruth on July 25, 2013 at 10:11am

I found the LottaBody setting lotion at Sally's Beauty Supply.  It was less than $10 and you'll need a spray bottle because you mix it with water. (it has the directions on it).  This is the only product that that has worked for me as well and I spray it on my hands and work it through my hair as I go but you can spray directly onto your hair too. =]

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Permalink Reply by Julie Wanda on July 26, 2013 at 8:46am

I also get a good, long-lasting set with a dry set, not a wet one. I use something like Lottabody or a product called "Black and Sassy" (it's a foaming setting lotion) and just put a little on and then set my clean, dry hair on sponge rollers, put it up in a doo-rag and I usually sleep on it, then style it. Voila! I can get curls for 2-3 days like that without the denting that some folks have said happens with wet sets. I'm also a fan of only washing your hair every 2-3 days and then only at the scalp (my hair is color treated and dry at the ends). It seems the "dirtier" it is, the better it styles!

PS I got the Black and Sassy at Sally's (beauty supply) but I am going to try the Lottabody or Miss Jessie's next as I have heard good things.

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