What do you use? Curling iron, hot sticks...what?

[RhondaM.]

My hair will not hold curl anymore.

 

It is very straight, all one length and down to about the middle of my back. And I have a LOT of grey!

 

It just will not hold curl anymore...and I think it is mostly due to the grey.

 

I've been using hotsticks for years...and they used to work very well...before they stopped making a good product that held curl...and then this grey hair started coming in...

 

So ladies with long, hard to curl hair ..what do you use to hold curl? And do you live in a humid area, because I do! ON rare October days my hair will hold curl (though less and less due to more and more grey).

 

Do you use hot curlers, curling iron, sleep in rollers..what?

Also...do you use gel, hairspray or something to help? If so, what?

 

Tell me your secrets!

 

Thanks,

[Heather in Neverland]

Well, my suggestions probably won't be what you want but...I would color it (it will hold curl better) and cut some layers into it (long, heavy hair rarely holds curl). It doesn't have to be cut short but layers help.

[Amanda's Mommy]

I also have grey that used to be wavy brown. I gave up on curl and I now straighten. Much easier than curling.

[Elaine]

Well, my suggestions probably won't be what you want but...I would color it (it will hold curl better) and cut some layers into it (long, heavy hair rarely holds curl). It doesn't have to be cut short but layers help.

 

I agree with Heather. My hair is almost down to the middle of my back, but I have long layers. I highlight my hair for the same reasons that you do, and have good luck with a large bore ceramic curling iron.

 

Because it is so humid here in the summer, I usually let me hair air dry and them pull it back.

[fivetails]

Bumping this - my dd11's hair is stick straight and she *desperately* wants curls.....I actually spent about an hour the other week meticulously curling her hair into tonnes of little ringlets - curling iron & "extreme hold" hairspray used together - and by the time I got to the far left front, the right side curls were falling out! You could practically WATCH the curls droop and fall back to straight right in front of your eyes!..:001_huh:

 

I even asked a hairdresser about a perm for her - I'd been against the idea but thought maybe they have gentle stuff now that wouldn't damage it as much as they used to, but the hairdresser said they don't do them for kids of her age...something about how their hair may or may not "take the perm" yet...she said it could look fantastic for a day and fall completely out the next, no guarantees.

[rafiki]

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[Angela in GA]

I don't have good luck getting my hair to hold a curl, and I don't have any grey. I have to ask though, what are hot sticks?

[anewday]

I have terribly straight hair too.

 

I color mine (didn't know that helped, but maybe it does?) and have long layers.

 

I use a round metal brush and blow the ends dry while curling with the brush. A "shot" of cool air from the dryer sets it. It works and keeps the curl well.

[GailV]

Bumping this - my dd11's hair is stick straight and she *desperately* wants curls.....I actually spent about an hour the other week meticulously curling her hair into tonnes of little ringlets - curling iron & "extreme hold" hairspray used together - and by the time I got to the far left front, the right side curls were falling out! You could practically WATCH the curls droop and fall back to straight right in front of your eyes!..:001_huh:

 

I even asked a hairdresser about a perm for her - I'd been against the idea but thought maybe they have gentle stuff now that wouldn't damage it as much as they used to, but the hairdresser said they don't do them for kids of her age...something about how their hair may or may not "take the perm" yet...she said it could look fantastic for a day and fall completely out the next, no guarantees.

 

Irish Dancers to the rescue! I've curled my dds' hair several times, and we're talking about kids who have totally non-curling hair. See blog post here for pics of what will work, guaranteed.

 

The glop we use is from Sally's -- SalonCare Super Firm Styling Gel. It's yellow (sort of a nasty color) and comes in a jar. You will also need end papers, which also can be purchased at Sally's. And spikes, which we got from our dance school -- link in next paragraph for those.

 

Now, divide her DRY hair into 4 quadrants. In Irish Dance we have to do a little topknot, but I'm thinking you don't want to mess with that (really, you don't because the curls will not come out and you'll end up cutting the hair elastic you use out of the hair because it's a tangled mess). Take a little section of hair from the top front, about as big as your pinky. Coat with glop -- umm, maybe a quarter tsp to half tsp? -- is sort of depends on the length. Wrap endpaper around the end. Start rolling up on a SoftSpike. My 8yo takes about 2 packages of SoftSpikes to curl -- she has very fine, thin hair. My 12yo takes at least 3 packages -- long, thick hair.

 

Allow to dry. Use a hair dryer to speed it along, if desired. It may take overnight to totally dry, depending on how thick her hair is, how humid the weather, etc. Take out spikes, starting at the bottom. Do NOT comb out. The curls will last for days and days -- it helps to sleep in a hairnet if you're trying to keep them overnight.

 

An alternative -- use few spikes, then separate the curls after you take them off the spikes.

 

It looks like the SoftSpikes website has several tips, too -- I'm just telling how I learned to do it from the other moms in Irish Dance.

 

When my dds wanted to do this for Easter (not a dance performance or competition) I was able to roll them both up in spikes within an hour, since I wasn't trying to be terribly precise. I used fewer spikes. It still held for several days until they wanted to wash it out.

[NevadaRabbit]

So ladies with long, hard to curl hair ..what do you use to hold curl? And do you live in a humid area, because I do! ON rare October days my hair will hold curl (though less and less due to more and more grey).

 

Do you use hot curlers, curling iron, sleep in rollers..what?

Also...do you use gel, hairspray or something to help? If so, what?

 

I'm another one who colors the grey and keeps my hair cut in layers. The longer and less layered my hair is, the less curl I can get it to hold. My stylist also says the color helps hold a style.

 

I use Aussie shampoo, conditioner, and mousse, blow dry with a round brush, and then use a fat curling iron (I think it's a 1 1/4" barrel). Then I spray with Aussie hairspray.

 

Perms just make my fine hair look like fuzz.

 

I get so sick of all the products and time and contortions wasted on fixing my stupid hair.

 

Someday I am going to let the grey grow in and cut my hair like Jamie Lee Curtis. Shower, towel-dry, foof, DONE!! Wow. What a concept.

[Tammy]

The only thing I can use that will last is a curling BRUSH. I have used everything else....the curling iron was the worst thing I used for my hair. My hair lost all the curl before I even got out the door, LOL!

 

I live in south Florida....so I have humidity issues for sure. I do get my hair highlighted because of the grey....but the grey is mostly on the top....in my bangs.

 

When I do use the curling brush....I do not comb my hair until I am ready to leave the house. So I leave the curls untouched until then!

 

Oh...my hair is slightly layered also!

 

Tammy

[NevadaRabbit]

When I do use the curling brush....I do not comb my hair until I am ready to leave the house. So I leave the curls untouched until then!

 

Yes - same goes for me. If I really want the curl to last, I curl it, style it with as little combing/brushing as possible, spray it, then do not touch my hair until I get home. The ridiculousness of vanity never ceases to amaze me. :D

[RhondaM.]

Irish Dancers to the rescue! I've curled my dds' hair several times, and we're talking about kids who have totally non-curling hair. See blog post here for pics of what will work, guaranteed.

 

The glop we use is from Sally's -- SalonCare Super Firm Styling Gel. It's yellow (sort of a nasty color) and comes in a jar. You will also need end papers, which also can be purchased at Sally's. And spikes, which we got from our dance school -- link in next paragraph for those.

 

 

 

I think I am going to try this myself.

I went to the SoftSpike site and noticed they sell the entire package of spikes (which come in different sizes), papers and gel or spray gel.

 

I do not cut my hair so this may be the help I need. Of course I want something more subdued looking than an Irish Dancer, as cute as they are. :)

 

I don't want stiff or tight, tight curls. I want them a bit looser and I want to be able to seperate them and fix them, especially for when I am going to wear my hair up when going to church. I'm wondering what size to get for that...since my hair is almost to my hips. (I did call the number and left a message so maybe they will return my call and they can answer my questions.)

 

Have you tried the gel/spray gel that you can buy with the soft spikes? (Wonder if it holds curl as well...and if it will dry faster.)

 

Can you buy the soft spikes from anywhere else?

 

I watched the video and it looked as if they put their hair up dry, not wet, with just some gel sprayed on. I'd rather not have to go to bed with these things on..I like to wash my hair first thing in the AM.

 

Thanks,

[GailV]

 

Have you tried the gel/spray gel that you can buy with the soft spikes? (Wonder if it holds curl as well...and if it will dry faster.)

 

Can you buy the soft spikes from anywhere else?

 

,

 

The girls have a performance tomorrow afternoon, and 8yo dd decided she wanted her hair curled instead of wearing her show wig. I had forgotten how cold my fingers get sticking them into that jar of gel repeatedly. Ugh. The spray on gel sounds pretty good right now.

 

The gel we use is so strong and stiff that your curls will hold through an entire St. Patrick's day weekend of several shows spent leaping around, not to mention marching in a parade. You probably don't need something so heavy duty. I will say, though, that 12yo dd has hair that isn't quite as long as yours, and after one show her curls are starting to look longer (not a bad thing, as they are sort of weirdly tight when we first take the spikes out), so heavier hair does pull it out more quickly.

 

I have no idea where to get them. I think Target has something similar, but a different brand -- people at dance have mentioned getting some sort of spike there. As I recall, the ones at Target come several sizes to a bag; I haven't actually seen them, but heard people talking about them. I just got ours at our dance studio. And I didn't even realize there was a website for this stuff until I posted about it earlier and tried googling the brand, so no clue about different sizes and other products they carry.

 

Since dd wanted her hair curled, I took some pictures while I was doing it. I'll take some more as I take them out, then over the next couple of days. I'll post them on my blog. The picture quality isn't that great since I had the gel on my fingers, LOL. I curled them this afternoon for a show tomorrow afternoon -- that's how long it takes our gel to dry thoroughly.