How DO You Keep Your Curls?

[Kitty55]

Hi, y'all -

My hair will not hold a curl to save its life. Actually, no - today, by virtually shellac-ing my (Bettie) bangs, I got them to stay in a near-perfect scoop curl, which actually looked very presentable! But after mousse on the roots, turbo-hold gel on the strands, hot rollers and a curling iron, just an hour later they were no more.

Whilst in stage productions, I learned that I could keep my curls by spraying strands liberally with Aqua Net or some other environmental hazard, and then curling them with a 1" curling iron, sizzling as I went. Kept the curls throughout the show, but I nearly always had to have a major haircut after the end of the run, as my hair was fried. :eusa_doh:

I have read of "setting lotion," but I have no clue what that is, or its application/use/holding ability/effect on hair care. While my bangs are short (about 1" above my eyebrows), the rest of my hair is about shoulderblade length, and, as read in other threads, pretty much cannot be "done" straight, as it just wasn't of the time period (I'm probably in a 40's-50's era).

Please, I'm asking very nicely...how do you keep your curls?

 

[katiepickle]

My extremely fine hair is the same way. I use setting lotion (found in the ethnic? section of sally beauty)...alot of setting lotion...every curl soaked in it. Then I have to pin curl them (rollers don't work, don't ask me why) and let them dry (I curl the night before and sleep on them, the benefit of pin curls is that they are easier to sleep on than rollers). In the morning i take them out and hit them with some hairspray. This method usually gets me about 4 hours before they start to sag, depending on the weather and the style.

I am interested to know if anyone else has a longer lasting way...

 

[kirawoidan]

My hair won't hold a curl if it isn't a wetset. I recommend sponge rollers on damp hair overnight, letting them dry for at least 8 hours. The smaller the amount of hair, the quicker it dries too. Use bobby pins to keep the hair in a particular place, even if you have to use 15 of them. I always use aerosol hairspray or Paul Mitchell finishing spray. They do dry your hair, but hold well. I find that hairspray touch ups during the day helps a lot to keep hair steady. If none of this works, buy some hairnets. It may sound silly, but I wear them all the time, especially under hats. Hairnets hold the shape of the hair and can be nearly invisible if you buy the right color. Good luck!

 

[Lauren]

I found a new trick since I got all my permed and dyed hair cut off and my hair is more healthy it rarely ever holds in wet sets with pincurls or curlers. A friend told me this and it actually works:
wash your hair- apply mousse and brush while blow drying. Set your hair with hot rollers spraying on hairspray before putting them in. Let them cool completely. Let them out, then spray again, set your hair, then spray again. It lasts a decent amount of time- the same for me as pincurls these days. Worth a try, anyways

 

[Elaina]

I wet set my hair. Won't last. I don't have straight har, mine is wavy on the bottom and curly on the top layer and poofs too much (good thing I live in Texas where everything is big, so my big hair is acceptable.)

After that I can touch it up with a curling iron to persuade my cowlick to like flat. (I have a cowlick in the front part of my head, where a part would go. Doesn't matter if I part it left, right, middle...cowlick. Bangs aren't an issue however.) I usually use bedhed to set it, something light, not alot, then hairspray it after styling. It usually lasts about 6 hours, then a quick touch up with an iron and I can go out that night.

 

[Miss Sis]

Setting lotion is a liquid, you can put it in a spray bottle or just tip it over the roots then comb through. I don't know what brands you may have in the US but Amami and Wella still make and sell it in the UK.
It is about the only thing that will hold a curl in my fine straight hair and it has to be wet set. It does have a tendency to feel a bit crisp, but it is what people used to use in the old days. The smaller the rollers, the tighter the curls and generally, the longer they last.
The way I do mine is wash but don't condition my hair, drench it in setting lotion then set on foam rollers. Usually sleep with them in or this Saturday last I put them in at midday, sat a couple of times under a hood dryer for 20 minutes or so (about an hour and a quarter all up) and it was all dry for 6pm.
Mind you, I had to brush it like mad to get it to sit down and it was a bit frizzy by the end of the night. Unless I pin it up in curls before bed, it straggles a bit the next day but if you keep doing that it will last till the next wash.
My God, my boyfriend is a very patient man to see me like this all the time!

 

[fleur]

I have also found that in times of desperation that misting a straightening spray (one that you use with straightening irons) over my wet pin curls actually helps the curl stay for a few days... weird [huh]

 

[fleur]

I was also reading that some women use a hair rat and leave it in their bangs all day to keep a perfectly curled betty bang

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I have the same problem, and have spent the past year playing with all sorts of setting lotions, gels, sprays, you name it, I've tried it.
Now I have a routine down that seems to work. The best kept curl I get is from a damp set. I usually don't wash my hair the day I set it. The day before I wash it with Herbal Essences Totally Twisted shampoo and conditioner. I've found that this gives a lot more body to my hair.
The day I set my hair I dampen it using a mixture of warm water and either sea salt or Kosher salt. For some reason, the salt water helps my hair to curl. I could never figure out why every time I was at the beach my hair would be in ringlets by the end of the day. Turns out salt water is a great curl maker. Then I smother it with Bed Head Tigi Uptight Heat Activated Curl Maker. I bought this from a salon, but have seen it at the local pharmacy. I then set my hair. If I plan on sleeping on it I use either rag or sponge rollers. If I'm doing a quicker set I use Carusoe steam rollers. They are great. My poker straight hair gets a great bouncy curl. The down side to them is you can only heat up one at a time. But, they do heat up really fast. Also, it is really easy to order extra curlers from them. I prefer 2 of the five sizes and needed more of them. I didn't have to purchase a whole new curling set, I was able to order just the curlers in the size that I needed.
Before I click the cover on the curl I give it a spray of Herbal Essences curl shaping spray gel. This really helps the curl set. For a hot roller set like this, one that can't be slept in, you need at least an hour and a half of free time. After that time, I take each cover off the curler and hold a hair dryer to it for a couple minutes each. Sometimes I'll give a spray of hairspray to it while I'm drying, just to make sure the curl will hold. After I take the entire curl out I spray it with Sebastian ZeroG hair spray. This gives really good hold, but is not sticky and won't make your hair crunchy. If you make your hair too crunchy, it's too hard to style. After all the curlers are out and I've made an attempt at styling it, I spray it all over with Sebastian Shaper hair spray. This is more of a setting spray, and gives more hold than the ZeroG.
My hair never held a curl before, but this seems to work quite well.

 

[CA Rosie]

Setting Lotion

I also use the setting lotion from Sallys, mine is the lavender colored lotion. I get one of the cheep spray bottles and fill it 3/4 with setting lotion and the rest with water.

I too have extreamly fine hair and have found that the only other way to keep a curl is to get a perm. If I dont have one, any curl will fall out in mintues.

Once I get my hair to obay, I spary the crap out of it with "Frozen Stiff" from Beyond the Zone (also sold at Sallys). It runs about $5.50 a can unless its on sale then I stock up for year. The only draw back is that it smells like grapefruit.

As for making a curl, other than a pin curl, I use the Conair sitcks. They heat up quickly and they give me a nice base to accomplish any rolls I may need.

 

[GOK]

According to one of my vintage hair booklets, a good setting lotion can be made thusly:

1oz quince seeds steeped in a quart of water. Let cool and strain. Add 2oz alcohol as a preservative.

As soon as I can find some quince seeds, I shall be making some - but what alcohol do you think is the best to use? Some sort of jollop from the chemist or proper booze, such as voddie? I don't want to smell like a surgical ward but neither do I want to smell like a lush! [huh]

The book also cautions:

Wave set is very important but make sure it is not too thick, as youwill find it will leave a residue which many people will think is dandruff.

So now you know!

 

[ITG]

When rolling the hair I recommend combing it out with your fingers. i use a hairspray called Kendra Volume Spray Super Hold Finishing Spray 25. I paid about $13 for it at Ulta 3. It's the same stuff my hairdresser used to do my hair for my wedding and it held up really well.

 

[fleur]

According to one of my vintage hair booklets, a good setting lotion can be made thusly:



As soon as I can find some quince seeds, I shall be making some - but what alcohol do you think is the best to use? Some sort of jollop from the chemist or proper booze, such as voddie? I don't want to smell like a surgical ward but neither do I want to smell like a lush! [huh]

The book also cautions:



So now you know!

If it was me I would go for Vodka - I use it to make my dog antiseptic

 

[~landgirl~]

If it was me I would go for Vodka - I use it to make my dog antiseptic

fftopic: Ha ha! Can I ask why?

 

[fleur]

of course.... because of its cleaning properties and usually when we are camping there is always voddie on tap lol

 

[~landgirl~]

But why would the dog need to be anticeptic?

 

[fleur]

fftopic: I have the clumsiest dog in the world (pic posted in the showcase forum) and not only does he run into barbed wire once, he will do it until he has barged his way through :rage:

 

[~landgirl~]

Ah I see!Aww bless - scroll through for the 'powder room pets' thread and post some pics of him!

 

[fleur]

Will do!

 

[GOK]

Fleur, you doggie sounds such a darling!

So how much do those miniature bottles of voddie hold? 2 fl oz by any chance? lol

Since I don't drink, I'm loathe to buy a half bottle that will just sit in my cupboard, going to waste once I've used what I'd need for the setting lotion.