Pro-Curler

[Avalon]

I'm lucky enough to have one of these from my grandmother - it's an "automatic" pin curler. (Pic & info courtesy eBay)

My question is, have any of you ladies tried one, and if so, how did it work? For me it's excellent for making curls, but when I try to wind it with a bobby pin (what it was made to do!), I wind up with a tangled knot. Help? :eusa_doh:

 

[Honey Doll]

Interesting

I can't for the life of me imagine how that contraption is meant to work-- does it insert the bobby pin into the curl? Do you have a pic of it in use?

Seems like a nifty gadget.

Honey Doll

 

[Avalon]

I couldn't find one! lol There's a little hole at the top of the static portion, and I think that's where you put the open pin...yarrrgh Next time I play with it I'll have to take pictures.

 

[Honey Doll]

Please do!

I'd love to see it in action!

Honey Doll

 

[Faye Valentine]

i have 4 or 5 of those. i have directions that i can scan and post up in here tomorrow. the thing is, my hair is too uneven to look nice and neat. it's suppose to work to make you look like you have shirley temple curls (but closer to the scalp). I don't understand how it got mistaken for a pin curler because it's not a pin curler. I mean you COULD use it to curl up the hair and then take the bobby pin out after awhile and you'd have perfect curls. This is what the back of the directions/brochure says:

A professional curler strongly constructed. You can make all the curls you want. A few moments spent with a Pro-Curler, will make your hair look as if you had just come from the beauty shop.

A procurler will give you a complete coiffure, back curls, side curls, top curls and all. It is indispensable to women who do their own hair and a great convenience for women who wish to touch up their curls between visits to the beauty shop.

 

[Faye Valentine]

Here are the scanned directions. Hope you ladies like them or find them useful They are in order (Front, inside, back)

 

[Snookie]

Wow, what a neat device! Do you think it's designed to curl wet hair, or is it a styling tool to style dry hair? It looks like the perfect way to get those smooth, tight little curls.

Faye, where did you manage to get so many of these?

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, that is so cool! I'm gonna have to keep my eye out for one of those, although I'm pretty sure they're tough to find.
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis that can cause a lot of pain and stiffness in my joints, especially my hands, fingers, wrists, arms in general. I don't have very thick hair, but I do have a lot of it. So, putting my hair in a pin curl set not only takes forever, but can often be tedious and painful. I have only managed to complete 2 sets, and even then they didn't come out good. So, I rely heavily on my curling iron. I use 2 different size barrels for most styles, and although this can be time consuming, it is much easier than doing a pin curl set. Unfortunately, no matter how much setting lotion, gel and hair spray I use, the curls don't last nearly as long as a pin curl set. But, for me, it works. So, this vintage curling device, if I could actually figure out how to use it, would probably be a great thing for me.
I'm on the hunt for a salon in my area where I can go once a week to have my hair done in a pin curl set. I don't even want them to style it for me, I just want them to put my hair in pins, then I'll go home, sleep on it, and style it on my own. But, my efforts to find such a place have come up empty. Most of the salons I've called don't even know what a pin curl is! Next week I'm going to a salon where a woman said that she will put my hair in curlers with setting lotion and put me under the dryer. I'll see if this gives me the type of curl I've been looking for. I think for me, given the pain of doing my own hair, going once a week to have someone curl my hair for me, will make life a lot easier.
I know back in the day, my grandmothers used to go to the salon to get their hair set. My sister, who has a young son and not a lot of time, goes to the salon once a week for a condition and a blow out. It's the one time a week she feels she looks put together. Does anyone else go to the salon to get their curls set, or do you all just suffer through the pain of doing it on your own?
I'm gonna keep searching for one of these contraptions. Even if it doesn't work for me, it's a neat addition to my vintage collection. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[crystalface]

It looks like a primitive curling iron except with a place to put a pin!
That is SO COOL.

 

[Avalon]

Faye Valentine, I. LOVE. YOU.

Thank you so incredibly much for this, I can't wait to try it properly this weekend!

 

[texasgirl]

I'm on the hunt for a salon in my area where I can go once a week to have my hair done in a pin curl set. I don't even want them to style it for me, I just want them to put my hair in pins, then I'll go home, sleep on it, and style it on my own. But, my efforts to find such a place have come up empty. Most of the salons I've called don't even know what a pin curl is!

In Texas, beauty school students still have to do pin curls for their exam. It may be the same in Mass.? I would check with the beauty schools in the area. I took the cosmetology course in my high school. We had to do fingerwaves and pin curls everyday. I would have loved to practice on a real person- so check with the high schools too. I think it's very difficult to do them on yourself without a lot of practice. I've recently been trying to do fingerwaves on myself with no luck, and trust me I could do them on that mannequin head in my sleep!

 

[Faye Valentine]

You gals are lucky because you can find a lot on ebay. A few months ago, they sold for as much as $70. Now, they go for as little as $5. I had 1 already but it was really rusted so I couldn't use it. Then it became an obsession that I started collecting them. I have 2 that are useful, the rest are really rusted. I bought the other 3 for at least $15-$20 each on ebay. Now they go for so little that I wish I had waited (Well I guess it was worth it for the one that isn't rusted). Oh, and You're Welcome Avalon. I'm always here to help a fellow Powder Room Lady (Well, when I have the knowledge)

Also, Snookie, I think you can use it for both since you just leave the bobby pin in. You can take it out when it's dry or leave it in for that styled tight curl.

 

[fortworthgal]

In Texas, beauty school students still have to do pin curls for their exam. It may be the same in Mass.? I would check with the beauty schools in the area. I took the cosmetology course in my high school. We had to do fingerwaves and pin curls everyday. I would have loved to practice on a real person- so check with the high schools too. I think it's very difficult to do them on yourself without a lot of practice. I've recently been trying to do fingerwaves on myself with no luck, and trust me I could do them on that mannequin head in my sleep!

I am SO GLAD you posted this! I'm going to an event in November and I wanted to have my hair pincurled. I would never have even thought of a beauty school. There's a beauty school not far from me, I will give them a call!

 

[kirawoidan]

I got my hair done at a beauty school. They did a finger wave in the front and did pin curls to finish it. It was adorable! I don't recommend getting your hair done this way if it's damaged though. My bleached, dead hair took over an hour and half under the dryer! All of this only cost seven dollars. I felt bad for the girl who did it because it took so long and it was so cheap. I had to leave a huge tip!

 

[RaasAlHayya]

That looks awesome! How long did the set last?

I am thinking of getting an old-fashioned bonnet dryer so I can do finger waves and pincurls.

--Leslie

 

[kirawoidan]

It could have lasted for at least two days after this night, but I was an idiot and brushed it out. I should have kept it longer.:eusa_doh:

 

[RaasAlHayya]

At least it was only seven dollars.

--Leslie

 

[crystalface]

I got my hair done at a beauty school. They did a finger wave in the front and did pin curls to finish it. It was adorable! I don't recommend getting your hair done this way if it's damaged though. My bleached, dead hair took over an hour and half under the dryer! All of this only cost seven dollars. I felt bad for the girl who did it because it took so long and it was so cheap. I had to leave a huge tip!

That is SOOO adorable!!
Hair/Cosmetology schools are so awesome! i got my hair cut at the Paul Mitchell school, and it was only $15. I'd like to go back to have it set in pin curls!

 

[KittyT]

I have a Pro-Curler that I'll be posting in the Classifieds shortly!

 

[Miss 1929]

And I have another one if you need one...

I don't need two (if I only had four arms, I could do my hair twice as fast), so I am selling one.