Hair Help Please

Im_NotPerfect
Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm looking for advice from anyone with experience curling LONG hair.

My daughter has hair down to her waist. I was planning on curling it for Christmas pictures on Saturday, but I've never done that (she's 3). It's pretty thick and heavy, so I know the curls won't stay for long, but any tips and tricks would be very helpful. Any advice on the best way to do it? Should it be clean or maybe a day dirty? Curling iron and hair spray?

Edited to add this picture of her hair to give you all an idea of what I'm looking at...

renn4-1.jpg

Thanks!
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Replies

  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    bump
  • lavieboheme1229
    lavieboheme1229 Posts: 448 Member
    give up and straighten it! LOL!
  • Dub_D
    Dub_D Posts: 1,760 Member
    use a round ended straightener, that is the only way I can get curls to hold in my hair. look up you tube videos for instruction.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    LOL! It's already straight as a stick! I wanted to do something a bit different with it this year since it's typically in the SAME style with every picture!
  • jenbit
    jenbit Posts: 4,252 Member
    OK first you might want to duck tape her to a chair.....J/K maybe


    what we do in my house ... Wash it ,blow dry it set it with hot curlers then use a curling iron and lots of hair spray
  • Sarah1023
    Sarah1023 Posts: 194 Member
    I would recommend day old hair. Spray with good hairspray first, all over, curl in smal sections and respray. Prolly best to do right before the pics.
  • Carlyannabelle
    Carlyannabelle Posts: 621 Member
    I usually put mousse in it and let it dry, then use hot rollers...Seems to last a lot longer that way.
  • BoatReadyBody
    BoatReadyBody Posts: 376
    Heatless curling. It is so easy and turns out beautiful here is the link. My neice loves to have hers done she is 5 though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLeSKaPaUOA
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    you could maybe try the really old fashioned way of rags overnight and supplement with curling tongs in the morning


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxgwbWc5Yiw

    http://www.wikihow.com/Curl-Hair-with-Rags

    http://www.vixen-vintage.com/2009/05/how-to-do-rag-curls.html

    martyxx
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    OK first you might want to duck tape her to a chair.....J/K maybe


    LOL! Luckily I've had to mess with her hair since she was about 8 months old so she's used to it. I just stick her in front of some cartoons and she's good to go!
  • JustANumber85
    JustANumber85 Posts: 644 Member
    I have naturally curly long hair and i perm it (to give it definition). I would try it both ways now and see what works. Try it dirty and try it clean. You could use a curling iron or bigger curling rods (hot metal work better than those foam ones).
  • Tw1zzler
    Tw1zzler Posts: 583
    Rag curls work well... just allow lots of drying time.
  • wildcatnyc
    wildcatnyc Posts: 2,410 Member
    It should be dirty, washed the previous day with some sort of mouse added after it was washed. Spray with hairspray before curling, make super tight curls on each 1 inch piece of hair (curl entire strand not just the end), hair spray, finger toussel...Pinterest has some really good tutorials.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    When I was younger and I had very long hair I sometimes curled my hair with benders or hot sticks. It is a pack of long, skinny sticks (they are usually blue and pink). You curl the hair around it and then bend or twist it to hold it there. I put those all over my hair (they would be heated by the pack they came in that I plugged in). I would leave them in until they cooled and until I was ready to get ready. Then I would unwind them. Don't comb or brush the hair. Use your fingers to arrange the hair nicely. Then I would put the front back in barrettes of some sort. In my photos there is a picture of me with flowers in my hair and in that picture I had used hot sticks to curl my hair (The picture was taken at the end of my wedding). That's all I know. I would spray with a light hair spray afterwards as well.

    The picture in my ticker shows my hair with waves from leaving braids in my hair.
  • BoatReadyBody
    BoatReadyBody Posts: 376
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJKdHglFck sock curls. I think heat is no good for young hair.
  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
    Would your three year old sit still long enough for you to curl her hair with a VERY HOT iron? Also, I'm sensitive to hairspray fumes, and I'm 29. Would she be able to handle it?

    That said, I already have curly hair, but I've run into situations before I've had to use a curling iron. Take a section of hair, comb all the knots out. Mist finely with hairspray, then curl with the iron. When all the hair you want curled is done, mist again with hairspray.

    There is no guarantee this will work, though. So I would test a few days before you plan on taking pictures.
  • carebear7951
    carebear7951 Posts: 404 Member
    Haha! I have/had super straight hair and my mom used those sponge curlers on mine when I was little. You sleep on them and wake with curls. Try it ahead of time though in case it's not what you want. Mine is not thick but is verrrrrrrrry fine (ie--holds NO CURL!) Also, if I wanted to curl my hair as an adult when it was long'ish...I would do very small sections using a smaller barrel and hold it for a minimum of 60 secs and spray it with hairspray while on the barrel. :) Good luck!
  • deep220
    deep220 Posts: 52 Member
    I have had long hair my entire life. My hair is pretty thick and my mother alittle sadistic... LOL She would put me to bed with with damp hair rolled up in curlers... they last the best then when you take them out in the morning and spritz them. I know your daugter is young but keeping curls on a kid just doesn't work well. I think when I was younger my mom wrapped them in a scarf so I wouldn't knock the curlers out while I slept. Otherwise I recommend making a hair appointment.
  • alvalaurie
    alvalaurie Posts: 369 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJKdHglFck sock curls. I think heat is no good for young hair.

    ^^^THIS!! As a former hairstylist, I agree with keeping heat out of youngsters hair as long as possible. Plus I tried this on my 17 yr old daughter & it turned out beautiful!
  • goldfleck
    goldfleck Posts: 6
    I would try a sock bun with slightly damp hair overnight and see how it turns out.
  • snoopytwins
    snoopytwins Posts: 1,759 Member
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rdfgu3zqY4

    Headband curls. I do this on my 4 year old's hair.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
    Tonight -- wash and towel dry her hair .. you can create lovely and even waves by braiding her hair damp and leaving them that way until Sat. morning.

    See if you can make a salon appt early on Sat before your picture session (don't know what time pictures are) .. and see if they can do a style then after you undo the braids :-)
  • slap1225
    slap1225 Posts: 487 Member
    I used to curl my cousins hair when they were about that age... my suggestion is to be sure to give yourself plenty of time to finish (half curl look is bad for pics) and partial buns tend to be alot less time consuming,(just pull out strands to curl) spirals are adorable on little girls ... the longer the hair the better for a spiral curl and when they start falling they still looks good! I mouse is better (doesnt get sticky) then finish with hair spray. And be sure to tell her how beautiful her hair looks all day long, the more compliments the longer the hair will last lol.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    I have curly hair and I found the curl booster moose it is awesome just scrunch it through wet hair and let it air dry. It works best with hair that is shoulder length :)
  • lavieboheme1229
    lavieboheme1229 Posts: 448 Member
    I'm telling you. That hair is not going to curl. I've had hair like that my whole life. It's just going to fall in 2 hours and look a hot mess. It is what it is. Braids are your friend
  • plynn54
    plynn54 Posts: 912 Member
    i got a deep waver iron, by bed head, doesnt make curls, but a nice wave, might hold better
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    I'm telling you. That hair is not going to curl. I've had hair like that my whole life. It's just going to fall in 2 hours and look a hot mess. It is what it is. Braids are your friend

    Eh...I'm gonna give it about 30 minutes before falling out! LOL I do braids all the time and when I take them out, it takes about 10 minutes for the waves to disappear! But pictures are at 8:10 in the morning, so I'm hoping if I do it right before we leave, maybe it'll stay long enough for pictures. Then it can fall out! LOL She's wearing a headband too. I think I'm going to try the sock curls. Maybe I'll try that tonight to see how it works....
  • diddyk
    diddyk Posts: 269 Member
    Curlformers.

    I have curly hair, which is usually a mess. When I want a polished "spent hours with a curling iron" look I use curlformers. With enough gel/mousse you could get them to hold well. (I don't need much because my hair holds the curl.)
  • _GingerSnap_
    _GingerSnap_ Posts: 339 Member
    I used to be a stylist, my advise:
    Start with day old hair. If it looks little greasy then grab some dry shampoo which will also give it some texture to hold a curl.
    I would say hot rollers, give a blast of non-aerosal hairspray, and let them cool completely before taking them out-even if she walks around for awhile with them in might be a good idea too.

    Good luck!
  • Tannedtiffers
    Tannedtiffers Posts: 558 Member
    sock bun!!!

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