Curls: The Day After and Other Things

Yesterday, I did that 90-minute damp set of spiral curls.  Since then, I've brushed and oiled my hair and put it in my bedtime bun, and had a nap. It's also more humid in the house than usual. Yet here is a photo of my hair after all of that, 30 hours later.  Much to my amazement, I still have some curls!  Also to my amazement, I can run my fingers through my hair, and my ends feel soft and smooth.  That really is some amazing hair gel.

I rarely could get my hair to look as curly/wavy as it does in today's photo back when I did heat styling.  Curls just fell out of my hair, even with hairspray.  I wouldn't touch hairspray anymore.  I like my hair to be touchable, which hairspray does not allow, and most drugstore hairsprays are quite drying.

I will reiterate that nothing makes a curl last better than a damp or wet set.

On another note, I was on the lookout for split ends today.  I still can't find any.  I suppose that they will be inevitable by the time I reach waist length, but wouldn't it be nice not to have splits? One can dream, I suppose, but I also have to be realistic.

I don't know whether my hair is suddenly getting even more silver, or whether my hair is growing faster, but it's 4 weeks tomorrow since I last touched up my roots and my roots are huge already. I will likely have to touch them up tomorrow.  I used to go 6 weeks  between touch-ups. I'm not thrilled with this development.  If my hair had more curl and therefore some height, it wouldn't be as obvious, but with my hair being so flat, my part really shows up.

Also, I want to mention to any trimmers that according to The Almanac, today and tomorrow are best day for cutting hair to encourage growth.  So if you are in need of a small trim, or even just a dusting (that's when you trim off so little, that it's just like dust), this weekend is a good time for it.

'Til tomorrow, and love to all.

How to Get Waves Without Heat: Foam Rollers

As much as I've learned to love my straight hair, from time to time I still like to have curls or waves. I used to pop in hot rollers or use a curling iron, but having given up the use of heat products, I had to look for alternatives.

One of my favourite ways to get soft waves is to use Scunci Foam Rollers.  I use the "Wavy Curls" size.  They give nice natural looking waves.

Since my hair is so straight, I do need a bit of help if I want the waves to last.  As I section my hair for each roller, I give the section a small spritz of distilled water.  Then I take a tiny amount of gel and smooth it evenly over the section.

I roll my hair inward, making sure that the ends are smoothly tucked under my hair as I roll it.  I use about 9 rollers for my hair, and I am done putting in the rollers in about 5 minutes.

Since I use only a bit of distilled water and gel on my hair, it doesn't take all that long for the curls to set.  They can set without any heat assistance in about 90 minutes.  I've had to experiment with just how much water I need to use for the best hold in the least amount of time.

I remove the rollers by unwinding them gently.  After all of the rollers are out, I leave the waves for a few minutes and then I gently finger comb.  The result is in the photo.

The Scunci foam rollers come 12 in a pack, and they are so inexpensive that it's not a problem to buy two packs.  If I want more volume and waves, I use smaller sections and more rollers.  I'll show the result of that in a future entry.

For longer lasting curls without heat for a special occasion, the foam rollers are actually comfortable enough to sleep on, and I can use more water and gel for a firmer hold.

Velcro rollers are very popular for adding a little bit of volume, but I wouldn't use them.  They are not very hair friendly, and they can really snag the hair and also tangle when being removed.

It's fun having some waves for a day once in a while.