Set Hair
Before tools such as straighteners, curling irons and hot rollers became available, women had to learn to set their hair without heat. They curled their wet hair with various sizes of rollers, letting their hair dry into the desired style. And while many modern hair styles today have abandoned setting, rollers are still a great way to create curled locks that last. It's also safer to style your hair without heat. Following a few simple steps will result in classically curled hair.
Contents
Steps
Preparing Hair to be Set
- Choose your curlers. The size of your rollers will determine the size of your resulting curls. Larger rollers will create larger curls and waves, while smaller rollers will create tight, pin, spiral or bouncing curls.
- Don't forget to consider the length and weight of your hair when choosing your rollers. Long and thick hair will naturally result in looser curls than short, fine hair.
- The ideal type of rollers will also vary based on how you plan to set the curls. For example, Velcro rollers will be easier to set using a hair dryer, but if you plan to sleep in the rollers, you'll be more comfortable with sponge or bendy rollers.
- Wash your hair. Shampoo your hair thoroughly and rinse. Use conditioner if that's part of your general hair-care routine. Rinse completely and gently towel dry.
- If you want to use leave-in conditioner, now is the time to apply it.
- Comb through wet hair so there are no tangles.
- Prepare hair for setting. Apply a styling product so your hair will better hold the curls once they are set. Remember, where there is more product, there is generally more hold. Choose from mousse, gel, hairspray or even thermal-activating setting spray. You can customize your curls by spraying just the ends of your hair for curls at the bottom, or spray the roots and underneath for voluminous waves.
- Section hair. Part the hair into three sections, one on top and one on each side of your head, leaving the back hair loose. Placing curlers in one of these sections at a time will provide much additional ease to the process.
- Pin sections down with long hair clips.
- Fill a spray bottle with water and keep the hair wet as you are rolling it. There are no set times when to dampen the hair, just spritz it when you feel it is too dry to work with.
Wrapping Your Hair with Rollers
- Begin rolling the topmost section of hair. You will use larger rollers for the top sections, then gradually move down in size as you get toward the bottom of the head.
- Split each of the three sections into smaller sections about the width of your roller and no more than 2 inches thick. You will ultimately roll the sections in the direction you want the hair to fall.
- Secure the hair between two fingers. Now, smooth the ends of the hair around the roller, holding them down until the roll is started. Continue rolling until you get to the scalp.
- Repeat with the next roller section, duplicating what you did with the first.
- Keep in mind what direction you want the curls to fall, toward or away from your face. Place the roller on whichever side you’ve chosen, and wrap from there. For most hairstyles, rollers on the top of the head will be rolled backward, away from the face.
- If you want curls that don't fall uniformly, roll the hair in various directions. If you roll some sections of hair forward and some sections of hair backward, your curls that look more natural.
- If you want small, tight curls, use the smaller rollers in your set. Use the medium-sized rollers for larger classic curls.
- Start on either side of the top and complete the steps you performed above. For most hairstyles, the side rollers will be rolled in a downward direction.
- Move from the top of this side section to the bottom of it (at the ear area).
- You will begin to use gradually smaller rollers at the bottom of this section of hair, ending with the smallest you use.
- If you want an outward flip at the bottom of your hairstyle, roll the bottom curlers in an upward direction.
- Go to the other side section and roll as discussed above.
- Divide the back area into three sections, if it is not already done. Roll as described above from the top of each section of hair to the bottom.
- Make sure you use smaller rollers as you near the neckline for all of these sections.
Setting and Styling Curled Hair
- Allow rolled hair to completely dry. Sit under a hair dryer for 30 minutes before checking to see if your hair is completely dry. Remove one roller first to be sure it is dry. If not, add 10 to 15 minutes with the hair dryer before removing the rollers.
- If sleeping on your rollers, don't remove them until morning. Be sure and test one roller before removing the rest.
- Remove the rollers. Unwind each roller at a time when your hair is completely dry. Work slowly to avoid tangling your hair. You'll find it easiest to remove the bottom rollers first and work your way up to the top sections of hair.
- Style curled hair. Once the rollers are out, brush out the curls to loosen them. Be careful not to over do it, since your curls should keep their shape for two or three strokes, but any more might cause them to fall out.
- You can also use a pick or simply run your fingers through the curls to separate them and add some volume.
- Finish your hairstyle. Once you've reached the desired curls and volume, you can complete your hairstyle. For long, loose curls, you're already finished. But you can also tie back your curled hair or secure it in place with hair pins or barrettes, just as you would if it were straight.
- Set the style. Once everything looks just as you desire, complete setting your style by spritzing it with hair spray. Choose a spray with your desired effect, whether it's light and natural or stiff and set in place.
- Finished.
Tips
- Turn your sections sideways for spiral curls.
Things You'll Need
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Hair products such as mousse, gel or styling spray.
- Spray bottle and water
- Towel
- Large hair clips
- Small hair clips
- Various sizes of hair rollers
- Hair dryer (optional)
- Hair spray
