Friday, April 1, 2011

Foam Roller Magic


For years I had been a slave to my curling iron figuring it was the quickest and easiest method to curling my hair. And you know what? It does work in a pinch. The trouble is is that lately it's just not working as fabulously as I'd like it to. My hair is at the point now where it's starting to become more and more healthy with each wash and colour (I'm a 3 year recovering blonde..that being for almost 9 years of my life I was blonde and it severely damaged my hair), and the fact it is getting very long makes it difficult to hold a heated curling iron curl for long.

As a result, I've been on a quest to find a more workable and lasting method of curling my hair. My discovery? Sponge rollers! You know them, the cheap little foam/sponge rollers your grandmother used to wear; the ones you can pick up at any drug store for a song and dance, those are the babies I'm talking about.

Wet sets tend to last quite long when done correctly. I've experimented with a few styles. From rod sponge rollers (see image below), to a sopping wet pin-curl setting, and now (the method I swear most by now), a sponge roller set. The only minor inconvenience (I find) to using this variety of wet set is the time involved in the interim; and that of course can vary with the degree of damp/wetness you make your hair prior to setting it in the roller.

First let's begin with what you'll need:

Rollers


Water & hair setting solution mix in a mini spray bottle

Comb or brush
And that is really it as far as tools are concerned. The most important thing you will need is time, and it all varies on how curly you want your curls to how wet you get your hair. Finding the perfect dampness for your hair may take a few tries. Generally I like to do a few spritzes with my bottle and just feel it out before I curl.

Start by sectioning your hair out like you would if you were using a curling iron. Feel free to use claw clips or whatever you have handy to keep pieces separate. Then you must decide how much hair you want to curl, obviously the more hair you do, the bigger curl you'll get. Next, spray away and begin to roll. 

You can roll in different directions and with different sized rollers. There are a ton of tutorials out there that can give you specific maps (if you will) that will show you what ways to roll for specific styles. When you are done, you should look like this (excuse the bath robe and iPhone photo haha)

Totally sexy, right? Every single time I roll with my sponge rollers, I instantly feel like a Golden Girl ready to meet my best gals and sit around the kitchen table for a few slices of cheesecake and gossip about sex. You know that idea isn't half bad! By the time you would be done hashing out your man problems over sweets, your hair would probably be dry enough to move to the next step.

Generally I let mine sit between 3 to 5 hours. When I'm feeling extra ambitious and exhausted enough, I'll wrap my head with a satin scarf (to stop frizzy curls from forming) and go to sleep for the night. Let me warn you that it really isn't the most comfortable sleep experience. Wearing them for the night can be a little awkward. However, if you can do it and are an easy sleeper, it can be worth it the effort; especially if your days are too full to walk around with curlers in them for a long period of time.

So you take them out each carefully, one by one and you've got your curls. Next you've gotta determine how curly you want. Going for a ringlet style? You may just want to take some styling cream and run your hands through the curls to smooth them out. Going for a more structured style? Get out that hair brush and train your hair in the style you want it. That is one part that is difficult to describe, it's one of those things you've got to feel out and do by trial and error as you above anyone else will know the way your hair behaves.

Last Saturday I did a quick style that had a decidedly 1940s feel to it.
Pinned back the sides and formed a few victory rolls at the top. As a finishing touch, the cherry on top, I chose a big and bold white orchid from Belle Blossoms.

The curls last all night, and well into the next few days. As the curl limps a bit, it makes it easier to form and manipulate new hair styles. A set can last me 3 days and countless styles. The best part is that I'm not further damaging my hair with the use of heated tools. A wet set such as this is a healthy alternative. What can I say? I swear by it. It's my ol' reliable source for curl styling.

For my first attempt at explaining hair styling, I hope I did well. I do realize that videos and more pictures would probably get the tips across better so that is something I will be looking into for next time. Thanks for reading this through and please head on down to the local drug store to pick up some rollers and give them a try.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

1 comment:

  1. The result looks really nice! I use foam roller almost daily on my fringe to create a vintage looking wave.

    ReplyDelete