My Pin Curl Set: Part I

There are many ways to get that bouncy 1940s style; foam rollers, brush rollers, hot rollers, curling irons, the list goes on.  Of course we all know about the infamous pin curls which, I admit, were daunting at first (hence I lived in brush rollers for almost a year).  But I finally took the plunge and love pin curls!  This is the set that I do every 3-4 days. 

After a shower, towel dry your hair well and add a small amount of gel.  Draw a clean part and start in the front with stand up pin curls.  Take a small section and bend it down towards your head.  Roll it into a circle or ring, and pin through the bottom of the ring, tight to your scalp.

Do a second curl right below it.  Stand up pin curls will give you more height to frame your face.

The last curl I put in front on this side is a traditional flat pin curl.  Wrap the section of hair around your finger (keeping your finger close to the scalp if possible).  Slide off and pin flat.  This curl should land right above of your ear near your temple.  I set a total of three curls on my right side (two stand up and one flat). 

Move to the other side of your part and do the same.  One stand up pin curl near the part, rolled under towards your head.

Keep a water bottle handy to spritz hair that is drying too fast.

The second and last curl on this side is a flat pin curl right near your temple, making a total of two curls on the left side.

 Now that your face is framed, move onto the back.  Take a section at the center back, wrap around your finder, slide off and pin flat.  I typically use only one bobby pin per curl.  You may cross two pins in an X if you want to anchor the curl better.

Avoid setting your pins too high.  The crown of your head should lay flat.

 Work from the center back towards the front, placing curls in an even line around your head, just above ear level.

Curls should be wrapped/directed towards your face.  In other words, curls should roll forward.  I use a total of five pin curls around my head (not including the framing curls around my face).

After that initial line is set around my head, I return to the back again and fill in.  Set as many or as few curls as you want.  Most how-to books say to use a one inch section of hair.  I find this to be too curly for my taste (and too time-consuming).  I set a total of five more curls below this first line to fill in the lower back area.

 Continue to wrap the curls towards your face when you do each side.  Don't fuss too much if your curls aren't perfectly smooth.  The key to making any curl set part of your everyday routine is to keep it easy.

I don't sleep in a scarf, but will wrap my head on the days that I set it early in the morning.  So I'm off to bed now.  Stay tuned for the brush out...