Pincurls for Medium-length Hair

Or maybe I should title this post, "Remember to set your hair before you mix your drink." 

Last weekend Wild Kat and her family stayed overnight at my house.  You know the scene; adults sitting with feet propped up in front of the campfire.  Kids running blindly with sparklers in hand.  And a few glasses of Sailor Jerry going down smooth. 

"Wait!  You could set my hair!" she cried.  Out came the spritz bottle, comb and pins.

So Wild Kat and I headed into back into the kitchen...

This is my basic pin curl set.  I did a tutorial a couple years ago and still like this simple set.  I don't set nearly as many curls as you'll find in the vintage hairstyle books.  I use bobby pins and only criss-cross them when necessary.

There are twelve curls (four across, three down) set across the entire back of Wild Kat's head.  The curls down the center row alternate direction, left and right.  All the curls on the left side of her head are rolled forward towards her face.  And the same on the right side. 

I placed three pins on each side of Wild Kat's head, above her ear.

And there are four or five stand up pin curls in her bangs.  I like a little extra height here and these won't get smooshed when she sleeps. 

After Wild Kat was all dolled up, we headed back out to the campfire, visited with Sailor Jerry until 2:30am, discussing children, local politics and religion.  Very therapeutic. 

The following morning, after Wild Kat had done chores for me (I think I like having a clone), she brushed the curls out into a soft wave. 

Wild Kat's hair was 3-4 days old and had some product in it.  We spritzed it with water as we set each curl, and she slept on it. 

Typically I do a full wet set (straight out of the shower) and use gel to help hold.  Followed by hairspray and pins where needed.

Wild Kat pulled her bangs back and pinned up a few rolls.  This is a simple, easy set that takes about 15 minutes to set the night before and 15 to brush out in the morning.  No sleeping on rollers.  No standing in the bathroom feeling your arms go numb from holding up the curling iron.  The soft curls can be left loose or brushed and pinned into many different styles.  Give it a try!