after my last deep post, something rather shallow

It's the internet hair rage, sweeping the blogosphere: no-heat curls.

Of course, I had to try it out, because I'm all about spending as little time as possible getting ready. :)

Exhibit A: my hair in its natural state (sort of wavy)

I followed the you tube technique exactly, wrapping medium-sized sections of hair (maybe 5 each side, 10 total wraps). I had washed my hair in the afternoon, let it dry naturally, and wrapped it (almost dry, just barely damp in a few places) that night, around 10. I didn't add any product before wrapping. This part took about 10-15 minutes. Easy.

I slept all night with the hair wrapped, as I normally do, switching between sides and back. In the morning, I applied hairspray about 15 minutes before removing the band (it was around 9 am, so the hair was wrapped for 11 hours or so).

When I removed the band, my hair was REALLY curly in front, a little bit frizzy/curly in the back where I wasn't as careful or methodical with the wrapping. I brushed through each section with a paddle brush, curling the ends around the side of my palm (as detailed in the video tutorial). I did a lot of twisting just with my hands, too. I spent more time than I wanted to, probably 20 minutes with the styling of the curls. I would liken the finished product to a modernized Nellie Olsen; it was actually a bit too much curl for me. But I knew they would relax throughout the day, so I went with it. By later that afternoon, I had voluminous, large waves.

Exhibit B: various stages of the no-heat (vintage) curl technique

Top row, left to right:

hair wrapped around band, night before

hair immediately after removing band, morning of

hair after combing and taming curls

Bottom row, left to right:

back view of hair after combing and taming

hair in natural light, later that morning

curls more relaxed, in the afternoon, headed to pool

I tried again a few days later, but wrapped larger sections, and much looser. The next morning it was sort of a mess (sections falling out, unwrapping from the band) but it got a mildly wavy, beachy sort of vibe. I spent virtually no time styling the waves, just combed them out a little with my fingers. Ideally, I'd probably like something right in between my two attempts.

Verdict: I will definitely do this again, maybe even once a week. I'll wrap larger sections, but pay closer attention so they are tight and methodical I'll also try it on Maddie's hair.