How do I get curls to stay?

[kingluke]

Hello everyone,

I have a couple of ponies that have styled by me curls. They used to be really nice but now they all have fallen out and become more like waves. I'm looking to create a really tight curl.
How come mine are falling out and not staying? is it time, or am I doing something wrong?

I wrap the end of the curls in toilet paper and secure that. Then I curl the hair around a plastic straw and secure the curl with bobby pins. I make all the curls this way and then put them under boiling water, then cold water, then boiling water and then cold water again. Then I let them air dry and undo the curls.

Is this the right method for tight curls that stay curls?

Please let me know.

Cheers,

Luke

[banditpony]

Do hot water only..

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I've had luck with just curling them after washing without using boiling water, how long are you letting them dry for? I at least let mine go overnight.
I agree that the cold water may not be helping.
Edit: oh, yeah, curls just become undone sometimes and will get looser over time.

[kingluke]

Thanks for both of your answers. I will try it without the hot water.

I let my curls dry overnight

[tailrustedtealeaf]

No, no, without the cold water. The hot water is the best way to shape the plastic.
How long are you letting them sit in the water?

[Tiara546]

Not suitable for just anyone but I get excellent results with my food dryer. Maybe an oven on 50°C would be suited as well, but I let them sit in the food dryer overnight, ten hours or so. Might be a tad long for running an oven.

I had the idea because of the hint of letting them dry on the heater overnight though, only in winter, of course. In the end, it seems to be the mix of temperature and time. In the right ratio, temperature can shorten time, but in the long run, it still might give even better results to leave the hair culed after heat application as long as can be afforded. As curls always seem to tend to loosening in the long run. I once read someone let the curlers sit over a whole month! I find it difficult to get the right point where they don't move anymore at all. Also, some hair colors take curls more easily than others.