The best pin curls

The best for me, that is. I’ve been doing pin curls for a couple of years and read up on tutorials all over the web and in every book I could find. There are a lot of opinions on how to do them the best way and I don’t think any of those are wrong. They just didn’t work so well for me. I came up on the way that suited me best quite by chance and perhaps some of you will find it useful too. It depends, of course, how you want your final “do” to look. You may not like the effect that I prefer. Hair quality is another factor. My hair is fairly thick and with a natural wave and reaches just below my shoulders in the back. It is also cut in a middy- the best haircut I ever had and one that really makes it easier to curl your hair.

I start with my hair wet, but again, that is a matter of preference. My hair dries overnight, but you may have better result with only damp hair. I don’t use any setting lotion, but that’s because I never get around buying some. I probably will one day and be converted, but with this method my curls lasts three days, which I’m fine with. I use a rat-tail comb, booby pins, hairclips, a brush and some pomade. Setting and lotion and hairspray could be used too, even if I don't.

Part your hair from ear to ear and comb the back hair back. I pin it up so it’s out of the way for the time being. The rest of the hair is combed forward. Make a section of hair on the top of your head, as wide as you want your curl to be. Here I have done that, in all my un-made-up glory and with glasses.



Part this section in the middle and start with the one furthest from your face. I make standing pin-curls and I don’t roll them in line with my ordinary part, but instead towards the face. To make the rolling easier and I roll my hair on an old mascara wand. On the pic I have already finished the first roll and just started on the one in front.



Roll some more



Carefully remove the mascara wand and insert a booby pins from both sides to secure it. Or hairclips, if you prefer that.





Continue to roll the hair in sections toward the face. I usually end up with 8-10 pin curls in the front. Then you roll the hair on the back in the same manner, only you roll them down towards your neck instead. I don’t part the hair as carefully in the back, but I do try to keep the crown flat.



I sleep on my standing pin curls and have found that they hold up well for that. This is what they looked like the morning after.



Take out all the pins and comb through with your fingers. I use some pomade on my fingers too to keep the frizz down. A bit, at least, sleek hair just isn’t my fate.



Start brushing. You get some really wild hair at this point. Don’t panic, it gets better.



One of the beauties with rolling the hair forward is that you can choose where to put your part the day after. I usually go for a side parting, but I’m not stuck with it as I would have been if I had rolled my hair from a part from the onset. Slightly better, but still wild.



Keep brushing until the curls behave like you want them too. I did this an ordinary working day, so this is normal hair, nothing fancy about it at all, I only used a little more pomade to define the curls better. With more time I usually comb the hair more wavy around the face, place some duckbill clips on strategic point and use hairspray to keep them.



What I like with this way of doing pin curls is that the hair gets a nice bounce, but still gets wavier away from the part, not curly. With ordinary pin curls I find that my hair sticks out on both side of the part and I need to spend a lot of time to tame it down and the effect isn’t as nice.

I hope I have explained things clearly. If not, feel free to ask.