As if we didn't chat about pin curls enough. . .

[Vanessa]

So. I was just curious how everyone does their pin curls. We all do them, but I'm sure there's a different process for everyone. Mine tend to be fairly flat when I pin them (using bobby pins), and I'm not sure I like that. I have a 'dent' in the curl itself that's rather bothersome.

[jitterbugdoll]

I use pin curl clips to secure them, and don't end up with any dents. When I use boby pins, I use two pins and form an 'X'--that's what my great aunt taught me to do. However, I pin though the curl, rather than completely over the top (like in your photo.) Looks kind of like this, but with the pins somewhat hidden:


To add height at the crown, I 'stand up' the pin curls in that section and pin them through the center--like this:

[CherryRed]

I have mostly been using rollers because my hair is pretty long right now.
Can you post a picture of how you have styled your hair after doing the pin curls?? I'd like to compare it to what I get with rollers.
Thanks!

[jitterbugdoll]

My hair responds equally well to pin curls, rag curls, or hot curlers (using Hot Sticks, as regular rollers are not small enough to create the proper curl.)

This is a pin curl set touched up with Hot Sticks:


This is a Hot Sticks set:



This is a sponge roller set:

[CherryRed]

Your pictures are beautiful!
I will have to give the pin curls a try. My hair is about the same length. Do you just pin them in the areas you want the curl, leaving the top back portion smoothe?

[jitterbugdoll]

Thanks!

If you would like your hair to look like Ms. Durbin's (love the avatar, by the way), curl the hair all the way to the scalp. That's what I do, and I end up with most of the curl at the bottom (which makes sense, based on the length), but with plenty of body and wave at the top.

If you want the hair to llok like this, then pin curl at the nape of your neck:


Your set will look like this:


Next to finger waving, pin curling was the hardest thing for me to master. However, once you get the hang of it, the process is fairly straight forward

[Vanessa]

Ahhh - the elusive finger wave. I have yet to learn that.

[MissQueenie]

Wow, Amanda. Too pretty for words!

[Mimi Thomas]

So, for the pincurl set...do you section off the head, or just work by small pieces around the head? What about a part?

I've never done them, and want to try it. I just had my hair tinted and trimmed today, and haven't set it yet...

[jitterbugdoll]

Thank you MissQueenie

I put my part in, and curl the sections in the direction I want the hair to fall. It is important to keep the section neat and even, and not too large or small (too large and the hair won't curl; too small and you end up with frizz.) You can create finger waves using pin curls, simply by alternating the direction of the rows (one row curled left, the next curled right, and so forth.)

This website has pretty good directions:
http://www.nocturne.com/swing/hair/p.../pincurls.html

There are no hard and fast rules--each hairstyle had its own setting guide or template. You just have to experiment to see which set you like best.

[MissQueenie]

Bleh, Amanda...I'm all thumbs when it comes to pincurling my hair. I have had some nightmarish sets...luckily I've never used a setting lotion so it was pretty easy to wash out (though my hair stayed unpleasantly wavy). I wonder if part of the trouble was the ear-length "eton chop" I was sporting while trying to grow out an even shorter style. Any suggestions that can make it easier? I've seen (and tried) advice suggesting wrapping the hair around a "curling stick", one's own finger, etc. And how do you keep the ends tidy and bend-free?

[jitterbugdoll]

Wrap papers, like the ones used for perms (these work great with rag curlers). They work like a charm in keeping the curl neat and tidy!

But really, it takes lots of practice to get it right (or just decent ) However, even with a bad set I can usually resuscitate it with Hot Sticks; the good part being that the wet set adds extra body and holding power to the hot set.

[swinggal]

I use little vintage pincurl clips to secure mine. They keep the curl flat and don't leave a dent. I use a curling stick sometimes if I have the time, but otherwise I just use my finger.

Like Jitterbugdoll says, I keep my strips of hair in one inch widths. Too much just doesn't work and I too like to only do the pin curls to the nape of my neck to give that vintage slick crown look. Waves are cool too and you achieve them by curling the curls in opposite directions in the rows. I always part my hair too and curl in the direction I want the curls to go. My grandma says there were hundreds of sets for different styles. So it wasnt just a matter of pin curling the hair all over, there was parting, direction etc.

[CherryRed]

Thanks for posting that other Deanna picture, Jitterbugdoll. I saved it for reference.
I saw a really neat beauty parlor magazine with instructions on setting styles in ebay yesterday. Now I can't find it. I think it was from '47.

[OcNikki]

I just tried pillow rollers for the first time and they worked fabulously. I highly recommend them if you have to sleep in curlers. They are like rags but they have a piece of foam in them. You can get them at Target.

[Vanessa]

vintage pin curl clips on ebay

Found these while trolling ebay. . .look to be the same sort of clip sold today, but the packaging is nifty.

[Dahlia]

A question about making the pin curl... when you are rolling the hair around your finger, do you start from the top of the hair (at the scalp) and reach the ends last, or do you start at the end and roll up toward the scalp? The Nocturne site that jitterbugdoll provided says not to twist the hair, but if I try to roll the hair around my finger, ends to scalp, it gets twisted.

[ITG]

Dahlia, it's my understanding that you start at the scalp.

[jitterbugdoll]

I start at the ends myself, and roll the hair around my finger as if my finger was a curler. You've got to keep the hair/curl flat, and you definitely do not want to twist the hair in any way. Just keep practicing and you will get the hang of it!

P.S. If the hair is nice and saturated, it will be much easier to pin curl. As it starts to dry, it will become less pliable and more apt to twist and fly away.

[swinggal]

I start from the ends too and roll them up towards my scalp and yes, wet hair works best.

The flat pin curl clips work the best for me.