Saturday, April 06, 2013

How to curl little girls' hair

Oh my, it's been a month.  What a lot has happened....we've discovered we must relocate for D's job, and we have sold the house.  We sold it quickly which was a relief as keeping it tidy was basically a full-time job, and our agents did a sterling job.
So this blog post...every time I curl my daughters' hair I get asked about it.  No, I don't use tongs or irons or anything like that, do you think I'm mad?  Having said that, someone once asked me if I straightened the Bug's hair when she was about 18 months old!

It's very very easy, it just requires a bit of pre-planning.  So she needs to dress up as a princess for the Reception class ball?  Well, everyone knows princesses have curly hair, so the night before the ball you put her hair in rags.  Yes rags.  Just get some old cotton item and tear it into strips about 1 inch wide and 4 or 5 inches long.

You need the hair to be just a bit wet.  You can either spray it with some water, or I tend to use a detangling/conditioning spray.  Start at the front and take a small section (the amount you take will control how tight the curls are.  Practice makes perfect) and spray it, then wrap the ends around the middle of one of the rags, and start to roll it up (folding the ends under).



Roll it right up to the scalp and then tie in a granny knot (the only knot I know).


Do this for the whole head! Don't do it too tight, remember she's got to sleep with her head like that!


Send her to bed.

When you unwrap the secret is to do it slowly and DO NOT BRUSH!  Just run your fingers through it a bit and maybe put some anti-frizz in there.

Here's the before and after shots:


This will work even on poker straight hair, I promise.  It just won't last as long.  Bug's hair will stay like this for one day, but the Bean's will be curly for 3-4.