How not to do a curlformer set: Part 2
Yep, *ucked it up again! – May 2014
Over the years I’ve jumped onto a few bandwagons. I’ve embraced shea butter, co-washing, finger detangling and early last year I jumped on the curlformer bandwagon.
I bought two packs of 40 extra long and wide Curlformers (the pink and orange ones). I’ve used them twice! Once on the early May 2013 and again on the late August bankholiday. And now this ‘£90 investment’ sits on my wardrobe shelf. Just out of reach from any possible everyday use.
There have been several points during the year when I contemplated getting out the step ladder and bringing them down. But then I remembered the tangled aftermath of August and the Shirley Temple curls of May that dropped in hours.
dry and tangled post curlformers – Aug 2013
For me the curlformer equation reflects a lot of effort and time for a very short lived outcome. But despite this unfavourable cost/benefit ratio I’m going to try them again. It’s a bankholiday weekend. I’m a do my hair.
It’s a well known truth that any self respecting afro hair style is at least a few days in the making. So I start laying the ground on Saturday for a style that I will wear on Monday.
Saturday: epic detangling session followed by a co-wash
I was only meant to pre-poo and co-wash my hair, usually a 2 hour job, but then I committed the cardinal error of afro hair styling: I took it down, to pre-poo, when it was still a little bit damp. Cue shrunken mess and a 4 hour detangling and pre-poo session.
Oh dear! I took my hair down wet
I pre-pooed using Tresemme’s natural with a lot of olive oil (I think of it as a silicon substitute).
I twist it up as I go. I end up with 11-12 sections. I pop on a showercap, two t-shirts, and wrap it up for a while.
I’m exhausted and I retire for a power nap. Whoops! It turned into a sleep. I wash it out 4 hours later
For the first time I’m standing up in a shower to do this rather than bent over with my head in a sink or a bucket. The combination of this and leaving the pre-poo on for 4 hours I’m sure left my hair soft and tangle free.
I apply a final oil rinse. This is the recipe I use (no rhyme or reason just what I had lying about): 2oz castor oil, 2oz olive oil, 1oz ojoba oil, 1oz almond oil, 1oz grapeseed oil, 1oz avocado oil and a few drops of vit e as a preservative and a few drops of lemon oil for a pleasing smell.
Post wash my hair is in big chunky twists. I ‘towel dry’ with a t-shirt wrap and an hour later I plait up the twists using a silicon based leave in. I don’t usually use the devil’s juice but I consider that it was worth selling my soul. My hair IS going to stay tangle free and smooth.
Sunday: banding
Controversially I intend to install the curlformers on ‘dry’ and stretched hair. I just don’t’ need the drama of trying to part my shrunken wet hair into 40-80 sections. So I’m banding my hair to stretch it out further. I use beunique’s moisture custard and jojoba oil (very light) to seal.
Sunday: install of curlformers with homemade flaxseed gel
I’m installing on fully moisturized but essentially dry hair – the flaxseed gel will provide both the wet so it sets and the hold.
This is controversial, people set on wet hair – but wet hair increases the install time for me, the drying time, and it creates a need for combing (I did this without combing my hair) and lots of manipulation.
What will be will be!
let the battle commence
3.5 hours and 75 Curlformers later
the hair I lost
Monday: et voila! a curlformer hair set
oh dear I look like shirley temple again!
After I’ve pulled it a bit
I pulled it back into a bun. It was raining outside and I wasn’t up for a ‘big hair don’t care’ day
work hair – curlformers day 1
And that was almost it.
Curlformer sets look good on me for one day only. I pack it for bed to minimize tangles not to preserve the curls. And don’t anyone shout ‘pineapple’. It does not work for me.
Bed routine
Set for bed
Until the next bank holiday…
