Lesson 72: Rag Curls for Long Hair

I love these gorgeous curls!  They last much longer (almost all day) than curling iron curls.  They are a special treat for Belle sometimes when she gets her chores done quickly and there is extra time before bed on a Saturday night.  After her shower, I blow dry her hair until it is damp.  You will want to keep in mind the style you want for the following day and add in the parts for shaping, if possible.  For this I'm just doing a headband, so I'll start by parting her hair on the side in the front.  You will need to divide the hair into sections, but best not to do it all with a comb to avoid the straight lines showing after it is all done.  Just pick up a section of hair, and don't worry about how the edges look at the scalp.  You'll need at least 8 long strips of fabric.  I just tore 4 inch/ 10 cm strips off the end of a piece of old fabric, which is 45 inches/ 115 cm.  You could cut it, but tearing is faster (and more fun).  Pull up your section of hair and then put the rag under, about a third of the length below.

Wrap the hair around the shorter length of the rag.  You can wrap it flat as if running tape around a tube, or you can wrap it like a corkscrew by keeping the hair ends always facing you as you wrap.  This choice will create two different types of curls.

Continue wrapping until it gets hard to hold down the ends.

Pull the rag straight up at the top, and then begin to wrap the longer length of the rag in the opposite direction around the hair.  This protects the hair from getting messed up in the night.

Continue wrapping down the length of the hair until you get near the ends.

Wrap the ends of the hair around and cover them with the rag.

Tie the two ends of the rags together in a square knot (tight enough so it doesn't fall out but not too tight or you won't be able to get it out in the morning).

Vary the directions of the curls by wrapping clockwise and counterclockwise curls to help prevent them from clinging together into one great big curl.  Let them stay in overnight.  Belle doesn't complain about it being uncomfortable.  Undo all the rags, carefully unwrapping the hair to avoid tangles and frizz.  Do not brush it out or you will have a huge mess.  Just run your fingers through it.  You can reform any curls that go awry by combing it around your finger.  Use a spray bottle and fine bristle brush or comb to smooth out any places you want to lay flat for the style you put in.

This headband is my favorite in the world.  It is from Gimme Clips.  The headband has a loop on it where you can stick on a clip.  "Mix n Match" I think it is called, because the flowers or bows are interchangeable.  How clever is that?  What they didn't label on the packaging, though, is that you can also use the little loop to stick a bobby pin in to help keep the headband from slipping around.  I generally don't use headbands much because they don't stay, but this one isn't so frustrating.