Hair Parlor // Pin-Curls 101

Hello my friends!
Today is brimming with promise of lovely weather, tranquil insect melodies... and perhaps a few frustrated tries at pin curling some damp locks. Haha! Don't worry, I am going to bring you all through this tutorial by laying out the best of my knowledge on hair and how to tame it on those not so good days. I will caution you now though to not be impatient with yourself if at first your fingers don't cooperate with the goal you have in mind. So, deep breath, and let us begin!

Yay! Freshly wetted hair looks so romantic doesn't it? I can't help but loving the very disheveled look about it, you know? I mean, it goes with the rest of today's idea of beauty right? Okay, okay, enough sarcasm. In all reality though, the only way for your hair to be properly pin-curled is for it to be thoroughly wet, from scalp to ends. This insures that each curled section will come out looking nice and clean by the time you are finished. I have tried pin-curls on dry hair, and all I get with my short locks is something that looks not unlike a porcupine–lots of stray ends! ;)

First, make sure you have a good handful of bobby pins near you! Now take a section of hair at the very back of your head. I don't know why I begin in the back, it could be that I am just more comfortable with doing my hair without looking at it in the mirror. But if you are uncomfortable with trying out something for the first time without seeing it, just take it around to the side/front, or above your ear, and begin there.  

1. Take the section of hair in your right hand, placing your left index and middle finger on top at the base of the strand.
2. Bring your fingers in as close to your scalp as possible. Don't slide them for fear of fuzzing up the job.
3. Begin to wind the strand around your left index and middle finger.
4. When you run out of hair, secure the end in-between your left index and middle finger.
5. Whoops! 5 & 6 were mixed up! Follow 6 first by placing your right index finger on the free side of the curl, and gingerly slide your two left fingers out of the curl.
6. Hold in place with your left hand and retrieve a bobby pin.
7. Now the tricky part–insert the bobby pin as if you were stabbing the curl.
8. Now with the little bit of hair in the pin, carefully direct the bobby pin until it is laying flat, making sure the little bit of hair is still in it.
9. Slide the bobby pin in place, making sure to catch some of the hair on the bottom of the opposite side of the curl.
10. Take a second pin and stab it into the bottom side of the curl.
11. Gingerly adjust it to a flat position, making sure it is still grasping a bit of hair, and slide in place like you did the first.
12. Now take a look in the mirror! Ta da! Your first pin curl, I hope! Now you need to complete the row using this back curl as a guide for how high the rest of the pin-curls need to be placed on your head. 

Note: If you need more bobby pins, feel free to use as many as you need! I only need two or three per curl, and depending on how well I secure it, those pins will hold all day and overnight! Just remember that you will be sleeping on them, so having less pins in your hair means more comfort when you sleep.

As you can see from the direction of the arrows, my hair is being curled in the shape of a lower case B on the back of my head.

And here on the very front/side (above my ears) I have curled my hair in the shape of a lower case D. You can do this, or you can keep making Bs. The way to make Ds is to hold your left index and middle finger to your head (like a gun) and starting from behind pull the section of hair towards the front, and wrap it up around your fingers. When you wrap, you will need to pull your fingers away a little from your scalp, so don't worry about this. The main idea for holding your "curl forming" (index and middle finger) so close to your head is to insure that the curls will not become loose.

For my right side (the side with the least amount of hair) I only made one sideways D shaped pin-curl, again above my ear.

Note: If you have a lot of hair, it would be a good idea to made your strand size as thick as your index and middle finger, if not thinner. This will insure that your curls will be nice and springy the next day, or when they dry. If you have thinner hair, I would do the same, unless you wanted  a more soft and voluminous look. I prefer tight, springy curls though, and so I only use as little as two fingers width or less for the top and middle rows.

For the second row I wound my hair in the same direction (B shaped) as the top back row. I haven't tested out what would happen if I did the middle row in a different direction, but I believe you will get a different movement in your hair when you take it out the next day.

The bottom row:

1. Instead of using my left index and middle finger, I am only using my index finger to form the curl. This insures that the curl will be nice and tight. 
2. Tightly wind the strand around your finger.
3. Hold ends in place.
4. Carefully, carefully, slide off your curl without fuzzing it up and pin.

Note: Make sure to get the last two rows of hair nice and wet again before curling. This will make your hair evenly workable, and evenly curled upon taking them out.

Pin the bottom row without hiding the bobby pins under the hair. Do this about two to four more times. I usually only need two or three. 

And there you have a beautiful set of pin-curls! You can use a little hairspray if you want. I find this helps hold the curls better the next day, but it is up to you.

My hope is ladies, that this tutorial, like any, will help you to succeed in learning the wonderful art of gracefully taking dominion of your gorgeous locks. I have been doing my own hair for 11 years now, and so I have a pretty deft hand and can understand how to put up my hair in a particular style by just looking at a picture. One day, you will be able to do this too if you only spend a little time practicing. Having said that, I will again forewarn you, that if you end up looking like this...

... just keep practicing! Laugh at your mistakes, and take everything with a spoonful of sugar. You will conquer your locks in the end!

Well now. Its the time you've all been waiting for! The grand reveal of the first hair style tutorial! The voted hairstyle is... #3, or the High-Low Here We Go hairstyle!!! I am really glad that you all liked this one! It will play in nicely with this pin-curl tutorial as the pin curls are the first step you have to do. So just keep this in mind next week when you look at the High-Low Here We Go tutorial. You will be sleeping on pin curls, and even that can take a little getting used to.

Also, I would like to remind us all of this one important thing: we are learning how to fix up our hair (the beautiful coverings God blessed us with) to honor and glorify Him. He loves beauty, and so do we, but do not forget that we do this for Him first, and then for our brethren. Thus, if you have to take a little time out of your day to learn how to artfully style your hair, then make sure you are doing it for the right purpose, and not just to waste your time on yourself. I did this a lot when I was a young teen, and I say this with shame on my face. I will never forget the reprimands I received from my disappointed Mom when she continually found me each morning in the bathroom doing my hair in some elaborate style when I should have been doing something else. I wasted my time, and other's a lot. I still do, but in different things.

I say this as a warning to you all. Do not put yourself first. Put God, and your family first. You will be rewarded for carefully looking for a good time to practice on your hair in the end.

How did this tutorial look?

Did it work out for you, and did you understand everything?

Do you have any advice on what I could do better?

Joy in Him,

Jessica

The eldest sister & singer

P.S. Our advertisers love it when you visit their sites and look over their products! If you happen to know someone who has a birthday coming up, take a look at their merchandise again and pick something out! 

CREDITS // Author: Jessica Boyer; Photography: Charlotte Boyer; Photos edited with VSCO Film Presets