Making Waves
You guys. You guys. You guys.
I think I've finally gotten the hang of wet sets!
Admittedly, there's nothing inherently difficult about putting your hair up in curlers overnight, but I can't remember it ever turning out very well when I'd try it in the past. If it actually dried (not a given), I always seemed to end up with a frizzy mess, with nary a smooth, rippling curl in sight. Heat styling might not last all that long, but at least the results were both relatively attractive and relatively predictable.
I don't remember why I pulled out my foam rollers for the first time in nearly a year, but I'm really glad that I did. And I'm not sure why I grabbed my fine tooth comb and combed each section out flat before rolling it, but I'm really, really glad that I did that.
It's just kind of amazing what a difference a small change in technique can make. I'm sure that must have read that I should be rolling ribbons of hair (not clumps) a million times, but it wasn't until I actually did it and saw the difference that I understood how important that step is. After vigorous brushing, one gives me smooth S waves, while the other just gives me frizzy ringlets.
Of course, there are other factors at play here. My hair's a lot healthier than it's been in a long time, and I think it helps that it's shoulder length instead of chin length. I have more patience than I used to for the brush out, and I've seen how people use their hands to shape a style instead of just letting things lie where they will.
It's strange how excited I am by the thought that I can just have good hair, not by random chance, but whenever I want. It's like figuring out how to bake a cake or ride a bike - it seems so difficult at first, but once you figure it out, it's the simplest thing in the world.
I've still got stuff that I need to sort out, like how to get a good night's sleep with a head full of rollers, and using different setting patterns to create specific styles. But hey, cheers to progress, right?