Creating spiral curls with rags is an alternative to heat styling. Rag curls are an excellent choice for those whose hair does not hold style because rag curls typically maintain their bounce better than heat styling methods. However, there are drawbacks to using rags to curl your hair. Some people have trouble sleeping on rag curlers, and if you have thick hair, it will take trial and error to determine how wet your hair should be before rolling to prevent it from being wet the next morning.
Step 1
Gather rags. You can use strips of old towels or T-shirts as rags. Cut or rip each one so that it is approximately one inch wide and 12 to 15 inches long. Use the materials that you have on hand; there is no reason to purchase special supplies. One important point is that if you have thick or very long hair, you may want to choose a t-shirt material, as it is unlikely that a toweling material will allow your hair to completely dry by morning.
Step 2
Start with wet hair. The key to getting smooth, bouncy spiral curls is in the wrapping. Start with wet hair and comb it so that it's smooth and tangle free. For hair that is very thick or long, blow-dry it lightly. Wet hair that dries wrapped in hair rags will hold curl much longer than hair that was partially dry when wrapped. Hair that is too wet will still be wet the next morning when it is unrolled, and these damp curls will not hold as well as dry curls.
Step 3
Divide hair into sections. The smaller the section, the tighter he curl. For bouncy waves, divide hair into four- to six-inch sections. For ringlets, one-inch sections are ideal. Keep in mind that the larger the section, the longer it will take your hair to dry.
Step 4
Start at the front of the head, which helps prevent you from tangling the curled rags in with loose hair. Start at the top of your head, toward the front, and work your way down to the ears. Move back to the next sections, and start at the top once again and work your way down. Working in this way keeps the loose hair out of your way.
Step 5
Start rolling. Hold the section loosely in one hand and twist it several times. This creates the spiral curl. Place the rag at the ends of the hair and begin rolling toward the scalp. Make sure that the ends of the hair stay tucked under the hair as you roll the hair up. Allowing the ends to stick up will result in straight bits of hair that will stick out when you unwind your curls. Once you reach the scalp, bring the ends of the rag to the top of the scalp and tie in a knot. Now you're ready to move on to the next section.
Step 6
Unwrap carefully. The next morning, you are ready to unroll your curls. Untie each rag, starting at the back and working in the reverse order of the way you wrapped them. Keep your fingers out of the curls until you have them all unrolled. After all of the curls are unrolled, gently work your fingers down the hair from roots to tips.
Tips and Warnings
- Finger style your hair once it is unrolled. The less you handle it, the better it will look. If your hair is still wet the following morning, dry it with a blow dryer while still rolled in rags.
Things You'll Need
- Rags, cut into strips
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