Maybe you’ve heard of Curlformers. Or, if you’re like me, you were like, “A curl what-er?” My daughter started at a new dance studio last year, and I had heard that they required a specific curl on their young dancers for the recital. I had an unreasonable amount of anxiety over procuring a curl on my daughter’s stubbornly wispy fine hair.
I mean, I’m about the girliest-girl you will ever meet (maybe second only to said daughter) and we have done every braid, twist, and fishtail under the sun, but I couldn’t seem to master tight curls that would last longer than getting to the car to go to church. I was sweating bullets.
Then a few friends of mine were like, “Just use Curlformers!” Hmmmmm…tell me more about these magical curl-makers that don’t use heat, sponges or extra brain cells! I was curious so I went on Amazon and read every review I could find and they did seem too good to be true (see, I told you I was overly anxious about these silly curls!) so I ordered a few to test them out. They were pricier than I wanted to spend, so I started with this small pack.
As soon as we got them, I tore that little package open, I sat my five-year-old in front of the TV, and I experimented. She slept in them and, although they weren’t perfect (I didn’t have enough of the Curlformers to get the look I wanted), they WORKED! So, I immediately went back to my phone and ordered the 40 pack.
Here’s a Little Tip:
The price of these bad boys can swing wildly from grossly over-priced to a steal of a deal. So make sure to shop around. Sometimes e-Bay will have a better price and sometimes Amazon will beat everyone (plus, Prime shipping!).
9 Easy Steps to Perfect Curls with Curlformers
I start with clean hair, completely dry. Then I add a light mouse. Here are the only two products I use. I love the way Herbal Essences smells and all of their mousses will do the job. Even this volumizing mousse has great hold.
Then I style the hair the way I want it to be when the hair is curled. Half-up, one side up, or just parted and left down. I’ve done several different styles, but this one is my favorite on my daughter because of her crazy cowlick in the front. I usually have to re-do it in the morning to smooth it out, but it doesn’t affect the curl.
The Curlformers have this cool little rubber non-slip opening that you pinch to open and you slip the curl hook into the Curlformer and slide it all the way on the hook/rod.
Note: There are two colors of Curlformers. This isn’t just for pretty’s sake. Each color will make the curl either turn clockwise or counter-clockwise. I wanted all the curls going the same way for this look, so I chose pink, because, you know, PINK.
If I am leaving her hair down, I do the Curlformers curling away from her face, not into her face, if that makes sense. So one-half is pink and the other is orange.
Once you place your first curl, repeat a few dozen times…
One more step before you send yourself or your little cutie off to bed. I have skipped this step and regretted it. The curls fell out after just a few hours.
Grab your trusty blow dryer, and put it on a medium heat setting and a low “blow” setting and give those curls a few once-overs. NEVER get the Curlformers hot. It will ruin them. But heating them just a bit is okay. I seriously heat them mildly for about 2-4 min. I then lightly spray the curls with my go-to CHI hairspray and let it set (the Curlformers are made of mesh, so it penetrates just a bit). I have even skipped sleeping on them and took them out about an hour after blow drying them and the curls held just as well.
Now, wait a few hours or sleep on them and when you wake, your curls will be ready for their unveiling!
Now, taking the Curlformer out made me nervous (maybe I have a problem?? Should I medicate myself for curl-induced anxiety?). I didn’t want to ruin all those curls! Truthfully, it took a few tries to get it right, but those curls were pretty set so don’t worry too much. Just pinch the opening close to the scalp and hold the base of the hair and pull it out!
Repeat a few dozen times and VOILA! You have yourself a little Shirley Temple! If you want it to stay looking like Shirley Temple, spray each curl as you take them out to really set it. I only do this for my daughter’s recitals.
Since I’ve owned them, I’ve perfected the art of the Curlformer. Perfect curls with no pain, heat (okay, just a little…), or stress? Worth every penny. We use them almost once a week now! It’s “girl time” for my little mini-girly-girl and me. They are a great tool to have as an alternative to curling irons and curling wands. Hope you have as much fun as we have had with these little wonders…just with less trial and error! Good luck, my little fashionistas! For more beauty tips check out these products.
