No Heat Curls: Rag Method

A long time ago I tried to set my hair in pin curls to get curly hair without the use of heat tools....and I failed. My hair is a stubborn creature - it's dense, and stick straight. The few times I attempt to use a curling iron or a flat iron to create some curls, my efforts are gone within an hour or two - even with the help of mousses and hairsprays, and any other products meant to make curls last.

One night I decided to try rag curls. After I took a shower, I let my hair air dry until it was about 75% dry, and then began the process of rolling up my hair. I used an old t-shirt and cut strips about 8-10" long and 2-3" thick.

*Note: The steps are shown after I'd already curled my hair and brushed some the of the curls out. Images are in black and white to show the details a little better, as photographing dark hair can be troublesome for tutorials.

I took a section of hair (maybe an inch wide or so; make thicker sections for looser curls, and thinner sections for tighter curls), and holding the rag parallel to the floor, lined up the end of my hair to the edge of the cloth. 

Fold the fabric upwards to contain the end of the hair, 

and begin wrapping the hair around the cloth towards your scalp. 

Again, a really tight wrap will result in smaller, tighter curls, 

and a looser wrap will result in looser, more relaxed curls.

Roll the hair until you're an inch or two away from your scalp.

Use the cloth and tie the ends together to keep it in place. 

Repeat the process with many curls around your head, and let your hair continue to dry. You can keep your hair like this for an hour or two, or keep them in overnight. They won't bother you that much while you sleep since your "rollers" are fabric. You can always wrap a scarf around your head while you sleep to prevent your hair from getting too frizzy.

Once your hair is dry, simply untie the rags and carefully unroll your hair.

(my hair is half up)

Use your fingers to go through the curls and relax them a bit. 

At this point you can use shine/frizz serum or hairspray to style your hair and control 

any rogue hairs that don't want to cooperate.

Added this photo just for fun - I brushed the curls out and my hair was still wavy through the next day. It kind of reminds of the time my mom permed my hair in 2nd grade and I didn't know that you weren't supposed to brush a perm, haha.

I saw some youtube videos for another no heat curl method using a stretchy headband that looks like it will produce the type of curl that I want. This method definitely worked for me better than the pin curls, and lasted longer than what I get when using a curling iron, but it was time consuming and left me confined indoors while I waited for my hair to dry.