I know this sounds funny and ironic, since my hair is naturally curly, but I have tried rope curls a few times lately to see if I can get a final style that I like. My hair has gotten more wavy than curly as I’ve gotten older; it’s not quite shoulder length — more of a bob — and it is cut into layers. I don’t know if this is supposed to make rope curls more difficult but this is what I’ve come up with in my two to three trial runs.
I’m Really Bad at Doing My Own Hair
I know practice is key, but I am still bad at styling and doing my own hair. When I worked in broadcasting as a morning news anchor, I straightened my hair every single day for work so it would look better on-camera. But even after a year and half of doing that, I could still never get as smooth and luxurious a straightening as my hairdresser can give me. This is also the case with curling my hair — it’s really hard to get all sections of my (now very thick) hair, especially the back, and to make sure all of it looks good.
So any curling style that is overnight and doesn’t require plugging in a curling iron would be amazing.
My Rope Curl Trial Runs
I know there are a million videos on YouTube of rope curl tutorials, but I decided to start with a very simple strategy to not over complicate the process. For each of the two to three times, I’ve used the tie-string of a robe, folded in half, and then placed on either side of my head with the middle at my scalp.
I Bobby pin it into place and then proceed to braid my hair on either side using the robe string as one of the three sections. When I get to the bottom on either side, I secure it with a scrunchie and then sleep in a silk cap overnight so it doesn’t get ruined.
The Results I’ve Had Thus Far
I don’t know if having longer, non-layered hair makes this process easier, or if I just haven’t found the right curl pattern/technique to try, but the results from the braid method have been very underwhelming. Taking the braids out in the morning, it reminds me of the very crimped 90’s hairstyle and is not the curl I’m looking for. There is some subtle curl, yes, but let’s just say it’s not fully what I want. I think the curls are either too tight and kinky (on the surface) and not curled enough (on the bottom layers).
I Need More YouTube Tutorials
I think the next time I try rope curls I’ll need to follow a different technique that creates more depth in the curls and covers more of my whole head. Instead of just having the curl be on the exterior — which has also been a problem while straightening — the curl needs to be through the whole hair and into the bottom layers.
I’ve seen the Kitsch Satin Heatless Curling Set and other products online, but their method seems to be wrapping the hair around the rope/heatless curler. I think that method works better with longer hair, but likely not the bob haircut I’m working with. Let me see if I can find some new viable techniques and see if that makes a difference!
