Just in case it wasn’t 100% clear: the winning felt curlers measure approx 8 - 10 inches long and 1 - 1.5 inches wide, and were simply cut into a rectangular(ish) shape (felt doesn’t fray and thus the edges don’t need finishing).
My mom told me that sometimes even Kleenex was used for "rag curls" in the 1950s/early 1960s. I tried it & it worked fine. Right now my hair is way to long & thick for this method~ I'll definitely try the craft felt rag strips, I know I have some in my fabric stash! Thanks, Kate!
I read about rag curls as a kid and became obsessed with them for 2 years. After my mom tried it multiple times leaving strings in my hair or frizzyness we found flannel or t shirts to work best.
I didn't think of trying flannel (likely as I didn't have any flannel scraps near the top of the pile). I wonder if the results would be similar to the felt as it's a somewhat similar fabric in a way.
linnen works wonders in my hair (a bit more frizzy than than felt on you) they are more comfortable than foam rollers and even on really wet hair dries all the way through
There's a huge trend for Heatless Curls you might wanna watch, I noticed most of the women used padded ones? Maybe padding them with cotton wool would give larger curls? They also weave the hair over the 'sausage' if that makes sense? Gotta see it.
No lie I had to watch cause I got worried for you😅 looked scary😰 I used rag cruler before last year. I have ethnic wavy cruly hair but i wanted to see how it would look. I had waist length then 😅 it did not work😢 i had to re wash my hair to detangle it it was a true nightmare 🙃 now i just braid it and wear it up in edwardian style it works best for me.
i use cut up cotton handkerchiefs that i've rolled & sewn into solid tubes. they're somewhere between a rag curl & a flexi rod at this point, so idk if they exactly count. they work great for me, most of them are cotton sheets or bandanas, but a few are cotton jersey, for the places i want really tight curls.
I think you’re doing everything correctly except the removal. I have naturally curly hair so grew up being extra careful with any kind of curler. The part you were doing incorrectly is trying to just pull from the bottom. The key is pull from the bottom gently while using your other hand to simultaneously unwind, the felt from your hair. No pain, no frizz, and a lovely curl! Love your videos!
Thanks for the tip! Unwinding doesn't work well for my hair but I'm sure that suggestion will help someone else browsing the comments 🙂. I really should have further explained how I remove my curlers in the video, as from the comments I realize it's not totally clear and looks like I'm just ripping them out! I am (gently) pulling the curler out through the center of the curl, as when I unwind curlers I always get misshapen and frizzy curls (I think it's something to do with my hair type). If I slide the curler out through the center of the curl (which does work with most curler types) I get perfectly formed ringlets with no damage or pain.
Hey lady..!! So my grandmother (Helen❤) would cut up my grandfather's old t-shirts into strips to do my rag curls..and was only for special occasions 😊
Hi Kate, first of all, you are so stunningly beautiful! Second, I have been trying out rag curls lately. I’ve been using flannel strips from used flannel sheets. It’s been working good, but I’ll have to try the flannel!
I'd love to try this method, but I'm afraid my it will not work for my 50's short hair! The felt rugs did work very well on you and I suppose that with a full set you could also style them in different ways. Lovely video as always! 🥰🥰
Interesting! I find rag curlers the ONLY way my hair will hold a curl. I have very thick hair that never fully dries/sets on regular rollers. I also prefer a tighter curl as otherwise you can see gravity working in slow motion on my curls. 😂 There is a trick to unrolling, though! I have to "unwind" the curl carefully (think of that long corkscrew thing we used to use on the playground). If you just rip them out any old way, they'll be trouble (as you've experienced)! My curlers were made out of tubes of fabric, but I'll have to try felt now! 👍
Do you still get ringlets when unwinding on your hair? I nearly always end up with waves if I unwind. The only way I get nicely shaped ringlets is to pull the curler down and out through the center of the curl (I know it rather looks like I just pull them out randomly but there is a method/technique!).
@@TheLongHairedFlapper Hmm, I get Shirley Temple ringlets when I unwind. I also find they get less frizzy that way. However, I wet each individual section before rolling, especially the ends.
Interesting. Have never used rag curlers because I must roll my hair while it is wet otherwise the frizz is uncontrollable! I wonder if rag curlers could work on wet hair.
I think it would depend how long your hair is. I know my hair would never dry if I rolled it wet (hence why I add the water after rolling), but maybe if your hair was shorter or you used small strands? Let me know if you ever test it out!
8:51 it looks like you've got my Demon Curl, only mine does that on both sides and without curlers. It may or may not have been a factor in me having side cuts for a while...
for me the best way to achieve a more lasting curl is perm sticks because my hair grows longer and being fine is very difficult to hold a curl with another wayi even stopped pin curling cause of that reason so when i do wet set its always perm sticks
I have tried pinking the edges in the past but found it left little lint bits in my hair (although I suspect if you used the same strips regularly that would stop after a point). That's likely fabric dependent though!
Very cool that a lover of flapper looks has kept her own hair long. I must tell you, that although I used to hate the thought of millions of women chopping off beautiful long hair to get short flapper cuts, I now LOVE the haircuts of the era. Funny how my tastes have expanded! lol
Just in case it wasn’t 100% clear: the winning felt curlers measure approx 8 - 10 inches long and 1 - 1.5 inches wide, and were simply cut into a rectangular(ish) shape (felt doesn’t fray and thus the edges don’t need finishing).
My mom told me that sometimes even Kleenex was used for "rag curls" in the 1950s/early 1960s. I tried it & it worked fine. Right now my hair is way to long & thick for this method~ I'll definitely try the craft felt rag strips, I know I have some in my fabric stash! Thanks, Kate!
I read about rag curls as a kid and became obsessed with them for 2 years. After my mom tried it multiple times leaving strings in my hair or frizzyness we found flannel or t shirts to work best.
I didn't think of trying flannel (likely as I didn't have any flannel scraps near the top of the pile). I wonder if the results would be similar to the felt as it's a somewhat similar fabric in a way.
linnen works wonders in my hair (a bit more frizzy than than felt on you) they are more comfortable than foam rollers and even on really wet hair dries all the way through
There's a huge trend for Heatless Curls you might wanna watch, I noticed most of the women used padded ones? Maybe padding them with cotton wool would give larger curls? They also weave the hair over the 'sausage' if that makes sense? Gotta see it.
No lie I had to watch cause I got worried for you😅 looked scary😰 I used rag cruler before last year. I have ethnic wavy cruly hair but i wanted to see how it would look. I had waist length then 😅 it did not work😢 i had to re wash my hair to detangle it it was a true nightmare 🙃 now i just braid it and wear it up in edwardian style it works best for me.
i use cut up cotton handkerchiefs that i've rolled & sewn into solid tubes. they're somewhere between a rag curl & a flexi rod at this point, so idk if they exactly count. they work great for me, most of them are cotton sheets or bandanas, but a few are cotton jersey, for the places i want really tight curls.
I think you’re doing everything correctly except the removal. I have naturally curly hair so grew up being extra careful with any kind of curler. The part you were doing incorrectly is trying to just pull from the bottom.
The key is pull from the bottom gently while using your other hand to simultaneously unwind, the felt from your hair. No pain, no frizz, and a lovely curl! Love your videos!
Thanks for the tip! Unwinding doesn't work well for my hair but I'm sure that suggestion will help someone else browsing the comments 🙂. I really should have further explained how I remove my curlers in the video, as from the comments I realize it's not totally clear and looks like I'm just ripping them out! I am (gently) pulling the curler out through the center of the curl, as when I unwind curlers I always get misshapen and frizzy curls (I think it's something to do with my hair type). If I slide the curler out through the center of the curl (which does work with most curler types) I get perfectly formed ringlets with no damage or pain.
Hey lady..!! So my grandmother (Helen❤) would cut up my grandfather's old t-shirts into strips to do my rag curls..and was only for special occasions 😊
PS...they turned out just beautiful ❤
Hi Kate, first of all, you are so stunningly beautiful!
Second, I have been trying out rag curls lately. I’ve been using flannel strips from used flannel sheets. It’s been working good, but I’ll have to try the flannel!
Yeah she looks stunning in a red lip.
I'd love to try this method, but I'm afraid my it will not work for my 50's short hair! The felt rugs did work very well on you and I suppose that with a full set you could also style them in different ways. Lovely video as always! 🥰🥰
Interesting! I find rag curlers the ONLY way my hair will hold a curl. I have very thick hair that never fully dries/sets on regular rollers. I also prefer a tighter curl as otherwise you can see gravity working in slow motion on my curls. 😂
There is a trick to unrolling, though! I have to "unwind" the curl carefully (think of that long corkscrew thing we used to use on the playground). If you just rip them out any old way, they'll be trouble (as you've experienced)! My curlers were made out of tubes of fabric, but I'll have to try felt now! 👍
I also like to take them out much more carefully. I would unwind mine
Do you still get ringlets when unwinding on your hair? I nearly always end up with waves if I unwind. The only way I get nicely shaped ringlets is to pull the curler down and out through the center of the curl (I know it rather looks like I just pull them out randomly but there is a method/technique!).
@@TheLongHairedFlapper Hmm, I get Shirley Temple ringlets when I unwind. I also find they get less frizzy that way. However, I wet each individual section before rolling, especially the ends.
@@TheLongHairedFlapper I wind them back around my finger no issue
Interesting. Have never used rag curlers because I must roll my hair while it is wet otherwise the frizz is uncontrollable! I wonder if rag curlers could work on wet hair.
I think it would depend how long your hair is. I know my hair would never dry if I rolled it wet (hence why I add the water after rolling), but maybe if your hair was shorter or you used small strands? Let me know if you ever test it out!
8:51 it looks like you've got my Demon Curl, only mine does that on both sides and without curlers. It may or may not have been a factor in me having side cuts for a while...
A niece of mine was studying for being a hairdresser., her teacher ask for fabric pieces ,because the lesson was "How to do curls without the curler"
for me the best way to achieve a more lasting curl is perm sticks because my hair grows longer and being fine is very difficult to hold a curl with another wayi even stopped pin curling cause of that reason so when i do wet set its always perm sticks
Is it polyester felt or wool felt? Many thanks!
I think it was polyester.
maybe use picking shears rather than hemming
I have tried pinking the edges in the past but found it left little lint bits in my hair (although I suspect if you used the same strips regularly that would stop after a point). That's likely fabric dependent though!
Very cool that a lover of flapper looks has kept her own hair long. I must tell you, that although I used to hate the thought of millions of women chopping off beautiful long hair to get short flapper cuts, I now LOVE the haircuts of the era. Funny how my tastes have expanded! lol