Wish Chicky Luck (and, how to make Irish Pin Curls)

Tomorrow is her first Ceili (Irish dance recital). She went to bed with over 80 curlers in her hair (poor little thing!).

Since Chicky is a beginner who has not yet competed in a feis (pronounced "fesh"), we haven't purchased a wig (which is what most Irish dancers wear). So, in the tradition of Irish dance, we attempted to make our own pin curls.

I'm not sure if our technique will work, but after surveying some been-there-done-that moms, here is the system we used:

1. Start with dry hair.


2. Part hair as close to the way it will be worn as possible (in our case, she will be wearing a headband, so I just went with her natural part).


3. Use spike rollers, thin bendy rollers, or the smallest sponge rollers you can find (what we did).


4. Have a comb, styling gel or setting lotion, and a cup of water ready.


5. Gather a tiny section of hair (as small as a dime on the scalp), and dip the comb in the water.


6. Comb the piece of hair to make it damp, and then put a tiny dot of setting lotion or gel on your fingers and smooth it down the piece of hair.


7. Hold the tip of the piece of hair on the curler and roll it up vertically. Clip it tightly to the scalp, but not so tight that it hurts.


8. Repeat until the entire head is completed.
   Note: This process takes about an hour. I gave her a quick stretching break every 15 curlers. :)


9. When complete, spray the entire head with a generous amount of hairspray.


10. Blow dry until you cannot find any damp pieces (pay special attention to those near the nape of the neck).


11. Let her sleep on it. Some girls like to wear a hair net or pair of underpants on their head to keep the curlers from falling out. Chicky did not want anything over her curlers, so I'm crossing my fingers that they stay in.
    
12. In the morning, spray the whole head with more hairspray and blowdry.


13. Remove the curlers, starting at the bottom near the neck, and work upward.

Fingers crossed that this process worked! I will post an "after" picture tomorrow. We did a trial run earlier in the week (without the blow drying) and found that some curls were still damp and fell right out.

Chicky was a very good sport, but I can see this process getting old quickly. If she sticks with Irish dancing we'll be sure to purchase a wig next season.

Slainte!