Hairdressing 1 - Pin Curling

In both our Hairdressing and Wig Making classes we have learned how to pin curl the hair. For Wig Making, this technique is used to secure the hair flat to the head in order to fit and anchor a wig properly; however in Hairdressing it is used to create bouncy curls. The end result varies depending on the size of the pin curls - smaller ones create tiny, tight curls, and bigger ones create larger ringlets.

I did my pin curls on a training head which I prepared by brushing thoroughly to remove knots. Firstly, I dampened the hair all over; creating pin curls on wet or damp hair allows them to be more intense and longer-lasting, as the blow drying stage sets the style. Pin curling is a very easy way to create a striking look, as all I needed was a tail comb, pins and a hairdryer. From start to finish, the process took about 90 minutes, but as I practice I expect to become more adept at the technique so it will take less time!

This technique involves point to root winding, which means sections of hair are wound in towards the head and secured at the root. I started at the hairline and sectioned off the hair using the tail comb. Initially, I found my pin curls to be quite messy as my clumsy fingers got used to the process, but as I moved along the head it became simpler! I created medium-sized pin curls, as I wanted to achieve bouncy ringlets. My training head had long hair, which made it easier for me to practice the technique, however I did struggle at times with 'stragglers', i.e long pieces of hair that weren't sectioned off correctly, and as I combed the hair these pulled some of my pin curls out. However, I persevered and the head eventually ended up looking like this:

As you can see from the pictures, my pin curls are of varying sizes - this comes with being a beginner, I definitely need to practice the technique and work on making them more evenly sized and spaced!

Once I had finished pin curling the entire head I blow-dried the curls in order to set the style. Again, I need more practice as some of my curls were drier than others. I found it difficult to tell if they were fully dry right in at the root - because the curls are so close to the head, more time is needed to be spent thoroughly drying them individually. Despite struggling initially and making a few mistakes, I was very happy with the way the style turned out:

I managed to achieve the large, bouncy curls I had envisaged before I started - however, as mentioned above, a tighter style can be achieved by making the pin curls smaller. From this point, the hair can then be dressed and styled as needed, depending on the entire look which is trying to be created.

I found the pin curling to be difficult at first, but as I moved across the head I was able to do it faster and neater - it is definitely a technique that requires practise! Next time I would make the pin curls smaller, and take photos to compare the difference - it is a look which can be adapted and varied, which is why I enjoy the end result so much. I plan on practising the technique more, both for Hairdressing and Wig Making class, on different lengths and styles of hair.

Watch this space for more of my work, I have had an interesting couple of weeks at college so my photos shall be added in due course!

Gill :)