Wash Day - Ponytail Rollerset

I have been on this quest for big, bouncy curls lately and I finally moved in the right direction this wash day. When I realized I should probably just give my flexi-rods a break and try using my bigger magnetic rollers, I knew I was gonna go for a ponytail rollerset. I haven't done a ponytail roller set in awhile. This technique is how I originally started teaching myself to roller set my hair. I think it's great for beginners. I sectioned my hair and got started.

{1} Pre-poo: hot oil treatment with safflower, grapeseed, and some of my DIY garlic oil and PM Tea Tree Moisturizing conditioner. I put on a plastic cap and sat under my bonnet dryer for about 20 minutes.

{2} Shampooed with Creme of Nature Straight From Eden.

{3} Wrapped my hair in a towel to soak up the excess water for about 10 minutes.

{4} Deep conditioned with ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Pak. Put on a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for about 30 minutes. It was another 10 before I went to rinse. Can someone tell me why my hair felt like a pillowy cloud?! Is that why people love this conditioner or what? I'm mad I used the whole pak so I can't see if it was a fluke or not. Somebody please tell me if this protein pak has given them dreamy results, too? I got caught up just touching my hair before I even rinsed it out.

{5} Hair still felt great after I rinsed it. Towel wrapped for about 30 mins

{6} Section by section, I applied my leave-ins (Elasta QP H2 & Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage serum), detangled, and started putting it in ponytails. I couldn't remember if I usually put all the ponytails in and then roll or roll as I went so I just went with the former.

{7} Once all the ponytails were in, I started rolling it up with magnetic rollers. I applied some Shea Moisture Frizz-Free Curl Mousse before putting in each roller. Ponytails make rolling your hair SO easy!

{8} I put on my bonnet dryer for about 30 minutes or so just to help get the drying process started before I went to sleep. My hair was pretty dry by the morning. Only one section was slightly damp.

{9} I removed the rollers and used a nail clip to cut all the rubber bands off the ponytails.

{10} Lightly flat-ironed my roots to remove the creases from the ponytails.

Yesss! My curls were big, bouncy and full of volume! Which is exactly what I was going for. However, the summer humidity had a completely different plan for me y'all. LOL! At this point, all I can do is laugh. I was not outside very much at all, but the few trips I took between the car and my destinations ruined me! My hair didn't get wet, I wasn't sweating, most of the day I was in cold air conditioning, but by the end of the day my hair was huge. I mean I love my big hair, but I would prefer it be as big as I direct it to be and not take on its own life. Haha! Whatever, I think this is my cue to go ahead and put my hair away in some kind of protective style for the rest of this stretch. This happened to me the last time I roller set my hair, too. At least it was still nice and soft, but I was mad I only got one day of curls! Look at the comparison below! Oh, and don't mind my I-cant-believe-this-happened-again face please :) 

Hope you all had lovely wash days this week! If you haven't already, be sure to check out this week's Wash Day Experience over at SavingOurStrands and JustGrowAlready! 

16 comments 6 weeks post, ponytail rollerset, wash day

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Revisting the Ponytail Rollerset

concentration!

I have attempted a couple of roller-sets so far this summer, neither of which lasted more than a day due to the humidity, but they were still good practice. The first was a ponytail rollerset, which I haven't done since sometime last year. I am not very good at rollersetting my hair, but it is a skill I would like to gain since it's a healthier option when I want my hair straightened.

So, after washing/deep conditioning my hair, I did let it air dry some in order to add my leave-ins (Elasta QP H2 & Aphogee Keratin and Greet Tea Restructurizer) and detangle. I don't like to do those things when my hair is still wet. I could definitely tell the difference between the amount of hair I have now vs the amount I had the last time I did a ponytail rollerset. I had to put more ponytails in this time to make sure my hair would dry and the rollers weren't overloaded. I re-wet my hair with a spray bottle and applied a heat protectant serum before rolling my hair on each roller. The heat protectant is by a company named Good2Gro, which I'm pretty sure is only sold locally in Chicago. I've never seen it anywhere else. 

I put 11 ponytails in: 4 in the back and 5 on the top. Except a few in the back, I put two rollers on each ponytail. I also used end papers since I was using mesh rollers. 

I sat with my bonnet dryer on for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It wasn't quite long enough, but I was under time constraints so I had to go ahead and finish up. I'm sure this also contributed to my curls not lasting into the next day. I used a blow dryer on medium for a few minutes to try to help my hair dry faster. After that I took down the rollers and popped the rubber bands with a nail clip. *Important note: if you have never done a ponytail rollerset before, and plan on using black rubber bands and cutting them out the way I do, BE VERY CAREFUL! Make sure you lift the rubber band up high enough to be sure there's no hair caught in it before snipping. Sounds simple enough, but the first time I ever did this, I definitely cut sum pretty long strands and almost cried. Twice. 

Next I flat ironed my roots to remove the lines from the ponytails. I was pleased with the results! I just wished they lasted longer. I also didn't lose very much hair through the whole process, from wash to finish. That's always a plus. I probably won't do this again until the weather changes in hopes that it will last longer. 

left to right: rollers out, flat ironed, styled.

Has anyone else tried a rollerset lately?

 

6 comments 2 weeks post, ponytail rollerset

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Wash Day: Ponytail Rollerset

I'm terrible at rollersetting my hair. I'll just get that statement out of the way now. I know it comes down to a lot of practice which I haven't had. However, when I'm tired and I realize I'm doing an awful job attempting to rollerset, I fall back on the ponytail rollerset! It works well for the most part. I only dislike having no choice but to flat iron out the creases from the ponytails. 

It was a pretty simple wash day overall. Before I shampooed, I sprayed my hair with a little water and put it in three sections (2 front, 1 back). I added some Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. I don't saturate my hair with the water or conditioner, I just put enough for it to feel kinda damp. I did a hot oil treatment using Hairveda Vatika Frosting coconut oil and grapeseed oil. Saturated my hair with the oils and put a plastic cap on for about an hour.

The Vatika oil smells SO good!! If my hair held that smell I would probably either never be able to stop playing in it or always be hungry for cake. Not sure which one. 

In the shower, I rinsed my hair then shampooed with my two staple sulfate-free shampoos - Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo and Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisture and Shine Shampoo. I lather once with each in that order. I tried another new conditioner today - Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream (who names this stuff?!). The vanilla scent to this stuff is extremely strong. I initially planned on using only it to deep condition, but ended up mixing it with some Elasta QP Ultra Hydration to calm the smell down some. I sat under the bonnet dryer for an hour then with only the plastic cap for another 30 minutes. 

Detangled and rinsed in the shower, finishing with a final rinse of apple cider vinegar. The Silk Dreams conditioner and my hair fell in love. Not only was my hair quite soft, but it also had virtually no tangles! The comb glided right through it. I applied my leave-ins Elasta QP H2 Feels Like Silk and Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructurizer. Here's where I made my failed attempt at rollersetting with magnetic rollers. I put my hair in 10 ponytails then rolled and secured each one. I sat under the dryer until I fell asleep and ended up sleeping in the rollers.

My curls were really soft and bouncy the next morning. Loved it. I flat ironed away the creases from the ponytails and finger combed the curls. Here's the results!

2 comments 1 week post, ponytail rollerset, wash day

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