It’s the time of year for competition cheer season and many coaches have told you that your child must have cheer curls for their competition. Regardless of the tools you choose, a few techniques can make your child’s curls look perfect. Whether you choose sponge rollers, hot rollers, curling iron or curling wand all can result in perfect curls.
Have your child NOT wash their hair
First you need to have your child NOT wash their hair the day you plan on rolling. If washing is a must, have them to lightly use conditioner or none at all. Pull dry hair into a tight high ponytail and secure with hair elastic. Next place in hair bow, securing between original elastic and scalp, this is to prevent bow from flying out during tumbling and stunts. Smooth any flyaways with hairspray and bobby pins. Note that some competitions take off points if bobby pins fly out during the routine so be sure to secure tightly with hairspray.
Roll dry hair in sections no bigger than your thumb
Now it’s time to roll. Always roll with dry hair for best results. With any technique not using heat, you should wrap each end of the sectioned hair with hair paper before starting the roll. Think of getting a perm and how the papers are used. Sections of hair to be rolled per roller should not be bigger than your thumb for any tool you use.
If using non heated tool, start with papered end, and spray gathered hair section wet with hairspray (I use Freeze It), roll to scalp and fasten. Use the same size of rollers for every curl if possible. Leave in overnight or at least 2 hours. Unroll evenly and slowly making a spring like look with no kinks. If curl appears larger than you wish you can separate the curl one time and reroll around your finger to recapture the spring like, tight look and spray again. Handling the curl too much before spraying set will cause the curl to fall out.
If using a heated tool, gather up a section no bigger than your thumb, spray with hairspray before you start every curl. Roll to scalp, hold for 20-30 seconds and unwind curl evenly making a spring like look, and spray again. If using hot rollers allow rollers to cool before removing.
Finally after hair is completely curled, spray entire head to set the style and allow hair to dry. After hair is completely dry run your fingers underneath ponytail to free it up from sticking to the back of the head. Your daughter needs for her ponytail to be able to ‘whip’ around while she’s performing.
Tips to Remember:
- 1. Do not wash hair the day you plan on rolling.
- 2. Roll dry hair.
- 3. Wet each section to roll with hair spray before rolling.
- 4. Hair papers will make the difference between perfect cheer curls and not so perfect cheer curls when using non heated rollers, such as sponge rollers.
- 5. Be patient with your daughter, this should be an activity she enjoys, not one she dreads getting ready for. It isn’t always comfortable to have someone tugging on your head.