woman in the breeze
A pin ripple is a ripple produced by being rolled and held directly against the head, rather than using a roller or other device. The hair is secured while it is damp and the pins are usually left in place overnight, although blow-drying is often used to speed up the process.
Even though they’re called pin curls, the pins used to create the curls are rarely left in your hair when you’re out in public. Pin curling is believed to last longer and be less damaging to hair than other methods such as perms or hot irons, although these methods have come a long way since pin curling was more popular. This type of curl was a particularly popular hairstyle in the early to mid-20th century, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s.
There are relatively few tools used to make pin curls. The curls wrap around one finger and are held in place with just pins. Extremely fine hair may require a setting lotion, but most medium to thick hair will hold curls using just water. A comb or brush is also useful for making pin curls, as the hair must be divided into sections to curl it.
The process of making bobby pin curls is time consuming but relatively easy to learn. First, the hair is divided into small sections, the size of each section varying depending on the desired curl size. The smaller sections will make beautiful, shiny curls that no longer need to be parted when unrolled. Larger sections can give a voluminous hairstyle, but they will look wavy when you brush them out.
The sectioned hair is then rolled up. This is done by wrapping a strand of hair around a finger near the scalp. The resulting single-pin winding is removed from the finger and placed flat against the head. It is normally held in position by clamps, but other clips can be used. Using two bobby pins to form an X over the curl keeps the curl more secure, which is particularly important if the curl is to be worn overnight.
Once this process has been repeated to curl the entire section of hair or the entire head, the curls must be dried to maintain their shape. One method is to blow-dry your hair and then remove the pins. The other more common method is to cover your hair with a scarf or other piece of soft cloth and sleep with the bobby pins inside. This allows the curls to dry and harden without heat damage. When the hair is dry, the clips are removed and the curls are finished.