Shoutout to the old-school perm rollers I dug up from my mentor's basement last month

The difference between those tiny plastic rods and the big foam ones I've been using for 15 years is night and day, tighter curls and way less slipping, so has anyone else gone back to vintage tools and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie9401mo ago

The 80s plastic rods are all my coworker Sarah uses now, she found a box at a garage sale and never looked back. She told me exactly what @tessa_murray said about the tension being like a science experiment, but once she got it down her curls stay tight for a full week. I tried foam once and hated how they slipped, but those old rods really do hold everything in place better.

vera_lewis21mo ago

You ever try wrapping the hair tighter around those little rods? I had the same issue with foam ones slipping like crazy. The trick I found with the old plastic rods is to hold the ends with a tiny bit of tension while you roll, not too tight or you get creases. Also, if your hair is too damp it'll slide off, so I towel dry it more than usual before using them. The curls hold for days that way.

tessa_murray1mo ago

My mom used those old plastic perm rods from the 80s and she swore by rolling them on almost dry hair too. I remember her saying it was like a science experiment getting the tension just right or else you'd end up with a weird bend in the middle of the curl. Honestly the whole process felt like it took forever but those curls would hold through rain and everything.