These guidelines are to help with curling hair. There are many ways to do it and you should practice at least once before curling it for the first time for an important occasion.

Note - The pictures below were taken as an illustration for this page - the dancer's hair is really too short to get good 'feis curls' (she usually wears a wig). We also did not make her sleep in the curlers so they were only in for an hour or two and hence the curls are a bit loose  - luckily her hair holds a curl well or there would be no curl at all after such a short time!

You can click on most of the pictures for a larger view

 

1. What you need

 

Curlers - Traditionally rags were used but are not recommended! 'Magik Wands' or 'Soft Spikes' are ideal, they need to be small and soft (see more information for suppliers).   You will need a lot, we used 60 on a 5 year old dancer with a small head and put quite a lot of hair in each curler. An older dancer for tight curls may need 100-120+ Curling papers - these help stop the curls getting tangled and make the curlers easier to remove Hair spray or gel -  helps maintain the curl. We used Pantene ProV Spray Gel Clips - to keep sections of the hair still to be curled out of the way Comb - one with a tail for sectioning the hair is ideal DVD ! - something to distract the dancer for the couple of hours it takes to put in the curlers!

 

2. Getting Started

You will generally need to put the curlers in the day before a Feis so that they can set overnight. The hair must be completely dry to begin with or it will not hold the curl. Many people find it curls best when it has not just been washed so perhaps wash it the day before you curl it (i.e. 2 days before the Feis).

Sit the dancer at a height where you can comfortably reach her head, ideally in front of her favourite DVD ! - expect it to take a couple of hours to put all the curlers in.

Start from the bottom. Comb out a section of hair and clip the rest to the top of the head out of the way.

 

 

 

3. Prepare each section for rolling

Take a small section of hair - the smaller it is the curlier the end result, and the more time it will take -

Spray lightly with gel, do not make it too wet or it will not dry and the curl will droop.

Fold a curling paper over the end of the hair.

 

 

 

 

4.  Putting in a curler

     

Roll the curler from the base of the hair all the way up, unless the dancer has very long hair where you may get a better result by starting in the middle.

Push the pointed end of the curler through the hole at the other end and pull to secure it as close to the head as possible.

 

 

5.  Completing the full head

Continue along the bottom section, then unclip the hair from the top, separate out the next section and clip the rest back out of the way.

Work all the way up the head.

 

You should end up with a dancer resembling a hedgehog !

 

6.  Leave to set

It is generally best to let the curlers set overnight.

It can be tricky to sleep in them, and does not help that the dancer is often nervous or excited the night before a Feis anyway.

 

 

 

7.  Remove curlers

Take the curlers out as close to the time you are dancing as possible - but it will take some time to do so don't rely on getting a spare 20 minutes at the feis, it can also be difficult to find space at a feis. If you take them out before you leave you can use a hair net to help keep them in place.

Begin removing from the bottom. If you want a fuller look you can carefully split each curl into 2 or 3 curls and spray lightly with hairspray to help them hold.

 

 

 

More Information

Magik Wands	Online UK source for Magik Wands. Some times available on eBay from seller id moreen55
Soft Spikes	US Supplier and manufacturer of soft spikes for curling hair. Will post to the UK
McGahan Lees Maple Irish Dance The  Connor's irish-dancer.co.uk	Alternative instructions for curling hair from other websites so you can read a few different ways of doing it to help find what works best for your dancer