Wet Set 2: Electric Bugaloo

"The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." –Frequently attributed to Einstein

After the complete disaster that was my first attempt at a foam-roller wet set, you'd think I'd've given up. Nope! Anyone who pursues a PhD in a field with such dismal employment prospects is used to tilting at windmills. Last week, I set my sights on curls yet again. And this time, it ended well!

At the end of my last hair-related post, I laid out a plan of attack. Then I did a little more research (a.k.a. watched a few more tutorials, read a few more posts, and got lots of helpful tips from the amazing hair wizards of Instagram) and completely changed my plan. Instead of using 1" rollers all over, I used 1" rollers everywhere except on the bottom layers in the back, as suggested by Miss Victory Violet. I got nervous that only rolling my hair up to my shoulders would make my hair flat at the roots, so I wrapped them all the way up. On the plus side, I was a little more methodical about sectioning my hair, especially at the top, so I looked slightly less insane with the rollers in.

I mean, my hair looked less haphazard. This facial expression is here to stay.

Then I made dinner! Chicken breast, sweet potato, and cauliflower roasted with… oh wait. This is a hair post, not a food post. But dinner was a success!

If I can put multiple photos of myself in curlers on the internet, I can wear an apron with my curlers and put that photo out for public consumption.

After a suitable period of lying around digesting/watching Jeopardy, I tied on a scarf and went to bed. The 1" rollers were indeed much easier to sleep on than the 1 1/2" rollers were! I woke up bright and early the next day, ready to confidently brush the daylights out of my hair.

Why yes, I do wake up with a full face of makeup. Thanks for noticing!

I carefully unrolled the curls to unveil my perfect 1930s child-star sausage curls.

Then I started brushing. I had watched this video the night before, and seeing how she guided the hair over one hand using the brush in the other was incredibly helpful! After what felt like a ridiculous amount of time to my pre-caffiene mind, but was actually more like fifteen minutes, I was happy with my look! Then I slapped on a hair flower, put on my glasses, and double-checked.

Yup, this is just about what I was going for! At least on the left side of this photo. The right still needs a little work.

I wasn't quite able to work the top sections into anything remotely resembling a style, but this is still a dramatic improvement over attempt #1! Obviously, I had to go outside and take more pictures.

Still working out the right distance for my tripod…

Nailed the distance, messed up the direction? But you can sort of see the back of my hair.

Shirt: J. Crew, at least five years ago

Shrug: Le Bomb Shop

Skirt: Varga Store

Petticoat: Malco Modes

Boots: Urban Outfitters

This skirt has been a total go-to ever since I got it last year. I wore it to teach one day, and my students all asked me where I was going after class, which was funny since I didn't think it was any fancier than my other teaching clothes. It's made of a slightly stretchy but thick material, which means that it drapes nicely over my petticoats but never needs to be ironed. I'm also a little obsessed with the pattern:

Looks like lace, but printed on a stretchy, comfy skirt? A winner is me!

Sheesh. No wonder I still get carded! The novelty of that wore off like five years ago.

So there you have it: a mostly-successful hair adventure!

How do you like to style your hair after you've curled it? Does anybody have any ideas about fun things to do with that slightly awkward front section of my hair?