How to Curl Hair that Refuses to Curl: Setting Lotion and Foam Rollers

Hi everyone!!! Sorry for the long hiatus! Haylee and I have been a bit busy since the last post; I graduated from college, moved out of my apartment, and am now taking a month-long vacation abroad in Sri Lanka! I haven't really had internet, so this is the first time I could post.

I have pin straight, thick hair which is SUPER DIFFICULT to curl. Before my prom, I remember watching the hairdresser struggle with my hair for 4 hours, trying to get it to curl. One of my roommates in college introduced me to setting lotion. This stuff is wonderful!!! My hair curls great with it. Here, I just curled the ends of my hair using it:

I use Lottabody Setting Lotion and foam rollers; an 8 oz bottle is around $5 at Sally Beauty.

I also bought a squeeze bottle from there, and I made a solution of half setting lotion, half water. I normally shower and blow dry my hair before putting in the setting lotion and rollers because that's how I get the best curls. Then, starting with the hair by my neck, I pick up 1-inch sections of hair and spray it with enough of the solution that the section is barely damp. Then, I wrap the section around the foam rollers. (I wrap each section starting from the ends of my hair and then move up towards my skull.) My head ends up looking like this (Remember, I only curled the bottom part of my hair, so I didn't put curlers on my whole head):

Then, I sleep on the rollers, and when I wake up in the morning, I pull out the curlers. The curls will be super, super tight, and so remove the curlers before the time you need your hair done by so the curls will loosen up a bit. (The amount of time it takes them to loosen varies; for me, it takes about 30 minutes.) You can help your curls loosen by gently pulling on them a bit. Then, spray your head with hairspray, and you're done! When I had shoulder to mid-length hair, the curls would last a good 12 hours. I once got them to last for 16 hours. As my hair has gotten longer (it's now at the middle of my back), the curls last, at most, 6 hours.

TIPS:

-Before you roll your hair, it helps to have your hair parted how you'll want it parted when it's curled.

-Don't use too much product, or your hair will be crunchy and the product won't dry, and your hair won't curl right.

-After you take out the rollers, if you decide to tease or separate the curls, be careful; they frizz easily.

-My BIGGEST tip is: Play with how you do this! Try using bigger or smaller rollers (longer hair will need smaller curlers, and you'll need to use smaller sections of hair per roller); try rolling your hair right after showering, with wet hair, or with completely dry hair; try rolling  at different levels (one of my friends has thin, shoulder length blonde hair, and so she uses tiny curlers, and doesn't roll them all the way to her skull; she rolls them only as high as her ears in the front, and even with the end of her hairline at the bottom of her neck in the back) ; last, try changing the amount of product you spray on your hair (if it's too crunchy, then add more water to the bottle)

Also, just like any other way of curling your hair, using the rollers too much can cause split ends, so take care of your hair! :)