Rag curls always make me think of Laura Ingalls and Little House on the Prairie, but I know my mom had them done to her, too, so I don't have to go back that far!

In a rare fit of girliness on my part, Rowan (she of the poker straight hair) was subjected to rag curls last night. And they *worked*! Wanna try?

Straight hair pic for reference:1) We gathered up strips of cotton I have leftover from dog collar making days (see,there is a reason to keep every supply you ever buy!!)~ about 2" wide and cut to 18" long~ thinner/ shorter hair would need less length. you could use an old bed sheet, flannel etc.

2) We washed Rowan's hair, used our usual natural detangler, and let it dry almost completely. No styling aids required! Then we turned on the television~ my intent was to watch the old Rankin and Bass 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' but Ro is feeling a little spooked by Santa right now LOL.

3) As she watched, I divided her hair with a rat tail comb into roughly 1" sections., Dampening as needed (you don't want them wet, they won't dry through). I pulled out to the end of the hank of hair and folded the rag width-wise over the ends of the hair (if you have ever done a home perm, it is like the papers before the rollers). We chose to roll under~ whichever way you go, do all the hair the same way! Once you fold in the ends rolling is easy, just roll up the length of the hair, winding the hair around the rag. When you get top the scalp, bring the ends together and tie in bows at the roots.

Another tip~ follow the natural fall of the hair (Rowan has a crooked crown and her hair naturally parts on the side, so we kept that part as we rolled).

4) Leave in overnight and untie in the morning! Voila!You will get curls that are tight at the ends and soft at the crown~ the small the pieces you tied up, the tighter the curls. We lost about 1/2 of Rowan's length, so be warned if your little one has shorter hair~ it will be big!

Depending on the look you want, you can finger pick the curls apart, or twist them into ringlets. A good brushing will produce a halo of Farrah Fawcett 70s goodness.Rowan's curls relaxed as the day went on, but even at bedtime, they were still bouncing! Easy and fun for a special day or just for kicks!