Easy Overnight Curls
Thursday, Nov 8th, 2007 by Janna
When my cousin Krista suggested I do a blog post on feminine hair styles, I’ll bet she never guessed I had documented one complete styling process on film already! Yes, these photos were taken over six months ago, and I had just never gotten around to posting them. *Tsk, tsk!* And perhaps I never would have, if not for the reminder.
Our ‘model’ today is my dear sister, Mrs. Audra Kastner — though she was still Miss Audra Berge when these photos were taken. 
Easy Overnight Curls
or The Audra Kastner Method for Making Curly Hair and a Good Night’s Rest Mutually Inclusive
Step One — Gather the following hair styling tools: styling gel, pick comb, large hair band, small hair band, rag curlers (approx. 1″ x 10″ strips of cotton cloth).
Step Two — Gather all your hair into a high ponytail; secure with large hair band. Braid the ponytail about halfway down; secure braid with small hair band.
Step Three — Gather a small portion of hair and apply a little styling gel.
Step Four — Tie a rag curler around the portion of hair. Pull the tied curler as close to the hair ends as possible, without pulling the curler off.
Step Five — Roll the curler up tightly.
Step Six — Double-tie the curler ends around the hair. Repeat for the remaining hair.
Sometimes two hands aren’t enough.
And sometimes, even two hands and a mouth aren’t enough. Audra needed a little extra help to secure this last curler. Sisters are the bestest. 
All finished! Now for some beauty sleep…
:: The Next Morning ::
Rise and shine! It’s Sunday morning. Time to get all prettied up (to see Justin).
Step Seven — Carefully unroll the curlers.
Step Eight — Break the small hair band (or remove very carefully if it is not the disposable type). Gently un-braid the hair.
Step Nine — Remove the large hair band.
Oooooo!
There you have it! Beautiful curls, ready to style however you want. A simple, pulled-back style is lovely, or you might twist your hair into a bun and pin the curls around it for an easy yet elegant up-do. I’d love to hear some of your ideas!
:: Stay tuned for Part Two: Princess Anne with Bun ::
It’s nice having step by step instructions! The curls came out absolutely beautiful!!! Very lovely!
Thank you so much!!
Oh for the days when my sisters were close by. Karen and Kaye would often do my hair in all sorts of glamorous ways. I have never been one to spend a lot of time on my hair. Simple is always best for me. Love your post. Looking forward to your next idea.
By the way, Delchi, Sabria and I will be making our way to MN for Thanksgiving. We would really enjoy a visit with you all, including Justin and Audra. Love, Krista
How pretty!! I can’t wait to try this- usually curlers do not mean a good night’s sleep at all- but this looks just right!
How lovely! And this I assume would work also for thick, waist-length hair?
I think it would work, Cheri. You’d just have to take smaller pieces of hair for each curl.
How pretty! I am excited to try this on both Valerie & Elizabeth! Thanks for the wonderful pictures! I too look forward to your next lesson!!!
Oh how nice! I just found your blog from A Joyful Handmaiden’s link…her hair looks so pretty!! I can’t wait to try it…and those pictures are lovely!
Blessings,
Tilly
That looks so pretty. I wish my hair was sleek like your’se, mine fizzes the moment I touch it!
I also checked out your esty store - those dolls are so cute!
Very pretty results! I think you could do a French braid to get the waves to extend further along the hair, too. When I pull my hair back into a pony, I sometimes get a “line of demarcation” where the elastic was placed.
Yes, you’re right, Laura. Actually, for Audra’s wedding, we did exactly as you suggested above, French braiding our hair before curling to extend the waves.
It worked quite well, but takes a bit more time and effort.
Thanks for the fun post Janna!
Your hair looks so pretty curled and pulled back, love that you give use instructions. It looks so easy can’t wait to try it. How long did your curls stay in. I have a wedding coming up in Feb and am going to start practicing on doing my hair the same way.
The curls came out great! All my friends love them almost as much as I do! keeps up the good work
I don’t know if “Cheri” will still see this, but in answer to her question (from Nov. ‘07), my daughter has thick, waist-length hair; we divide it into 2 braids, braiding down most of the way, then curling the last 5-6 inches. We do this after it is freshly washed & dried, and it turns out beautifully the next day.
Very beautiful Janna! My younger sister has very thick red hair, I’d LOVE to try this on her! Do you think it would work with hair just below the shoulders?
Hi, Samantha! Hmm… I’m not sure about shorter hair. Try pulling all the hair into the high ponytail, then see if you think it’s long enough to roll up. If not, you might have to skip the ponytail and just use curlers. Or, alternately, have you seen these curlers before? I own some — they work quite well!
Do you start with completely dry clean hair, slightly damp?
We’re trying to find ways to fix my granddaughter’s hair for school.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Hi, Lizzie! I think rag curlers work best when the hair is very slightly damp — almost dry. The gel really helps the curls set up nicely, too!
Thanks for the comment! And I hope this one of mine helps!
I will try it right now. It seems so nice.
Hi,this looks so beautiful and easy!!! I cant wait to try it!!!I have thick hair and love curling it ,but it takes forever using a curling iron.This looks like it will work. I love the easy instructions!!
I’ve tried this with my hair which is a couple inches below my shoulders and it works alright (I get weird creases sometimes). I curl them all the way up though. If you get the pieces too small it gets a bit wild though and has to be smoothed with a curling iron. I always did it with wet hair though, never thought to use gel. Also how in the world did you not get a crease from the hair band?? I always do.
I also will take each section of my hair and twist it into a mini-bun and use bobby pins in a X to secure it against the scalp. As long as you don’t toss and turn too much it also works.
I did this but my curls ended up really scrunched and tight, how do you get them really loose? help! XD
Hi, fliss!
Try rolling larger pieces of hair in each rag, next time you curl your hair. That ought to give your larger, softer curls.
– Janna
Very cool thanks for sharing!
This seems beautiful. I am going to try it, as soon as i get some cloth to cut in
i have all differant types op curlers, except for the cloth ones 
Hey, I just love the curls. I am trying it tonight, sort of. My hair is not that long, so I will just do the braid. I hope that works. The curls were gorgeous, and if that is yo in the picture, you have lovely hair. (That;s coming from a fifth grader.)
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
[...] (!) – (many types of) hot rollers, curling iron, bobby pins etc but what I really liked was this. The curls are pretty, easy, fuss free and looks easy to manage. I’m going to try this [...]