Dominican Blowout

Oh- I have a question to add to that too....

What KIND of rollers do they use?

Ok, here goes.

They use plastic rollers w/ holes and metal clips to secure them.  I look online for samples and post a separate follow-up link.

Roller size depends on hair length and how tight you want the curls.  Also, if you have long hair and use large rollers, your hair will dry faster than if you use smaller rollers.

I use purple rollers for longest parts of my hair and bronze & blue for shorter parts.  (Thse are not the only colors / sizes that exist/  There are larger rollers than purple available and smaller ones than blue.)  Can use one size for your whole head if you like, it's really a question of preference. My hair is @ 1 -2 " from brastrap. 

Hair must be wet & smooth when putting in rollers and pulled taught at roots when securing rollers with clips.  I do not use a setting lotion but it is probably a good idea to use one.  I use a bit of oil or a leave in on my ends.  I know Pokahontas recently had a rollerset and they used Keracare and she loved the results with these products.

I have been doing roller sets for years and the rollers never seem to be as tight as when a hairdresser does them.  I don't think you should worry about being too tight and stressing the hair.  It just helps in the end to get your roots smoother.  This does not matter so much to me though.  Also, depending on how good your technique, and how you want your hair to fall when fully styled, you can roll your hair in a specific way or pattern (i.e. shirley temple curls, you may want to roll in a certain pattern, etc..)  For a blowout, rolling in any fine.  Nothing fancy is required. In the end, you will blow your hair in the direction you want it to be styled in (curled under at ends, flipped up at ends, part on side, etc).

What I find to be most important when putting in rollers is that the ends must be smooth when rolled so that they dry smooth.  If they are not perfectly smooth, then they can dry crimped and frizzy.  If this does happen, you can alwars correct with heat afterwards (i.e. curling iron, blower).

I find that hard bonnet dryer to be more comfortable than a soft bonnet (have both). I think it gives better results. It takes my hair @ 1 1/4 - 1 1/2hr to dry completely. Or can allow rollers to partially air dry and then finish w/ hairdryer.

The blowout is done after you take the hair out of rollers, ususally w/ a very hot blower with one of those attatchments (don't know what they are called but they seem to concentrate / control the air).  Can use any blower though even those that have bristles.  Blowing is done for a couple of reasons.  One, to get rid of pouffiness at roots, 2nd to remove obvious roller lines, third for achieving desired style. 

Using a really good brush (does not have to be round although round is probably best), blow each section, roller by roller at the roots and then the length of the hair.  Blow the length less if you want to retain more curl, blow more if you want straighter look. You can go over 2nd time with the blower to style more if necessary (maybe get the hair straighter or flip at ends).  

Usually, a Dominican blowout there is more blowing (not a tiny amount of blowing).  The resulting hair is straight, smooth and shiney from roots through the length & curled under or flipped up at ends.  There is lots of body, but is not pouffy.  Hair is very shiney, bouncy and moves.  The amount of blowing is personal as some people like a lot of blowing and others do not.

Products are really up to the individual.  A deep conditioner or protein treatment + DT is probably a good idea since blowing, also, a leave in or setting lotion.  A heat protectant is a good idea when blowing.  Finish with with some sort of shine product; oil spray, cream hairdress or an oil or silicone shine spray at the end. 

 

 

 

Good post Pokahantas.  I may have to try Keracare.  Also agree with the your recomendation for doobies.

Thanks Afrolatina and Pokahontas... I am not sure exactly when I'm going to do this but it may be soon. Thanks for all the help!

Cmesweet, I would go with the Doobie wrap suggested by Pokahontas. I got them all time before I started transitioning because it didn't involve any direct heat and my hair got pretty straight especially when it was time for touch ups.

The steps you outlined sound right. 

You can airdry but this can take all day or overnight while a dryer will take maybe an hour (give or take a some time depending on how long / thick your hair is).

It sounds like you're all set.  Good luck!

 

 

One more thing.  If you are not used to doing roller sets, I would say practice a few times to get used to putting in the rollers.  This can be tricky at first but you will get better with practice and the end result will be better overall the neater the rollers.