Flawless Flexi-rod Set + Easter Pictures

I was contemplating on whether I wanted to do a braid-out or flexi-rod set on A's hair for Easter. Since I've been doing braid-outs a lot lately, I decided to go with a flexi-rod set. I must admit, I was a little nervous about the outcome because the last time I did a flexi-rod set was for her 4th birthday which was well over 1 year ago. Well, her flexi-rod set came out fabulous so I wanted to share some quick instructions on how we get a flawless flexi-rod set. Enjoy!

I washed, detangled (with a comb), moisturized (with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer) and banded A's hair in 13 sections the night before. I did 13 sections because I knew I only had 1 night and needed her hair to be stretched out as much as possible for the flexi-rod set. I've tried flexi-rod sets on wet hair in the past and it never turns out right for us. It takes forever to dry so when I go to take the flexi-rods out her hair is still damp and the only part that curls are her ends while the rest of the pain is still half way curly and poofing out.

I removed the bands from the bottom row and put the other sections in a bun to get started. Her hair was already moisturized so I gently detangled in small sections with a comb. I worked in 1-2 inch sections the entire time. I did not use a comb to part her hair, I just used my fingers.

I tried Eco Styler Gel (regular) for the first time. I added a generous amount of the gel about an inch from her roots all the way down to her ends. I did not apply any gel directly to her roots because the gel makes her hair revert a little and flexi-rods don't get very close to the roots. If banding doesn't stretch the roots out very much I recommend putting an ouchless ponytail holder to stretch them out even more, then add your flexi-rod. So you would have a bunch of little ponytails covered in flexi-rods. A's roots seem to easily stretch out so that's not a problem for us. After adding the gel, I comb it through to distribute the product evenly. I smooth the hair down as much as possible with my fingers then firmly hold the ends down towards to ground, near her waist, NOT out towards me. I begin rolling the ends on the bottom of the flexi-rod then I overlap some hair over the ends so it stays. See picture on the left.

I continue firmly rolling the hair on the flexi-rod. As you can see by the picture on the right, I leave a slight space as I roll and hold the flexi-rod at an angle.

I roll the flexi-rod all the way up to her roots and leave a little space on the top of the rod.

With the space I leave at the top of the flex-rod, I fold the rod over and viola! It stays puts.

All done with the bottom half.

Complete after about 1 1/2 hours! The Eco Styler Gel worked really well. There was no flaking, no residue and the next day her curls were really soft and bouncy, not hard and stiff. She slept in the flexi-rods, which isn't a problem for her because she sleeps on her stomach anyway but for those of you with back/side sleepers I wouldn't recommend leaving them in overnight. If you do it on dry, stretched hair, the curl should form within a few hours. I did loosen the flexi-rods a little before she went to bed. After removing the flexi-rods I separated each curl into 2 or 3, as I separated them I twirled them around my finger to give it it's shape back.

Here's a couple of other Easter pictures of A and Lil Man.

I still have to run to the store to buy some carrots so I can leave a half eaten trail of carrots to the kiddos Easter baskets. I hope you all enjoy your Easter Sunday!