Finger coils are a great styling option for naturals of many lengths. In all the eight years I’ve been natural, I thought I could only rock coils at a shorter length, but that is so far from the truth! I had a chance to experience this for myself with the help of Houston stylist Candace Walls of Sovereign Styles Hair Studio. Using products from the Design Essentials Natural line, she took my hair from curls to coils in no time flat!
I’m a pretty quick learner and I really think this is a style I can do at home myself. However, never having thought I could accomplish this type of style was really the only thing holding me back. Starting on freshly washed and conditioned hair and working from the back of my head to the front, she sectioned my hair into a small row to work with and the rest was clipped out of the way. Within that row, she then sectioned pieces less than an inch square, to create the individual coils. She used a combination of Design Essentials Natural Twist & Set Setting Lotion, Curl Enhancing Mousse and Curl Stretching Cream throughout my hair to prepare it for finger coiling.
Once the products were applied, she stretched and twirled my hair until it began to form the coils. One tip I learned from watching her is to make sure the hair is coiled down to the scalp. This will ensure the coils stay longer and you won’t have to deal with the dreaded puffy roots madness! This technique was repeated all over my head, and I don’t think it took longer than an hour and a half to complete. I proceeded to sit under a dryer until my hair was completely dry, and voila…I had coils!
MORE: Inside the Design Essentials Naturalista Class
Professional finger coils by Candace Walls of Sovereign Styles Hair Studio
Under the dryer
Close-up of the coils
Coil Out Tips
The next step to coils is a coil out, which was accomplished the following day.
- Just as you would with a twist out, your coils can be separated until you achieve the desired effect. Because my hair is so tightly coiled, the resulting coil out wasn’t as voluminous as my twist outs are, but they looked great!
- I continued to separate them over the next few days and my hair never quite got to the frizzy state that comes with fourth and fifth day hair.
- Coils & coil outs can last quite a while with proper nighttime maintenance and even that is simple. I slept with a satin bonnet the entire time I had the coils and my hair was never out of place.
- My only caution with this style is to be careful upon undoing the coils. Because my coils were so small and tight, I had a hard time separating them all enough to make detangling less of a chore. I separated my hair into four sections and applied my favorite detangler Nourish by Earth’s Nectar but it didn’t do much to help get through the small coils. I found myself having to go just about coil by coil, separating as much as I could until I finally whipped out my Denman paddle brush to finish the job. That wasn’t fun, but I think if I had more time to separate first then detangling would have been much easier.
MORE: Finger Coiling for Stubborn Wash-and-Gos
Final Thoughts
Moral of this story: Never say never to hairstyles for your curls! With the right products and some patience, our natural hair can be transformed into just about anything if you’re willing to give it a try. I loved my experience with finger coils. The maintenance and upkeep was super simple and it gave me a totally different look than I’ve ever had before. It curbed my desires for shorter hair and it was quite versatile! This can be a great styling option for busy ladies on the go, new naturals and everyone in-between. Happy styling!
Have you tried finger coils on longer hair? Shorter hair? What was your experience?
