Extra Wide, Extra Long Curlformers vs. Generic EWEL Curlformers

Real on the top, generic on the bottom

Before buying two sets of real EWEL Curlformers, I bought two packs of the generic version via Ebay.  I'm always looking for a way to save, but in my opinion the real curlformers are worth the money. Maybe in a few months the generic curlformers will catch up (they'll study the CF's and make adjustments for new batches) to the real version, but for now the real ones come out on top.

The mesh on the real ones is much softer and easier to sleep on. The real ones also came without snags, vs the generics which had a few snags. But, you get what you pay for.

Real on the top, generic on the bottom

The real ones are also wider than the generics.

Real on the right, generic on the left

Both hooks are made of plastic, but the real one has a little texture to it. It also has a grip on the end of the handle. The generic hook is complete rubbish. Its hard plastic and has no grip on the end, despite the pattern. The generic hook is also very frustrating to use, it's slippery when used with product and takes forever to get through the curlformer.

5 Quick Curlformer Tips

1. My CF set needs time to dry. Preferably 12+ hours with an hour under the dryer.

2. The soft hood dryer from Hair Flair (CF company) will not fit 48 Extra Wide, Extra Long (EWEL) Curlformers. So instead I do the back of my hair all at once. When I'm done, I place the dryer on the back CFs, tighten the drawstring and begin working on the front. It's still taking me 2 hrs to install so the back gets an hour under the dryer.
-2.5 they aren't kidding when they say use it on low heat. Otherwise your dryer will begin to blister. Don't ask how I know.

3. Wash your CF's! I haven't experienced this yet but I've seen a few ladies mention bacterial growth, or the CF ends falling off due to product buildup. This is just hearsay, but better to be safe than sorry.

4. More hooks = faster process. I plan to buy more when I have a Sally's coupon.

5.  Use something with hold to have a lasting CF set. When I used the Jane Carter my set was nice for a millisecond. Gel gave me a much better look.

Bonus: To speed up installation section and part your hair in advance. Right now I do:

• 7 rows total in the front. My side part is on the left, so the left has four rows, with 2 CFs by my ear, 3 CFs on the next row and 4 CFs on the last two. The right side has one row of 2 CFs by my ear and the other two rows get 4 CFs. 23 total. 
• The back gets split into 4 rows across. The nape gets 4 CFs across, row two gets 7, row three gets 8 and row 4 gets 6. 25 total.

To prep for all of those rows, the day of my CF set I braid my hair into the sections above. Then I shampoo and condition in the braids. Then as I'm doing my set I take one braid down at a time.

*As with anything posted here, this is just what works for me.

Curlformer Success....maybe?

Finally, a success!

Immediately after removal

Ecostyler Argan Oil is so far my favorite gel. Cheap and easily accessible. A win, win in my book especially for my currently BSL, dreaming of WL hair.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that my HG gel gave me a great CF set. I was willing to ignore the two that didn't set because the rest had body, shine and was soft yet defined. I wore the curls in a ponytail to work and was pleasantly surprised to see that the curls had fallen beautifully despite being in a ponytail for hours.

So why the maybe? Well, it didn't last overnight. BUT I think there may have been some user error on my part. As I do more CF sets, I learn more about what works for me and what doesn't. My hair will not dry with product after being in CF's for only 6 hours. 12 hours with an hour under the dryer is preferred.

I considered Pincurling like TheGabeFix on YT, but I was too lazy so I pineappled. I didn't like the results but my coworkers thought it looked great in a ponytail.

                                       

Long story short, I don't think my hair was completely dry when I took the set out. Five CF sets in less than 2 weeks has made me a little tired of the process so I'm going to clean my CF's and take a few days off. I still love them, but the process and upkeep has made me miss the simpler days. LOL. Plus I need time to search for Sabino Moisture Block and Paul Mitchell foaming pomade.

I also used the Matrix Leave-in and PM Skinny Serum.

Curlformer Fails

So I've been playing around with my set of Extra Wide, Extra Long Curlformers for almost 2 weeks now. I've had 3 major fails, 1 semi-fail and 1 semi success. Lets get the bad out of the way first.

For each set I used Matrix Biolage Leave-in and Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum.

1. Curlformers on Blowdried hair.

Unfortunately I have no pictures of this one so you'll have to take my word for it. But trust me, there was not a curl in sight, not even a wave. How my hair went in, is how it came out. LOL. I decided to get experimental on Christmas Day so instead of bouncy curls I had a bun. Ce la vie.

2. Curlformers + Jane Carter Wrap & Roll  Foam.

As soon as I took the Curlformers out

Later that night when I got back home!

This was great when I first took the CF's out. Two CF's didn't dry, but I was willing to tuck them under and KIM. What I couldn't ignore was that when I came home from work my hair had lost its oomph. It was no longer shiny, bouncy and defined. Boo.

3. Curlformers + Kiss My Face Upper Management Gel.

Errr, this just ran across my mind. It gave a nice soft hold, but was a little flaky. I'll revisit this with pictures later.

4. Curlformers + Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Gel. Horror of horrors.

I was originally going to do this set with Ecostyler Argan Oil Gel, but I saw this tucked in my stash and decided to give it a shot. I DC'd before this set with Matrix Conditioning Balm and thought I rinsed all the DC out. As I smoothed the GF gel through my hair I saw a few white spots, picked out what I could and KIM. I figured the rest would dissolve and wouldn't be obvious in the morning.





After an hour sans CF's, 10 minutes before leaving I decided to separate my curls. When I looked in the mirror I was horrified. Hard little white flakes had formed throughout my head. A little picking, scratching and frantic shaking wouldn't get them off as each one was attached to a strand. Washing was not a option due to limited time and 18 degree weather. So I held my head high, went to work and spent the day reclined so that I was never in direct light. HAM.

Initial Thoughts: Extra Wide, Extra Long Curlformers

I slept on 48 of these for the first time Tuesday night.

Ohh boy. What a restless sleep full of tossing, turning, flipping, adjusting....you get the idea. How I finally slept was using a small rectangular pillow on top of my regular pillow. Pic to follow soon.

However, I might say that these are more comfortable than the generic. This plastic/mesh is much softer and easier to bend. Hope that makes sense. The generics I have are harder and have no give. I don't look forward to sleeping on 48 of these again but I'd rather sleep on these than the generics.

I also tried to use the dryer once I had all 48 in but no dice. It can fit maybe 30 of the EWEL curlformers, which is kind of a bummer. Guess I'll dry in sections.

Do you need 48? I honestly don't know. I like having 48 because I can do small sections. I split my hair in half and use 23 in the front and 25 in the back.

Let me just say the Blowdried hair + curlformers was an epic fail. Not a curl in sight. No worries, I have confidence in my next test. I'm going to wet my hair like I should have and use some Ecostyler Argan Oil.

Curlformer Olympics

I have two packs of Extra Wide Extra Long (EWEL) Curlformers and their softhood dryer waiting for me under the tree!

Not my tree but close!

I can't wait!

I've purchased an extra hook, Jane Carter Wrap & Roll Foam and Kiss My Face Upper Management Gel.

I plan to use Matrix Biolage leave-in and Pul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum for each set.

Product Trials:

1. Blowdried hair with a little PM serum.

2. Wet hair + Eco Styler Argan Oil Gel

3. Wet hair + JC Foam.

4. Wet hair + KMF Gel.

Hopefully I can have my set perfect by New Year's Eve! 

My Generic Curlformer Experience!

I've wanted curlformers from the moment I heard about them. Heatless curls that could stretch my natural hair? SOLD! Except not really, because I don't like the Shirley Temple style of the orange/pink ones on me. I prefer a looser curl so I forgot about curlformers and moved on.

About two months ago I read a thread on the hair boards about the barrel curlformers being released in 24" length. SOLD! Thanks to a Black Friday sale I was able to get two packs of 24 and the soft hood dryer for 20% off as a Christmas gift from my mom.

But, I was worried that 48 curlformers wouldn't be enough. My hair is fine, but also dense. Instead of shelling out the $$ for another pack of curlformers, I shopped around on Ebay and bought a 2 packs of 8 for about $35 with tax.

The packs that I got were pretty crappy. The mesh was ripped at the end of 8 of them. The plastic ends were, I assume dipped, and some of the material crept up the mesh. I had to use a pair of tweezers to remove the plastic bit by bit. I'm not pleased and plan to contact the seller