How To Boil Your Extensions To Create Curls

Let’s say you have a straight wig or hair extensions and after rocking it for a while you decide you want a curly look.  I know if I’ve invested good money on quality hair extensions, purchasing new hair is not the first thing I want to do.

Sure you can rod set it or even curl it with a curling iron or wand for temporary curls, but if you are looking for something a bit more permanent the answer lies in boiling curls into the hair.

Remember back in the day when you rocked box braids? After we all got sick of the lint and clothing pulling the burned ends on the synthetic hair, most of us began to curl the ends by setting them on rods and placing them into hot water.  It is a similar process that can be used to curl your human hair extensions.  Boiling your hair extensions is actually a very easy process and the curls will be semi-permanent, able to withstand straightening but still reverting to a curl.

• Fill a large pot with water.  You may want to use distilled water instead of tap to avoid any mineral deposits found in hard water.  Use the tallest pot you own because you will be boiling for quite a while.
• Add a bit of oil to your water.  This prevents the hair from drying out during the process (think of it like sealing in the moisture).  Good options are extra virgin olive or grapeseed oil.  You do not need a lot, about the same amount you use when boiling pasta to prevent the noodles from sticking.
• Select your rollers.  Perm rods are best because they are plastic and because they have a rubber band attached to help hold the hair in place, so that is what I shall use for this example.  The smaller rollers actually produce the best curls, but opt for a larger size if you desire more of a wavy look.  Aside from perm rods, you can also use flexirods, straws and strawllers.
• Starting near the weft, wind the hair around the rod.  Normally when you are setting your real hair for a spiraled look it is best to roll the hair flat for faster and smoother drying.  However, with extensions it is okay to twist the hair a bit as you wind it around the rod, this actually helps hold the hair on the rod during boiling.
• As you near the bottom, be sure to use the same amount of tension if not more to hold the hair tightly in place and wrap the hair over itself a bit.  Fasten the top of the perm rod, but before you do so wrap the rubber band around the rod once to hold the hair in place.  This is the main reason I suggest perm rods because with other rollers it is easy for pieces of the hair to unravel while boiling.
• Continue this process until all the hair has been rolled then place the entire weft (or wig) into a pot of boiling water.  All of the hair should be completely submerged.  Cover with lid.
• Allow to boil for at least two hours, checking occasionally to see if you need to add more water.
• Remove the hair from hot water, do not allow the water to cool first.  I suggest using metal tongs to prevent burning yourself from handling the hot hair.  Allow to cool and then if you desire, stretch the wefts out to airdry.
• Airdry at least 4 hours before removing the rods.

That’s it!  You should now have beautiful curly hair extensions!  Good luck!