Skip to main content

Set a small loc section with pipe cleaners

Try a temporary curl on one or two easy-to-reach, established locs. A small practice section lets you learn to secure and remove the supports before attempting a larger set.

Step by step

  1. Hands hold a pipe cleaner folded into a narrow U, with its two legs still untwisted.
    STEP 1 OF 11

    Fold one pipe cleaner in half

    • Sit at a table with dry hands. Bring the ends of one clean pipe cleaner together, leaving a small rounded loop at the fold.
    • Keep it away from your hair while you prepare it. Do not use a cleaner that sheds fuzz.
  2. An adult holds the small loop while twisting the two pipe-cleaner legs into one support away from the hair.
    STEP 2 OF 11

    Twist the two legs together

    • Hold the loop between one thumb and finger. Use the other hand to wind the two legs around each other, working toward their tips.
    • Keep the small loop open. The two legs should form one even support, with no loose wire sticking out.
  3. A close view shows the small loop and folded-back tips at opposite ends of a twisted pipe-cleaner support.
    STEP 3 OF 11

    Fold in the tips and check the support

    • Turn the joined tips back against the twisted stem so they do not point outward. Keep the small loop at the opposite end.
    • Look and feel gently for a sharp point, rough spot or loose fuzz. Discard the support if any remain; do not test it by dragging it through hair.
  4. One hand supports a front loc while the other lightly sprays its length with water.
    STEP 4 OF 11

    Lightly dampen one reachable loc

    • Choose one established side loc long enough to wrap comfortably. Move neighboring locs aside, clipping them loosely if needed.
    • Dampen that loc with clean water. Use wet palms or a light spray, then put the bottle down. It should feel damp, not drip.
  5. An adult begins rolling a single loc tip around a prepared pipe-cleaner support.
    STEP 5 OF 11

    Roll from the tip toward the head

    • Lay the loc tip across the middle of the prepared support. Hold the tip against it with one hand and begin turning the support with the other.
    • Keep rolling so the loc winds around the support. Leave both support ends free for bending; do not force a short loc into the wrap.
    • Stop while the root still hangs relaxed and the roll stays clear of your skin. Do not roll tighter to make it stay.
  6. One hand supports the small rolled loc while the other bends a support end inward to hold it.
    STEP 6 OF 11

    Bend the ends to hold the roll

    • Hold the roll steady with one hand. With the other, bend one free end inward over the wrap, then the other.
    • Keep the folded wire tips contained and off your skin. Let go gently: if the wrap pulls, reopen and loosen it. Try a second loc only when this feels comfortable.
  7. The adult sits awake with hands resting while the small secured loc roll air-dries.
    STEP 7 OF 11

    Let the wrap air-dry

    • Leave the wrap uncovered while you are awake. Keep it off your skin and avoid resting your head against it.
    • Drying may take hours. Use no heat and remove the supports before bed, even if that means leaving the locs loose to finish drying.
  8. One hand holds the rolled loc while the other opens a securing bend away from it.
    STEP 8 OF 11

    Open both securing bends

    • When you are ready to check or remove a wrap, support its rolled hair with one hand.
    • With the other hand, gently straighten each securing bend until both ends point away from the roll. Keep the tiny wire-tip fold intact.
  9. Both hands support the loc and pipe cleaner as the last turns unwind; the released length curves above.
    STEP 9 OF 11

    Reverse the roll slowly

    • Turn the opened support downward to unwind the loc, one turn at a time. Use the other hand to support the hair so its root stays relaxed.
    • Free the last turn from the loc tip before lifting the support away. If hair catches, stop and ease it free; do not pull the support through the curl.
  10. Fingers gently feel a released loc for dampness while the other hand supports its end.
    STEP 10 OF 11

    Feel the released loc for dampness

    • With dry hands, feel the root and the lengths that were wrapped, including the tip. An outside that feels dry does not tell you about the covered hair.
    • If you feel dampness, leave this loc loose to finish drying and give the other wraps more time. Open and check them individually.
  11. An adult holds a removed twisted support clear of the intact curled loc.
    STEP 11 OF 11

    Remove the remaining supports

    • Open and unwind each remaining wrap the same way. Keep each loc intact; do not comb out the curl.
    • Collect every support and clip. Discard damaged supports, let any damp locs finish drying loose, and put away dry supplies.

About 5–15 active minutes for a few reachable locs, including support preparation and removal. Allow longer while learning; this is not a whole-head estimate.

This time range is estimated, not timed. Allow longer for thicker or longer locs, more wraps, or breaks to rest your hands.

You’re done when…

Every support is out, each loc remains intact, and any damp areas have finished drying loose before you cover your hair or go to bed.