Everything You Need To Know About Sponge Coils - Updated

Sponge Coils are single strand curls created by using a sea foam sponge. Sponge coils are a professional hairstyle that can be styled on a short afro or a teeny weenie afro (TWA) for a curly look. Sponge coils are also ideal for women with 4c natural hair to create a coil pattern.

Where to Purchase a Sponge

You can purchase a sea foam sponge at your local convenience store like CVS or Walgreens. You can also find sea foam sponges at Target or any store that sells spa beauty products. 

Tips for Selecting a Sponge

1. Make sure it's soft - Select a sea foam sponge that is soft to the touch, yet firm. A soft sponge ensures that you will not snag or cause breakage to your hair while styling into sponge coils.

2. Make sure it's medium sized - Picking too small of a sponge will make the styling process slower while too large of a sponge will be harder to hold during styling. Choose a medium size sponge that fits easily in your palm.

3. Make sure it's holes are medium sized - The size of the holes in the sponge will determine the tightness of your sponge coils. Small holes will create tight coils, large holes will create looser coils.

Creating Your Own Sponge


To create your own sea foam sponge you will need: scissors, a marker, and a sponge.

1. Use the marker to draw small circles on your sponge. Remember: the smaller the circles, the tighter your coils will be, the larger the circles, the looser your coils will be.
2. Using your scissors, cut holes into the sponge where the circles are drawn.
3. Your sponge is ready to use.

Styling Natural Hair in Sponge Coils


Products you will need...
  • sea foam sponge - to create the coils
  • hair spritz/spray - to moisturize the hair and add hold
  • styler/holding cream - to condition & provide hold
  • hair gel - to provide hold
1. Moisturize your hair with a hair spritz that contains water. You can also make your own by mixing together a little Aloe Vera Juice and water in a spray bottle.

2. Condition your hair with a styler then follow up with a dime size amount of gel. You can also use the hair gel by itself.

3. Rub the sponge onto your hair in a clockwise motion covering the whole circumference of your head. You should see coils appear.

For more help watch these video tutorials.

Sponge Coils For Woman Tutorial




Sponge Coils For Men Tutorial





Sponge Coils Lookbook

Want to see how you can wear Sponge Coils with a professional outfit? Check out the My Fair Hair Lookbook.

More Resources
Sponge Twists on 4c Natural Hair via Black Zulu

This article is part of My Fair Hair's "Hairstyles for 4c Hair" series. These hairstyles are selected especially for women with 4c, short to medium length natural hair. If you have thick hair, thinning edges, or a less "visible" curl pattern, these styles are for you as well!

What products do you use to style your sponge coils?

9 comments

  1. I have short, tapered (2-4inches-stretched), thick, 4c hair that I like to style with a sponge. More recently I've used those dark gray styling sponges. But I feel as though they cause my hair to break. How can I avoid this? amenzeosa@gmail.com. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amenze! Thank you for your question! For sponge coils it really depends on the type of hair product you use before styling. I would suggest making sure your hair is well moisturized before styling by deep conditioning your hair. Then apply a homemade flax seed gel or a styling butter or cream before gently rubbing the sponge. You can find softer sponges at places that sell beauty care items. Some orange/tan colored sponges tend to be softer; try touching the sponge to see how soft it is. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions. Here is a Flax Seed Gel Recipe: http://www.lovenaturalsunshine.com/2012/02/homemade-flax-seed-gel-recipe.html

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  2. I've started doing this method and I was wondering if I leave the coils in if my hair would grow into a curly afro

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    Replies
    1. Hi Andrew! No, the coils are not permanent, so once you wash and comb your hair with a wide tooth comb, the coils will be gone. But you can always restyle your hair into the coils again. But no, using this hairstyle will not change your hair texture over time.

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  3. Are you supposed to comb or pick your hair daily?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I would not comb or pick your natural hair daily unless your hair is dry or tangled and you need to moisture it. Read this post about caring for your sponge coils: http://myfairhair.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-to-effectively-moisturize-sponge.html

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  4. I moisturize and pick my hair which has been twa for the past 3 months with no problem..loving my coils!!

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  5. my hair is really short and it seems the sponge doesn't work for me does the hair have to be texturized for some?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there! You may need to add some styling product, cream, or pomade to your hair in order for the coils to take shape. Or it could be the type of sponge you have. Did you make your own? You can buy a sponge specifically made for making sponge coils.

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