Chances are, you have memories of your grandmother “setting” her hair with her beloved hot rollers. This old school beauty tool has been used by women since the days of Cleopatra (kidding, but almost that long), so it’s no surprise that Millennials shy away from them. But if you crave gorgeous, voluminous Gisele-like curls, hot rollers should be your bestie.
Nicole Descoteaux, master stylist at Butterfly Studio Salon, offered some insight on hot rollers.
“Hot rollers work for pretty much everyone. Depending on your hair texture, it may be better to use larger rollers or smaller sizes. For fine hair, you want to over compensate with smaller rollers. For thick, curly hair use larger rollers. It’s also best if you have thick or very curly hair to blow dry it first. You want to start as smooth as possible in this case. ”
To prep your hair for rollers, a light layer of mousse can do wonders. Living Proof Full Thickening Mousse ($26) gives airy volume without a touch of stickiness. Nicole instructed to set the rollers horizontally for soft waves, or vertically for old Hollywood glam curls. Keep in mind that the smaller the roller, the tighter the curl. To soften things up, lightly brush your hair after taking the rollers out.
Hot roller technology has advanced quite a bit from your grandmother’s favorite set. Infiniti Pro by Conair Secret Curl ($69) are clip-less rollers that are incredibly easy to use. They gave my long, thick hair soft waves. T3’s Voluminous Hot Rollers Set ($99) gave MAJOR volume and big, bouncy curls.
Don’t forget to set your curls with hairspray so they last. Nicole recommends Shu Uemura Art of Hair Sheer ($38), which gives weightless hold without any stiffness.