Hot rollers 101-- A crash course

       Possibly the quickest and easiest way to long lasting body and curls is by use of hot rollers. There are varying sizes of hot rollers, but all are put in the same way. Smaller rollers are good for tighter, more formal styles, and big rollers are good for looser, wave-like curls. A decent set normally runs about $30-$35, and can be found at any Target, Wal-Mart, or hair supply store such as Sally's. I personally use a Revlon set that I believe is from Target.


Pre-Rollers: The curl holds best when there is product already in the hair. Some people have the fortunate quality of being able to use hot rollers on dirty hair. If you're like myself, nothing holds when my hair is greasy and dirty. Thus in my case, combing mousse or gel throughout damp hair before drying it is sufficient. Feel free to use a root lifter or any other daily styling products you may use. 


TIP-- Make sure your hair is completely dry before you attempt to hot roll it. The curls will either not hold, or will frizz out. 

Step One: Now that your hair has product in it, and is completely dry, you are ready to roll! As you can see in the image, the proper way to curl the first piece is to grab the area of your hair above the forehead, and pull it straight out in front of you. Lay the roller on the top of the section at the very ends. Use your fingers to hold the hair to the roller, and roll up towards your head. When you are finished, secure the roller with a clip. Make sure it is secure to your head and is not falling out. 


TIP-- For the face-framing sections, do not use standard roller clips.. they tend to leave crimpy marks. Instead, use a claw clip or a simple wire roller clip.


Step Two: Now grab the section of hair right behind the first section, as though it were your second location of bangs. Pull this hair straight up above your head, and place the roller underneath the ends. Roll the roller toward your head and secure it. Roll the section of hair right at your crown the very same way. 


Step Three: Now that you have done the top, the easier part begins. Grab the section of hair closest to your face on the left side, and pull it out to the side of your face. Place the roller underneath the very ends, and roll towards your face. Do the same with the section of hair closest to your face on the right side.


Step Four: Complete the same action for the rest of the sections of hair. Sections should typically be about one inch thick. 


Step Five: Leave the rollers in for 10-15 minutes. The longer you leave the rollers in, the tighter the curls will be and the longer they tend to last. However, once they are cold, they are no longer effective. 


TIP-- One of the best parts about hot rollers is that you have free hands! This is a great time to do your make-up or pick out your outfit!


Step Six: Remove the clips and rollers, and flip your hair upside down. Use your fingers to rake through all of the curls so that they have a flowy, full look. If you fail to comb the curls out with your fingers, the curls will be Shirley Temple style!


Step Seven: Flip your hair over, and arrange in how you like it. You can leave it down, or style as you please. For any crimpy marks that were left behind from the clips, quickly run a flat iron over the bumps to smooth them out. 


Step Eight: HAIR SPRAY! If your hair appears frizzy, use a light hold hair spray or a shine spray to smooth down the frizz. I'm a big fan of Kenra Platinum Silkening Mist for this step.


If you have any questions, let me know! 


Big Hair Love,


Vanessa