Best Way to Use Hot Rollers to Curl Your Hair

Having grown up in a family replete with licensed cosmetologists, I have to say that hot rollers rule. My family uses them in their salon and I also use them at home. From what I’ve read online, they are “back in style.” Well in my household, they never fell “out of style.” With that said, I thought I would share a few family secrets on how to use them to create a head full of insanely gorgeous curls. Here they are:

Prepare the Hair

Start by applying a leave-in, heat activated crème rinse to your hair. You’ll also want to plug in your hot rollers. Next, bend over, flip your hair upside down and blow-dry it straight. Doing so will help to add some volume to your hair. I should also mention that it is very important that your hair is completely dry. Otherwise, the hot rollers could potentially damage it.

Once your hair is dry, lightly spray it with hair spray. Give the hair spray a second or two to dry. Then divide your hair into seven sections with the aid of hair clips. If you are unfamiliar with how to section your hair, check out the diagram posted on the Hairfinder website. It is the same technique that my parents used in their full-service beauty salon.

Add the Rollers

Proceed by adding the hot rollers to your hair one section at a time. The best way to do that is to comb the chosen section of hair with a wide tooth comb until it is straight. Use the small rollers for the shortest sections of hair. Depending on your hair cut, those areas are typically located near the ears, the nape of the neck and the crown. If the hair in your crown region is long, go with the medium size rollers. The large rollers are often used to curl the sides and back of the head.

Once you’ve selected a roller, pull the hair taunt and lay the ends farthest away from your skull flat against it. It is crucial that the ends of your hair are flat against the roller and smooth. If they aren’t, you’ll likely end up with kinks, broken ends and frizz. Continue with the process by rolling the hair until you reach your scalp. Then clip the roller into place. Keep in mind that for the optimal curl, the hair and the clip should be tight against your head.

After you’ve adding the rollers, lightly spray your roots with more hair spray. I like to use Volumax Mega Freezing Spray. My parents used it in their salon a lot. Thus, I have become partial to it. When the hot rollers are ready to come out, remove them. The rollers in the set that I use change color. That’s how I know when it’s time to remove them. Your set of hot rollers may be designed to act differently.

Finishing Touches

Once the rollers are out, run your fingers through your hair first to loosen up the curls. Then temporarily flip your hair upside down and gently run a tunnel vent brush through it. Afterward, flip your hair right side up and finish styling it as desired. That’s all there is to it.

Source: Personal Experience

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