I have long hair, maybe about an inch past my bra strap in the back. It's not thick or thin. If I don't blow dry it, it ends up partially wavy/straight/curly, and frizzy (not nice looking!). It's a pain to always have to blow dry it, and my hair lacks volume. I see people with gorgeous, full hair, and they don't even have to blow dry it. Why can't my hair be like that?! For whatever reason, I thought of trying hair rollers... Over the past two weeks, or so, I've tried several different types of hair products, and combinations of them, to use with the hair rollers until I found what works for me. I thought I would share in case it helps anyone else. When I first started using the rollers, it would look great initially, but then it would fall out within 20 minutes. Sometimes, if I used the curlers when the curlers claimed to be ready (after only two minutes of heating), it wouldn't hardly leave a curl in my hair. But I've figured out what works for me. Hopefully it'll be helpful to some people. And, the new way I do my hair, I never have to blow dry it anymore. It's awesome! Here's what I do: - Before bed, I shower. - I towel dry my hair, and then add 3-4 squirts of "Big and Sexy Blow Dry and Volume Gel" (I've tried different gels, and none have worked as well as this one!) - Then I go to bed with wet hair and wake up with a mess of hair. It's fun because I know it's going to look good in about 30 minutes. - Turn on my curlers for AT LEAST 15 minutes before I will use them (otherwise it's not hot enough). If you leave them on for a long time before using them, it does get pretty hot. Sometimes it's almost too hot to hold them. So, about the time I'm ready to use them, I'll open the lid for a minute or two before using them, and it helps not burn my fingers. - I put the curlers in my hair like this video says to do (thanks to the previous poster who left this video! It's helped tremendously). Here's the video (in case the link gets deleted, the name of the you tube video is "Beauty How To: Soft, Sexy Curls with Hot Rollers". You can search on you tube for it): <...> - With each bunch of hair that I gather to put in a roller, I spray it first with "Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray". I spray it on both sides of my hair as I hold it up getting ready to put it in the roller. I make sure to spray the whole strand. This is important because at first I only did one side, and I also tried using less of the spray. But in order to get it to work and hold the curl, I needed more. I also tried doing this without the gel, and it didn't work. I was worried if I put too much in, it wouldn't dry in time, but it does. (I make it lightly damp, not dripping or anything!) - I use a combo of clips. As I was buying this product, I saw that some people like the "claw" clips and other people prefer the wire clips. I had no idea what I would prefer, so I went ahead and bought the claw clips so I had the choice. I use both types. On the top of my head, all of them are claw clips that I use (make sure you put them on correctly, and they won't let your hair fall out of the roller or flop around on your head.) The claw clips I bought are the Conair SPC10X Super Clips. It only comes with 10, but I use 12 hair rollers, so at least two are always wire clips. I don't use the wire clips on the top of my head, but I will use them around the sides/back. I've found them to work great too. I can't decide if I like the claw clips or the wire clips better. The video shows you how to use both of them. Sometimes I have to use two wire clips on the same roller - coming from both directions - and it'll help hold the roller still and in place. My only complaint is that with my hair (maybe other people's hair is different), I need two more rollers. When you watch the video, you see how she does the top, then when you go to the sides, there are two "special" spots on each side of your head that she says to go ahead and put rollers in. I don't have enough rollers to do those spots. So, I don't. It still works good. But two more rollers would have been nice! It's not enough of a problem for mark it down from 5 stars, though. - Anyway, once it's all on, I just wait until all the rollers are no longer warm. - Then, I take my hair out. I start with the bottom/back first and work my way up. I unroll them carefully so they keep the curl that was made. - Once I get all of the rollers out, I will spray it with "Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray". (I've tried different hairsprays, and for whatever reason, they really don't work as well.) Often on the top of my head, I feel like it's a bit flat - like I need more volume up there to balance out the curls and make it look really nice and full. My hair has a tendency to be really flat. I found this awesome powder stuff that works AMAZING. It's called "Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder". I pour a little powder onto my fingers, flip my head down, and work it in my roots. I'll do it a few times in different spots to get everywhere that needs some lift. I don't know how or why it works, but it adds strength and lift to the hair. It's awesome stuff. I love it! My hair is no longer flat. It's lifting up and full looking - it looks MUCH thicker. I promise I don't work for Big & Sexy hair products! hehe. I realize most of the products I'm suggesting are from them. I've never even heard of these Big & Sexy products until the last couple weeks, and for those will bodiless hair - these are THE products to try! I can't tell you how excited I've been to learn about them. They are a dream come true for my type of hair! And, they really work. It's like magic. I'm excited because after I have a baby, I lose a lot of hair, and it gets thin looking up on top (I HATE it, though my husband claims he can't tell at all). These products are a life saver (or will be, once this new baby is born!). Anyway, then I do whatever I want with the curls - whether I want to work them out a bit or not. It's important to be aware that these cause BIG, LOOSE curls (that stay, if your hair is like mine, and you do what I suggested). They are not going to be small curls since the rollers are so big. They just give a whole lot of body and big curls. I spray them a few different times with the Big & Sexy hairspray. These products have worked awesome for me with the rollers. I like to pull back just my bangs and clip them back (I don't really have bangs. They are as long as the rest of my hair). Then the curls look great. It's SO FUN to have my hair looking fuller and thicker. It's something I've never had. As I said, I don't have thin hair (unless it's after having a baby), but I do have flat hair. I LOVE these rollers in combo with the hair products I mentioned. I tried other hair products/combos, and they didn't do the same thing at all. I love having full, thick looking hair. It's so fun to do my hair every morning! If you don't want actual curls, you can work them out, or just leave the curlers in for a shorter amount of time (or don't let them heat up so long). I might come back and show before/after pics, but I haven't gotten there yet. If you're not having luck, try different hair products. Sometimes it's worth paying for professional products because they really work better if you're needing something specific.
