Help me with my velcro rollers, please

August 8, 2011 9:18 AM

Velcro Rollers: How do you use them?

I'm looking for new ways of styling my hair. I am not particularly gifted in the hair styling arts so I'm trying out a few things that I can manage with minimal fuss and effort. I recently bought a bunch of velcro rollers and have been reading and watching various video guides on how to use them but I just end up with a mess at the end.

My hair is just past my shoulders and has some layers in it, no bangs. I have a lot of hair though it's somewhat fine textured and wavy. Generally, I wash my hair at night and it is still somewhat damp when I go to bed. In the morning I flat-iron it or just finger comb and go. Sometimes I put it back in a bun or twist it up on the back of my head.

For the rollers, I also bought some setting lotion to see if that would help ( based on the Jane Feltes vintage tips) but then I see that a lot of people use the rollers on dry hair. How does that work? I always thought rollers meant wet/damp hair. I do have a blow dryer, do I need to use it? On dry hair to create heat to set the rollers or on damp hair? I have two kinds off velcro rollers. One set has a metal inner ring and one is all-plastic. Presumably the ones with metal are for use with a dryer?

So I'm only tried using them with damp hair but my hair is long enough that it seems to take HOURS for it to dry on rollers and I don't have that much patience. I don't think I can sleep in them, either.

So how do I get the most out of the rollers?

posted by otherwordlyglow to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

Easy peezy!

Ok, so you'll want to have about 8 velcro rollers (depending on the thickness of your hair) and some long hair clips. Based on your hair length description, the 2" should be good. You can do your whole head (for max volume) or you can just do your crown, sides and bangs for lift on the top (I recommend the whole head for a more complete look).

Rollers and long hair clips you can find at Sally's Beauty Supply for cheap. I couldn't find them readily online at Sally's, but they usually always have the 2" purple in stock.

1. blow dry your hair completely

2. take generally random sections (not too thick of sections) and brush them out straight (no tangles) - you don't want to fuss with perfect, even parts - you want the hair to be sectioned randomly

3. lightly mist the section from roots to ends with a good hairspray - I recommend Sebastian Shaper Plus because it gives GREAT hold and does NOT build up - mist each section with hairspray

4. roll the section in a roller - (you want to hold the hair straight out and taught (90 degrees) from your head) - roll it snuggly and secure this with a hair clip at the base, underneath where the roller sits on your head so you don't get hairclip indentions

5. do this all over your head - my best results have always been to roll all of the rollers down and under - for your bangs, roll them under

6. when you finish rolling, once again, mist all the rollers again with a bit of hair spray

7. on a low heat setting, hit each roller with the hair dryer - this sort of "cooks" the hair spray into the hair (yikes, I know), but this builds in the volume and the product

8. your rollers should feel secure enough for you to do your make-up, do the dishes, whatever! but the longer you keep those rollers in, the better the volume and hold!

9. when you're ready, take them out and using your fingers or a nice, wide tooth comb, style away.

Trust me, you WILL get volume and style! Let me know if this helps! It feels awkward at first, trying to coordinate, but once you do it a couple of times, you'll whip those curlers right in with no prob.
posted by foxhat10 at 9:46 AM on August 8, 2011 [16 favorites]

Oh, and the cool thing about this trick is, that during the day, naturally your hair will drop a little, but just stick your fingers in your crown area, lift it up and the volume comes back.
posted by foxhat10 at 9:49 AM on August 8, 2011

I've had velcro rollers for YEARS and haven't known how the hell to use them. Thanks for the question, otherworldlyglow, and for the awesome answer, foxhat10! I'm totally getting some clips to hold them in and some hair spray to set the style!
posted by Falwless at 10:14 AM on August 8, 2011

Here is professional tutorial
posted by hortense at 11:26 AM on August 8, 2011

Oops, on re-reading, I see that you said you don't have bangs. I would still treat that front section as if they were bangs and still do that section under and forward. It will give better body for the front section, especially when you part it on the side.
posted by foxhat10 at 11:40 AM on August 8, 2011

You're welcome, Falwless! :)
posted by foxhat10 at 11:41 AM on August 8, 2011

I got my hair cut yesterday and the stylist used velcro rollers to finish the style. I was surprised because I last used them on wet hair years and years ago. I have hair like yours (fine, wavy, and shoulder length), and the stylist didn't use any extra hairspray. She started with dry hair, combed them out with the roller as she went, and rolled up the hair without using clips. She also hit the hair with some low-heat hairdryer action after everything was in place. It didn't make my hair curly, but it gave it a lot of body.

Falwless has some excellent advice, but you may not need the hairspray or the clips, depending on your hair type.
posted by zoetrope at 11:42 AM on August 8, 2011

Oh, I mean foxhat10 has great advice, my bad!
posted by zoetrope at 1:32 PM on August 8, 2011

Here's a really good video tutorial that may help, as well.
posted by kro at 8:12 PM on August 8, 2011

Response by poster: Yeah, I had no idea that so many people used a curling iron before putting in the rollers. That just seems like so much work. Clearly the velcro roller option isn't the easy answer I was hoping for.

I tried foxhat10's suggestion about using hairspray and though I got a few curls, they don't last at all. As soon as I tried to comb them, they all fell out.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:19 PM on August 8, 2011

Try using your fingers to separate the curls instead of a comb. I've found that even with a super-wide toothed comb, it ends up pulling too much and pulls the curl out. If you use your fingers, you can separate them more gently and without tugging and keep some of the curl intact.
posted by kro at 10:26 PM on August 8, 2011

I've always used velcro rollers to create volume and a curling iron to create curls.

I have very similar hair to you, otherwordlyglow, and I can create loose curls or beachy waves by twisting my damp hair into a top knot on the top of my head. Sometimes I spritz with a little hairspray or work in a little curl mousse or gel before I put it up. Once my hair has dried (you could use a hair dryer on it, if you're in a hurry) I take out the bun, flip my head over, and gently loosen the curls with my fingers. This won't give you the same look as a curling iron OR rollers, but it's so easy it might be worth a shot.
posted by gumtree at 10:33 PM on August 8, 2011

Also! Smaller rollers will give you a tighter curl. Bigger rollers with give you loose waves or just volume.
posted by gumtree at 10:36 PM on August 8, 2011

Yeah, if you're going for actual curls, then the curling iron obviously, like a 3/4 inch barrel. But for volume, the rollers. Maybe I misunderstood; didn't know you were looking for actual curls from the velcro rollers.
posted by foxhat10 at 6:11 AM on August 9, 2011

Response by poster: I guess I was hoping for waves, not really curls. Volume would be fine too. I'm just looking for anything that will create a nice smooth style.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:32 AM on August 9, 2011