Read recently that hot rollers were making a comeback, but for me, they never went away. I’ve been using them for ages, ever since I realised that using the fancy large-barrel curling iron (we call them tongs here) was far too much work and took too long. The only trouble is, now that I have a whole head of icy caramel highlights, I’ve been looking for heatless methods to curl my hair or at least add body without the heat damage. Here are a few other methods I’ve been experimenting with at home…
Hot Rollers
Hot rollers are quick and super easy and leave my hair with big bouncy shiny curls that last, even if I don’t use any product in my hair first. I used to put them in before putting my makeup on and would be ready with glamorous hair in no time. Now, since I have highlights, I’ve been searching for no-heat ways to add a bit of body to my very long hair. Below are some of the methods I’ve been experimenting with for everyday hair, but in the end, the hot rollers are still my favourite, least fussy, fool-proof way to style my hair, so I’ll still turn to them for important events and special occasions.
Pin Curls
Pin curls involve using long alligator clips to hold rolled up sections of nearly-dry hair. They can work well, but are extremely tedious and difficult and take quite a long time. The processing time is also long, as there is no heat involved, so leaving the pin curls in as long as possible is best. The curls can come out a little light, depending on how tightly you roll each section, and the curls don’t last as long as with hot rollers, but they do give my hair body and shine. It’s not my favourite technique as I’m pretty low-key and this is a lot of work!
Silk Curling Headband
Was really excited to try the Mulberry silk curling headband as the heatless silk curler and scrunchies set promised a great, effortless way to get beautiful curls without damaging my hair.
Here are the instructions for how to use it: 1. Wash and dry your hair (80% dry is better) / 2. Fix the curler on the middle of your head with a claw / 3. Wrap your hair around the curler in small sections / 4. Tie the end of your hair with silk scrunchies / 5. Wait a few hours or sleep in them overnight to get lovely curls
For the first time, I tried sleeping with the curling headband and woke up in a state of discomfort and ended up taking it out in the middle of the night. But I should tell you that I am an extremely light, sensitive, and particular sleeper; it might not bother those of you who are deep sleepers or who can fall asleep under any range of circumstances. For the next few times, I did not sleep in the curling headband, but worked while it was in, and pottered around for a bit. I think with this method, like with the pin curls, the longer it’s left in, the better, and of course, being busy, I didn’t really have too much time. The result after a few hours though⏤while not big bouncy curls⏤was actually not too bad, with soft shiny waves. This method is hit and miss though, as sometimes it worked out, and other times my hair came out flat. Perhaps if you add product it might turn out better. It’s definitely good for travel though, as it’s much lighter and takes up much less room than a hot roller set.
