I am finishing up the last weeks of a six month rollersetting challenge I hosted through my personal blog, during which I’ve become somewhat of an unofficial expert! We all understand the benefits of rollersetting as opposed to using direct heat to straighten and curl our hair but the amount of time it takes is a huge deterrent. I must admit my first few sets took me literally hours to complete so I am right there with you.
Fear not, here are a few tips and tricks to help you decrease not only on the amount of time required to set your hair but also cut back on your drying time.
Detangle your hair. Detangle your entire head at the beginning of the set and clip the sections up (see #2). Detangling once instead of each section before you roll it makes the process much quicker.
Pre-part your hair. In my case I use the Mohawk method which means I do a row of rollers in the middle of my head from forehead to nape and then four quadrants on each side. After towel drying my hair, I go ahead and create the sections in the manner in which I set my hair and clip them up. It may not seem like much but trust me, it saves you lots of time.
Use mesh rollers. There are a few kinds of mesh rollers – wire, plastic, French bouffant. All of these will dry your hair faster than traditional magnetic rollers* because they allow air to circulate through the hair more freely.
Use the right size roller. Even if you want a curly style, use the largest size possible for YOUR hair and simply pincurl afterwards. Lengths that are APL and beyond can probably use at least a two inch sized roller.
Upgrade your dryer. I cannot say it enough, purchasing a salon hooded dryer* was one of the best things I could have ever done for my hair. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to spend two hours or more beneath a dryer for a rollerset. Purchase a powerful dryer that circulates the air and is designed to cover your entire head of rollers. My personal pick is the Pebco Professional Salon Dryer.
I know rollersetting can seem like a tedious task, but remember practice really does make perfect. The more you set your hair the better and faster you will become and soon you will develop your own list of tips and tricks!
