Curly in Colorado: Roller Setting Natural Hair-What I Have Learned

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Roller Setting Natural Hair-What I Have Learned

Roller setting any hair type is a tricky business. Still, you can achieve smooth results using rollers on natural hair. Once you get the technique down you can get salon quality hair at home.

Here are some things I've learned about roller setting my natural hair.

1. Taking the hair down while it's still damp (not completely dry) will result in frizz.

I have done this so many times so I know this to be true. Sometimes the frizziness actually adds to the style though if your going for a bigger look. However if it's sleek and smooth you want, you gotta leave the rollers in until completely dry.

2. For bouncy hair use as little product as possible.

I use a good leave in, maybe a dime size of heat protectant and then just water to re-wet each section when I want a soft, bouncy set. Setting lotion is also an option if I want more hold and is usually not too heavy.

3. Using oils may extend the drying time

I learned this one the hard way one night after rolling my hair while it still had some oils in it from my deep conditioning treatment. I sat under the dryer for 2 hours and it still wasn't dry! I ended up having to sleep on the rollers until morning...ouch!

5. Use a good leave-in conditioner

Since natural hair has so much texture I've found that smoothing each section with the rat tail comb or Denman Brush is much easier when I apply a good leave-in. My favorites are Garnier Fructis and Kinky Curly Knot Today because they give lots of slip.

6. Stick with rollers that are the right size for your hair length

Using rollers that are too large for your length can make rolling the hair more awkward.

7. Don't put too much hair on the roller.

If the parted section is wider than the roller, the hair may slip off of the roller from the sides leaving some puffy strands. Also, putting too much hair on to one roller can result in longer drying times and semi-smooth results.

8. Ponytail Roller set = smooth roots

If I'm going for a curly look I don't even worry about the roots. It's when I want a more straight look where the smoother roots come in handy. You can always whip out the flat iron for this but using ponytail holders to smooth the roots works too. There are plenty of discussions online and YouTube videos on this technique.