1
Dry Shampoo And Volumizing Powder
After blow drying my hair, I always spray dry shampoo lightly throughout my roots. Particularly, on the crown of my head. This not only helps add texture and volume to that area, but (fun fact!) it also extends your blow out. Applying dry shampoo right after showering actually prevents oil buildup. It does wonders for making your hair last for 2-3 days before the next wash (which is optimal for healthy hair). You don’t want to wait until your hair is already super oily to start the dry shampoo process.
PSA: If you’re a brunette that’s frustrated with the light powder of dry shampoos showing up on your dark roots, check out this dry shampoo that’s designed specifically for darker hair colors!
In terms of laying a volume-optimized foundation for these classic voluminous curls, dry shampoo at the roots is my go-to starting point on a daily basis. However, when I’m really looking for extra volume for a special occasion or my hair just feels lifeless, I’ll also sprinkle volume powder lightly at the roots as well or this amazing volumizing product from Aveda. When using these products, remember two things: (1) a little goes a long way; and (2) you have to work the products into your hair and give them a little time to set. Don’t be discouraged if your hair feels sticky and weird immediately after you apply dry shampoo, for example. If you continue through the process, the products settle in and you’ll start to see results.
2
Volumizing Hairspray
After applying dry shampoo and volumizing powder at the roots of my hair, I lightly spray this hairspray throughout my hair. My absolute favorites hairsprays for this stage are this Spray & Play hairspray or Aveda’s Control Force if I really want well-defined curls. If I’m going for a looser, more casual look, I really love Aveda’s Air Control hairspray. After spraying the hairspray through my hair, I give it a second to dry. Then, completely brush out my hair again before using the hot rollers.
3
Hot Rollers
If you get the right hot rollers and give yourself a week or two to get used to using them, I promise you, you’ll never look back. My favorite sets are this Babyliss set and this set by T3. They both contain jumbo-sized rollers which is the most important thing in achieving modern, bouncy curls and avoiding anything in the Shirley Temple category, however, they both have some negatives, too. The Babyliss set comes in a large, somewhat cumbersome base (I call it the spaceship) which isn’t a big deal when using on a daily basis, but makes it more annoying to travel with. The T3 set has a much sleeker design and comes in a case that’s travels easily, but this set comes with plastic butterfly-style clamps rather than u-shaped clips which is an absolute dealbreaker (as discussed below). My solution? I bought these metal u-shaped clips on Amazon to use with the set instead.
But let’s take a step back and discuss the three main game-changer reasons I use hot rollers:
(1) THEY DON’T DAMAGE YOUR HAIR //
Hot rollers are much much better for your hair than a curling iron or flat iron. Since hot rollers sit in your hair for a longer period of time, they’re able to use a much lower heat temperature. Slowly curling and adding volume, instead of scorching.
(2) THEY’RE SO MUCH FASTER THAN OTHER CURLING TOOLS //
If you’ve never used hot rollers before, it will take a few times to get used to wrapping your hair around each roller. But after a bit of practice, I promise you will find that the entire process of doing your hair is INSANELY FAST. To achieve this look, it takes me about 7 minutes total to do my hair from start to finish. NOT KIDDING. Instead of the painstaking process of curling each 1-2 inch section of hair with a curling iron, I throw each section of hair into its respective roller (it takes me about 3-4 minutes for my entire head), do my makeup for 10-15 minutes while the rollers set. Then I pull out all of my rollers, brush/shake it out, and I’m done.
(3) THEY CREATE MUCH MORE VOLUME //
Since hot rollers aren’t ironing out your hair (and flattening the cuticle), you’ll find that they produce significantly more bounce and volume from root to tip. Achieve perfect classic voluminous curls.
A MAJOR DON’T: I have used hot rollers since I was in middle school, so trust me on this one: DO NOT buy hot rollers that come with plastic clamps (that look like large butterfly clips, as pictured in this article). Only buy hot rollers that come with metal clips or, alternatively, purchase these metal u-shaped pins on Amazon to use with any sets that come with butterfly-style clamps. In recent years, tons and tons of companies have been selling hot rollers with large plastic clamps because they think the average consumer will find them easier and more convenient to use than the skinny metal clips.
The downside? I guarantee you will have giant crimps in your hair from where the plastic clamp holds the roller in place. They’re virtually impossible to prevent with plastic clamps and I’ve found that this is the reason 99% of people think they hate hot rollers—because they have no idea that the crimps that they see throughout their hair after they take the rollers out are due to the crummy plastic clamps. Metal clips secure the rollers in a way that totally prevents any crimping effect.
TECHNIQUE TIPS: When using hot rollers you have two options: (1) You can roll horizontally from the bottom tips of your hair to your scalp; or (2) You can roll vertically, starting at your roots and wrapping your hair around the roller from there. I almost always use option one to create that bouncy, retro, classic voluminous curls, but if you want to achieve a more tousled, modern effect, you can also try the second technique.
4
More Volumizing Spray
After pulling the hot rollers out, I run my fingers through or lightly brush my hair and spray it all over with the same volumizing hairspray that was used in Step Two above. Et voilà!
Let me know if you have any questions below!!
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