“You’ll never have problems with your hair,” these were the words my great-grandmother would tell me in her broken English for so many of my younger years. And every time she’d say them, I’d roll my eyes and not believe a word — until I finally embraced my curls.
When I understood just how “great” they were, I finally understood what my great-grandmother had been telling me. I thanked her too, hoping she could hear me, since by that time she had passed on.
Once I embraced my curls, I also seemed to do a bit more experimenting — with the amount of products out there it almost seemed a shame not to at least test them out a bit! I have thick curls (3a/b type), but I keep them shorter, about chin length.
I loved the effects and finished looks people got from hot rollers and curling irons — but why would I buy those? I have curls! Well, I did, and I do and it was fun to play with some tools and find out just what they could do to curls.
Hot rollers
My first play date was with hot rollers, and I went through a few types before I finally found one I liked a lot. I used a set which came with about three or four sized curlers and clips that heated as well. I staggered them throughout my hair. Rolling dry, pre-parted hair (which I sprayed with a light protective product first), I angled hair from bottom to scalp as I placed the roller in my hair. I left them in for about 15 minutes.
When I took them out, I did have some curls with less frizz, and I had to work the parts at the crown of my head so they would get a little more volume. I “played” a bit more later on with the larger sized curlers only and they made for some nice, big, loopy curls as well.
Final result? I still have a set of hot curlers and I do use them from time to time. It doesn’t take too long to set and it’s fun to give my curls a bit of a different look.
MORE: How to Avoid Hair Breakage with Heat Styling
Curling Iron
My next play date was with a curling iron. My husband almost laughed me out of the house when I came home with five of these, but I wanted to experiment with different sizes and types of curling irons.
The first two were not for me. They were “wands,” and my hair is too short for these. I burned my fingers even with the gloves. The others, with a clamp, were pretty interesting. I used a large barrel, two inches or so, and got some great volume, almost like a blown-out look, just not “so” straight.
The one inch was a keeper. It gives me a great “quick fix” for curls that are a little frizzy or out of place. It heats up fast, so I touch up a few curls before I leave for work and my hair is good to go! The smallest barrel also got returned. At about 1/2 inch, it was just bit too small. It didn’t fit my curl type at all.
MORE: Curling Rods vs. Curling Irons
Flat Iron
My last hot tool was the flat iron. I admit, I don’t like to blow out my hair at all. I feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger afterwards — it’s tough work! I do embrace my natural curls (that, or my great-grandmother is still speaking to me somehow), but I did want to see what a good flat iron could do.
I didn’t like the way my hair looked SO pin straight, but when I wrapped my hair around the iron, I got a really great ribbon effect. With my hair a bit longer, it did look pretty nice. Apparently, some stylists use this technique to get that ribbon effect with their clients’ hair too. I wouldn’t do it a lot, though. In fact, I don’t have an iron any more. But it was a pretty fun experiment, and I did like the “ribbon” effect.
This doesn’t mean you have to run and get some heat tools today — in fact, this took some time to work through. But if you do have some curiosities as to what hot rollers will do for your curls or waves, try them out! I am quite grateful for the wise words of my great-grandmother, and I embrace my natural curls even more so now; however, making them look a little different for a day or so can be a lot of fun too!
MORE: How to Flat Iron Coily Hair
