Hot Rollers / Instant Hairstyles

As long as people have had hair, they have needed some way to tame tangles and most importantly, show off their personal style. Styling tools used for curling hair have been around for thousands of years but changed dramatically in the mid 20th century with the introduction of electricity, space age plastic and ceramic material. What started out as a very basic implement, the hair roller has morphed into a highly specialized styling tool. One example is the new Ionic / Ceramic “self warming” Hot Rollers.

The early wire and magnet plastic rollers were used to curl wet hair but took up to a half an hour to dry under a bonnet hair dryer. The electric self warming hot rollers brought ease and convenience to hair curling and shortened the styling time dramatically. Today’s instant heat hair curlers come in a verity shapes and sizes making it possible to create loose tumbling waves, tousled curls or smooth straight styles with added bounce and volume in minutes.

There are a number of ways to vary the style with Hot Rollers and Steam Curlers. For example, for long thin hair the rollers can be placed vertically to create corkscrew curls, while extremely large rollers can be used horizontally to create a soft wave. Or used in graduated sizes (medium & small) for a more natural look, as uniform curls can look somewhat artificial. You can also change the effects by brushing or blow drying the hair immediately after taking them out. Because face framing waves and curls soften facial features and are characteristic of youth, femininity; sensuality and innocence, hot curlers are one of my favorite go to styling tools.

There are a variety of heated hair curlers (dry and steam) on the market today and leading the way is the Babyliss Professional Ionic / Ceramic Hot Rollers. This streamlined beauty comes with all the “bell’s and whistles” you’d expect in the 21st century. 30 instant heat ceramic rollers (8 jumbo, 8 large, 8 med. and 6 small) generate far infrared heat to eliminate damaging hot spots and provides maximum heat transfer. Dual ionic ports emit millions of negative ions (good stuff) to add shine and eliminate frizz. Space saving folding arm allows for vertical positioning and easy use. Simultaneously, the easy-glide ceramic surface and far-infrared heat preserves moisture inside the hair shaft for a super shine and further speed styling time. And if time is money, then this bad boy says….ca-ching!

If you’re shopping around for a new hot roller hair setter you’ll no doubt be confronted with a wide range of choices and prices. From inexpensive drug store brands made in China that cost ($20-$40) to the top of the line professional salon brands ($75 - $100+). While these are geared toward repeated use by professionals, they can be beneficial for personal use as they will no doubt last longer and give you professional results. If you’re willing to pay the price the Babyliss Professional Ionic / Ceramic Instant Hair Setter is well worth the investment.