PHOTO COURTESY OF NK Naturalz
“Hello, I’ve only been natural for about a month now and now I’ve sort of taken the 'less is more'/lazy girls approach to my hair. I generally leave my twists in for two days just to let my hair absorb everything that I put on it, after that i might put it a puff, i might pick it out into a ‘fro, and sometimes I just might leave my twists in, keep on my satin bonnet and just rock a beret for the week. While iIlike all of these options I'm kind of bored with them now. i only have 3 1/2 inches of hair (which is mostly 4b with a patch of 4a in the very back). is it possible to roller set my hair after I wash it and if so, how?” – CurlTalker
The answer is, yes.
“I love roller sets because you can achieve many different styles while avoiding harsh heat,” says celebrity stylist Monae Everett. “Plus, hair that has been set usually lasts longer with less frizz than hair that has been heat styled.”
We asked Everett to share some of her top tips for achieving the best roller set on natural hair:
- Start with clean hair
- Use a detangler
- Use a light moisturizing styling product. Stay away from styling products that include petroleum and butters that will be too heavy.
- Use rollers with a smooth finish. Make sure that you are using rollers with a smooth texture, such as perm rods (without ridges) or flexi rods. This will ensure that when you take your rollers out, your hair is not getting caught on the ridges or rough parts of the rollers.
- Use different size rollers. This creates a more natural look. Use larger rollers than you think you need: Your natural hair will want to contract and create a smaller curl.
- Divide your hair into small sections
- Don’t put too much hair on each roller. Too much hair in each section will make it much harder to curl around the roller and take more time to dry.
- Focus on consistent tension when rolling the hair. The hair is more likely to hold the set, If your hair is fine consider stretching your hair with a blow dryer before applying rollers.
- Use a hooded dryer or air-dry
- Make sure your hair is completely dry. This is probably the most important step to achieving a frizz-free roller set. If you remove your rollers when your hair is not completely dry, your hair is guaranteed to frizz, especially in climates with high humidity and high dew points.
- When separating the hair, use a lightweight oil.
- Protect your hair at night. Use a scarf or a satin bonnet to keep frizz at bay
Find out the right roller set for every texture and length.
Some of Everett’s favorite products for roller sets include:
- Mizani Fast-Drying Foam Wrap
- Shea Radiance Moisturizing Hair Milk with Shea Butter
- Aquage Beyond Shine
- Dove Regenerative Nourishment Serum-in-Oil
This article was originally published in 2011 and was updated with new information.
