Rollers to avoid (aka Rollers of Death)

[Miss Jess]

Thought I might share my recent bad experience with a new set of rollers I bought. I thought it might be good to have a "con" thread for rollers, as it's so hard to wade through all of the info about different rollers.

I have fine straight hair, but pretty thick. I bought a set of Jet-Set EZ Rollers, Self Gripping. They are soft plastic with little barbs all over. Luckily I tried them out on a shorter section of my hair, b/c they tangle VERY EASILY. I think these would be great for anyone with very short hair (ears and above), but anything longer is dangerous!

I thought I'd lost my the section of hair at the top of my forehead... I couldn't get the roller out... eek! Everything was tangled and I had to gingerly pull my hair out of the roller. I really thought I'd have to cut it out.

Just an FYI that those of us with medium to long hair should probably avoid these at all costs!

 

[KittyT]

Yeah, I've never been a huge fan of velcro/self-gripping rollers. They either won't grip my hair well and I still have to pin them, or they tangle. The trick to getting them out without tangles it to pull them *straight* out. With pincurls, you tend to pull down, not out, but pulling down with these will cause the hair to stick and tangle.

 

[Miss Jess]

Yep, all it took was 1 or 2 hairs to not unwrap properly when I started to unroll the roller, and it was stuck... then tangled! Not fun. I'm trying to find a faster way to do my sets (I've been pincurling forever but would like to try roller sets)... these are a no-go for me.

 

[KittyT]

Yep, all it took was 1 or 2 hairs to not unwrap properly when I started to unroll the roller, and it was stuck... then tangled! Not fun. I'm trying to find a faster way to do my sets (I've been pincurling forever but would like to try roller sets)... these are a no-go for me.

Sponge or pillow rollers

 

[Paisley]

Miss Jess, your hair sounds like mine. I think those curlers work best with thin hair.

I use a curling iron.

 

[jetgirl]

I bought a set not called jet-set, but the same kind of rollers; and I had to throw them out because I had the same experience. I did buy a set of Conair velcro rollers that really look like they are covered in velcro, and they work very well. I also have fine straight hair, but a lot of it. They stay in pretty good without pins as well, my shortest sections I use a pin on.

 

[Jenniferose7]

Oh I hate velcro rollers so much! I gave up on them years ago.

Similarly, I also hate heated curling brushes. You know, the round brush that you plug in? Those can get tangled up in your hair something awful. I remember trying to curl the length of my hair with one years and years ago in junior high and it got tangled up to the root of my hair. My mom had to sit and pick it out hair by hair. It was very unpleasant.

I still have one but I only use it for curling my bangs and flipping my ends and even then I have to be very careful.

 

[miserabelle]

Ugh I hate them too, they never make my hair look too good either. They tend to be quite soft and my curls get crushed xx x

 

[DandyRags]

Death Rollers

I would add to the list of rollers to avoid, the wire rollers with the bristle brush thingy inside. I used these years ago and almost had to cut them out of my hair. They tangle no matter how you roll or unroll them. The movement of your head causes them to tangle and if you could sleep in them which was torture then you had a real mess in the morning. I guess they would work on very short hair.

 

[deadpandiva]

I would add to the list of rollers to avoid, the wire rollers with the bristle brush thingy inside. I used these years ago and almost had to cut them out of my hair. They tangle no matter how you roll or unroll them. The movement of your head causes them to tangle and if you could sleep in them which was torture then you had a real mess in the morning. I guess they would work on very short hair.

Those didn't tangle my hair but they were amazingly uncomfortable.

 

[1*Cool*Kitten]

brown spiral wired brush rollers!(with picks)

Well Ladies!
As I sit here in front of said sad laptop with bonnet dryer on flame! (er ugh high heat setting) trying to get the hair to dry befor bed! I have to respond!
these types of rollers are not for wearing to bed!2 reasons:#1 you won't sleep a wink & you'll wind up looking like the bride of frankenstien when you get to beat the alarm in the morning (if you do get a tige of sleep!) #2 your so consieous that your laying on bits of metal you can't get your head on the pillow right unless of course your a contortionist! (which yours truley is not!I've been told that from the sitting position to the actual point of contact with the pillow/head I'm snoring already!so to lose a nights sleep is not nice for those around me the next day!although I try to be nice! )

so.......with that having been said I would tell you gals 2 things:#1 get the old "rag" curlers if you've longer hair!roller it up tie it & enjoy a wonderfull nights dreaming! or #2 do as I am doing this evening roll the hair,sit under the bonnet,put on your satin bed cap befor retiring & viola in the morning rest & peace!along with beautiful beautifuy clean locks of love!

~WOW! that sounded like a vintage radio commercial! now all i need is the xylophone!ha!Good night!~

 

[pretty faythe]

I've gotten pretty good at sleeping wwith these in. I've discovered the trick is how you angle the stick pin thingy and don't put them in as tight as you would if you were going to be running around with thrm on during the day or bonnet drying them. If they're a lil bit loose sleeping is easier. I've not had a prob with them tangling in my hair but when I was having a show and tell with my girls and showing the 16yo how the differ rollers go in, using my 11yo head as the display, the 11yo managed to get it tangled in her head when she tried to take it out. Of course she managed to tangle just about all the rollers

I would add to the list of rollers to avoid, the wire rollers with the bristle brush thingy inside. I used these years ago and almost had to cut them out of my hair. They tangle no matter how you roll or unroll them. The movement of your head causes them to tangle and if you could sleep in them which was torture then you had a real mess in the morning. I guess they would work on very short hair.

 

[Frenchy56]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd counterbalance all the velcro roller hate - which I do normally share - and say they are practically the ONLY way I can curl my Betty bangs. I have tried EVERYTHING- agonisingly fiddly pincurls and damaging curling tongs were my only solution up until now. Reading the views above about how velcro rollers are better for very short hair, I thought I'd dig out my old 15mm ones - furiously flung in a drawer after buying a whole set and nearly having to cut them out my hair - and voila! Even the tiny side bits of my bangs get curled under. As the hair here is so short, taking them out shouldn't be a problem and hopefully won't pull out too much curl. SO glad I read this topic now!

 

[RainEdayWoman]

Yes, Velcro roller are intended for use in shorter hair no more than 1 to 1.5 turns on the roller and give a soft curl/wave. The plastic rollers are best for long hair and if you are wanting a set to last or product strong results like is needed for the majority of the vintage styles. Foam rollers, rag rollers, bindy rollers, ets are better suited for longer hair. And please no matter if you hair is long or short avoid the old styles brush rollers (usually metal with the black brush/bristles on the inside. Those actually damage the hair and will cause your hair to break over time. Those are only good for really stubborn, really short coarse hair that typically slips out of traditional rollers.

 

[Frenchy56]

Thank you for the advice When I unrolled the velcro rollers from the side bits of my bangs this morning they were quite frizzy though I did put my hairnet over them which would have pushed them up, perhaps I should have let them hang. Maybe I'll do my whole fringe in the velcro ones next time- right now there's a bit of a contrast between the bit I used a perm rod for (smooth and shiny) and the velcro-rolled bits (frizzy). Still, as I said, it's more or less the only way to curl my bangs!

 

[Patricia Lynn]

Velcro rollers actually work on my long hair, but I use end papers. Once you get the end papers on (I use a large size paper), it is actually only a very small amount of your hair that comes in contact with the roller. After the first wind, your hair is basically rolling onto itself. Do I still get some snaggles? Yes, sometimes. But not the tangled mess I used to get without papers.