Heated rollers are among those classic hair tools we tend to overlook in favour of flashy new gadgets and the latest salon treatments. But in recent months I’ve come to realise what a handy time-saver they are.
Heated rollers were a product I grew up with but didn’t know I needed until I became a mum. Over the past year, mornings have become more hectic to say the least. Lie ins are out. Ditto, my previous lengthy hair and beauty routine. I can’t spend ages wrestling with a curling iron when I’ve got a wailing infant demanding my attention. Hence heated rollers are the perfect solution, you can just throw them in and go about your business, applying your makeup – or trying to convince a 10 month old to finish his porridge – while those curls are happily cooking away. Once they’ve cooled, you’ll hopefully end up with voluminous hair akin to an iconic 90s supermodel, which – with a good blast of Elnett hairspray – should last the best part of the day.
While some beauty tools aren’t the most glamorous (Hannibal Lecter-like sheet masks spring to mind), hair rollers are also a snazzy accessory in their own right. You can be Elizabeth Taylor or Nora Batty depending on what you wear them with (a snazzy dressing gown is always a winner). Plus, hair rollers have had more reinventions than Madonna over the years, so there are many kinds to choose from. I grew up with the classic Carmen rollers my mother owned, before graduating to “bendy” rollers (flexible curling rods) as a teenager. I later tried the heatless velcro rollers that you sleep in, requiring you to snooze Geisha-style with your head flat on the pillow, which left me with a crick in my neck and slightly deflated curls the next morning. Over the next decade I went on to experiment with straightening irons, hot brushes, hot combs and finally forking out for salon blow dries (those days are well and truly over), before deciding to come full circle and go back to basics. The best rollers I’ve recently discovered, are Remington ProLuxe Heated Hair Rollers (£44.99) – a great example of the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. They don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but they heat up in 90 seconds, are easy to roll and clip in (each one comes with its own mini crocodile clip), and you can remove them in as little as 5 minutes – but I like to leave them in for at least 15 to be on the safe side.
And if you’ve got enough chutzpah, you might feel bold enough to go out and about in your rollers until you reach your destination – so the curls are fresh on arrival. I’m not sure I’m cool or nonchalant enough to style out my rollers on the bus (especially with a teething baby in tow), but if you’re feeling brave enough to do it like Dot Cotton, then just add a chic headscarf on top and you’re all set.
