7 Tricks to Using Hot Rollers For Short Hair

By: | Last Updated: June 17, 2021

How you’ll be using your hot rollers will depend on what kind you have, but these are the 7 tricks you should remember when styling short hair:

Still don’t have rollers? Read Our TOP Picks For The Best Hot Rollers For Short Hair


Do The Following Steps:

1. Make sure you know what your rollers are capable of.

Before even starting, you need to take a look at the rollers that you have and know what you can do with it. For instance, small hot rollers for tight curls are very different from large rollers that will give you loose waves.

For short hair, you need a lot of added volume so tighter curls will probably do the trick.

If you get a set of different-sized rollers you can also experiment, adding more volume by adding texture through the different sizes.

hot rollers set with other curling tools – Curling Diva

2. Don’t make your hair skip the prep.

Even if your hair is short, it still needs adequate protection from the heat that you will be subjecting it to.

Prepare your hair by washing it with some shampoo, but go easy on the conditioner. It’s also best if you place some sort of heat protectant to ensure that it won’t get damaged.

Make sure there are no tangles in your hair, and you can even use some moisturizing mousse to make the curls last longer.

Another trick that works for those with especially hard-to-curl hair is that you can use the hot rollers on hair that you’ve washed yesterday.

CHECK OUT: The Ultimate Guide on How To Curl Short Hair

3. Divide and conquer.

This step is easier to do for short hair than long hair, but some people forget that if they want tight and defined curls, they need to divide the hair into smaller sections.

Using clips, prepare your hair and keep it out of the way. 1-inch sections will usually do the trick because the smaller your sections are, the more defined your curls will be and the better it will look.

Of course, this is a matter of personal choice as well because you always experiment on other hairstyles depending on the size of your rollers.

4. Prepare the rollers.

Again depending on what you have, most hot rollers heat up really fast, so make sure you know how many (and which) rollers you will be using.

Prepare only that, and heat them up so that you can easily roll your hair onto it once it’s ready.

Also, make sure that the clips are ready because you’ll need to clamp it onto the roller to secure your hair.

It will also help if you know beforehand where it’s safe to hold the roller, just in case it gets too hot.

5. Roll them on.

how to roll hot rollers – Curling Diva

When dividing and putting on the rollers, top to bottom is the way to go.

This will prevent your hair from getting tangled and yourself from getting confused. Make sure you roll everything in, including the tips, so that you get a nice curl.

Roll onto your scalp and use the clip to secure everything in place.

You have to remember that these are hot rollers so yes, there will be heat. This means you should also take extra precaution in handling the rollers.

READ: How To Curl Short Hair Without Heat

6. Allow hair to cool down.

Even if you’re in a hurry, you need to allow the hot rollers to cool completely before you remove them and brush your hair out.

Adequate time is needed for the curls to be effective and to last long, so you really have to set aside some time for this. If you get those rollers that heat up really fast, then you’ll be saving a lot of time.

For an even longer lasting effect, you can also use some hairspray while the rollers are still on your hair.

To remove the rollers, remove the claw clip first and then gently take out the roller without drastic tugging that can cause some damage.

7. Style it for the last time and you’re good to go.

Once the rollers are off, don’t be shocked because your hair will definitely look shorter than it already is.

Loosen the curls with your fingers, and style it the way you want.

As a finishing touch, you can go for a tiny quantity of anti-frizz serum that you can spread out evenly.

You should focus especially on the ends of your hair because this is the part that’s most prone to frizz.


Check out this video tutorial for shoulder length hair:


The video above is great for those with shoulder length hair, which is still technically called ‘short hair’.

But if you have really short hair, check out another video below. Or better yet, use a small flat iron to curl short hair. Here’s how to do it.

For really short hair, check out this video below:

To curl short hair, you can also use velcro rollers, and other heatless curling methods like rag curls and even flexi rods.


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5 thoughts on “7 Tricks to Using Hot Rollers For Short Hair”

  1. Thanks for the tips. I washed my hair yesterday and read the instructions today. I used conditioner yesterday but did spray the hair while it was still in the rollers. I forgot I don’t have long hair any more so your instructions came in handy. I had unpacked my Clairol heated rollers from the 1970s and decided not to get rid of them without trying them one more time. I’m about to go take them out!

    Reply
  2. Thanks so much for including the video tutorial! It was really helpful in doing my BF’s hair. He has a medium-length bob, almost to his shoulders, and I really like doing it in hot rollers to give him some bounce and volume. I am definitely going to use some of the tips in this video to do his hair!

    Reply
  3. I can’t understand how you think you have short hair. I thought short hair is a length ABOVE the shoulders, your hair is definitely long. This tutorial was of no help to me whatsoever.

    Reply
    • Hi Tina! Shoulder length hair is considered as “short” by some people. I’ve added another video showing how to do it on really short hair. Hope that helps!

      xoxo, Sarah

      Reply

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