Wander in Style with the 5 Best Travel Hot Rollers

By: | Last Updated: December 1, 2019

Regular hot rollers are great but you’ll agree with me that they’re no fun to travel with! If you love traveling like me, investing in the best travel hot rollers set is worth every penny.

We all love to look great everyday. Being on a holiday is not an exception. Have you ever had to regret not having your hairstyling tools when you’re on vacation? I bet it wasn’t a nice experience if you’ve ever been there!

This hot rollers review would definitely pass for a lifesaver. Let’s jump right in.

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Quick Answer: Best Dual Voltage Hot Rollers for Travel

Things To Consider When Choosing A Hot Roller Set For Your Trip

Before I go on to review the top products, let’s take a look at some features to look for when trying to choose a travel roller set.

Heat settings

The last thing you want is to fry your hair. Does the roller set heat up quickly? This should help with how quickly you get used to the rollers without getting any burns especially when you’re still trying to get the hang of it.

Is it easy to select a particular temperature quickly? See how easy it is to fiddle with the heat settings. Also, find out its maximum and minimum temperature range. You need the one with the lowest temperature setting if you have fine or thin hair. But those with thicker hair will need something that gets hotter.  

Roller case/pouch

Make sure that the roller set you’re buying comes with a carrying bag or pouch. You’ll need it to keep them organized when you travel. It’s important not to have a carry case that’s too soft, otherwise you’ll risk damaging your rollers during transit. Ever seen that video on how luggage bags were just tossed around in transcontinental flights?!

Worldwide Voltage

Guide to worldwide plugs and electrical outlets

If you’re traveling abroad, a roller set with dual voltage is a MUST since other countries have different voltage settings that the one back home. For instance, the voltage in Europe is between 220-240V and that in the US is 110-117V. I’ve had to short circuit a few styling tools without universal voltage because I forgot about that. You might burn down your hotel or cause a power outage if you do too.

Material

Choose a roller with a material that’s suited to your own specific hair type. How your curls turn out depends on which material the rollers are made of. There are three types: Ceramic, tourmaline and titanium.

You should consider choosing ceramic and tourmaline irrespective of your hair texture. I don’t recommend buying titanium unless your hair is thick. This is because titanium rollers are capable of releasing so much heat which may end up causing irreversible hair damage. Go for them if you’ve got thick hair and prefer to save time.

Ceramic rollers promote healthy hair by gently heating your hair with infrared rays. This is just right for those with fine tresses as it evenly distributes heat throughout your hair. The good thing about ceramic rollers is they can equally be used on other hair types but you need to give it more time with thick hair. Tourmaline rollers are also suitable for all hair types and help keep hair shiny and frizz-free.

We did not include flocked rollers in this list as they tend to be bulkier and therefore not portable enough to take with you on your journey.

Size

A nice lightweight and compact travel roller kit is best in order to cut down the weight of your luggage. Choose a roller set that is portable and can be easily packed inside your carry on bag.

Most of the time, roller sets usually come in a mixture of three varying sizes which are small, medium and jumbo (or large-sized) rollers and are typically denoted by figures in inches. Getting to know which size combinations each set contains is necessary as it may well determine whether or not they’re the right choice for you.

The variety of hairstyles you create will depend on the different barrel sizes your roller set has. From big curls to loose waves, there are various hairstyles you can make with the right roller size. Large rollers (those with barrel sizes 1 ¾ inch, 1 ¼ inch and 1 ½ inch) can be used to create loose beach waves, even on short or medium-length hair.

If you’re a short-haired gal, consider getting a set with small rollers to create tighter curls with clearly defined ringlets. Medium-sized rollers do a good job at delivering pin-up curls for any hair length. For those with longer hair, go with a set that’s got a couple of large or jumbo rollers. This will create that extra volume and bouncy feel to your curls.

In a nutshell, you should get rollers that can be completely wrapped around your hair at least two times. You can still achieve voluminous waves with small rollers (0.85” to 1”) even if your hair is long! It’ll just take time though!

Our Top Picks: Best Hot Rollers For Travel

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Travel Hairsetter

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Roller Hairsetter

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This product from BaBylissPRO is top on my list of the best travel size hot rollers. The BaBylissPRO Hairsetter is great for making tight curls on shoulder-length to long hair because it comes with 10 jumbo rollers.

This Babyliss hairsetter keeps hair frizz-free and shiny. This is because it emits far-infrared heat rays. Another interesting feature that I love is that it also emits ions from its nano titanium material which helps protect your hair from heat.

This roller set comes with metal clips. However, there’s no pocket made for these so you might get frustrated trying to get this onto the rollers initially. The metal clips are pretty good at holding the rollers in your hair without them falling off easily.

When using this model, be careful when setting the temperature because it immediately heats up to a high heat setting in a matter of minutes. BaByliss really got this one right because it’s a great choice if you want a roller set that saves you time when styling your hair. This is great for busy days as it heats up quickly.  The 1.5” sized rollers are just perfect for long hair.

Conair Instant Heat Compact Hot Rollers

Conair Instant Heat Dual Voltage Compact Hot Rollers

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Do you frequently get to that roadblock with absolutely no idea of new hairstyles to make? With this Compact Hot Roller set, you can never run out of numerous styles to make because they come in different sizes of small, medium and large rollers inside 1 set. A stunning feature about this roller gem is that all 10 rollers heat up at once in 90 seconds so you don’t have to wait long.

If you’ve got a flair for retro pink color or a zebra pattern design, then this set is for you. It comes with both butterfly clips and wire clips, and both hold well with no problems at all. These rollers are a good option if your hair is fine because it doesn’t get too hot.

For those with super fine hair, I bet you’re used to getting frustrated whenever you try to hold your rollers in place on your head. The clips do an amazing job at keeping each roller from falling off your hair. It might be a little difficult to master this trick at first, but just pay attention to each clip size and match them with corresponding roller size. That’s all you need to do.  

Make sure to gently unroll your curls after removing the clips and the rollers to get long-lasting firm curls. Conair really pulled this one off and it’s very budget-friendly. Plus the small size makes it easy to store it in my luggage.

Revlon Curls-to-Go Travel Hot Rollers

Revlon Curls-to-Go 10 Piece Travel Hot Rollers

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This Revlon set makes a good travel companion and is also good for everyday use, especially if you have limited space at home. Featuring tourmaline ionic technology, this roller set gently curls your hair and take out the frizz.

These rollers heat up in about 10 minutes, but it has an indicator light for when the rollers are ready, so that takes out the guesswork! With tips (base) that are cool to touch, you’re less likely to burn your fingers with the Revlon Curls To Go.

This model comes with 5 “large” (1” rollers) and 5 “medium” (¾”) rollers. Actually, the size in the product is a bit of a misnomer if you consider the sizes of other brands and models. This is more like having a set of small and medium rollers rather than medium and large as described. So do take note of that, especially if you have thick or long hair and need something bigger.

The set comes in a simple pack and I love that I can use them in the carrying case without any problem. With its worldwide voltage feature, you can use them in any country as long as you’ve got a plug adapter with you.

Caruso Traveler Molecular Steam Setter

Caruso Pro Traveler 14 Molecular Steam Hairsetter

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The Caruso Pro Traveler is distinct from every other travel hot roller sets in this list as it heats through steam. It’s got 14 rollers with a variety of sizes ranging from small to jumbo: 2 petite (⅝”), 3 small (¾”), 4 medium, 3 large and 2 jumbo rollers. I always got to make many curl types with my hair because of this.

The steam heating feature makes this model stand out from the rest. The steam conditions as it curls the hair and is quite gentle too, unlike electric curlers which can burn your scalp if you’re not careful. The steam does not damage your hair. Hair must be dry or at least only slightly damp for the steam heating to work.

It only heats up one roller at a time, but each roller takes only a few seconds to heat. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to curl all your hair. To get the best out of these rollers, make sure to remove your hair from the steam as soon as it gets hot or at most slightly damp.

With universal voltage, you can take them Europe or UK. You just need to bring the right plug adapter with you and plug it in! There’s no on or off switch (unlike the bigger 30-pc. Caruso set), just plug it in when you use it and unplug after.

Remington All That Quick Curl Travel

Remington H-1015 All That Quick Curl Travel Hair Setter

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This Remington Compact Ceramic Technology set of hot rollers is what you would take on for any trip especially when there’s no room for a full set of electric hot rollers. It comes in a cute pink color and contains 5 medium-sized and 5 small-sized rollers.

These rollers take no time in getting hot, but you’ll need to be extra cautious so that it doesn’t cause hair damage. Its worldwide voltage feature will allow you freedom to plug in wherever you go, making it a great travel companion!

If you’ve always had to worry about clips that do not stay firmly as with other hot rollers, the custom J-clips that comes with this model do a pretty good job at gripping your curls tightly and do not slip out. The Remington Travel Roller set remains at the top of the list for me and I think they’re worth the extra bucks you’ll spend in adding them to your collection of heat styling tools.

Why Dual Voltage Curling Tools is Best For Travel?

As you may already know, every country has its own unique power socket for accepting a particular plug designed to fit in.

One of the major reasons why I prefer choosing a hot roller set with this feature is because instead of having to carry a voltage converter with you on your trips abroad, you’ll only need to take a plug adapter to the destination country.

Electric outlet illustration. Different type power socket set, different country plugs


Heat styling tools without the universal voltage feature will either fail to work or will lead to electrical accidents as pointed out earlier. I recommend that you choose the preferred settings based on the country’s voltage to prevent damaging your product.

Find out which electrical socket type is accepted before flying there.  Check out the image above to find out which plug you need for your next destination. Better yet, get a universal travel adapter that has all types!

Featured Image Credit: Deposit Photos

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Looking for the Best Travel Hot Rollers – Curling Diva

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