THE GOAL

There are four reasons I rely on hot rollers versus the other curling methods out there...

1. Volume. Instead of only giving a curl, hot rollers give nice bounce and bit of lift at the root. This is especially the case on day 2 or 3 of washing, when you have that lift paired with a bit of dry shampoo.

2. Its curl is super natural-looking. I find that a curling iron corkscrew curl can often look too perfect, and even strategically "beachy" waves can sometimes look contrived. Out and about, strangers sometimes ask if my hair is natural or if I styled it, which to me is the best compliment. For it to not be a given that I style my hair is my goal!

3. The results are low-maintenance. Because of that natural-looking aspect, I don't have to do much in the way of styling, or worry about errant hairs when I flip my hair around. Even when it's a bit messy it still looks presentable.

4. There's great return on time investment. While my hair is on the straight side, it's not exactly pin-straight either. It's straight but with kinks, and the ends are a bit blah. What I love about hot rollers is it gives the hair good direction—meaning, even if and when the curls loosen and fade—even days later!—that directional wave is still intact. After using hot rollers, even when my hair's been snowed on, rained on (within reason), and just generally flattened out, it'll still be more together-looking than my natural hair. Putting in just a few minutes of hot roller time (it takes me less than 5 minutes to do my whole head) will make my hair more presentable for DAYS.

FYI, here is what my hair looks au naturel, washed at night and air dried overnight...