Heated rollers: must-have or nostalgic gimmick?
5.7.2019
Translation: Eva Francis
Heated rollers or hot rollers are something you’d expect to find kicking about a flea market. At least that’s what I thought until I tried the Remington hot rollers and discovered they even outshine my curling tongs in certain ways.
Given the current high temperatures, it probably wasn’t my brightest idea to test the Remington heated ProLuxe rollers just now. But when I want to know something, there’s no stopping me. And I had to find out exactly what heated rollers can do that curling tongs or a curling wand can’t. The manufacturer promises salon-style results that last 24 hours. Let’s see about that...
What’s included:
- instructions
- a heating station
- 20 velvet-covered ceramic rollers: 8 × 25 mm in diameter and 12 × 32 mm in diameter
- 20 clips
Lock 'n' Roll
I plug in the device and let the rollers heat up in the heating station for five minutes with the lid down. Remington reckons they’re ready after 90 seconds but for «best results» they recommend waiting three to five minutes. I then open the lid and wait a minute, just as the instructions tell me to. Fortunately, the clips make it easy to take the rollers out of the case. It only gets tricky when I remove the clip to start wrapping my hair around the roller. Even though I’m holding it at the supposedly cool end, I always end up having to put them down for a bit and let them cool before using them. But apart from that, I stick to the instructions and use the smaller rollers for the lower section of hair, while I keep the larger ones for the top section.
It takes a few attempts before I manage to wind the hair around the rollers. That’s only because, unlike regular models, the rollers I’m testing don’t have a kind of Velcro surface for the hair to cling to. Individual hair strands quickly slide off the velvety cover. As a result, I have to keep a tight hold of the ends of the hair and wrap them round the roller well, which is a bit tedious. It’s also a challenge to pick the right strand size so that I don’t end up with hair sticking out over the roller. At least the clips attach well and do their job. There are just a few that hung clumsily at the side of my head, but that’s more down to lack of practice on my part. And I needn’t have worried about 20 rollers not being enough – even for my mane. In fact, I actually have a few left over.
I let my handiwork cool for 20 minutes even though they only recommend five to ten minutes. When I was taking the rollers out, some strands of hair got stuck at the bit where the plastic meets the velvety cover, and more specifically where there’s a gap. But that didn’t bother me as I just made sure I was more careful when unwinding the rollers. I finished off the look by fixing the curls with some hair spray.
Be careful: the black velvet left a dark powder on my white background. That’s why I recommend you don’t wear a white top while putting in the curlers.
Verdict
The end result with the hot rollers looks great. Who’d have thought so little heat would be enough to produce such defined curls? And in fact, this is what makes rollers kinder on your hair than scorching hot tongs or a wand. In terms of the time it takes to style your hair, there’s not much difference between the two. That’s assuming you know roughly what you’re doing, as the rollers require a certain amount of dexterity. As for the curls themselves, they look lovely and light, voluminous and nicely shaped. If you have long hair, you’ll only see this effect on the strands of hair hanging down rather than those around your head. My approach didn’t seem to create curls higher up. I assume it’s different with shorter hair. Compare this to the results I get with curling tongs: when I use a wand I also get defined curls (all the way up to my roots) but I do have to compromise some volume.
My curls lasted a good six hours but over time they got pulled out and lost their definition. It’s not exactly the 24 hours touted by Remingtons but that’s not a deal-breaker for me. After all, it’s the nature, length and layers of your hair that have more of a say in how long the hairstyle will last. The heavier your hair is, the more it’ll pull down on your curls. With a mane like mine, I’m already at a disadvantage to someone who has shoulder length hair. But if you’re only interested in creating a hairstyle that will last as long as possible, a curling wand is your best option. Otherwise, all I can say is the hot rollers do a great job for a reasonable price.
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Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.
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