The last time you saw a set of hot rollers might have been on your mother’s vanity. And while there have since been an influx of hot tools that do everything from straightening your sopping-wet hair to the curling irons that totally transform your texture in seconds, sometimes a classic just can’t be beat. Our top pick for the best hot rollers, the T3 Luxe Set, is designed to add volume and shine with ease.
This throwback tool is more than just a nostalgia fix. “Hot rollers create more volume and curls that hold longer than with a curling iron,” says Andrew Fitzsimons, a go-to stylist for the Kardashians. And who doesn’t love the set-it-and-forget-it approach that allows you to style your hair while getting dressed or working on your makeup? Above all, one of the major benefits of hot rollers is that they’re gentler on hair than your average hot tool, which means you can use them more regularly without worrying about as much damage on stands. Below, find the best hot rollers to give volume and bounce to every hair type.
Best Hot Rollers Overall: T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers Luxe Set
Best Budget Hot Rollers: Remington Compact Ceramic Rollers
Best Hot Rollers For Fine Hair: Conair InfinitiPro Jumbo Ionic Roller Set
Best Hot Rollers For Long Hair: Conair Xtreme Big Curls Hairsetter
Best Hot Rollers For Short Hair: Conair 20-Roller Compact Setter
Best Hot Rollers For Travel: Conair Instant Heat Compact Hot Rollers
Best Hot Rollers For Thick Hair: BaBylissPro Nano Titanium 20-Roller Hairsetter
Best Hot Rollers For Volume: BaBylissPro Jumbo Hot Rollers
Best Hot Rollers Overall
A Luxuriously Well-Designed Set
T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers Luxe Set
This set comes with quite the price tag, but as evidenced by the fact that I’ve had it for 6 years running, it’s an investment worth making. The ceramic barrels are coated with a velvet flocking, which prevents creasing and burning, and they release easily without tangling or snagging. After pulling them out, your hair looks shiny and has plenty of bounce to it. Plus, the shiny black tray looks sleek enough to be displayed on the bathroom countertop.
Best Budget Hot Rollers
An Affordable And Compact Kit
Remington Compact Ceramic Rollers
This under-$20 set is unbeatable for the price, but it’s a great option no matter your budget. The rollers heat up in just 90 seconds and can set your style in 5 minutes. It holds 10 rollers (five large and five medium), but it’s packaged so compact, you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much shelf or storage space.
Best Hot Rollers For Fine Hair
Jumbo Rollers For Tons Of Body And Bounce
Conair InfinitiPro Jumbo Ionic Roller Set
While some other kits are capable of creating spiral curls, this jumbo-sized set is designed for those who prefer a soft bend with plenty of body and volume. Great for finer hair types, the 2-inch barrels provide plenty of lift at the root and tons of bounce (think: a professional blowout without the brush).
Best Hot Rollers For Long Hair
A Great Option For Enhancing Waves And Curls
Conair Xtreme Big Curls Hairsetter
Thanks to the eight jumbo and four super-jumbo rollers included in this set, your long hair gets a mix of waves and loose curls. And since longer lengths have a tendency to get tangled more easily in tools, the ceramic barrel allows for a snag-free release every time. They also heat up very quickly—85 seconds and you’re good to go.
Best Hot Rollers For Short Hair
Rollers That Grip Short Strands
Conair 20-Roller Compact Setter
Three different barrel sizes in this hot roller kit are great for giving hair a variety of curl types, from loose and romantic to full and bouncy. The rigid texture helps grip even the shortest strands, and the included clips hold everything in place while hair sets. The 20 multi-sized barrels include eight medium (0.75-inch), six large (1-inch) and six jumbo (1.25-inch) rollers.
Best Hot Rollers For Travel
An On-The-Go Kit In A Heat-Proof Pouch
Conair Instant Heat Compact Hot Rollers
Whether you’re looking to save space in your suitcase or on your bathroom counter, this tiny (but mighty) roller kit has everything you need without taking up much real estate. The compact set includes three large (1.25-inch), three medium (1-inch), and four small rollers (0.75-inch) for all-in-one styling. Plus, they come in a convenient heat-resistant pouch that’s great for packing up even when you’re in a hurry.
Best Hot Rollers For Thick Hair
Ceramic Rollers That Create Fast, Damage-Free Curls
BaBylissPro Nano Titanium 20-Roller Hairsetter
With 20 rollers in this set, even thick-haired beauties can curl a full head in a single go. They come in small, medium and large sizes, so you can vary the look of your waves and curls, and they feature a ceramic-titanium coating and infrared heat, which means you’ll get a quicker curlandcause less potential damage to hair.
Best Hot Rollers For Volume
A 5-Piece Kit For Lifting Roots
BaBylissPro Jumbo Hot Rollers
Best for giving your crown and face-framing pieces some oomph, this set of five oversized 1.5-inch rollers is your one-way ticket to plenty of volume. It’s also ideal for refreshing a blowout or giving your style a bouncy finish.
MORE FROMFORBES VETTED
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
As any at-home styling aficionado knows, it’s your hot tools that can make all the difference in your final look. And for Forbes Vetted staffers, every day is an opportunity to test and evaluate the best hot rollers on the market. Beauty contributor Stephanie Montes has tested versions of this hot tool over the course of years to tame her thick, frizzy, wavy hair. She tapped Andrew Fitzsimons, hairstylist to celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Hailee Steinfeld and more, for his haircare insight. He prefers hot rollers when he wants to create voluminous looks on his top clients. This story was edited by senior beauty editor Jane Sung, who has evaluated and reported on haircare and styling tools for over a decade.
How We Chose The Best Hot Rollers
To find the best hot rollers, we tested various options, scoured the internet for bestsellers, combed through reviews and polled staffers and contributors to determine which ones are worth buying. We chose the T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers as the best overall because of their quality and durability, according to real life testing.
In our evaluation, we also took note of temperature settings, materials, features and ease of use and considered how they pair with different hair types, from short and thin hair to long and thick types. We found velvet-flocked rollers to be the most user-friendly (because they prevent snagging and tangling), textured designs to be the best for shorter styles (because they have plenty of gripping power) and sets with a variety of sizes to be best for versatility.
What To Look For In Hot Rollers
When it comes to choosing a suitable hot roller set for you, hair texture and length will play a major role. The material of the rollers, sizes and fasteners are important to consider, but additional factors such as price and the size of the kit are also worth keeping in mind.
Material
Hot rollers come in a variety of materials, from plastic to ceramic barrels. “I typically use titanium ceramic rollers when I’m working with my clients because they heat up quickly, achieve the most volume and give off a smooth, shiny finish,” says Fitzsimons. For beginners, we recommend using soft, velvet-flocked rollers. “Velvet hot rollers are easy to use and don’t tangle or cause hair breakage like some other roller options can,” he says.
Sizes
As a good rule of thumb, smaller barrels create tighter curls, while bigger rollers work wonders at setting looser waves and giving strands with plenty of volume. Fitzsimons says, “For long thick hair, I recommend using large-sized hot rollers to create a high volume, bouncy look. For fine hair, I would use small to medium-sized rollers to create more body, bounce and definition.” He also recommends large heated rollers, which work well for very curly, textured hair.”
Fasteners
Hot rollers require fasteners to keep them in place and set your curls. Metal pins tend to hold hair the most securely, and if you have a kit with multiple barrel sizes, they come color coordinated for easy pairing. Claw-style fasteners are the easiest to attach, but they don’t always offer the most secure hold.
What Are The Best Hot Rollers To Buy?
While it ultimately comes down to preference and selecting the best hot rollers for your hair type, sets that flocked with velvet tend to be ideal. They provide grip when rolling hair and release easily, leaving you with frizz-free shine. Finer hair types work well with ceramic barrels because they minimize heat damage, whereas titanium rollers get hotter and curl thicker hair types with ease.
How Long Should I Leave Hot Rollers In?
The timing varies among sets, but for the most part, hot rollers take at least 10 minutes to give you a visible curl. For the best results, leave the hot rollers in your hair until they’ve cooled down completely. This can take around 30 minutes.
How Do I Use Hot Rollers?
Fitzsimons recommends first “blow drying your hair to prep for the rollers—it doesn’t have to be sleek or straight, just dry and clean.” He then says to section off hair at the hairline, another at the base of the head, sections at the sides of the head and finally, a separate section at the back of the head. Then, you’ll take horizontal sections that match the width of the roller and roll them onto the barrel. He has a great tip for determining the direction of the roller based on hair length. “If you have shorter hair, roll strands around a hot roller so the hair is folded inward toward your scalp, away from the face, for added volume at the root,” he says. “If your hair is longer, you should roll them over the roller toward the face to achieve more volume.”
Fitzsimons recommends letting the curlers sit for 10 to 30 minutes before releasing one roller at a time, beginning at the nape of the neck and working your way up. Finish off the look with extra-hold hairspray to lock in the look all day long (his pick is this one) and if you want, you can lightly brush through your curls to separate them.