My first experience with hot rollers was not a successful one; that might have been because I was only 10 and I stole my mom's set, which was probably older than me at the time. Also, while not the same thing, I was forced to wear sponge curlers in a very high and tight ponytail before cheerleading competitions. So, as you can probably imagine, I associated hair rollers with terrible hairstyles.
Well, fast-forward to the present day, when social media has been flooded with women with those voluminous '90s supermodel hairstyles. You can imagine my shock when I saw they were using affordable hot rollers. Since I'm a firm believer in second chances and am now more experienced in the hair realm, I decided to give the good old-fashioned hair tool another try.
Why I tried Conair Xtreme Ceramic Hot Rollers
If you type “hot rollers” into TikTok’s search function, you’ll quickly see that the Conair Xtreme Ceramic Hot Rollers are one of the most viral. I liked that this set came with two sizes of 12 jumbo rollers. I have naturally thick, wavy hair — and a lot of it — so I figured the bigger barrels would cover my entire head, while providing volume and loose waves. Plus, I liked the $42 price tag — not too shabby compared to other brands!
How I tried the Conair Xtreme Ceramic Hot Rollers
Before I got started, I wanted to start with a smooth base, so I washed my hair, used my favorite Color Wow heat protectant spray, and then rough-blow-dried with a round brush to tame any frizz. The brand says the rollers heat up within 85 seconds, and I agree that they did get hot pretty quickly, so you can plug these in after you prep your base.
Since I have a lot of hair, I had to do some quick math and assess how I was gonna section it. I decided to use the biggest rollers at the bottom and work my way up with the smaller ones for tighter waves. I rolled away from my face, then secured each one with the given clip.
Why I like the Conair Xtreme Ceramic Hot Rollers
You can multitask
I was surprised that this whole rolling process took less than 10 minutes because if I used a normal curling iron, I’d be looking at 45 minutes of styling time. The brand says to leave them in for 10 minutes for loose waves, or 20 minutes for more volume and bounce. Since I have so much hair, I opted for the full 20 minutes. Plus, this gave me time to putter around my apartment, do my makeup, and figure out an outfit to wear. My getting-ready time felt like it was cut in half.
The results are impressive
After the 20 minutes were up, I gently unrolled my hair (starting from the bottom), fully expecting to have Curly Sue or '90s prom curls, but instead, I was in awe of the volume and gentle curls. I softly brushed (yes, brushed!) my hair out to loosen the curls even more, then spritzed some hairspray for hold. Before me was a glamorous '90s blowout that I achieved in under half an hour.
What to consider
My hair can hold a curl, so I’m lucky to say that this style lasted me all day. I even slept on it for a couple of nights, and it slowly just turned into loose beach waves. However, if you have thinner pin-straight hair, you might need to lean on a curl cream or reuse the rollers the next day. Luckily, it's a quick process, and the brand says it uses ceramic technology with a velvet coating for minimal heat damage.
They also don't get that hot, which is good for maintaining healthy hair. I was handling them by holding the plastic sides and didn't suffer from any burns, but of course, proceed with caution or wear heat-protecting gloves if you're worried. Another thing to note, I found the clips to be a little flimsy. I already broke one by handling it too roughly, and the set only comes with 12. However, a large claw clip is a great substitute.
But across the board, I give these viral hot rollers five stars. If you've been wanting a bombshell blowout on a budget, you'll want to give these a try. I can attest that hot rollers have come a very long way from 1995.
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Shannon Garlin is an associate editor for Shop TODAY. She has covered a wide variety of topics, including the latest in fashion and beauty, product reviews, sales and more. She was also voted "Best Hair" during her high school senior class superlatives.
