8 best hair rollers for every style, from bouncy waves to tight curls

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

After a little practice, once you get to grips with these heated rollers you’ll find how easily they add a touch of glamour to your hair-styling routine. Four large and four extra-large rollers sit on a charging plate and come neatly nestled in a storage bag. They heat up in minutes, thanks to the next-generation ceramic heaters and an aluminium core that work together for an evenly distributed temperature that comes with two heat settings.

The key to mastering the use of these is to divide the hair into what is best described as a mohawk so that the largest rollers sit from front of the forehead to the nape of the neck. The other four rollers should sit on the side of the head. We found the velvet finish on these ensures there’s no snagging or tangling as you remove them after 10-20 minutes once cool. You’re left with big, bouncy volume that lasts all day.

Best: For long or thick hair

Rating: 9/10

There are plenty of hair rollers in this set, 20 to be exact, to curl even the longest and thickest strands. Simply plug in the base and wait for the rollers to heat up for around 3-5 minutes – you know when they’re ready as you see the heat come off the rollers.

With two sizes of rollers in the set, we found using the 25mm roller in the lower sections of hair, and the 32mm rollers in the top sections gave us the best results. The velvet surface grips to strands without any pulling or tugging and ensures hair doesn’t slip out once it’s secured in place with its clip. You can even go about with daily tasks while you wait for them to cool.

After around 10 minutes we unrolled each and finger-combed for frizz and kink-free voluminous curls. Don’t skip on hairspray while you tease the curls in place to make sure they set and last the whole day. These are easy-to-use, speedy and, at under £50, they won’t break the bank either.

Best: Velcro hair rollers

Rating: 8.5/10

These are the hair rollers for adding next-level body to your style. Each pack contains three large rollers for thick or long styles, as well as three medium curlers for shorter hair. And using them couldn’t be more straightforward...

When hair is still warm from blow-dry, lift the three-inch section of the hair vertically at the crown, rolling it with tension from the ends towards the roots, applying hairspray for added hold to the root. Use as many as needed for the desired volume and you’ll find they stay in place without any pins or clips needed. We found we could go about getting ready for the day or evening for 15-minutes while they set. And once we removed them, we simply ran our fingers through our hair to soften the curls.

Ultimately, we were left with amazing height and body and think they’d work wonders on any length of hair.

Best: DIY salon-style blow-dry

Rating: 8/10

This kit is a novel idea for anyone who struggles to re-create that salon style bouncy blowout at home. It’s a combination of hair rollers and the barrel brush and hairdryer technique in one. You’ll find it comes with six brush rollers (33mm in diameter) that clip in and out of a handle. Simply attach together to form a standard ceramic brush that can be used to curl ends, and can be left in by easily detaching the handle and clipping in place.

Our tester, like many, struggles to blow-dry the back of the head so found this kit a welcome addition to add loose curls to those hard to reach areas. After drying the front, and leaving the rollers in, they set hair in the time it took for us to get ready for the day. It’s a shame they don’t come with more rollers in the set, so you can use them on the whole head, but we’re seriously considering investing in another to do so.

Best: For sleeping in

Rating: 8/10

If you’ve seen the heatless curls hack doing the rounds on social media, then this works the same way. But, instead of using your dressing gown belt, you use a curling rod wrapped in satin that is much more comfortable to sleep in and ensures your curls have a frizz-free finish.

We found that starting with damp hair that’s about 90 per cent dry gave the best results. Secure in place at the top of the head with a hair clip and, starting at the top, wrap sections of hair around, picking up new sections each time you go round. Secure ends with the two scrunchies in the kit, and sleep with it in place. We were sceptical before use, but were amazed at how well this works. We awoke to beautifully well-defined curls.

Best: For travel

Rating: 7.5/10

These compact heated rollers make a handy travel-friendly option, as they don’t take up much space with all 12 (25mm in size) rollers sitting neatly in the zip bag. The small size means you do have to use it in sections, as only six rollers can be heated on the base at a time – taking between 10-20 mins depending on how thick your hair type is.

These are a little fiddly to use at first, but once you’ve played around with them you’ll quickly master how to use them. The little grip dents on each roller will help to grip strands and the pins will keep the rollers in place. You’ll unroll large, smooth Hollywood curls that look very glamorous.

The Nicky Clarke heated rollers will be available to buy from 14 March.

Best: Variety of sizes

Rating: 8/10

Always a reliable brand to turn to for hair-styling tools, Babyliss doesn’t disappoint with this large set of 20 heated rollers. The variety of sizes in this set is its biggest selling point, as you’ll find small, medium and large rollers – providing a good mix of options for different wave and curl sizes and different lengths of hair. Another bonus is its variable heat control. Although we found the hottest setting is still best for the longest-lasting curl, it’s a nice option for fine or delicate hair strands that won’t frazzle on the lower setting.

These rollers also have a velvet finish for easy-rolling without tugging. Plus, you have a choice to secure with either clips or pins – we preferred the clips as they were quicker to secure, but there are only 10 of these, so if you have a lot of hair you will need to get to grips with the pins too. Once removed you’re left with smooth, frizz-free curls that, with a little hold from hairspray, will stay like that all day.

Best: Foam hair rollers

Rating: 7/10

Foam, sponge or cushion rollers are not only the best options for those on a budget, but are a versatile pick as they come in a variety of sizes and can be used with or without heat. We trialled them on almost dry hair, rolling in place from ends to scalp and headed to bed. They’re comfortable enough to sleep in, and in the morning, we had classic curls that we finger brushed and scrunched with hairspray for a big and bouncy mane. Expect to use around three packets for the whole head.