What I suggest is:
1. Make sure your hair has slip. Don't overload it with product, but you should have enough to where the comb will slide through without much resistance. What helps me is to spray a detangling product on my new growth right before I start rolling.
What detangling product do you use? What do you set your hair with? I've recently started using mane & tail detangler and wow, what a difference that makes. I set with Design Essentials H20, water and little argan oil
2. Try using a comb with wider set teeth, especially if you're using it on your new growth. You still want something relatively close together, because you want a smooth set, but something spaced more widely than what you're using now would be gentler on the new growth.
My hair is seperated in 4 sections. I comb with wide teeth to detangle the each sections. I then part the hair and use a fine tooth comb to detangle and smooth a tiny section to prep for rolling
3. Try alternative ways of setting. Instead of a traditional set, a ponytail set might be better, because it's less manipulation, and I think it stretches the new growth better. The only thing is that you should be mindful when putting in the ponytails, because it's easy to overstretch the wet hair and then have it break as it dries. So be careful of the tension, if you try this.
I traditional rollerset for about 6 months straight and never gained any speed with rolling so I stopped and started air drying. Air drying is great but I missed the sleek look of rollersetting. I tried ponytail rollersetting this weekend for the 1st time. The results were okay. I think I should have used more rollers PLUS the new growth didn't get completely dry and I had to get going so I came from under the dryer before I was completely dry. The hair didn't poof too bad though. Typically I would traditional wrap the hair, put on saran wrap and get back under the dryer for about 20mins but I was pressed for time plus I have too much new growth to attempt it. Overall, I like the ponytail rollerset as it's much quicker to set!
4. And of course, be patient and go slowly. Don't yank on the comb, rush through, get annoyed, or catch rollersetting rage, because it can make you rip through your hair and regret it later. Make sure to use good combing technique too. Use fingers, then wide tooth comb, and only pass the fine tooth comb through one or two times to get everything smooth. And grip the hair slightly above where you're combing, to keep the tension from getting to your line of demarcation.
My problem exactly, I get frustrated. When traditional setting, I was taking me a solid hour to roll when doing traditional rollersetting, not to mention it takes about another 1 to 1.5hr to dry. That's like an all day event.
But even with all that, a tiny bit of hairloss is inevitable when you rollerset. Or pretty much when you manipulate your hair at all. Especially when one is deep into a stretch. I think as long as it's not excessive, and as long as it's not all coming from one area, it should be okay.
Agree. I think I will keep attempting this b/c I truly like the look of a rollerset far better than air drying. Plus, I think my moisturizers absorb better when doing my daily moisturizing & sealing when I rollerset. I feel those very same prods sit on top of the hair when I moisturize & seal air dried hair. I guess its due to the texture difference.