Rollersetting 2025 (Challenge/Hangout)

[Rocky91]

Is anyone still rollersetting their hair??
I'd love to convene with anybody that has decided to start using or keep using this as the primary method of caring for your hair. This isn't a formal challenge, but it'd be helpful to answer a few questions if you'd like to participate.

Current hair stats: length? natural? relaxed?

Goals: length goal? health goal?

Why do you want to rollerset?

Describe your current routine, including products and the types of rollers you use.

I hope I'll get at least one other person interested.

 

[mzteaze]

Following as I haven't rollerset my hair in a long time.

 

[Rocky91]

Is anyone still rollersetting their hair??
I'd love to convene with anybody that has decided to start using or keep using this as the primary method of caring for your hair. This isn't a formal challenge, but it'd be helpful to answer a few questions if you'd like to participate.

Current hair stats: length? natural? relaxed?

Goals: length goal? health goal?

Why do you want to rollerset?

Describe your current routine, including products and the types of rollers you use.

I hope I'll get at least one other person interested.

Let me answer my own questions.

Current hair stats: Natural hair, type 4, just cut to a collarbone length bob.

Goals: Healthy BSL hair. I've enjoyed my bob, but I'd like to have longer hair again.

Why do I want to rollerset? I am going to commit to being careful about length retention again this year, and rollersets are the lowest manipulation hairstyle for me that requires no direct heat. When I do wash and goes, braidouts, and twistouts, I typically want to stretch out my roots. I just don't like how they look without that step. So I'm going to just avoid those styles for now as I grow back my hair.

Current routine: Shampoo and condition 2x/week, then do a rollerset with purple flexirods (i wear this out) or large magnetic rollers (for a bun). I shampoo and condition with Redken All Soft, or I use Silk Elements shampoo and deep conditioner. I style with a foam, primarily Nairobi which I absolutely love. I sleep with a bonnet at night, wear a ponytail while I work out, and the style is pretty indestructible. It could definitely last longer than 3-4 days, but my scalp gets quite itchy after a few days of sweating during my workouts, so I'm ready to shampoo again.

Every 3 months, I'm going to the same stylist for a flatiron and trim.

 

[Rocky91]

Following as I haven't rollerset my hair in a long time.

Yay! Follow along and join if you'd like.

I haven't worn this style for a while and then did a set for Christmas on a whim. I was like, why did I ever stop doing these? I have a hairstyle that looks very cute to me, stands up nicely to my workouts, requires no direct heat, and is quite easy to do.

 

[Rocky91]

Here are some old rollersetting threads, but this is just a little sample. This board truly is the best Black haircare archive on the Internet and rollersetting as a specific topic is no exception. There's a wealth of information in these older threads, from product recs to notes about technique, etc.

Rollersetting 2012 Challenge
2009 Rollersetting Challenge for Naturals
Rollersetting 2011 Challenge
2009 Rollersetting for Health/Length Challenge
2016 Setting to Success Challenge

 

[Rocky91]

Some random notes on flexirod setting technique that I want to share (and also as a reminder to myself):

• There are two ways to roll your hair on flexirods: traditional spiral curl and the more modern wand curl.
• The traditional spiral curl is easier to do and almost foolproof. Seriously, you really can't mess it up. I think it pulls the roots straighter and dries faster since all the hair is stretched out on the roller. On my hair, this produces a sturdier curl that doesn't get stretched out during my workout.
• The modern wand curl requires that you wind the hair around the rod. Here's a video demonstrating it. I think most people prefer this look because it's less...lil bo peep and grandma I find that the curl is less sturdy and will go limp after a few days of pulling my hair into a ponytail during my workouts.
• What I've been doing lately: A mixture of both. I do mostly traditional ones (probably like 70%), especially around the perimeter so that they stay intact during my workout. I add a few wand curl ones into the mix because I do like the look, but I put them specifically in areas of my head that will get the most dryer heat and dry quickly.

 

[VinDieselsWifey]

I just rollerset my hair Sunday & had the smoothest set I’ve ever had as a natural. I’ve been doing ponytail roller sets as a natural and my 4a/3c hair never lays completely smooth on rollers. I’ve used magnetic, French bouffant, & the Ethiopian/Italian rollers. I watched some YouTube videos about rolling natural 4c hair and a lot of the women use mousse. So I bought Camille Rose Spiked Honey mousse. I used Shea Moisture Silicone Free Miracle Styler Leave-in, Redken One United All-In-One Mutli-benefit Treament & Chi Silk Infusion as my leave-ins. Then added the mousse as the last step. My hair laid smooth on the rollers. I sat under the dryer for 2 hours. My hair felt so soft and was very smooth. Next time I’ll pick just the Shea Moisture or the Redken and not combine them. I’ll also try to not be as heavy handed cause my hair was a little weighed down. But it felt great.

When I was texlaxed I loved to do roller sets. I would do the Mohawk style of rolling. I would texlax my hair every 6 months and do roller sets & flat iron the roots and it always looked like I had a fresh relaxer.

I prefer roller sets over blow drying cause my hair doesn’t feel dried out.

 

[VinDieselsWifey]

Current hair stats: Natural, between BSL & MBL

Goals: TBL, healed from hormonal thinning

Why do you want to rollerset: I prefer the way my hair feels vs using a dryer

Describe your current routine, including products and the types of rollers you use:

Shampoo, light-medium protein, DC weekly or every two weeks. Sometimes I’ll use Ayurvedic powders to wash and sometimes normal shampoo. I mainly wear twists under a wig. For DCs I use natural hair lines & salon products. I make my own hair oils & hair butters.

 

[classychic1908]

I have a set of curl formers that I've wanted to try for about a decade now.

 

[mzteaze]

I have a set of curl formers that I've wanted to try for about a decade now.

I have three different sets that I can't use because I have fine, low density hair. It looks too sparce with those

 

[Rocky91]

Current hair stats: Natural, between BSL & MBL

Goals: TBL, healed from hormonal thinning

Why do you want to rollerset: I prefer the way my hair feels vs using a dryer

Describe your current routine, including products and the types of rollers you use:

Shampoo, light-medium protein, DC weekly or every two weeks. Sometimes I’ll use Ayurvedic powders to wash and sometimes normal shampoo. I mainly wear twists under a wig. For DCs I use natural hair lines & salon products. I make my own hair oils & hair butters.

Thank you so much for joining @VinDieselsWifey !! Very excited to see your journey to TBL using rollersets.

I really agree with you on the foams/mousse type products being key to getting a good set for natural hair. They really help the hair "cling" to the roller smoothly.

 

[Rocky91]

I just rollerset my hair Sunday & had the smoothest set I’ve ever had as a natural. I’ve been doing ponytail roller sets as a natural and my 4a/3c hair never lays completely smooth on rollers. I’ve used magnetic, French bouffant, & the Ethiopian/Italian rollers. I watched some YouTube videos about rolling natural 4c hair and a lot of the women use mousse. So I bought Camille Rose Spiked Honey mousse. I used Shea Moisture Silicone Free Miracle Styler Leave-in, Redken One United All-In-One Mutli-benefit Treament & Chi Silk Infusion as my leave-ins. Then added the mousse as the last step. My hair laid smooth on the rollers. I sat under the dryer for 2 hours. My hair felt so soft and was very smooth. Next time I’ll pick just the Shea Moisture or the Redken and not combine them. I’ll also try to not be as heavy handed cause my hair was a little weighed down. But it felt great.

When I was texlaxed I loved to do roller sets. I would do the Mohawk style of rolling. I would texlax my hair every 6 months and do roller sets & flat iron the roots and it always looked like I had a fresh relaxer.

I prefer roller sets over blow drying cause my hair doesn’t feel dried out.

I love Redken products, so my inner product junkie is tempted to try this. I haven't used leave-ins in a while, but hey--I'm in hair retention mode, so maybe I'll add one back in.

After you ponytail rollerset your hair, do you wear it out? Or do you use it as a means to wear the hair in some other way?

 

[VinDieselsWifey]

I love Redken products, so my inner product junkie is tempted to try this. I haven't used leave-ins in a while, but hey--I'm in hair retention mode, so maybe I'll add one back in.

After you ponytail rollerset your hair, do you wear it out? Or do you use it as a means to wear the hair in some other way?

I normally roller set in preparation to flat iron & trim my ends. I rarely wear my hair out because I’m dealing with female pattern hair loss so I have thinning at my temples & crown. I like to wear left side parts but my scalp is starting to show through at my temples so I have to wear it all back and disguise the thinning.

I dealt with hair loss at my crown since 2008 because of a scalp infection. I ended up getting a hair transplant in 2016 and things were going great but in 2020 I started getting thinning at the temples & a widening of my part plus the transplanted area started thinning out. My transplant Dr said now I’m dealing with female pattern hair loss. So I’ve been dealing with all of that & only wear my hair in a ponytail when I do straighten it. But this past November I had my first PRP + Exosome injections. I’m gonna get 4 monthly treatments and then see if it helps. If it does, I will have to get them every 6-12 months to maintain.

I had been dealing with clumps of hair shedding whenever I washed it. I managed to get the shedding under control with black tea & green coffee rinses. But since I’ve gotten the PRP/Exosome injections the shedding has decreased without me doing tea/coffee rinses. My dad went bald & my mom’s hair has thinned out a lot since she’s gotten older so I’m guessing it’s hereditary. I’m 44 & I’ll be windmilling for my hair life cause I’m not going down without a fight.

 

[Rocky91]

I normally roller set in preparation to flat iron & trim my ends. I rarely wear my hair out because I’m dealing with female pattern hair loss so I have thinning at my temples & crown. I like to wear left side parts but my scalp is starting to show through at my temples so I have to wear it all back and disguise the thinning.

I dealt with hair loss at my crown since 2008 because of a scalp infection. I ended up getting a hair transplant in 2016 and things were going great but in 2020 I started getting thinning at the temples & a widening of my part plus the transplanted area started thinning out. My transplant Dr said now I’m dealing with female pattern hair loss. So I’ve been dealing with all of that & only wear my hair in a ponytail when I do straighten it. But this past November I had my first PRP + Exosome injections. I’m gonna get 4 monthly treatments and then see if it helps. If it does, I will have to get them every 6-12 months to maintain.

I had been dealing with clumps of hair shedding whenever I washed it. I managed to get the shedding under control with black tea & green coffee rinses. But since I’ve gotten the PRP/Exosome injections the shedding has decreased without me doing tea/coffee rinses. My dad went bald & my mom’s hair has thinned out a lot since she’s gotten older so I’m guessing it’s hereditary. I’m 44 & I’ll be windmilling for my hair life cause I’m not going down without a fight.

Thank you for giving that context! I am so excited for you that you are able to get answers from your care providers and seeing progress from the injections.

 

[Rocky91]

I'm planning to rollerset tonight and take some pictures over the next few days to show how the set migrates. Posting a test picture now (birthday cake research for my niece lol) to see if this function is less glitchy than it was a few years ago.