Correlation between rollersets and stunted hair growth

[tryn2growmyhair]

I rollerset my hair yesterday and as I was taking my hair down, a lightbulb went on. I saw little bits of broken hairs that I used to see when my hair was shorter. It was then that I realize that the reason that my hair has grown so much over the past few months is because I have been airdrying and not manipulating my hair with rollersets.

Airdrying has its own downsides, my hair gets really dry unless I remoisturize each night by spritzing water and then spritzing my olive oil based oil mix on my hair and then wearing a plastic cap at night. However, I realize that my hair will never grow if I go back to rollersetting ever week and that is what probably stunted my growth. I have fine, 4a/b hair and just thought that I would share this. I went from having hair above my shoulders to having my hair below my shoulders.

 

[CarLiTa]

roller setting is a good sort of low manipulation thing... it keeps moisture in, IMO,more than airdrying. I agree about the short hairs, but i really dont think there's a correlation there, at least not from my point of view. i'm actually thinking about doing them again when i get my touch-up in december... they might help me save more hair then, plus they look better than airdried hair

 

[blackbarbie]

That's an interesting point you brought up, but I see a lot of the women on the board with very long and beautiful hair and rollersetting is in their weekly routine. However, my sister has mid back very thick relaxed hair and she, (unlike I), does not particularly care if her hair is bone straight or not, so for the most part, she will shampoo, condition, braid up, let air dry, and mostly wear braid outs. Her hair grows like a weed! But she does rollersets too. About 50/50. I do rollersets and my hair grows, and it's below shoulder length, but I still go back to the women on the board with super long hair that rollerset weekly. I think there is definitely some value to rollersetting. All those heads can't be wrong!!

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Power to people who are able to grow their hair long with rollersetting but most of my hair idols, Adrienne and Supergirl are two who come to mind, do NOT rollerset on the regular. In fact, one of the ways that they have grown their hair superlong -- and both of these ladies are close to waist length -- is by minimizing heat. My hair grew tons when I followed their advice, so I think that I am going to move away from rollersetting and only rollerset the week before a relaxer. Again, power to people who have been able to rollerset their way to waist length hair. However, I am a 4b with fragile hair, so I think that I will stick to what worked for me. My hair has grown so long that I have black people asking me if I am mixed (I am not) and I have had non-black people comment on how long it is and how quickly it has grown. And this is without using Surge/WGO/MTG or any of the quick fixes, which, by the way, I have not heard most of my hair idols raving about, but that is for another thread. When I think back on what made my hair grow, low-manipulation has been one of the main things that has helped it to grow. And all that combing with a comb -- even a bone comb -- during and after a rollerset -- is not good for my hair. Power to you if it works for you but I just thought I might share my experience for ladies out there who are rollersetting a ton and wondering why their hair is not growing.

 

[jd_bdfly]

What kind of rollers do yu use? Cause I think that can make a big difference in how good for your hair the rollerset is. For example, sponge rollers are a big no (suck the moisture right out), and magnetic rollers are a big yes.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

What kind of rollers do yu use? Cause I think that can make a big difference in how good for your hair the rollerset is. For example, sponge rollers are a big no (suck the moisture right out), and magnetic rollers are a big yes.

I either use magnetic rollers or the expensive French wire rollers that Albane uses.

 

[macherieamour]

hmm this is an interesting post. My hair is the opposite. If I airdry it, no matter what moisturizers I use, my hair is dry, brittle and breaks off. If I do the ponytail method, my hair will thin where the band is and on the sides. But when I rollerset it, I get no breakage and my hair is stronger and healthier.

I will say this tho- I got my growth spurt when using mesh rollers-not magnetic. When using magnetic, my hair didnt stop growing but Im finding its not growing as fast. Weird. Dunno if that helps erplexed

But who knows! Variety is the spice of life and maybe our hair thrives best when we alternate styles. So it doesnt get used to the same styling stress. One week-braid-out, next week air dry, next week rollerset. Hmm that might be my next challegne....

 

[~*~ShopAholic~*~]

Maybe you receive breakage because when the hair is wet it is more fragile on top of your already fine hair, or it could be the way you are combing, rolling or inserting and removing the hair clips if you use the prong metal hairclips you have to be really carefully when removing them so that your hair don't get snagged. Plus, IMO, sitting under a dryer is total different from a blowdryer heat (less manipulation), or flatironing heat, it's just warm air to me.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

My hair might be too fragile for all of the manipulation of rollersetting. For instance, I have Albanane's fancy french mesh rollers and for one, they are heavy and for another thing, they leave my ends crispy. I am going back to my no-heat method. That's what grew my hair the fastest.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

hmm this is an interesting post. My hair is the opposite. If I airdry it, no matter what moisturizers I use, my hair is dry, brittle and breaks off. If I do the ponytail method, my hair will thin where the band is and on the sides. But when I rollerset it, I get no breakage and my hair is stronger and healthier.

I will say this tho- I got my growth spurt when using mesh rollers-not magnetic. When using magnetic, my hair didnt stop growing but Im finding its not growing as fast. Weird. Dunno if that helps erplexed

But who knows! Variety is the spice of life and maybe our hair thrives best when we alternate styles. So it doesnt get used to the same styling stress. One week-braid-out, next week air dry, next week rollerset. Hmm that might be my next challegne....

How did you keep your ends from getting crispy with the mess rollers?

 

[Plenty]

two hair dressers have told me this!

Of coarse, I was like what ever!

I thought that the women was trying to screw me over because she didn't feel like roller setting my hair.

I quess she was telling the truth

My old stylist didn't suggest getting rid of rollersets all together, but to use the looser/bigger rollers. I forgot why?

 

[karezone]

I guess the tension needed is less. Less wrapping around a larger roller.

 

[dlewis]

I found that I have more breakage with rollset when using a lot of setting lotion, now that I use little diluted in water there is very little breakage.

 

[Crem]

This has been a big question for me

I was recently getting weekly rollersets and my hair broke off soo badly
I think my problem was from a number of things 1. over proccessing 2. tight rollers

In the past I had the same problem going to the salon and getting weekly rollersets

in the past my hair thrived on heat and washes bi-weekly, and touch up every 10-12 weeks

I wash more often now but I'm giving my hair a rest from the rollerset.

I think depending on the hair type it may or may not benefit from rollersets

 

[kizzylonghair]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. First NO! method can stop your hair growing from your scalp. But i agree that methods hinder your changes of retaining length.
I look at rollersetting like this---What is the alternative if you want a smooth straight look..Curling Irons, Straigthners we all know that these are so bad for our hair.
I remember using them everyday. Now In rollerset under heat ONCE a week and the curls last. So incomparison rollers win hands down. My hair has done 360 degrees turnaround by using them.

Kizzy

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Hey, what about spiral curls done with those wire-tube like rollers?? You know, the ones with the different colors?? They're really soft. Are those good for your hair or no?

 

[MeccaMedinah]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. First NO! method can stop your hair growing from your scalp. But i agree that methods hinder your changes of retaining length.
Kizzy

I too agree. I can say that I had breakage too back when I was relaxed & had my hair rollerset & sat under a dryer. Maybe rollersetting & airdrying is a better alternative.

 

[LiLi]

This has been a big question for me

I was recently getting weekly rollersets and my hair broke off soo badly
I think my problem was from a number of things 1. over proccessing 2. tight rollers

In the past I had the same problem going to the salon and getting weekly rollersets

in the past my hair thrived on heat and washes bi-weekly, and touch up every 10-12 weeks

I wash more often now but I'm giving my hair a rest from the rollerset.

I think depending on the hair type it may or may not benefit from rollersets

#2 is, IMO, contributes very greatly to breakage. Reason why? ... Because your hair has more elasticity when it is wet. As it starts to dry, it shrinks. If you have your rollers in too tight, you will definitely get breakage if you have very fine hair. So when you couple tight rollers with setting sprays/lotions/etc. that make the hair a bit crispy, you will get breakage even more breakage. When I rollerset, I only use products with light oils in them like L'oreal Smooth Instense Serum. But as we all know everyone's hair reacts differently so if you feel that you aren't doing the no-no's then I would say to stop rollersetting.

 

[karezone]

My hair did better with wet wrapping and it was thicker too. I think that for some, the supertight rollerset what ruins the ends.

 

[blackbarbie]

I know I have responded once, but the question has me thinking more and more and examining my hair at various stages in the past. At one point, for about 5 years ago, (1993-1998) I was going to a stylist weekly and she would rollerset, but I liked the small magnetic rollers and she rolled them in a way that when she took them out, the curls fell like spiral curls. I really didn't manipulate the hair at all until the next shampoo, I just pulled my hair up nightly and slept in the satin scarf and kept it moisturized and ran my fingers through to fluff out daily. My hair was mid back and long, but it was not even in all places, I guess where it had broken off from her using too much setting lotion, getting the hair tangled in the pins, etc. It wasn't visibly noticeable unless you were all in my head though. As one stylist told me, to the untrained eye, it looked like I had a full head of hair and it looked that way b/c texture was so fine. I switched stylists and started going back to one I went to in college. The first thing she did was to trim my hair all one length so as to start fresh. I had it cut all the way to my chin. Mind you the hair was not damaged or anything since the only heat I had been using came from the hood dryer, but I just told her i didn't mind so as to start with a clean pallete. (and besides, all the other ladies at her salon had long flowing hair so I knew she knew what she was talking about). From 1998 to 2004, I went to her weekly and she wrapped my hair (while wet) weekly and as of last year, my hair was mid back, past BSL and it was full and even in all places. She never used curlers or any other heat besides the hood dryer. Since I moved to another state last year (had just gotten it cut again before I moved), when I told my stylist i wanted it wet wrapped, he looked at me like I was crazy. For the first 4 weeks, he was blow drying and flat ironing and I didn't like it one bit (although I liked how I could go out in the humidity and hair didn't get "big"). After the first month in my new city, I went back to my hometown to visit and my old stylist said she could see my hair thinning and suggested that I get rollersets and then just wrap nightly if the stylist wouldn't wet wrap it. I hadn't thought about that. I had been getting it rollerset for the past year and I am feeling you on I think it's the "way" its set b/c if you use too much setting lotion, even combing the curls out, you hear your hair popping and ends snapping off and breaking, which leads you to think that there has been no growth if you are not seeing length. As I may have mentioned here on the board before, I have never had a problem with my hair growing and know that it has been growing in the past year (since I have been having to get touch ups) but I wasn't seeing the length, and from cutting my hair and letting it grow back in the past, I know the rate my hair grows. I have been doing it myself for the past 4 weeks and I am very happy. I don't plan to return to the salon until right before Thanksgiving (12 weeks post relaxer) and I will definitely show my stylist that my hair is capable of retaining length when left to my own devices.....

I say that to say this: I think it may be the "way" the hair is rolled and a lot of women bought up some very good points. As I mentioned, my sister does braid outs and lets her hair dry naturally a lot, and she doesn't even put in any extra effort, (no special routines, etc) and I am sure it contributes to her growth as well. (I have been trying all this time to figure out her secret and I think I just did!)

 

[Miss_Jetsetter]

I've been rollersetting my hair consistently for the last year and I think this has helped me retain lots of growth.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I guess the tension needed is less. Less wrapping around a larger roller.

The entire point of a rollerset is to pull your hair taught so that it will dry straight. The trick is getting the right tension but if someone is not able to do this and pulls it too tight, the hair will break as it dries and becomes less elastic.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I found that I have more breakage with rollset when using a lot of setting lotion, now that I use little diluted in water there is very little breakage.

I put Deep Brilliance Manage and Rusk Smoother. Rusk Smoother has never worked for me, even though Deep Brilliance worked well in the past. I will not be using Rusk Smoother again. I had also used a Banana pre-poo (banana, with honey, oil, etc), which left my hair feeling nice when it was rinsed out. However, the combination -- esp. the leave-ins -- made my hair snap! crackle! pop! as it was drying. I could literally hear the hair drying into a crisp and small hairs broke off as I was combing it out. You know people have spoken about a "hard" set or a "soft" set. Putting in more setting lotions and having that "hard" set will cause the most breakage as the hair dries and you try to comb it out into soft waves.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

My hair grew like crazy once I stopped going to the salons for weekly rollersets.

This has been a big question for me

I was recently getting weekly rollersets and my hair broke off soo badly
I think my problem was from a number of things 1. over proccessing 2. tight rollers

In the past I had the same problem going to the salon and getting weekly rollersets

in the past my hair thrived on heat and washes bi-weekly, and touch up every 10-12 weeks

I wash more often now but I'm giving my hair a rest from the rollerset.

I think depending on the hair type it may or may not benefit from rollersets

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. First NO! method can stop your hair growing from your scalp. But i agree that methods hinder your changes of retaining length.
I look at rollersetting like this---What is the alternative if you want a smooth straight look..Curling Irons, Straigthners we all know that these are so bad for our hair.
I remember using them everyday. Now In rollerset under heat ONCE a week and the curls last. So incomparison rollers win hands down. My hair has done 360 degrees turnaround by using them.

Kizzy

Most of the regulars on this board who have been hair for year and grown their hair superlong, have stopped using heat on a regular basis. I also think that the condition of some women's hair before they came to the board will determine how their hair grows. I have known for years that rollersets were better than all of the other heat methods, so I used rollersets. So my hair was in ok condition when I came to the board. However, its when I stopped rollersetting that my hair grew long, before that it stayed shoulder length for over a decade.

So, while rollerset will give a 360 turnaround from using heat every day, I am really not in the group that needs to have my hair straight and down every day. I also would never use all those heat items to begin with, because my hair would be at my ears. I actually wear my hair up most of the time, as that has helped my hair to grow, too.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I too agree. I can say that I had breakage too back when I was relaxed & had my hair rollerset & sat under a dryer. Maybe rollersetting & airdrying is a better alternative.

I agree that this is better than rollersetting and going under the dryer. Actually in my rollerset or airdry thread, most people said that they do both.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

#2 is, IMO, contributes very greatly to breakage. Reason why? ... Because your hair has more elasticity when it is wet. As it starts to dry, it shrinks. If you have your rollers in too tight, you will definitely get breakage if you have very fine hair. So when you couple tight rollers with setting sprays/lotions/etc. that make the hair a bit crispy, you will get breakage even more breakage. When I rollerset, I only use products with light oils in them like L'oreal Smooth Instense Serum. But as we all know everyone's hair reacts differently so if you feel that you aren't doing the no-no's then I would say to stop rollersetting.

I completely agree with this. Those setting lotions only make matters worse, esp. when used in high amount. It's better to set the hair with oil, some people have even said that they use coconut oil. I have decided to stop using coconut oil as much, because I find olive oil to be the most moisturizing, but I do think that oil based sets are the way to go.

 

[SandySea]

I rollerset my hair yesterday and as I was taking my hair down, a lightbulb went on. I saw little bits of broken hairs that I used to see when my hair was shorter. It was then that I realize that the reason that my hair has grown so much over the past few months is because I have been airdrying and not manipulating my hair with rollersets.

Airdrying has its own downsides, my hair gets really dry unless I remoisturize each night by spritzing water and then spritzing my olive oil based oil mix on my hair and then wearing a plastic cap at night. However, I realize that my hair will never grow if I go back to rollersetting ever week and that is what probably stunted my growth. I have fine, 4a/b hair and just thought that I would share this. I went from having hair above my shoulders to having my hair below my shoulders.

Girl, I hate to admit it, but you really have a good point. I just rollerset yesterday, and this morning there was a shower of short hairs as I combed out the curls. This has always happened with rollersetting, and I'm not sure if it makes a difference in my hair as a whole--but it sure is disturbing. The only problem is that airdrying doesn't work to well for my fine hair. It dries frizzy which causes breakage when I comb also. Not to mention the fact that my hair gets too soft after repeated air-drying. I'm not sure what I should do.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

All that you have bolded sounds familiar. Actually, if you go to almost any salon, esp. Dominican salons, you will see that many women have the problem that you had, where the hair looked healthy to but if you look closely, the hair is thinning in areas from rollersets or, even worse, rollersets and The Dreaded Round Brush.


I agree on the setting lotion. I think that the previous posting that someone wrote about using an oil based setting lotion is better. I might just use oil and water, this is actually what has worked the best for me.


I also agree with your sister and the braidouts. Women on here who I have seen have almost magical growth, Carlie, Adrienne, Supergirl, etc. Do not use heat regularly. I believe that even Southerngirl and AJD do not use a ton of heat on the regular. And dont let anyone tell you that rollersetting is not heat. I remember in one book, I think that it is Nicole Smith, she made it sound as if rollersetting was a possible no heat method. Sorry, but heat is heat. Yes, its not as bad a blowdryer because it is less concentrated but, unless it is on a cool setting, you are using heat. I dont like the way my hair feel rough when it is airdried but that is better than all of the breakage I get from rollers.

I know I have responded once, but the question has me thinking more and more and examining my hair at various stages in the past. At one point, for about 5 years ago, (1993-1998) I was going to a stylist weekly and she would rollerset, but I liked the small magnetic rollers and she rolled them in a way that when she took them out, the curls fell like spiral curls. I really didn't manipulate the hair at all until the next shampoo, I just pulled my hair up nightly and slept in the satin scarf and kept it moisturized and ran my fingers through to fluff out daily. My hair was mid back and long, but it was not even in all places, I guess where it had broken off from her using too much setting lotion, getting the hair tangled in the pins, etc. It wasn't visibly noticeable unless you were all in my head though. As one stylist told me, to the untrained eye, it looked like I had a full head of hair and it looked that way b/c texture was so fine. I switched stylists and started going back to one I went to in college. The first thing she did was to trim my hair all one length so as to start fresh. I had it cut all the way to my chin. Mind you the hair was not damaged or anything since the only heat I had been using came from the hood dryer, but I just told her i didn't mind so as to start with a clean pallete. (and besides, all the other ladies at her salon had long flowing hair so I knew she knew what she was talking about). From 1998 to 2004, I went to her weekly and she wrapped my hair (while wet) weekly and as of last year, my hair was mid back, past BSL and it was full and even in all places. She never used curlers or any other heat besides the hood dryer. Since I moved to another state last year (had just gotten it cut again before I moved), when I told my stylist i wanted it wet wrapped, he looked at me like I was crazy. For the first 4 weeks, he was blow drying and flat ironing and I didn't like it one bit (although I liked how I could go out in the humidity and hair didn't get "big"). After the first month in my new city, I went back to my hometown to visit and my old stylist said she could see my hair thinning and suggested that I get rollersets and then just wrap nightly if the stylist wouldn't wet wrap it. I hadn't thought about that. I had been getting it rollerset for the past year and I am feeling you on I think it's the "way" its set b/c if you use too much setting lotion, even combing the curls out, you hear your hair popping and ends snapping off and breaking, which leads you to think that there has been no growth if you are not seeing length. As I may have mentioned here on the board before, I have never had a problem with my hair growing and know that it has been growing in the past year (since I have been having to get touch ups) but I wasn't seeing the length, and from cutting my hair and letting it grow back in the past, I know the rate my hair grows. I have been doing it myself for the past 4 weeks and I am very happy. I don't plan to return to the salon until right before Thanksgiving (12 weeks post relaxer) and I will definitely show my stylist that my hair is capable of retaining length when left to my own devices.....

I say that to say this: I think it may be the "way" the hair is rolled and a lot of women bought up some very good points. As I mentioned, my sister does braid outs and lets her hair dry naturally a lot, and she doesn't even put in any extra effort, (no special routines, etc) and I am sure it contributes to her growth as well. (I have been trying all this time to figure out her secret and I think I just did!)

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

Girl, I hate to admit it, but you really have a good point. I just rollerset yesterday, and this morning there was a shower of short hairs as I combed out the curls. This has always happened with rollersetting, and I'm not sure if it makes a difference in my hair as a whole--but it sure is disturbing. The only problem is that airdrying doesn't work to well for my fine hair. It dries frizzy which causes breakage when I comb also. Not to mention the fact that my hair gets too soft after repeated air-drying. I'm not sure what I should do.

I am in the same boat as you. It really is a case of the lesser of two evils. I am trying to adjust the products that I use when I airdry and keeping my hair up in loose updos as I am certain that rollersetting is what kept my hair at a shorter length for so long.