How to Use Foam Hair Rollers: Comprehensive Guide

By Catherine Jordan

Disclaimer: At Pearls And Poodles Blog, our editorial team carefully selects the best products for all your needs. If you make a purchase through links at our blog, we may receive a commission that helps us keep bringing new content like this to you!

Curling your hair is a great way to make your look stylish and give you an instant boost in confidence.

But curling irons can be expensive, so if you want to save money or just don’t have space for iron, there are other options.

Foam rollers are one of the best tools for achieving that beautiful curled style without any heat damage. You can use foam rollers to create bouncy, voluminous curls or tight spirals.

The best part is that you don’t have to be a professional stylist to achieve these gorgeous styles – the curl type will depend on your hair texture and what kind of roller you’re using.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create the perfect curls with foam rollers for any occasion.

The curling process can be broken down into three parts: washing and conditioning your hair, drying it so that it’s free of moisture, then finally using the roller as a diffuser in sections while sleeping on them or wearing them out all day long.

How to Curl your Hair with Foam Hair Rollers

1. Wash And Condition Your Hair

Wash your hair to avoid dirt and product buildup before adding any other products. Use a deep conditioner or leave-in treatment for healthy, shiny hair.

No matter what you do though, make sure that the water is not too hot – this will cause heat damage. This part of the process can be done at night if necessary so you don’t have to worry about it during the day when there are more distractions.

If you choose not to wash your hair from another style like braids or twists, then just dry with a towel or blow dryer until it’s frizz-free.

2. Dry Your Hair

Now that you have just washed and conditioned your hair, it’s time to dry. It is best to do this before adding any other products because heat from a blow dryer or curling iron can cause damage.

To avoid frizz, use an anti-frizz product as well. When drying with a towel, pat all the water out of your hair instead of rubbing – this will help eliminate tangles.

If using a blowdryer on a low setting only in one area at a time, make sure not to go over the same spot more than once for less risk of frizzy ends.

Read More: A Guide on How to Use Hair Rollers

3. Brush Your Hairs

Brush the section of damp hair you are going to curl with a comb or brush – this will help distribute any oils on your scalp evenly and detangle it for less frizz.[1]

Make sure not to use too much product while brushing, as that can cause more tangles and breakage than if you don’t add anything at all!

If using a curling iron: make sure the barrel is heated up before adding sections into it so they stay put when being curled.

If using tongs, be cautious when opening them wide enough since one could end up burning themselves by touching the hot metal !!!

If doing pin curls then only wrap around an inch-square piece of dryer set (you may need more than one section for this). Do not apply too much heat to your hair.

If doing a tight curl, make sure the roller is in all of your hair, and then use some clips or bobby pins to keep it in place while curling other strands that are next to it!

4. Figure Out What Curl You Want

Before you add a foam roller, you need to figure out what curl will work best for the look that you are trying to achieve. If your hair is pre-curled, then this step won’t be necessary!

The most common curls people use foam rollers for are: Loose Waves, Tight Curls, and Spiral Curls.

Some other popular types of waves include Jagged Beach Wave (less tight than a spiral), Wavy Locks, Romantic Soft Waves, or Hollywood Glamour Wave.

Read More: A Guide to Choose the Best Hot Rollers for Long & Thick Hair

5. Add The Foam Rollers

This step can be a bit tricky. You want to make sure that you put the foam rollers in your hair at an angle so that when they are heated and cooled down they will achieve a curl effect.

If you still have difficulty with this process, don’t worry! We’ll go over exactly how to do it soon. The most important thing is just making sure there is enough heat from either a blow dryer or curling iron before adding them into your hair.

To avoid damaging your strands by using too much heat (which leads to breakage), wait until after rolling all of your strands of hair up with the roller first, then use some more clips or bobby pins if needed for extra support.

6. Work in Sections

You’ll need to curl the entire head in sections, and then move on from top to bottom. This will make it much easier for you when doing this process as a whole!

It might seem like an extra step, but trust me-you’re going to thank yourself later! If you have shorter hair, just consider cutting your layers off first before starting if desired. This can help speed up the curling process too.

You could also use no heat styling methods by using brush rollers or Velcro rollers. They are less damaging than hot tools and still give great results. Keep reading below for more info!

The most important thing is that you take care of those beautiful locks of yours during these processes so that you don’t have to worry about any breakage!

It’s also important that you do not brush your hair as much. You should only brush it a few times before adding the foam rollers and then once more afterward if needed.

This will help keep those curls looking gorgeous throughout their entire lifespan (which is usually two days).

7. Sleep With Your Rollers

Sleep with your rollers in to hold your curl. This is a very important step! You should sleep on top of the pillow and not under it, or else you will wake up with flat hair again.

You can also put a silk scarf over your head while sleeping for added protection if desired.

Read More: A Guide on Using Bendy Hair Rollers

8. Remove the Rollers

Take out rollers after sleeping on them. Be careful with removing these so you don’t damage any of the curls by pulling them off too quickly.

Instead, go at an angle when taking them out (rather than directly from top-down) and undo just enough around each individual piece until they release themselves without tugging or ripping hairs out along with it.

If using plastic ones, be very cautious since those can break easily if pulled downwards.

9. Style And Hold Your Curl

The bonus of using foam rollers is that the curls last for days after you take them out, so if you want to sleep in it and wake up with perfect waves around your face just spritz some water on your hair before bedtime.

Read More: A Guide to Choose Hot Rollers for Short Hairs

Expert Tips

Tip 1: One helpful tip when using foam curlers is that they work best when used alone because there are no waves being created as opposed to having them mixed together with other types of curls (i.e.: those from hot tools).

However, this does depend on the length of your hair; shorter lengths seem better suited for use with multiple types of curls rather than just one type like long ones typically do.

Tip 2: Don’t use any other product on your hair besides a heat-based one.

You may want to read the ingredients label before using these products, as they could have silicone in them which does not allow for curls to be set with foam curlers. Avoid this ingredient if you are looking for long-lasting curls!

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!