Gorgeous Curls with Heated Rollers

I was lucky enough to get a set of Babyliss ceramic heated rollers for Christmas this year. I'd been lusting after them for a full year, after my good friend and hairdresser Silvie used them to create loose, sexy curls for my wedding.

My naturally curly hair dries to a mix of spirals and S-shaped curls, but the weight of my hair always results in flat roots. Heated rollers allow me to get loose curls with lots of volume, a very glamourous look which is actually pretty easy to do, with a little bit of elbow grease!

Prep: I find that curls stay in best if the hair is clean but not over conditioned - best not to use a deep conditioner before using rollers. I usually wash mine, and then blow dry it roughly until it's almost dry. Allow the rollers to start heating while you rough dry; within 10 minutes they'll be hot enough to give a good curl.

Roll: Sectioning is essential - start off with the hair at the bottom of your head, and do the back first. Get a strand of hair (the bigger the section, the larger the curl) and smooth it out with a brush or wide toothed comb. Handle the roller using its cool rims, and slide it down the hair from root to tip, wrapping the end around the roller once you reach the end (this might burn your fingers a tiny bit, but is well worth it). As you work the roller back up towards the roots, remember to keep your hair horizontal, and to hold the roller vertically, to get a perfect ringlet.

Secure: You can secure the rolled hair to your head using a clamp grip, or a metal pin - if you're using a pin, make sure that the curve of the pin supports the hair in the direction you rolled it - so that gravity can't drag the roller back out. Slide the pin along your scalp to allow it to grip the roots of the hair and hold securely.

Style: I tend to leave the rollers to do their work for as long as possible; at least until the last roller I put in has gone totally cold. Gently pull the rollers out and if you're going for a tousled look, run your fingers through the curls to separate and loosen. Use a little serum if you have any flyaways.

The curls will drop a little, so if the finished look is too tightly curled for your liking, wait up to half an hour before you spritz with hairspray to finish. The result is loose curls with volume at the roots, tapering to a tighter curl at the ends.

For me, the day after styling like this brings even more tousled curls with defined ends - still glam, and a little more daytime friendly.

If you're after some heated rollers, I couldn't recommend Babyliss Pro's Ceramic Roller set enough. They heat up quickly, give great curl, and contain enough rollers to curl the thickest of hair. The cheapest I can find them online at the moment is £39.98 from UKHairdressers.com.