My hair has been an endless source of frustration for me lately. It’s not really a cut issue or a color issue – though I could certainly use help in both of those areas, but we’ll save that discussion for another day when I have access to a licensed counseling professional who can help me Express My Hair-Related Feelings and Evaluate My Unreasonable Hair Expectations – it’s mostly a texture issue. I feel like my hair has gotten very fine and very flyaway and very no-I-will-not-behave-for-longer-than-ten-minutes-no-matter-how-much-hairspray-you-use.
Unfortunately, I cannot put my hair in time out.
But OH, IF I COULD.
Anyway, I’ve been frustrated by my hair’s general lack of purpose. It’s a weird length right now – longer than normal but not as long as I want it to be – and I don’t really know what to do with it while I’m waiting for it to (hopefully) reach its style destination. Drying it with the round brush just makes it super flat, and using Velcro rollers gives me spectacular results for a full 30 to 45 seconds.
So.
Yesterday I was in Walmart, and as I made my way to the hair spray aisle, an old friend caught my eye. And in a moment of inspiration or desperation – I’m not sure which – I picked up that old friend and threw it in my cart and $15 later, we’re BFFs again.
TOTAL. BFFs.
LYLAS!
This morning I used every single one of those hot rollers. Everysingleone. And after I took out the rollers and fixed my hair, it took me RIGHT BACK to 1988. Quite frankly the volume was unprecedented. All that was missing was an oversized (detachable) lace collar and some pastel Connie flats. And shoulder pads. And acid-washed jeans.
And Paul Mitchell Freeze-n-Shine.
This morning’s volume was so uncharacteristic that I felt a little bit like I needed to tame the curls before I went out in public. After all, I didn’t want people to feel like they’d been transported back in time to the set of “Designing Women.” But after I worked with it a little bit, I felt like the hot rollers really helped. My hair had way more body than it has the last few months, and it’s actually still a little bit curly right now. I don’t know what to make of this phenomenon.
And you know what else? I always think of the 80s as being a fairly tragic time for hair, but now I’m thinking that the 80s actually taught us some valuable hair lessons. I mean, obviously we’re supposed to discard the part of our 80s hair history where we wore banana clips that matched our outfits and teased our bangs into nests and tied large pieces of tulle into gigantor hairbows. But maybe – just maybe – it’s time for us to embrace our Hot Roller Heritage.
Maybe – just maybe – it’s time for us to admit that hot rollers can take us to places that round brushes cannot.
That’s a hard word, I know. But I speak the truth in love.
And regardless of your hair styling preferences, I hope with all my heart that today brings you big hair and big dreams.
Big hair and big dreams.
Amen.
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I love big hair! Can’t seem to go just “straight”.
I just want to tell Kristi that I HOWLED when she mentioned Salon Selectives. I will never forget that smell – especially the way it smelled when I’d use a curling iron and spray Salon Selectives on my hair that was in the curling iron and it would sizzle.
Sweet memories.
For those of you who do not watch Real Housewives of Orange County, I know that you’ve seen the ads that show them. The youngest “housewife” with the perfect blonde hair is Gretchen, and they show her using hot rollers to acheive her perfect hairdo. I still use the same set I bought in high school!
This post totally makes me want to plug in the set I have at home and give renewed hair volume a try! How inspirational! ! ! Thanks, BooMama!
Sophie!! You’re not going to show us a picture??? You’ve reached new levels of hair awareness and we don’t even get to see it?! I can’t be the only reader that wants to see! : )
My husband greatly laments that the 80s are over – he loved big hair and I have very thick, naturally curly hair, so that may be a large part of the reason he noticed me in the first place…. : )
Go big or go home – I quote a witty blogging woman. If God meant Southern women to have flat hair – He wouldn’t have made it our heart’s desire to pouf it just a bit more. Big hair shows you truly care! I’m thinking – do I have room in my mistakes I’ve bought to rectify my hair’s issue for a set of hot rollers?????
I never gave hot rollers up! In fact, I tried the round brush thing for all of three days before going back to the rollers. There’s nothing like them!!
And yes, every now and then I still have them in my hair as I pull into the parking lot of wherever I’m going. I don’t think there’s a darn thing wrong with that.
thinking of your post about signing your name with a spiritually powerful phrase right now. i’m thinking “big hair and big dreams,” works perfectly. i would love to see a picture of the hair of which you speak. but we trust you that it’s fabulous in a way that only hot rollers can bring about. long live (the good parts of) the 80′s!
Sophie!
I LOVE hot rollers! I used my set from high school until about 10 years ago….bought a second set. The case is cracked and partly missing (airplane damage on a trip to Yellowstone 7 years ago…yes I took my rollers so I could “fix my hair” before we went hiking!). I love how my hot rollers make my hair look. Every once in a while I will give in to peer pressure and try to fix my hair with the round brush and flat iron…but the results just are not the same!
I think you will love your hot rollers!
Oh, don’t leave them in as long as we did in college…you know, don’t leave them in while dressing and putting on your make-up. Just put them in….take them out. Perfect!
I had every color Connie flat ever made (and pumps). I miss them.
I also had huge hair. I feel your “hair” pain.
My husband comes home from deployment soon, and I’m totally busting out the hot rollers! My hair comes out SCARY big from the hot rollers, but between the time I pull out the rollers and when I actually see him on the other side of the barriers, my hair will have fallen like an avalanche, and I’ll just have nice waves.
:o)
First, let me say that I AM a licensed professional counselor…and I have hair issues as well. I, too, am “in between” lengths and just dont like it one bit right now. I have super fine, THIN hair…but I like the shine that it has. When I tease it or put product in it to give volume, the shine goes away. So, I am going back to the long-ish straight look and my hairdresser is NOT happy with me. Oh well. I have some BIG hot rollers that I use for volume, but I may have to re-invest in those that you got!
Oh (sorry this turned into a book) as long as we are on curlers and throw-backs, I informed my husband the other day that when we have little girls, they WILL be sleeping in pink curlers EVERY Saturday night!!
I think I had repressed the memory of wearing those lace collars and shoulder pads. Shudder.
Yesterday I saw a college student wearing tight acid washed jeans. I wanted to warn her, but she is on her own path now. May God help her.
Paul Mitchell Freeze N Shine, now that stuff was golden! Thanks for the laugh, but where is the picture of the great results?
I love hot rollers! Not now, I mean…. since I went crazy and got what looked to me more like a buzz cut than any other hairstyle I’ve had in my life. But I do miss the days of hot rollers and Rave hairspray and trying to get the perfect poof on top of my head for showchoir!
Amen!
My hot rollers are my bestest hair friends- right next to Big Sexy hairspray. They complete me in ways that no other hair do-dad can, especially not some dinky round brush!
I am secretly waiting for 80s hair to come back. My desperately wavy/curly hair would just be in heaven!
LYLAS….made me laugh out loud!
My only comment, though I could have many many many many more, is that Paul Mitchell Freeze-n-Shine was my 80′s/early 90′s BFF.
I remember it’s smell to this day — a hint of maple syrup.
And sometimes when I’m in Target and if I just happen to find a bottle of it on the shelf….I may or may not pick it up and spray it…just to smell it and allow the aroma of Let Go my Eggo take me back to when I was younger, thinner, falling in love and doing it all with ginormous, hot-rolled, frozen but shiny hair!!!
Love you, girl…you make my days so much funnier!!!!
Blessings,
Dori
Oh how I loved the hot rollers. I still have them, simply cannot part with them. I am slightly ashamed to admit I actually took them to Antarctica when I deployed for work years ago. Imagine how inappropriate that is – I was mocked but my hair looked good!
I just have a question about the hot rollers…How do you keep them from burning your head when you first put them in?
BTW, I too struggle with fine, no volume hair and I’ve been using the hair volumizing spray you recommended! I even got the shampoo/conditioner to go with it! Thanks for all the hair wisdom…you sweet, southern hair queen!
I think we need pictures!
Now that is just funny. Too funny. I am delighted to be a personal witness of many-a-curl of yours.
My mama still uses her hot rollers from 1971. I kid you not.
The day I retired my flatiron in favor of my wide barrel curling iron was a day I’ll not soon regret.
Honey- I grew up in a house full of women. We were all trained in “bathroom efficiency” and had our hot rollers on a timer- like one that you use for lights- so they would be ready when we got up in the morning. They probably make em with timers on em now- if they don’t, they should!
I LOVE MY HOT ROLLERS. I have not been without a good set of them since I was 15. They can do things for hair that I just feel cannot be replicated by any other styling tool! :) Obviously none of us want to go back exactly to the Suzanne Sugarbaker look, but I will admit that the volume is really quite something.
Boomama, I think this may be one of my very favorite posts of yours!
Raise your hand if you can’t work a hot roller to save your life?
-both hands up over here…
I’ve burned my fingers and gotten so mad at the rollers I chunked them in the trash. I’m not coordinated to walk up stairs without falling down. Therefore I have NO business trying to operate a set of hot rollers. I’ll just keep wishing for the volume that coulda, shoulda, woulda been.
I hear you. I have flat hair and a round face but last weekend I chaperoned our Jr. High’s 70′s party so I fixed my hair like Farrah and I LOVED IT. I was thinking the very same thing as you, curling irons and hot rollers should be used for good not evil. If we could just find that great hair balance in the 2010′s and learn from our bad mistakes from the 80′s (inspired by Farrah, no doubt).
OMG….my mother used to TORTURE me with hot rolllers as a child!. I’d have to wear them to sleep…UGH.
But the best story about my mom is that about 10 years ago for Christmas she gave me a set of hot rollers. I’m telling you, it was all I could do not to make the most horrible face on the planet, but instead graciously smile and say thank you.
THEN…then very next year what do I receive from my dear mother…HOT ROLLERS!
This time I could not contain any facial expresions and she caught on. She asked if I liked them to which I could only reply…Uh, you gave me hot rollers LAST YEAR!! to which her reply was, “Yes, I know but they werent the hot rollers that “I” wanted and then I found these this year!
….only MY mother! :)
I CAN FINALLY GET MY OLD SET BACK OUT OF MY CLOSET???? YES!! I missed them so.
You are so finny thanks for always akeing me laugh!
Imagine my shock when I learned, via today’s post, that I was supposed to ditch my hot rollers 18 years ago! Who knew!? And here I’ve been rolling my hair every week or so in complete oblivion! The teased nest and tulle bows are long gone, but without the lovely steamy hot rollers my long layers would be as sad and boring as could be!
Welcome back to the club! (From one of the clueless souls who never knew I was the one who was supposed to turn out the lights on my way out!) :)
Happy rollering!
I have SO toyed with this idea. I, too, need to do a hair time-out, for many different reasons, but nonetheless and furthermore…
I was at the Walmarts earlier today, so this will have to wait until the next trip. And I don’t think a new hot roller relationship is one to enter lightly.
Oh my word…I just laughed so hard. You have discovered my secret. I have used that exact set of rollers every morning for years! I LOVE them – and it almost doesn’t really feel like rollers since the case is so little. Happy big hair to you from one Alabama girl to another!
LYLAS! I threw my head back, laughed and clapped my hands. SO FUNNY!!!
Also, I LOVE BIG HAIR!!!!!
Thank you for that word, sister.
I have the same hot rollers and I LOVE them! I was sick to death of my hair being straight – and not the in-style straight hair – but a flatness that could not be overcome with any amount of “product” and round brush – SO, I remembered I still had a set of travel rollers – a set of the very Remington’s you pictured and ‘oh happy day’.
Honey, I’ve been using hot rollers in my hair since the 80′s. Never Stopped when the 80′s up and left. I get compliments ALL THE TIME about my hair!!
Thanks for going public, Sophie… I’ve dusted off my curling iron recently and have felt so so alone. I really want to get some hot rollers, but hate to spend the cash. I have approximately 1 zillion of the Richard Caruso steam rollers, but the steamer died a slow painful death. So sad.
These comments are hilarious! but please, could someone translate LYLAS for me?? (I was a child of the 70s)
I you wear Connie ANYTHING we will rumble. As for the bananaclip – they were a FAVORITE of mine!!!
The last year or so my very straight hair decided that it wanted to be curly….but just didn’t have enough oomph to get there-so I ended up with frizz! Yuck! I have been trying everything possible to make it stop, but to no avail.
Last month I was visiting my family and my Grandma (who has strong feelings on the clothes and hair of all females in her family) pulled out the hot rollers and informed me that my hair could use a little help. (and implied that I wasn’t getting a ride to church with her unless I gave it a little help, but I might have been imagining that!)
With great fear (and images of the 80′s dancing in my head) I gave them a try………and ended up with soft, flowy hair and no frizz. It was amazing! I am going to have to buy some of those for myself (I got rid of mine about 1995)
I loved Designing Women!!
Oh, Boomama, you are so wise! I have always loved my hot rollers. I have replaced a couple of sets over the last twenty years but I haven’t purchased the set you bought. Providential, I tell you, providential. No matter what length or style I wear my hair (and believe me there have been many) I have always found a way to work my hot roller friends back into my routine! So glad you came back home to the Southern big hair heritage! :)
As far as Designing Women goes, has there ever been another show like that one? I think I have almost every episode memorized. Seriously. We need to bring it back. How about “Blogging Divas” starring you and Big Mama with special guest appearances by Siesta Mama Beth, your buddy Pioneer Woman, and maybe, just maybe a Bernice type character played by Martha? I’m just sayin’.
Hot Roller Heritage? May it live on forever. Preach it, Sister Boo!
Having been in possession of thin, limp, lifeless hair my entire life, I have never gotten rid of my hot rollers – even after I knocked them off my bathroom sink and had to piece the hood back together with super glue (that’s not toxic at all, I assume). A couple years ago, I got a bug up my butt to see how big I could get my hair. I washed it with volumizing shampoo and conditioner, moussed it up, blew it dry wit h a round brush, then hot rollered it. IT WAS MAGNIFICENT.
Oh, and AngAK – LYLAS stands for
Love Ya Like a Sister (or Siesta!)
Thanks for the trip back in time! This post triggered so many hair memories! So funny!! I haven’t seen “LYLAS” in ages…I’m still laughing!!! I remember the Christmas when I was 14 and got a set of hot rollers and that morning I stayed in the bathroom for hours DETERMINED to roll my hair just right.
Hey, how about a pic of your fabulous hair! I’m a decade behind and I also use hot rollers instead of an iron when I want to curl my hair. Curlers rock!
I use hot rollers every single day. Its the only way for me to get the body I need quickly. Anyway I drive every day to work with hot rollers in my hair and take them out just before arriving. I have gotten gas with hot rolers in. Even walked into the store to pay when I didn’t have my debit card. Oh well I dont care my hair looks great. or so I think.
OMG, I’m a child of the 80′s and you totally had me laughing out loud. Love your humor. Great post! LYLAS
Oh please where is the picture??
And the detachable lace collar CRACKEDMEUP!!
Oh, the 80′s, we love and hate you.
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