Fast & Easy Ways to Curl Straight Hair

Hot rollers are the tried-and-true curling tools that nearly everyone has tried at one time or another. The reason they've stayed popular for so long is because they work so darned well, so quickly. Getting fast curls with hot rollers is as simple as plugging them in, heating them up and wrapping your hair around them. Hot rollers are always wrapped in dry hair, though you can mist your hair with a little thermal protector beforehand to prevent heat-induced styling damage. Once the rollers have cooled, take them out and give your head a shake. Loosen those curls up with a little finger combing and give your roots a blast of volumizing hair spray while holding them away from your scalp to really pump up the volume. Quick, easy and minimal effort required.

Velcro rollers are the next generation of hot rollers and do basically the same thing, just without the heat. Wrap Velcro rollers in damp or dry hair, but know that the more moisture you have in your hair, the longer it'll take to get the curls you want. The quickest way to fab waves is to grab sections of hair, mist them from root to tip with a spray gel and wrap the hair around Velcro rollers. When all the hair is wrapped, give all the rollers one final misting with the spray gel and allow the curls to set. Once the spray gel is dry (give it about 20 minutes to a half hour), gently remove the rollers and separate the curls with your fingers. Style as desired and you're ready for a night out on the town. Velcro rollers are a perfect choice for those on the go who have no place to plug hot rollers in, or those who want to cut back on the heated styling tools.

Looking for extra springy curls? Fake the look of a spiral perm (sort of) by setting your hair in these long perm rods. Two types of spiral perm rods are available: the rigid type and the soft, bendable type. Go for the soft ones; they're easier to work with. This curling technique requires the application of perm end papers, but if you want a true spiral curl without standing in front of the mirror for an hour with a curling iron, this is so the way to go. Just grab sections of hair that are about 2 inches long and a 1/2 inch to 1-inch wide, spritz them with spray gel, and sandwich the ends between a folded end paper. Wrap the sections around the rod and let the hair set for about 20 minutes to a half hour. Remove the rods, coat your hands with a little styling wax and separate the curls into ringlets. There you have it — speedy spiral curls.

This nifty gadget looks much like a curling iron, but without the top clamp. Instead it's a heated rod that tapers toward the top. To achieve quick curls with a curling wand, grab small to medium-sized sections of dry hair and wrap them around the wand. Wrap the ends around the wider base to keep the curls loose; wrap the mid-shaft around the smaller tip for a firmer and longer-lasting curl. Let the section stay wrapped for a few seconds then let go of it. This method of curling straight hair isn't meant to create a head full of ringlets. This is to curl a few pieces here and there or create loose volume. So keep the sections random so the style doesn't look too "done."