If you’re looking for a tool that’ll help you achieve a salon-worthy blowout or bouncy '90s inspired ‘do, you’ll want to try your hand at hot rollers. Although hot rollers have been around for ages, TikTok has recently made the beloved hair tool popular again, and for good reason: They’re hands-free, easy to use and produce incredible results.
The heat-conducting pods arrive in a case that warms up when you turn it on, eliminating the need to use a blow dryer to heat them up, unlike traditional hair rollers. Plus, because they're hands-free, they essentially allow you to multi-task while styling your hair, unlike a curling wand or flat iron. Heated rollers are also not as hot as curling irons, which can help prevent damage.
“If heat-related damage is a concern, hot rollers are a much safer option,” says Luna Viola, a Los Angeles-based editorial and celebrity hairstylist.
From fine hair to thick hair, there’s a set of hot rollers out there for you. To help you find the best hot rollers for your hair type, we did hours of research, consulted hairstylists, sifted through scores of shopper reviews and even perused our TikTok For You Pages in order to find the best picks on the market.
Keep scrolling to see all of the best hot rollers, or use the links below to jump to a specific category.
What to look for | Expert-recommended hot rollers | Editor-loved hot rollers | How we chose | Meet our experts
Most budget-friendly$undefined$24.49
What to look for when shopping for hot rollers
Size: As a general rule, smaller barrels are better for tighter curls, and vice versa for bigger barrels. In general, getting a set that has at least two sizes is better so you can create a multitude of hairstyles.
Smooth coverings: Rollers with a softer covering tend to cause less damage to your hair. In addition, it helps prevent creases and indentations that you’d get from harder materials. “Foam or velvet-wrapped rolls are extra gentle especially for fine, dry and colored hair,” explains Viola.
Amount of rollers: It’s best to have more rollers if you want more curls or definition in your hair. In addition, those with thicker or longer hair will need more to be able to curl their entire head.
Expert-recommended hot rollers
Budget-friendly rollers with clips: Remington Shine Therapy Hot Rollers
- Easy to use
- Heats up quickly
- Long-lasting curls
- Hair may get tangled
Count: 20 | Material: Ceramic
"This set has a cool design and comes with 20 rollers in 1 inch and 1 ¼ inch sizes, which are better for curls than waves," explains Rogerio Cavalcante, a hairstylist, colorist and the founder of The Second Floor Salon in New York City. "I love that it comes on a sliding pole where the rollers can be stored with the clips. This design is much more practical and will help you keep all rollers and clips together," he says.
"Also, the fact that the clips heat up with the rollers helps the curls last longer. Cons: If you don’t put the clips in the right way, because they are hot, they can leave an awkward mark in your hair, so make sure to roll them up neatly," suggests Cavalcante.
Voluminous curls with easy application: ConairXtreme Big Curls Hairsetter
- Easy to use
- Creates great curls
- Rollers may be flimsy
Count: 12 | Material: Ceramic
"These ceramic curlers are perfect for those looks for a smooth, bouncy wave," says Tiffanie Richards, master colorist at Louise O’Conner Salon in New York City. "They’re a larger curler making it for easy application and volume," she explains.
This set includes 12 jumbo hot rollers, 12 plastic super clips and 12 metal pins to help style your curls.
Ceramic curlers that are gentle: BaBylissPRO® Nano Titanium™ Professional Ionic 30-Roller Hot Rollers
- Different colors and sizes
- Easy to use
- Only includes 15 clips
Count: 30 | Materials: Ceramic
Both Richards and Cavalcante recommend these ionic hot rollers from BaBylissPRO. "These ceramic curlers are created with far-infrared heat to prevent damaging hot spots," says Richards. "These are probably some of the safest rollers on the market if you’re looking to maintain health of the hair. They also have a bunch of different sizes with helps create many different looks with the same set," she explains.
Ionic curlers that prevent frizz: Calista Ion Hot Rollers
- Helps create nice curls
- Come in travel bag
- May not work on thick hair
Count: 12 | Material: Ionic
"These curlers, made with ionic technology, are made with little teeth surrounding the curler," shares Richards. "This makes for a seamless application. It helps prevent getting the crunchy ends and creates a smooth frizz free finish," she explains.
These pink rollers also heat up quickly while providing volume, according to the brand.
Splurge-worthy rollers: Drybar The Roller Club Curling Hot Rollers
- Very gentle on hair
- Create great curls
- May be heavy
Count: 10 | Material: Ceramic
If you're looking for a splurge option, Richards is a big fan of these luxe rollers from Drybar. "The ceramic barrels on these rollers are created with extra length making them ideal for longer hair," she explains. "Also, those with shorter hair can benefit as well. They can space the wrap around of their hair out a little more to create a looser wave," Richards says.
Cavalcante also swears by these curlers and loves that you can heat up the clips with the rollers. "Since the rollers are longer, you can wrap more hair around them, which means you can use fewer clips and have more contact surface between the hair and the roller," he suggests.
Larger rollers for more volume: T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers LUXE
- Great for travel
- Add volume to hair
- Rollers may be extra hot
Count: Eight | Material: Aluminum
Cavalcante also recommends this set of eight rollers from T3. "Because the rollers are so large, the effect is more of a voluminous blowout with the tips curling in or out, depending on whether you roll the hair inward or outward," he explains. "T3 products are of excellent quality, so this roller set will really give your hair a nice, lasting shape," Cavalcante says.
Editor-loved hot rollers
Editor favorite: Conair Jumbo and Super Jumbo Ceramic Hot Rollers
- Easy to use
- Good for thin hair
- May not keep curls for long
Count: 12 | Material: Ceramic
TikTokers (and one Shop TODAY writer Molly Fahner Calhoun) rave about this affordable kit from Amazon, noting that these Conair hot rollers curl hair quickly and help achieve a salon-level blowout at home. In fact, our writer said that after 10 minutes of use, she ended up with "bouncy, frizz-free hair that looked like I’d spent hours on it — or $50 on a professional blowout."
The kit includes 12 ceramic rollers with a velvety covering to help protect hair from any damage and gives an extra oomph to curls with every use.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to Andrew Fitzsimons, a celebrity hairstylist and founder of Andrew Fitzsimons Hair, the debate on hot rollers versus curling irons really boils down to what type of curl you are looking to achieve.
“With hot rollers, you will get larger, loose curls, and a curling iron will give you tighter, smaller curls, depending on the barrel size.”
It depends on your hair type, explains Fitzsimons.
“If you have finer hair, I recommend using ceramic hot rollers as they minimize the amount of heat damage, whereas titanium curlers heat up to higher temperatures and are better suited for those who have thicker hair types.
It’s best to use hot rollers on dry or mostly dry hair.
“It holds the style longer if the hair is mostly dry,” says Viola. “Wet hair is not recommended as it is more prone to damage and breakage.”
Hot rollers shouldn’t cause hair loss — but can cause damage and hair loss if they aren’t used properly.
“To keep your hair healthy and looking and feeling shiny, use a heat protectant spray first to create a barrier between your hair and the heat, which will minimize breakage and fallout,” says Fitzsimons.
Fitzsimons advises leaving the hot rollers in for a minimum of 10 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.
You should always use a heat protectant when using any hot tools, says Viola.
How we chose the best hot rollers
The Shop TODAY team rounded up the best hot rollers by enlisting the recommendations of various hairstylists and colorists, based on curler size, amount of rollers and smooth coverings. We also asked our editors to share their favorite set of voluminous rollers as well.
Meet our experts
- Andrew Fitzsimons is a celebrity hairstylist and founder of Andrew Fitzsimons Hair. He works in both New York and Los Angeles, and has styled the likes of Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Adriana Lima, Megan Fox and more.
- Luna Viola is a Los Angeles-based editorial and celebrity hairstylist, makeup artist and groomer. Her extensive client list includes Vogue UK, Adidas, Nike, Burberry and more.
- Rogerio Cavalcante is a hairstylist, colorist and the founder of The Second Floor Salon in New York City.
- Tiffanie Richards is master colorist at Louise O’Conner Salon in New York City.
