What are Brush Rollers?

Brush rollers are a type of hair roller for creating curls or wavy hair styles. They are similar to other hair rollers, with the exception that brush rollers have small nylon brush bristles sticking out from their round metal frame to catch the hair and hold it in place. A woman wraps a section of her hair, typically while it is wet, around the brush roller and then pins it in place while her hair dries. She continues to wrap sections of her hair around the brush rollers until all of her hair is wrapped and pinned in place. Once the hair dries she removes the pins and gently unwinds the brush rollers from her hair.

Typically a brush roller is formed from a metal cylinder, and a mesh material covers the outside. Thin brush bristles cover the mesh material to catch the hair and prevent stray hairs from escaping. Compared to other hair rollers, which typically have soft, smooth surfaces, brush rollers stay firmly in place and have a low chance of slipping out.

After dividing her hair into sections and rolling it onto the rollers, a woman then sticks a small plastic or metal pin through each roller to keep it from unwinding. If this proves problematic and she finds the rollers sag, she may choose to use a metal clip or clasp to secure the rollers in place. To speed up the drying process after the rollers are in, she may choose to use a hair dryer instead of waiting for her hair to dry on its own.

To create curls that flip upward, a woman should roll the curlers into her hair horizontally. For curls that hang down around her face, rolling vertically is the way to go. Rollers come in a variety of diameters and lengths. Longer rollers typically work well for thick or long hair. Wider diameter rollers create looser curls, so women who want loose waves or big curls should opt for a wider diameter, while those who want tight curls should search for a smaller diameter size to achieve the best results.

The brush roller version of hair rollers are not without disadvantages. The bristles make them uncomfortable to lay on and women who wear rollers to bed at night while sleeping usually find this kind is too uncomfortable for nighttime use. When removing the rollers, small strands of hair may become tangled or trapped inside the stiff bristles, and a small comb may be needed to gently pull them loose. For best results, a woman should slowly unwind the rollers in a spiral motion and not yank or pull them straight down and out of her hair. Even if her hair is not caught in the roller, pulling straight down can create frizzy waves instead of flowing curls.