The old-fashioned roll and set is back – it’s time to do your hair like your grandmother

Ever since the 1990s have been back in vogue, I’ve been fearing the return of sheet-straight locks, last seen circa Calvin Klein’s slip dress era. It was a great time for fashion, but hair as flat as a pancake only looks good on a privileged few.

I’m not saying I want Barbie bounce, but I – and a large swathe of women in midlife – do need a degree of root lift to feel good. It can be achieved in multiple ways, some more labour intensive than others.

Mainly I use the Dyson Airwrap as it does the heavy lifting for you, but hair stylist Sam McKnight’s latest product release is what he calls the secret to “big bombshell hair”. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of a simpler time when a set of rollers and a degree of patience were all that was required to get hair looking bouncy and party ready.

McKnight’s ‘The Big Set’, which came out on Friday, includes a mix of large and medium velcro rollers (the big ones give lift on top whereas smaller ones create body throughout the sides and back), section clips to hold them in place, and a hair drying hood.

The Big Set, Hair by Sam McKnight, £30, Sam McKnight

McKnight, who was the hairdresser behind Princess Diana’s early 90s glow-up as well as the big bouncy waves of the original supermodel era, says that while the method hasn’t changed, the styling has. “What we’re not doing now is loads of backcombing afterwards. It’s not Barbarella volume, it’s more free and fluid than that,” he explains, adding that rollers give you a more contemporary look than a traditional blowout.

“It’s very hard to get lift at the roots when you’re blow drying your hair at home with a round brush,” explains McKnight. “Rolling and setting the hair won’t give you curls, it’s designed to help you achieve smooth volume with lots of movement,” he adds.

While it’s not quite the traditional ‘shampoo and set’ of the ‘50s, which you might remember being a non-negotiable part of your grandmother’s beauty routine, setting the hair with velcro rollers is a modern interpretation and one that young girls are now adopting to replicate the big hairstyles on catwalks and red carpets. “Just the other week I saw a young woman on a plane from London to Glasgow with velcro rollers wrapped in a headscarf,” says McKnight.

The method to try

It all starts with a good wash. Though, leave out masks or heavy conditioners as they are a barrier to creating volume. If your hair needs detangling, a small amount of conditioner through the mid lengths and ends, rinsed out and combed through with a wide comb or Tangle Teezer will suffice. Then dry the hair roughly, brushing through for a semi-smooth finish. “It doesn’t have to be perfect,” insists McKnight.

Once dry, take sections of hair starting at the middle of the crown, spray each one with hairspray, then roll and clip in place. The top should be rolled backwards, the sides rolled under with a smaller barrel. Keep going until the whole head is covered. Though, if you’re short on time, two to three will do, says McKnight. “You can’t really screw it up. Even one or two at the crown will give you some body.”

Once the rollers are in, place the inflatable hood over top then pull the drawstring until the hood is secure. Then place the long attachment on to your hairdryer on a medium setting for 15 to 20 minutes.

Once you’ve set the hair, remove the hood but keep the rollers in place until the hair is cool (it’s the cooling process that sets the curls), then fork through with your fingers, tipping your head upside down for a final spritz of hairspray to extend the hold. Brush with a smoothing brush and, if your ends have seen better days, run a pea sized amount of hair oil or styling cream through them.

One caveat here is length. “Rollers are better on hair that’s below the shoulders. If you’ve got short hair then other styling methods are better,” suggests McKnight.

Do you need a hair drying hood to create the big bouncy blowouts that are all over TikTok? No, but as McKnight points out, it’s a fun method to try, especially as we head into the festive season when many of us want to feel our most glamorous. “People want to look and feel good – a little bounce and polish goes a long way,” he says.

And for £30, McKnight’s Big Set is hard to argue with.