After so much time at home, it’s not hugely surprising that many women are ready for a bit of unapologetic glamour. “A lot of folks are looking to the supermodel heyday of the ’90s for inspiration,” Mr. Angelo said. “I’m thinking of that iconic Cindy Crawford swoop, which is all about rollers — and which she still rocks, by the way!”
For some, the appeal of rollers is the nostalgia surrounding them; for others, it’s the aesthetic inspiration of decades past. Like Mr. Angelo, with his ’90s workshop, they’re looking to rollers to get hair that hints at the past but is modern and fresh. Seemingly, an entirely new generation is flocking to them, many for the first time.
“I would say that for the past year, and particularly the past six months, I’ve been over messy waves, and I became really obsessed with perfect, bouncy ’90s blowouts,” said Bella Cacciatore, 25, a beauty writer at Glamour magazine. “After a decade of super-lived-in hair being what’s in, it feels so cool and fresh. It also makes me feel pretty after a year of topknots. I tried a blowout with a round brush and couldn’t get it right, so I decided to try rollers after seeing them on TikTok.”
Likewise, Caroline Jones, 28, a kindergarten teacher, discovered rollers on Instagram. “About a year ago, an account I follow on Instagram, @Sophielrae, posted about using hot rollers, and it took me right back,” Ms. Jones said. “I ordered a set right away and have been using them regularly since.”
“Rollers are nostalgic for me because they are the first hair or makeup tool I ever used in junior high,” she said. “I had thick hair prone to frizz, and they made me feel polished at an age that can feel pretty awkward. I loved them because they left my hair ‘big’ but smoothed my frizz.”
