The £8 Tool Making TikTokers’ Hair Look Like This

If you've got long, fine hair it's likely your interest has already been piqued by the latest hair trend doing the rounds on social media - we've dubbed it the TikTok blow-dry. Think next-level volume and flicked-out ends, without a set of curling tongs in sight. Though Gen Z - and particularly the TikTok-ing lot - like to lay claim to any beauty trend that makes a reappearance on the platform - remember when they 'discovered' middle partings? - this particular one has undeniable roots in both the 90s - the bombshell look is back in business thanks to Pam & Tommy fever - and the early 2010s. Who could forget the Chelsea blow-dry?

The TikTok blow-dry is surprisingly easy to achieve too - if a little time-consuming - and the method relies on an older than old-school tool. It's time to get reacquainted with the humble hair roller. Few things beat velcro rollers for volume payoff and their popularity is soaring as the TikTok blow-dry takes hold - the hashtag #velcrorollers has reeled in a staggering 45.8 million views on TikTok and counting.

Secured into place correctly, and worn in your hair for long enough, a few velcro rollers post-hair-dry are all you need to lockdown the TikTok blow-dry yourself. Here's how it's done:

Watch: How To Style The TikTok Blow-Dry

How To Use Velcro Rollers

1. Dry Your Hair - Velcro rollers work best on just dried hair. 'You want your hair to have some heat in it when you're wrapping it around each roller,' says Tommy Cracknell, creative director at Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa, 'spritz heat protectant through your lengths and a volumising spray through your roots once you've towel-dried your hair, then rough dry it all the way through.'

2. Section Your Hair - 'Split your hair into three sections and tackle them separately,' says Cracknell, ' you want a section as thick as a single roller that runs from the centre of your hairline at the top, all the way down to the nape of your neck like a mohawk, and a section either side of your head.'

3. Roller Placement - The rule of thumb for the TikTok blow-dry is to roll away from your face. 'Make sure that each handful of hair is no wider than the roller you are using,' says Cracknell, 'if you have fine, mid-length hair I'd work with rollers that are 2cm in diameter, if you have long hair, make a play for slightly wider rollers, I recommend 3cm in diameter.' As far as the rollers either side of your head are concerned, anything goes. Some TikTokers roll them under, others roll them up. 'You'll probably need 12 to 14 rollers for an entire head of hair,' says Cracknell.

4. Secure Your Rollers - Don't rely on the velcro to keep your rollers in place and don't reach for the bobby pins either, these will leave you with a kink. 'Use the silver, flat clips, the sort hairdressers use, and secure with those instead to avoid denting your lengths and interrupting the wave,' says Cracknell.

5. Work The Heat - Once all of your rollers are fixed in place, reach for your hair dryer. Hit the medium heat setting and the low-speed setting, and give your hair a final warm, before leaving it to cool. 'Heat your hair one roller at a time,' says Cracknell, 'before misting with a little light-hold hairspray.' Cue the waiting game. You want to leave your rollers in until your hair has cooled all the way through. If you can feel any heat in there whatsoever, try to put off taking them out. 'There's no point using rollers if you have less than five minutes to wait before you take them out,' says Cracknell, 'use this time to make a cup of tea or do your make-up.' Ideally, leave them in for half an hour or more. The sooner you take them out, the sooner your TikTok blow-dry will drop.

6. Roll Out - Start taking out your rollers, working from the bottom layers of your hair upwards. Once they're all out, tip your head upside down and tousle through with your fingers, before misting again with a light-hold hairspray.

Main image credit: TikTok @ellaherman1 @acquiredstyle @leleburnier

Shop: The Best Velcro Rollers To Buy Now