Setting Lotion and Wrap Foam

Setting lotion is a liquid applied to wet hair before it is rolled or wrapped, and it dries hard so the hair holds the shape it dried in. It is the traditional foundation of a roller set, and it does one thing that no modern styling product does as well: it makes a set last through several days and through humidity.

How it works

The hair takes the shape of whatever it dries around, and the lotion sets a film that locks that shape in place. This means the set is created by the roller and the drying, not by the product; the lotion only preserves it. It also means that a set dried while still damp in the middle will not hold, however much lotion you used, because the shape was never fully fixed.

Diluting it

Most setting lotions are sold concentrated and are meant to be diluted, commonly with water in a spray bottle or a bowl. Undiluted lotion on a full head gives hard, flaky, sticky hair that will not brush out cleanly. Fine hair needs it thinner than coarse hair does. If a set has consistently come out crunchy and white at the roots, dilution is almost certainly the reason rather than the brand.

Applying and rolling

Apply to clean, wet hair, comb it through so it is even, then section and roll while the hair is still wet. Working on hair that has begun to dry gives an uneven set with some sections holding and others not. Roll firmly and consistently, since the tension of the roller determines the tightness of the finished curl as much as the roller size does.

Drying it properly

Under a hooded dryer until completely dry, and completely means longer than it feels like it needs, particularly at the nape and under thick sections. Taking rollers out of hair that is even slightly damp collapses the set within an hour. This is the single most common reason a set fails, and it costs nothing to fix beyond another twenty minutes under the dryer.

Wrap foam

Wrap foam is the same idea in a foam form, used for wrapping hair around the head rather than rolling it. It gives a smooth, straight finish with body at the root, and it holds through a night wrapped in a scarf. It is lighter than most setting lotions and easier to apply evenly, which makes it the easier starting point for anyone new to wet setting.