When to use rollers and pin curls for vintage hair styles

 WHEN TO USE ROLLERS

-If you want a Smooth wavey look.  Rollers give looser curls than pin curls. They lend just that little bend that lets your hair brush into a soft sleek shape.  

-If you want add smooth lifts,  height and puffiness to your hairstyle.

-If you have long hair. You need enough lengths to use rollers, especially medium to large size ones. If your hair is too short it can't go all the way around the roller.

-If you want 1960s, 70s hairstyles. These 2 decades are all about big bouffant smooth waves. rollers form the basis of nearly all hair styles here. 

-If you have dry hair. You can't do pincurls without wetting hair. But you can use heated rollers to set dry hair.

-If you don't have much time. Rollers are a lot quicker than pincurls. If you are proficient, those hot sticks and bendy rollers are especially quick. Only take a few minutes to set the whole head.

 WHEN TO USE PINCURLS

-If you want a curly look. Pin curls in general give tighter curls than rollers. They are especially good for ensuring ends of hair are nicely curled.

-If you have short hair. There aren't enough length to wind around most rollers, so pin curls are ideal as you can wind the shortest hair as long as there's a bit of length to form a circle. 

-If you want authentic 1940s and 1950s hairstyles. Pincurls form the basis of nearly all hairstyles in these two decades. I know these days people use modern tools and methods to replicate those styles with eg, hot sticks, curling tongs... But they don't come anywhere close to results of an authentic pincurl set. It's near impossible to get the nice waves, ridges, and tight sculptured curls and capture all those nice little details without pincurls.

-If you have wet or damp hair. When doing pin curls, it's essential to wind wet/damp hair. Dry hair will not stay!  

-If you have time. Pincurls take lots of time to do and set. So if you don't have time, obviously pin curls are not ideal.

USE COMBINATION OF ROLLERS +

PINCURLS

- If you want special effects.  Rollers add lift to roots of hair, pincurls ensure ends of hair are curled. For example you can use rollers to get a smooth lift at the top or sides of hair, and use pin curls to give fluff or curls to the rest of your hairstyle. Or you can pincurl a fluffy fringe, roller the rest into smooth waves. Or you can just pincurl those short wispy hard to curl neck line hair. The possibilities are endless!