What Are the Best Hot Rollers for Fine Hair to Add Volume in 2023?

Heat styling of any kind can be damaging to hair and fine hair types are the most naïve ones to damage. Because of the fragility of fine hair, make sure the kind of hair setter box you are using does not produce intense heat.

Featured Image Of Best Hot Rollers For Fine Hair

This article will help you understand the nature of fine hair and choose the correct product that will style fine hair and at the same time, add to the quality of it rather than deteriorate it.

Quick Overview

We have picked the following best hot rollers for fine hair types to get bouncy, voluminous, and beautiful curls:

Disclosure Notice
ModelsPrice
Caruso Molecular Steam Hair Setter
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$$
T3 Voluminous Hair Setter
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$$$
Infinitipro by Conair Instant Heat Ceramic Flocked Rollers
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$$
Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Jumbo and Super Jumbo Rollers
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$$
CHI Smart Magnify Ceramic Rollers
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$$

Buying Guide for Fine Hair

What Is Fine Hair

People often confuse Fine Hair with less hair but that is not the case at all. Your hair can be fine yet your head will look full! Meaning-wise, the word ‘fine’ refers to something very delicate, narrow or thin. But it also means something of great quality.

Fine Hair - V1 May

Therefore, fine hair does not mean that it does not possess the qualities of beauty. Although it is comparatively sensitive in nature, fine hair has its admirers. It is also popularly believed that fine hair is easier to maintain and care for.

Hair of all kinds has three layers of cells, the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. Cuticle refers to the outer most scale like, translucent layer that protects the cortex and the medulla. The cortex in the mid layer that holds the moisture and the pigment of your hair and the medulla is the innermost layer.

By definition, fine hair is the kind of hair that is linear in shape. Cellular structure wise, this kind of hair has thinner medulla, cortex, and cuticle. In some of the fine hair types, the medulla even is absent.

In fact, the same person can have hair strands with absent, present or fragmented medulla. It is easier for us, laymen to put fine hair into one category or use it synonymously with ‘less hair’, but hair experts would like to disagree with that idea.

However, to simplify the concept, there are some basic or common characteristics of fine hair types.

If we look into the other specifics of fine hair, we will get to know that,  Fine hair has a much smaller diameter compared to thick hair.

If you want to compare the diameter of your hair then you can to a simple test. Just take a hair strand and try to feel it in between your two fingers. If you feel a smooth and less prominent hair strand you are most likely to have fine hair.

Also, in fine hair, the medulla can be either fragmented or absent. If not fragmented or absent, it may exist but very thin. All of these cannot be seen with the naked eye and can only be detected under a microscope.


Although fine hair is delicate and prone to damages, it’s straightness and smoothness makes it easier to maintain. But every hair type has its disadvantages and so does thin hair.

Caruso C97953 Banner
Babyliss BABNTCHV21 Banner
Conair HS10X Banner
T3 Voluminous Luxe Banner

What Are the Major Problems of Fine Hair?

Your fine hair when exposed to the weather, air and temperature and moisture goes through adjustments and hence they also face changes and other problems. Following are the main problems fine haired people go through.

Frizz

A number of factors can contribute to frizz in your hair. Fine hair is very much prone to damage. Reasons are many. Generally, fine hair is softer and smoother than other hair types and hence it has more chances to get its cuticles chipped in the process of styling and just combing them regularly. As a result, there can be static or frizz in your hair.

Frizzy fine hair

You will be experiencing these more often if you tend to style your hair more often and if you use cheap plastic combs. Plastic combs in friction with your hair produce static electricity and cause flyaway hair which eventually leads to more frizz and damage. Static however can be caused without plastic combs as well.

If you sleep in pillows that are covered with rougher fabric, it’s wiser to switch to pillow covers that are made with softer and smoother fabric. Also, while you towel-dry your wet hair, shift to softer towels.

Because, when you towel-dry your hair with rough towels, it can damage your cuticles as wet hair is more vulnerable than dry hair.

Lack of Volume

Another major problem with fine hair is its lack of volume. While the straightness of your hair is admirable, it can appear to be unwantedly limp at times. This occurs because of oil production in your scalp. Your scalp accumulates oil from the glands and it reaches as far as the mid-length of your strands.

As a result, your hair ends up looking oily and limp. It can be solved by keeping your hair clean and shampooing it more often. Also, choose your shampoo wisely. It is recommended that you use shampoos that are low in pH level as they are less alkaline.

Lack of volume in your fine hair can also be because of its sensitivity to humidity. Your fine hair’s natural moisture balance is disrupted due to excess water molecules in the air.

To avoid your hair looking limp you need to make sure you dry your hair completely before exposing your hair to the weather outside.

Split Ends and Other Kinds of Damages

If you are not feeding your fine hair the proper nutrition, not grooming it when needed and not combing them regularly, then it can get dry and eventually have split ends. You have prevented this by eating healthy, trimming the ends when needed and nourishing it with oils.

Fine hair split ends

If fine hair is colored, you might need to be more careful going out in the sun because UV rays from the sun can damage colored fine hair. UV rays directly interact with the melanin of the cortex. Because the cell layers of fine hair are very thin and delicate, the UV rays can penetrate the cuticles and lighten the pigment in the cortex.

Vulnerable to Heat-Damage

Because of having very thin layers of cells and softness, fine hair is very prone to heat-induced damage. It means you need to be extra careful while heat-styling. It is important to choose materials that are not too intense in terms of producing heat. If you do so, you can end up with brunt and damaged hair that look lifeless.

How Can Heated Hair Rollers Help in Dealing with Fine Hair Problems?

Honestly, rollers are more of a styling tool than a set of devices that can solve fine hair problems. However, the manufacturers have kept the problems of fine hair in mind and have designed rollers that comply with fine hair types.

These hair setters are made with materials and technologies that will least damage your hair and will enhance its outer look. And yes, they can work great to add volume to your limp and dull hair.

Materials and Technologies Used in Rollers That Can Reduce Fine Hair Problems

Fine hair types need special care for their delicate nature, especially while styling. Rollers that produce gentle and balanced heat, therefore, are ideal for fine hair.

Technologies that facilitate balanced heat are Steam, Tourmaline, Ceramic, and Ionic. These technologies have proved themselves to be healthier and working great especially on fine hair.

On the other hand, technologies like Titanium and Thermal wax core produce too intense heat that can damage thinner hair types and this is why they are suitable for thick hair. Same goes for non-ionic rollers that come with hard plastic barrels.

The materials and technologies that are recommended for fine hair are discussed below.

Ionic

Ionic rollers are also many people’s favorite. The reason for this is, it is a popular understanding that ionic hair tools do a great job at dealing with frizz. The heating pad of ionic rollers infuse the rollers with negative ions and hence as you roll them up in your head and let them set, and finally take them out, you might see a difference in the quality of your hair, especially if it used to be frizzy before you put your rollers on.

You would notice the difference even more if you have previous experience with non-ionic / plastic rollers.

Molecular Steam

While Ionic rollers work great with frizzy hair, if your hair is damaged and dry, you might want to try molecular steam heated hair rollers.

These rollers come with a steam pod on top of which you can place each roller to accumulate steam and roll them up. Each roller is covered with foam sheets that absorb steam.

Steam hot rollers

Heat and steam together bend the shape of your hair into wonderful curls and retains the moisture balance of your hair at the same time. Just because you love to style your hair does not mean you have to compromise with the health of your hair.

Also, the heat is healthy and there is no fear of heat damage with these rollers. These rollers are favorites of many hair styling enthusiasts and it is totally legit. These roller sets come in all sizes and you can use them on your fine hair with a lot of conveniences regardless of its length.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline has been trending for a while on hairdryers, flat irons, etc. The hype about tourmaline infused products is totally worth it. Although these products appear to be expensive, the natural healing properties of tourmaline enhance the health of your hair.

It also emits far infrared rays which are very gentle on your hair and ensures protection from heat damage. And so far, Tourmaline rollers have gained a lot of popularity for adding extra volume to your limp hair. Manufacturers did not back out from making tourmaline rollers.

These rollers give you the smoothest curls and waves you’ll ever see! However, these rollers have been made available by very few brands and even fewer brands have excelled at it. Also, these rollers are a bit heavier in terms of weight and hence you might find it a bit challenging to secure it to your head.

Nevertheless, these rollers make fabulous loose waves. Not only are they great for fine hair, but they are also the best thing you can get for your kind of hair.

Ceramic

Ceramic has been ruling the hair industry for a while now and it totally makes sense why. Before tourmaline and other materials came into the spotlight, ceramic hair products were pioneers. Ceramic infused rollers are especially good for fine hair types.

Ceramic produces infrared rays that are very gentle and healthy for your hair. Using ceramic rollers will ensure your hair doesn’t undergo heat damage. Also, your hair will have curls that are silky and smooth.

What Are the Available Sizes of Rollers?

Rollers are usually available in four to five sizes which are, jumbo, large, medium, small and petite. Jumbo is the biggest size available and petite is the smallest. Also, the size of rollers indicates both the length of the barrel and the diameter of the barrel. For example, The Jumbo size has the widest barrel diameter and the petite ones have the narrowest. Jumbo, Large and Medium rollers have the length of Jumbo and Large rollers are 3.5 inches and the Medium, Small and Petite roller have the length of 2.5 inches only.

Does the Length of Your Hair Matter?

Although for fine hair you need to choose the materials of your roller set very wisely, you also need to be careful while choosing the sizes of your rollers. And what size of the roller is appropriate for you depends largely on the length of your hair.

For example, if your hair length is long, you need to get Jumbo rollers. If it is a little less than that but long enough, try large rollers. For hair that is shoulder length, try Medium sized rollers. And if your hair is short, then go for small and petite rollers, because larger rollers cannot hold or roll short hair.

Must-Have Features

To be suitable for fine hair, your hair setter needs some set of features. We recommend if most of the features we recommend match with a product you can use them on your fine hair without worry.

It is hard to find products with all the features, also it can be challenging to do all of this research by yourself and hence we hope the following table can act as a guide for you.

  • Material/Technology: 1st Preference: Tourmaline/Steam, 2nd Preference: Ceramic, 3rd Preference: Ionic
  • Barrel Sizes (Short Length Hair): 1 inch or less than 1 inch in width (Minimum 6)
  • Barrel Sizes (Long Length Hair): More than 1 inch in width (Minimum 6)
  • Clip preferences: 1st Preference: Plastic Shields, 2nd Preference: Comfort Clips/Jay Clips, 3rd Preference: Punch Clips
  • Rollers in total: Minimum 8 – Maximum 30

Best Hot Rollers for Fine Hair to Add Volume

While many people tend to buy hair setter without ensuring if they will be good for their hair type, we are here to tell you, your hair type matters and manufacturers do keep that aspect in mind. While many will argue that hair setter box is supposed to be 1 size fits all, we would argue it is not the case.

Manufacturers want to earn maximum revenue by not announcing the scope of their products. But it is for the wiser consumers to not fall for that and identify if a certain roller set will come to their benefit.

Keeping the nature of fine hair, the problems it has to face and the length of your hair in mind we have chosen four models.

Caruso Molecular Steam Hair Setter

Caruso Molecular Steam Hot Rollers - V3 Dec

Ranking Position: 1

Our Opinion: for Fine Curly Hair of Any Length

This model has been popular among people with fine hair of all lengths. And not just that, this roller set is made with molecular steam technology.

It comes with a steam pod that heats up distilled water. As the steam comes out from the pod, you can place each roller on the pod and it will accumulate steam in its foam sheets. As you roll up each roller on your hair, also place the plastic clips on top of the pod and use them to secure your roller with it firmly.

Steam is really healthy for your hair and it prevents heat damage that other kinds of rollers may induce. It also retains moisture in your hair better compared to other technologies.

See the following info to check if this roller complies with our standards.

  • Material/Technology: Steam
  • 18 Small, Medium and Petite Rollers with 1 inch or below 1-inch width
  • 12 Jumbo and Large rollers
  • Clip preferences: Plastic Shields
  • Rollers in total: 30

As you can see, it goes with our most recommended features and hence we have chosen this roller set as our no. 1 product. Availability of all sizes of rollers allows you to try all kinds of styles imaginable.

Benefit wise, none of the other rollers sets as good as this one. Also, it’s hard to find a hair setter box that abides by most of our 1st preferences in terms of features.

Following are the pros and cons of this hair setter.

Pros

  • This product helps to reduce dryness in fine hair with its healthy steam
  • This set is also specialized to retain moisture in damaged and dry fine hair
  • All sizes of rollers included in the set which allows you to try versatile hairstyles
  • Replacements of all sizes are available.
  • The rollers come with plastic shields which are perfect for firmly securing your hair with the rollers
  • These rollers have proved to create the most long-lasting curls

Cons

  • You might need to purchase the replacements if you use them frequently.

T3 Voluminous Hair Setter

T3 Voluminous Hot Rollers - V4 Dec

Ranking Position: 2

Our Opinion: for Long Straight Fine Hair

T3 has its name and fame among those who are into hair styling especially their signature Tourmaline infused styling tools. This product is one of T3’s signature styling tools besides of course their award-winning hair dryers.

These Tourmaline infused rollers are the best curling product you can get to add all of that extra lift in the volume of your fine hair. Fine hair has its reputation of appearing limp and dull because of its lack of volume and this is why you need products like these hot rollers.

This hair setter has four jumbo and 4 large rollers which are especially great for creating trendy hairstyles in long length hair. Whether or not this product complies with our recommendations check the following info.

  • Material/Technology: Tourmaline
  • No Rollers below 1-inch width
  • 8 Jumbo and Large rollers
  • Clip preferences: Punch Clips
  • Rollers in total: 8

As you can see, T3 voluminous hair setter has the required features to suit fine hair. This roller set is a great tool to create beach waves and loose waves and most importantly, tourmaline adds extra shine and volume to your limp and straight hair.

It naturally conditions your cuticles and hence after using these rollers, you’ll see a difference in your hair in terms of quality. Your curls and waves will have added body and shine and it will blow your mind.

Following are the Pros and Cons of this model.

Pros

  • Tourmaline in these rollers will produce far infrared heating which is perfect for fine hair and will not induce heat damage at all
  • Tourmaline will add extra volume to limp hair
  • You will get the perfect beach waves and loose curls using this set

Cons

  • These rollers are a bit heavy in terms of weight and come with punch clips and hence it might be a little tough to secure them firmly.
  • You might need to buy replacements if 8 rollers are not sufficient.

Infinitipro by Conair Instant Heat Ceramic Flocked Rollers

INFINITIPRO BY CONAIR Instant Heat Ceramic Flocked Rollers - V5 Dec

Ranking Position: 3

Our Opinion: for Short Fine Hair

This Conair heated roller set is the styling solution you need for your short fine hair.

Firstly because its Ceramic components are especially great for fine hair alongside the barrels being flocked with velvet sheets to care for your cuticles.

Secondly, this model has an ion generator in the heating pad that will totally take care of your frizz problems and styling aftermaths.

Thirdly, it has enough small and medium-sized rollers to style your short hair in various ways. This set complies with our standards in a great way. See the table below to be sure of its greatness.

  • Material/Technology: Ceramic and Ionic
  • 12 Small, Medium and Petite Rollers with 1 inch or below 1-inch width
  • 8 Jumbo and Large rollers
  • Clip preferences: Jay Clips
  • Rollers in total: 20

As you can see, this roller set complies with most of the features, especially for short fine hair. The flocked barrels ensures extra smoothness while adding volume to your curls. Its larger number of small and medium rollers makes it a perfect heated roller set for short hairstyles.

But you can use it to style your medium length hair as well. Following are the pros and cons of this set.

Pros

  • Combined efforts of ceramic and ionic technology solve your fine hair problems such as heat damage and frizz.
  • Ceramic produces gentle infrared heating which is especially great for fine hair.
  • The barrels are flocked to ensure heat retention and protection from friction. As a result, your hair is safe from static and frizz.
  • This set has 12 heat and speed settings allowing you to choose the perfect temperature you prefer for styling your hair.
  • Small and medium rollers will help you get more defined curls which will suit short hair the best
  • The rollers heat up only in two minutes and save your time.
  • This set has a retractable cord which makes it a storage-friendly set and keeps the wires in great shape.

Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Jumbo and Super Jumbo Rollers

Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Jumbo and Super Jumbo Hot Rollers

Ranking Position: 4

Our Opinion: Adding Volume in Fine Hair

This model from Conair that is filled with extremely incredible features to blow your mind. Conair never fails its customers and this Instant Heat roller set is no different; these heated rollers come with all the features and components that we seek for while searching for an excellent roller set to create volume and bounce in short hairs, and that too at a very affordable price tag.

Compare the below info with our standard value.

  • Material/Technology: Ceramic
  • No Rollers below 1-inch width
  • 8 Jumbo and 4 Super Jumbo rollers with more than 1-inch width
  • Clip preferences: Super Clips
  • Rollers in total: 12

Let’s begin the discussion with the size and type of these Xtreme rollers.

This set comes with 12 heated rollers of which 8 rollers have a diameter of 1 ½ inch which we think is the perfect size to add mega bounce and volume to short hairs as these rollers are small enough to put on short tresses but big enough to lift up the roots and build an extraordinary voluminous look. The numbers of large rollers are also enough to cover your whole head of short fine tresses so that you don’t need to buy any extra replacement rollers for extra volume.

Additionally, the double velvet flocked surface of these Xtreme rollers also makes the volume building process super effortless by not creating any additional frizz and knots in your already frizz-prone hairs and holding the rollers tightly in place so that there is no chance of them slipping off the hairs.

A strong hold is very much important for short length hairs because there are fewer hairs to wrap around the rollers and the rollers are always at risk of falling down.

To eliminate this risk and also to ensure super strong grip, aside from the double flocked surface, Conair added 12 wire clips in this styling set that can be used to hold these rollers in place smoothly so that the volume adding session is uninterrupted and the result is flawless and uniform.

The ceramic construction of these barrels also plays a vital part in the effortless styling process by adopting a very gentle amount of heat to style the hairs precisely for long-lasting volume. This delicate heat also ensures that you don’t burn your sensitive tresses while styling them.

Furthermore, the 85-second fast heat up mechanism of the heating unit makes sure that you don’t have to wait for long before you start your styling process, which means that you can save time and won’t be late for your work or party.

Pros

  • Conair installed a separate on/off switch for easy and safe operation
  • The rollers come in a compact plastic box for effortless storage and ease of carrying
  • Conair incorporated an indicator light to signal when the heater is on
  • The ready dot flashes a red light whenever the rollers are ready to use
  • The 2x flocked rollers provide double heat protection for damage-free results
  • Comes with stay-cool end rings to ensure maximum safety of the users
  • The heater comes with a 5 feet long cord for ease of use
  • Conair provides a Limited One-Year Warranty period for these rollers for better customer service

CHI Smart Magnify Ceramic Rollers

CHI Smart Magnify Ceramic Rollers

Ranking Position: 5

Our Opinion: Best For Creating Versatile Curls In Short Hair

Another of our favorite hot roller set for fine hair is this Smart Magnify Ceramic Rollers Set from the mighty CHI. This roller set is modern, easy to use and comes with all the features we look for in a styling tool for fine tresses. And therefore, we included it in our list rather than keeping this set out of it.

However, even after all the amazing features it offers, this curler set ended up being in 5th place because it doesn’t have roller varieties like the others on this list [comes with only  1-inch rollers]. But the good news is that these curlers are just of the right size and right numbers [includes 9 rollers] to style your short fine manes with versatile hairstyles. From tight ringlets to loose curls and even beach waves, you can adorn your short tresses with any style you want without any difficulties. Moreover, as there are enough rollers, you wouldn’t feel a shortage of curlers during the styling session- we can assure you that.

Another amazing thing about this curler set is that it comes with punch clips to hold the rollers securely in place so that they don’t roll down easily. These plastic clips make sure you achieve the best curls in your fine strands to flaunt proudly.

Moving on, to make these heated rollers suitable for sensitive fine hair, CHI made them using pure ceramic so that you don’t burn or damage your strands while curling them. Ceramic generates a very gentle amount of heat and distributes it evenly to ensure that your delicate manes don’t suffer from hot spots or burns while you are curling or waving them.

Another feature of these rollers that maintains the health and integrity of your tresses is their velvet flocking. The smooth velvet overlay not only prevents the heat from burning down your precious manes but also keeps frizz and static away so that your curled strands are silky, smooth and shiny like never before.

  • Material/Technology: Ceramic
  • No Rollers below 1-inch width
  • 9 Small Rollers
  • Clip preferences: Punch Clips
  • Rollers in total: 9

Pros

  • It is UL listed, and hence, super safe to use at home
  • Holds heat for 15 minutes to style your tresses perfectly
  • Includes a compact heating platform for easy, effortless heating
  • Has an LED screen on the heating base for maximum convenience of the users
  • Includes red indicator lights that blink when the rollers are ready for use
  • Foot stabilizers in the heating platform keep it stable and safe
  • Comes in a heat-protectant pouch for easy portability and convenient storage

Cons

  • At 4.46 Pounds, this roller set is heavyweight and difficult to carry
  • No ionic technology for smoother, silkier tresses

Final Verdict

Maintaining your fine hair and styling them is easier than doing it with other hair types. However, some thumb rules need to be followed in order to do it properly. While using rollers you need to identify what kind of hair problems you face and what materials and technologies provide a solution to such problems.

Also, you need to understand the length of your hair to choose the sizes accordingly. However, hair setters are styling tools and not problem-solving machines. To ensure proper fine hair-care you need to nurture your hair by eating healthy and keeping it clean and conditioned.

15 Comments

  1. Hello!
    I am a regular reader of your blogs. Some of your reviews are just wow.
    But why do u only provide 2/3 products?
    More products would give us more choices.

    1. Thank you for reading our blog on a regular basis and also liking them.

      We always try to present you with the best of best quality hair styling tools in the market, and that’s why sometimes our suggested product list is quite small.

      But we would definitely keep in mind about your suggestion for our future review blogs.

      Stay with us!

  2. I want to know about the T3 – Volumizing LUXE is it good for fine hairs?

    Thanks in advance.

    1. Thanks for the question.

      The T3 – Volumizing Hair Setter LUXE is one of the best roller sets to create volume in fine hairs. If you have medium to long fine tresses, we would definitely recommend you to buy this roller set from T3. For more information on this particular hair tool, you can read this: (provide the link)

  3. This is one of the best review articles I read in a long time. You guys managed to keep it clean, minimal and interesting. That’s the true beauty of writing.

    Hats off to the writer!

    Keep on writing like this.

  4. I bought the BaByliss PRO Nano Titanium Roller Hair setter as a gift for my girlfriend. It didn’t work for her and burned down her hairs.

    Suggest me a gentle set.

    1. We are sorry to hear that.

      You can try the Caruso C97953 for sensitive or fine hairs. These rollers use steam to style your hairs which doesn’t cause any burns or damages in your manes.

      Furthermore, it comes with several different sized rollers so that you can style your manes with different types of curls and waves effortlessly.

  5. Hello,

    This is an incredibly informative piece of writing. I got to know a great deal from this article.

    I didn’t know that you can also have a head full of fine hair. I always thought fine hair means fewer strands on the scalp.

    Thank you for providing such useful information.

    Keep up the good work guys.

    1. Dear Nicole,

      Thank you very much for your sweet words. We always try to include as much authentic and useful information in our writing as possible to help our readers.

      Please keep coming back for more review articles.

  6. Well, well, well.

    This article is extremely long and boring. I had to skip a lot of writings before I could reach the main review section.

    Why you always have to write such a big essay?

    Why don’t you keep things small, precise, and to the point?

    Very disappointing!

    1. Dear Gabriella,

      We are so sorry to hear that you didn’t like our writing. We always try to include all the related information which sometimes makes the article a bit longer.

      However, we would definitely keep this in mind and write accordingly in the future.

      1. I love your blog just for this reason. You always acknowledge your readers’ feedback, it doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative. Keep up the spirit guys.

  7. Hi there,

    From the previous comments I see that you help your readers a lot.

    I have a question.

    Can you please tell me how long I should keep the roller on my delicate fine hair to curl them without any damage?

    1. Dear Bree,

      Thank you for your sweet words.

      For fine tresses, you must keep the heated rollers for 12 to 15 minutes on the hair to style them properly. Anything less than this time duration might not form the curls completely.

      We hope this would help you.

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