Hot Rollers/Curling Irons

Hello everyone. I have some questions regarding curling irons and hot rollers. I have hair that is down to my lower back and for the last three years i have gotten it permed because it is VERY straight naturally. I`ve thought about perming it again, but would really like to give my hair a break and try something like rollers or a curling iron but I don`t know a whole lot about the brands or which ones would work best on this long of hair. I saw one that had three barrels and it said that it gave optimum curl for long hair. Any suggestions??
My hair is also very thick so if anyone knows of a styling product that might help hold the curl better i`m open to suggestions. Thanks so much for the input.
Jessica

I use "Hot Rods", though I also have fairly "fine" hair. I know of friends who have gone out and bought them, though, who have thicker (but shorter) hair than mine and they seem to like them fine. They are those rubber "twist" type rod and I have found them MUCH EASIER to use than regular/hot rollers and they seem to hold the curl just fine. As for curling irons.... YIKES! I couldn`t imagine the TIME it would take to "roll" ones LONG hair using just that - ONE curl at a time?!?!? Also the curl from the irons doesn`t seem to hold up as well in my case.
Now, question for you. Is there any other way of "perming" long hair other than useing "perm rods"? Not only is the cost astonomical for long hair perms, but also the length of time one has to SIT just while the hair is being rolled onto the rods (which only seem to hold about 10 hairs apiece as it is!) is far longer than I`m willing to sit still. Besides, I`m looking for a curl that is not quite the "corkscrew" style curl one usually gets with permanents, but I also want more curl than a "body" style wave seems to give. I was wondering if one could use regular style rollers with a perm? Or if when rolling maybe one doesn`t have to roll the rod/curler ALL THE WAY TO THE SCALP...... maybe part way (half or 3/4 of the way up?). Do you think the curl would look good if not all the way up? What about experimenting with different style "rollers" used for a perm? HELP? Tired of long, STRAIGHT hair!
Vicky

I made a big mistake once using some cheap plastic curlers. Make sure you check whether your curlers are meant to be used with heat and/or blow dryer. I didn`t and lost alot of hair. Buy curlers from a reliable professional.
Some other suggestions. French braid damp hair let it dry naturally. You will have crimped curls. I also use hot stick curlers but mostly curl a few layers on top because there are only so many curlers.
Perming hair longer than shoulder length might not be a good idea. 1) it could damage, dry-out your hair. 2) your hair will really look alot shorter 3) and unless you wash your hair everyday, you will have frizzy curls if you try to brush it. I had permed hair that wasn`t too long before and if I didn`t wash it, I would spray some water with conditioner in it and use a hair pick to detangle my hair. A brush was definitely out of the question because I have very thick hair and would end up looking like a christmas tree.