It helps to step away from heat styling now and then. Even here at our hair wellness spa, we do it. As you know, heat can dry out your hair and lead to damage. We sometimes use heatless styling to reduce the impact of heat.

So, why not occasionally step away from your hairdryer, curling tongs, and straightener and follow these heatless styling tips? Your hair will thank you.

Heatless Styling Without a Curling Iron

Did you know you do not need rollers to curl your hair, but only your fingers? Still, we recommend prepping your damp hair using a texturizer or a hydrating protective spray. The beauty of heatless styling is that your hair does not need to look perfect, leaving you with appreciating your natural texture. So you can:

1. Start With a Twist

With the twist technique, you can create subtle and soft waves. We suggest you start your twist at your crown for some all-over waves or at the base of your scalp to get a bounce beginning at chin-length.

For short hair, you can start twisting your tresses at your crown while pinning the ends at the nape of your neck. To achieve more dramatic results, twist your strands tighter.

Tip: Add movement and body twist sections in opposite directions, as doing it in the same direction gives a uniform look.

2. Plait Your Hair

Another exceptional heatless styling technique is braiding your hair. There are different braids, from Dutch and French to the Halo braid. Endless options are available, and you can go conventional depending on how each braid is positioned.

Tip: Go strategic and add some tiny plaits or even a bubble braid to give some bursts of texture.

3. High Bun or Chignon 

Why not tie the knot with your chignon or high bun for some face-framing strands cascading to softer waves below your chin? Add braids at your nape before you pin your bun into place to add texture. Alternatively, why weave tiny rows of plaits along your hairline for a more subtle face-framing?

Tip: Pulling your tresses tighter to your scalp makes your top strands look sleeker. Secure them in place with a scrunchie.

4. Place a Pin In Your Hair

Another excellent heatless styling technique is to twist your tresses into small pin curls. Wrap small sections of damp hair around your fingertips from the ends to the root and secure your hair with a bobby pin. Continue doing this around the scalp to form all-over curls.

Tip: It helps to concentrate the tightest pin curls at the crown as it increases volume, bounce, and body.

Heatless Styling For Frizzy Hair

Why not embrace your natural texture, as heatless styling is the best way to achieve this? If you have curly hair, following these tips is crucial to act fast before your frizz sets in after shaping your curls. So, keep those hands off your coils.

5. Start With Hydrated Strands

To heatless style your curls, you need hydrated strands. First, form your curls using your fingers. Start by twisting small sections at the root, then smooth them out between the fingers as you work to the end. Then, add some pin curls at the crown for definition and volume.

Tip: Use a butter masque and leave it in to deep-condition your tresses, or use a hydrating spray before you twist the hair.

6. Use a T-shirt

By now, you have heard that terry cloth towels are unsuitable for your curly hair as the fibers damage the hair cuticle and soak up too much moisture. Then you have your micro-fiber towel, which is a gentler option, but we prefer the T-shirt. Using a T-shirt helps reduce frizz, removes water, and does not disturb your curl pattern when air drying.

Tip: Before you wrap your hair with a tee, we recommend spritzing it with a protective spray and using your hands to crunch the curls up towards your scalp.

7. Go With a Plop

The hair-plopping technique is a game-changer for drying your hair. It helps encourage the formation of curls by absorbing excess water, allowing your hair to be soft when drying.

You do this by wrapping your tresses in a towel that twists and stretches the curls. It also helps to add volume and lift to your crown. You can do this for as long as you want, even overnight.

You can achieve this look by wearing a long-sleeve T-shirt, microfiber towel, veil, net, or pillowcase with your preferred styling products.

Worthy Note: While plopping is suitable for tight curls and frizzy hair textures, even looser waves to straight hair can benefit from forming a tousled texture.

Straightening Hair Without Heat

While this heatless styling method might seem impossible if you have curly or frizz-prone hair, patience and practice are worth your time and effort.

You must set your hair overnight or for several hours during the day to create waves. The best part is that this method speeds up the process in summer.

8. Go Old School

Invest in oversized curlers like your mom did in the ’60s to style your tresses. Adding oversized curlers can help create large curls with volume. Still, the larger your curlers are in diameter, the straighter your naturally curly and wavy hair will be when tightly wrapped.

9. A Breeze Of Cool Air

When avoiding heat blow drying, then cold air is your next option. While your hair might not be smooth, you will achieve a relaxed look. But prep your hair using essential oils made for taming your tresses to leave it smooth. It works well if you have fine hair compared to thick or coarse hair.

10. Wrap It

As it says, wrap your wet hair around your head to smooth out your curls and kinks for a sleek appearance. You’ll need a fine-tooth comb, 3-inch roller pins, mousse, or hair gel with a turban or satin scarf. Start by:

• Creating a part and separating the hair into two sections.
• Start on one side by holding your hair taut and combing in a circular motion around the head.
• As you smooth out the strands, you secure them using pins. Then do the same for the second section.
• Then secure your hair with a scarf before bed to prevent it from unraveling.

Tip: To make the wrapping technique as smooth as possible, customize it according to the length and placement of the hair part.

Heatless Styling Volumizing The Hair

Creating body and lift is mainly done using your hair dryer, even if you have thin hair. However, the products you use are essential for heatless styling and volumizing. Follow these tricks to create body and lift.

11. Start By Prepping Your Hair

To create volume, it starts in the shower. We recommend using a sulfate-free volumizing shampoo and conditioner to strengthen, hydrate, and add bounce to the hair. Then follow it up with spritzing a hair thickener, especially if you have thin hair.

12. Always Comb To Opposite Sides

No matter how you style your hair when damp, comb your strands always to the opposite side of your natural part and allow it to set. Once dry, you can flip your hair back to the regular part for instant volume. The best part is that the side-swept look is flattering if you are over 40 and can add volume to thin hair.

13. Go Retro

Strategically place some rollers at the crown of the head to create volume, but do this after spritzing your washed tresses with a thickening spray and then wrap your strands around the rollers and leave to dry overnight.

14. Backcombing Dry Tresses

We also found that to boost volume without heat, use a fine-tooth comb, backcomb your dry tresses to smooth them out, and use a setting spray to hold your look in place.

15. Create Volume With Small Clips

When drying your hair, it can become matted at the roots. So, after spritzing your hair with a hair thickener for volume, you can place small clips at the crown to lift the roots, adding volume. The heatless styling technique works well if you have curly or wavy hair. Once your hair is dry, you can remove them and use your fingers to comb and lift your tresses away from the roots.

16. Use Dry Shampoo

We know using dry shampoo between washes helps to refresh your tresses, but it also adds volume. But did you know you can use it on washed hair to give lift, extra grip, and texture if your hair does not hold style?

Tip: We recommend using a non-comedogenic product to prevent your scalp pores from clogging.

Wrap-Up: Heatless Styling

The heatless styles work wonders on damp, washed, and dirty strands. Still, if you need to work with 2nd, 3rd, or 4th day hair, we recommend sprinkling on some dry shampoo to refresh and volumize your hair instantly.

Still, if you do heat styling, we recommend investing in good styling products like heat protectants, mousses, gel, or a finishing spray to keep those flyaways in place. Yet, when you do heatless styling, a tip is that the more braids and twists you add, the better way to style without heat.

But when you’re ready to tackle your heat styling again, why not book an appointment at our hair and scalp spa in Medford, MA, for a professional blowout?

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