7 Clever Ways To Curl Your Hair Without Heat

Using heat on your hair leaves your hair damaged and brittle. This is why many have chosen to put down their curling irons and straighteners and look for different ways to style their hair!

Using heat used to be the only way to get your curls perfect, keep your hair pin-straight, and tame any frizz. But we’re all doing more to look after or natural hair, even if it means embracing it in all its natural glory!

If you don’t have curly hair and feel left out, you don’t have to miss out on all the fun. There are plenty of ways to get those Hollywood curls without heat!

Using a headband

You’re going to need one of those elastic headbands that wrap around your head; if you don’t have one of those, you can roll a t-shirt into a circle to create these bouncy curls. Start with damp and loose hair, then put the band around your hair and divide your hair into two parts.

Once divided, start wrapping your hair around the headband or t-shirt, starting over and under the headband until the end; make sure to wrap it so that the hair curls away from your face. Then set in the curls with a hair spray while the hair is wet and wait patiently as it dries before letting it down.

Braid it

For super-easy mermaid curls, just start with damp hair and part it down the middle into two sections. Then tightly braid each section, finish it off by spraying your hair with hairspray to set the curl, and wait for it to dry before taking it out.

Using hair rollers

Your mom or grandma might have these still lying around somewhere, and they make gorgeous curls that scream Hollywood! Start with damp hair, section it out, roll your hair from the tips to the root and secure it with a bobby pin.

You can leave it to sit overnight, but if you’re impatient, a few hours should be long enough to let it dry. Set it with hair spray, and then take it out for those luxurious and bouncy curls!

Use a doughnut bun

You know one of those things we use to make our hair thicker? You might even have made one out of a sock; you can use it to make some wavy curls. Just pull your hair through the middle, then make a huge bun that you can dampen with a spray bottle and let it sit overnight.

Use a pair of tights

You can use a pair of tights to create heatless curls, and it’s just like braiding! Starting with damp hair, part your hair down the middle and then place the tights over your head with a leg going down each side; you can secure it at the top of your head with a clip.

Then on either side of your head, create a French braid and incorporating the tights. Wait for it to dry overnight and set it with a bit of hairspray after taking the tights out.

Use paper towels

You’re going to need a lot of paper towels for this one, almost twice the amount of paper towels as the length of your hair. Create bands with the paper towels, so they’re about a quarter-inch thick.

Dampen your hair with a spray bottle, then braid it with the paper towel as you would with the tights, and then let it dry completely. You’ll have to secure the curls generously with hairspray.

Alternatively, you can wrap your damp hair around a piece of paper towel and tie it up if you want to try out Lorna Morello’s prison method from Orange Is The New Black. Then you just let it air dry overnight and set it with spray.

If you don’t want to be wasteful, you can also use the belt of your robe or even a tube sock to create the curl. Just remember to be patient and wait for the curl to completely dry before letting it down.

Plop your hair

Now, this is one for the curly-haired girls; if you’ve watched any curly girl give a hair tutorial, you’ll know what to do. Just apply your product, wrap your hair in a cotton tee and let your natural curls set in overnight!

Unless you have curly hair, plopping is very unlikely to work for you, but the other methods, if done right, can work well enough. You just have to be a little patient and trust the process, and you'll have stunning curls, so give it a try!