How To Style Your Hair Without Using Heat Tools

by Laura Collins9 November 2023Categories: Have A Good Hair Day 0 Comment

If you’re looking for new ways to style your hair without using heat tools, then look no further! In this post I’m going to break down why you should avoid using heat tools, different style options to test out, as well as what products will work best.

***Since I’m sharing the hair products that I love to use with you guys, my posts may include affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

Why should you avoid using heat tools on your hair?

To learn more about heat tools as well as what temperature you should use your irons at, see my post here.

Heat tools cause damage

It’s no secret that using high heat on our hair can cause problems. Have you ever noticed flyaway hair strands all the way up and down your hair shaft? That type of breakage is normally caused from using your iron too hot, too frequently, and without the use of a thermal protectant.

Using an iron on high heat with no thermal protection is a recipe for breakage. If you do this, it’s only a matter of time before your hair will suffer from it. And if your hair is already damaged from over-processing or bleaching, then using any heat on it will do it in.

Heat tools will fade your hair color

Not only will your hair become dry and damaged from this, but the high heat will pull the color right out. If you spend money getting your hair colored, say goodbye to the color if you iron it everyday at a high heat.

If you’d like to see a live example of this, see my Youtube Short here for a demonstration of what your iron can do to your hair color.

To help it grow

If you’re struggling to grow your hair out, then styling your hair without using heat tools is the first thing you should add to your routine. Anything that can cause damage or breakage to our hair will hinder the growth.

This doesn’t mean that it will grow slower out of your head, but heat causes split ends that cause breakage. So its not that your hair isn’t growing, it’s that its breaking off on the ends. When you avoid using heat tools, you avoid unnecessary breakage on the bottom. The healthier your hair and ends are, the faster your hair will grow.

How to style your hair without using heat?

Keep in mind that not every method will work for everyone. We all have different hair types and textures, so what works for you may not work for your best friend. That being said, let’s break down the 4 best ways to style your hair without using heat.

1. Air dry

Air drying your hair can take a bit more time, but it also saves you the work of blowdrying your hair. And let’s be honest here, blowdrying your hair takes a lot of energy!

One way I like to air dry my hair a little faster is to go for a walk after my shower. Your hair will dry quicker outside with the wind and air from walking. This process is much quicker than if you’re sitting on your couch inside.

When you use this method, it can be helpful to use some products if your hair is prone to frizziness. I recommend a leave-in conditioner and a hair serum. If your hair is curly and you want to define your curls, try a defining gel that will give it a soft and flexible hold.

2. Go to bed with your hair 80-90% dry

If you shower in the evening, then this method is for you. Going to bed with your hair 80-90% dry will help your hair to be less frizzy than if you air dry it during the day. Since you aren’t moving around and the hair stays in one place (for the most part) for several hours, then it will be much smoother than typical air drying.

I recommend washing your hair 2-3 hours before bedtime depending on how much hair you have. If you have a lot of hair then do it 3 hours before bed, and if you have thin hair then do it 2 hours before bed.

Going to bed with your hair too wet can cause mildew and your hair may not dry all the way through throughout the night, so that’s why it’s important that your hair is 80-90% dry. Soaking wet hair on your pillow is similar to leaving your clothes sitting wet in the washing machine.

When you wake up in the morning, DO NOT brush your hair out especially if you have wavy or curly hair. Doing so will cause your hair to look frizzy and crazy.

3. Braids

There are so many different ways that you can braid your hair not only as a cute style, but for setting your hair for waves the next day. The exact braiding method that you choose will be dependent on your hair type, so I recommend combining these different options and finding what methods work best for you.

Some of us can braid our hair when it’s wet and come out with beautiful waves the next day, but others will look like they were electrocuted.

Personally, I am one that will look a little crazy if my hair was too wet when I braided it. So I like to let mine dry 80-90% of the way, put the braids in, wear the braids the whole day and night, and take the braids out the following day. At the end of the day, I brush out and then braid my dry hair again before bed so that the waves will be defined and smooth again the next day.

You can use a number of different types of braids. My favorites are french braids, dutch braids, and fishtail braids.

I also want to recommend brushing your hair out completely before you put the braids in, and not after you take them out. This will avoid frizz.

If you braid your hair when its dry, try using hairspray for a little hold before you take the braids out. This will also help control frizz.

If you braid your hair when it’s wet, try using a defining gel before you braid your hair. This will give you more control, hold, and reduce frizz.

HEATLESS-WAVES — The result from the above dutch braids

4. Heatless curling sets

If you can’t get the braiding down or aren’t a huge fan of the waves that braids produce, try testing out some heatless curling sets. These come in a number of different options, and if you’re on TikTok then I’m sure you’ve seen some crazy things used like socks or spaghetti strainers.

I’m not going to recommend you to use odd household objects, but I will give you a few different recommendations for curling sets.

The heatless curling headband is a popular option today. This headband will give you larger bouncier waves. Similarly to braiding, you’ll want to find the right percentage of dampness that yields the best results. For me, it’s 80-90% dry. Before bed you’ll wrap your hair around this headband and tie it up top. Make sure it’s totally dry before taking it out or else the curls will fall right out.

If your hair doesn’t hold a curl well, you may have better luck trying curling rods. These are similar to the headband, but are more customizable. You can wrap the hair in different angles rather than just around one rod. These also come in different sizes to give you different sized curls. If you have shorter hair, this is the best option for you.

Other considerations

The main benefits of styling your hair without using heat are saving your hair from unnecessary damage as well as avoiding fading the color. That being said, below are a few other considerations around this topic.

Blow drying your hair is better than ironing it

If you have tried the above methods to style your hair without using heat and you haven’t found an option that works for you, you may want to try just blow drying your hair. Blow drying your hair is better than ironing it because the heat is indirect instead of direct.

It won’t cause nearly as much damage if you blow dry your hair over ironing it. The plates on your iron get extremely hot and are pressed directly onto your hair. This is going to burn it way more easily than hot air will.

Consider using a round brush to smooth the hair and give it body. This will help you avoid needing to iron it. Blow drying the hair will also give you much more volume which may be desired especially if you have fine and thin hair.

If you do decide to blow dry your hair, be sure to use a thermal protectant. I recommend using a leave-in conditioner as well as a hair serum for best results. The leave-in conditioner will replenish any lost moisture in your hair while the serum will control frizz and reduce dry time.

Skip washing as much as you can

The more days that you can skip between shampoos the better. Each time you shampoo your hair you are stripping it of its natural oils and drying it out. You also create the need to blow dry or iron your hair every time you wash it.

My best recommendation for extending time between washes is to use dry shampoo every day. If you use it from day 1 on, you’re being proactive and the hair doesn’t get greasy to begin with. When you don’t use it until it’s already greasy, it’s a lot harder to combat the oil.

To learn more about how often you should be washing your hair based on your hair type, see this post here. I also give tips on how to extend the time between washes in that post.

The best hair products for styling your hair without using heat

Here is a list of each product mentioned earlier in this post:

Aquage Beyond Shine – Thermal protectant that adds shine and protects hair from thermal damage.
Pravana Intense Therapy Leave-In – Leave-in conditioner that moisturizes hair, protects it from heat and UV rays, as well as diminishes effects of chlorine.
Aquage Silkening Oil Treatment – Hair serum used to smooth frizz, protect the hair from heat damage, and reduce blow dry time.
Aquage Defining Gel – Flexible hold styling gel to define curl and reduce frizz. (Works beautifully with the above silkening oil treatment)
Kenra Volume Spray – Firm hold hairspray that tames flyaways, holds the hair in place, and reduces humidity effects.
Heatless Curling Rod Headband – Headband that will allow you to create heatless waves while you sleep.
Curling Rods – Individual curling rods for creating heatless waves for shorter lengths of hair as well as tighter curls than the headband.

Conclusion

Using heat to style our hair not only can cause damage, but it can also fade your hair color. If you’re trying to grow your hair out or nurse it back to health, then you should definitely start styling your hair without using heat.

There are 4 main ways to style your hair without using heat:

Air drying
Going to bed with it 80-90% dry
Braiding
Heatless curling sets

You should also consider washing your hair as infrequently as possible. And if you must, blow drying your hair is better for it than ironing it. So if you are to only do one, choose blow drying.

If you have any further questions for me on this topic, leave them for me in the comments! And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!

Have A Good Hair Day