Looking for hairstyles that are appliance-free and won’t damage your hair? Look no further! Without blow-dryers, curling irons and straighteners, you won’t have to deal with the time and effort that goes into using them, not to mention the possible damage that can occur from using them. But with these out of the equation, you still need some cute ‘dos! That’s what we’re here for.
We’ve searched high and low and talked to some students to find the best hairstyles sans heat, so you don’t have to.
1. Bring back the sponge curlers
Throwback time! Remember those curlers your mom used to put in your hair the night before picture day or a dance recital? Well, you can still use them for a whole bunch of different wavy hairstyles.
Roll your hair up in those old sponge curlers your mom probably still has (or buy these super cute strawberry ones) and sleep in them overnight. Bam, curls. The fun part of using the sponge curlers is you can determine how tight or loose you want the curls. By rolling them so that they dangle off your head a little, they’ll be looser. But if you want a more retro curl, then you can roll them tightly to your head and brush out the curl a little after you take them out. Plus, you can even buy bigger curlers to achieve the same volume that you get from a blow-out (like these Drybar ones you can get from Sephora).
Either way, you won’t have to worry about all the time and effort that goes into curling your hair with a curling wand or iron.
2. Sleep in the sock bun
Sock buns are not only cute as their own hairstyle, but they’re an amazing way to get heat-free waves. “A sock bun with slightly damp hair at night will leave you with waves in the morning” says Samantha Kari, a graduate of Siena College. Another hairstyle we can perfect while we’re sleeping? Umm, yes please.
If you don’t know how to do a sock bun, it’s pretty simple. All you do is take a sock with the toes cut off that has been rolled to resemble a doughnut shape, and then pull your ponytail through the hole and roll the sock and hair down together, tucking the hair under as you go. When you get to the base, pop in a couple bobby pins, and you’ll be good to go.
3. Elevate the braid waves
We’ve all rocked some crimpy waves from a braid before, but now it’s time to elevate it. Abby Piper, a junior at Notre Dame University, told us how she’s refined the look: “If my hair’s damp before bed, I put it in one simple braid down (my) back so I wake up with bigger waves in the morning. I also don’t tie it off so it doesn’t leave that obvious crease and looks more natural and flowy rather than crimpy.”
Since this trick won’t work on all hair types, you could also use a piece of cloth or a ribbon to keep the braid from falling out without getting a crease.
4. Rock beach waves anywhere
Beach waves always seem to be in style and are super easy to pull off. With a texturizing spray (like this one by Not Your Mother’s), all you have to do is just scrunch it through your hair and go. Even better, it works for all hair types. It really doesn’t get much easier than this.
Some days the effort that goes into having cute hair is just not worth it. With these heatless hacks, you’ll be the person who always has effortlessly cute hair with none of the damage.