You know it, we know it. Too much heat + hair = damage. Then add bleach, sun exposure, breakage from tight ponytails and buns, and...you’ll have hair in need of help. So how can we style hair without the heat? Here’s our top tips and tricks for styling your hair if it needs a holiday from heat.
Try to embrace your natural texture
Your hair will do what it does best when it’s in tip-top condition - and that never goes out of style. Using weekly hair masks, like our award-winning Miracle Mask, in combination with taking a break from heat styling, will give you immediately softer, more manageable hair that will make these heat-free hair hacks easier.
Overnight hair hacks
Perfectly styled hair while you sleep; what’s not to love? Our favourite heatless hair curls work best on freshly washed hair. Make sure to get your prep right, though. Wash your hair with lukewarm water, using our texture-specific and colour protecting Shampoo and Conditioner. Whilst the conditioner or hair mask is in, gently comb with our wide-toothed comb to untangle. Rinse your hair, then squeeze excess water out, but don’t rough your hair with a towel! This can cause breakage and affect texture. Instead, opt for the Aquis Rapid Dry Hair Turban to soak up the moisture in a damage-free way, and reduce drying time by 50%.
How to: Heatless Hair Curling
Assemble your heatless hair heroes: sectioning clips, hair ties, Aquis Two-Layer Hair Turban, the cord from your dressing gown or a pair of tights (yes, really). Let hair air-dry until it is around 80% dry, and then part it down the middle into 2 sections.
If you’re curling hair with dressing gown cord, start by placing the centre of the cord at the top of your head, and clip it there to secure it. Starting on one side, take small sections of hair, starting from the top, and wind around the cord, working your way down, and feeding in pieces of hair from both the front and the back. Remember, the thicker the cord, the looser the dressing gown cord curls. Secure the end with a tie and repeat on the other side. Pin both ends to your head, cover with the turban and sleep well!
If using the tights, you have options. Again, pin the middle to the top of your head with a leg of the tights on either side of your head. Either wind pieces around the leg in the same way as you would a cord, or to create wavy hair without heat, we’re going to work with braiding. Split the hair on one side into 2 sections, and create a plait using the tight leg as the third strand; secure at the base and sleep with this in place. This will create smooth, neat waves without the need for heat styling.
For more heatless hair waves, there’s the old favourite, french braiding. But, we prefer Dutch braids if possible, where the strands are passed underneath each other rather than over the top, as this helps to create more volume in the hair. It takes a bit of dexterity, but we think it’s worth it to help put down those tongs. For loose waves, go for one large braid down the centre, or for tighter waves, create up to 4 braids by splitting the hair into quarters.
Whichever method you choose, gently unravel your creation the next morning. Don’t brush, just comb out with fingers, and add a touch of texture spray and hairspray to hold your gorgeous heatless curls or heatless waves.
Do the twist
Want more loose, beachy texture than curls? When hair is nearly dry, take large sections and twist tightly, keeping the strand taught, and pin to your head. You can then release them the next morning for that tousled textured look. Remember to twist away from the face for the most flattering look.
Short hair or want to air-dry?
We LOVE a scrunch-dry. Flip your hair upside down and using both hands, take large handfuls of hair and squeeze and scrunch upwards towards the scalp. To accelerate drying, you can use paper towel to absorb moisture, or for a less wasteful method, use our AQUIS turban to create texture, volume and enhance natural curls with a quicker drying time.
On-the-day hacks
For a non-overnight method, we have you covered. Want to stretch out time in between washes? Try a braid or ponytail, with some dry shampoo at the roots or the Miracle Mask to smooth down your hair.
We love this rope braid from our Principal Stylist Kieran:
Work with texture here to create heatless hair that still looks styled. Quick, simple, and will even look great once you take it out.
Or, make flat hair look chic with this sexy, sleek ponytail from our Advocate Stylist Mason:
This look can be adapted to be used without straighteners to be our perfect ‘can’t-be-bothered-to-wash-my-hair’ heatless hairstyle. Rub a small amount of Miracle Mask into hands and smooth down baby hairs at the front for your softest ponytail yet. Straighteners who?
Head over to our socials for more hair-styling tips, tricks and inspiration.
