Curl Your Hair Without Heat

Curls look flawless on all hair types, colors, and lengths, but the heat from curling irons and blow dryers could eventually cause damage to your hair making them look dull, frizzy and rough. Do you want that happening? Probably not. Are there any other methods? Yes! Fortunately, there are a variety of methods to achieve curls without the use of expensive and harmful equipment. Learn how to make tight curls, vintage curls, natural waves and voluminous waves using easy, inexpensive techniques.

Steps

Braiding for Natural Waves

  1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Gently comb out any tangles. Pat your hair dry with a towel.
  2. Braid damp hair into two pigtails. Part your hair down the middle and braid the two sections tightly, then fasten the ends with a hair tie or rubber band.
    • For a more natural look, use your fingers to gently pull the braids apart, loosening them slightly.
    • For looser-looking waves, try using one single braid down the back rather than braiding two parts.
    • For tighter curls, separate your hair into three or four sections and braid each one.
  3. Let your hair dry. Wait several hours or go to bed with your hair in braids.
  4. Loosen the braids. After a few hours, when your hair is dry, remove the rubber bands and unbraid your hair. Gently run your fingers through your hair to create natural-looking waves.

Roller Curls

  1. Get rollers. You can buy them at any beauty shop or from any dollar store. Big rollers will create big and lengthy curls while small ones will create small and short curls.
  2. After shampooing and conditioning of the hair, dry with a towel. Blot it.
  3. Comb it properly and make sure there aren't any tangles.
  4. Section off a small bunch of your hair. Carefully roll it up and immediately put one of the rollers on. Pin or attach in place according the manufacturer's instructions.
  5. Repeat sectioning and rolling until your head is covered with rollers.
  6. Leave the rollers as they are for at least three to four hours.
  7. Carefully take out the rollers once three to four hours pass. You'll have amazing, good quality curls.

T-Shirt for Tight Curls

  1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Gently comb out any tangles, then blot your hair dry with a soft towel. Do not apply serum or leave-in conditioner.
  2. Cut a t-shirt into long strips. Start at the neck and use a scissors to cut all the way down to the hem. Continue until you've made as many strips as possible from the body of the t-shirt. Discard the sleeves, since they're too short to make long hair strips.
    • Make the strips as wide as you want your curls to be. For tiny curls, make them 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide; for bigger, looser curls, make them up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) wide.
    • If you don't have an old t-shirt, you can use long socks, dish towels, other items of clothing, and even paper bags. Just make sure the length of the strips is a couple of inches longer than your hair.
  3. Roll your hair. Use a comb to separate a small section of your hair from the rest. Line up the bottom of a t-shirt strip with the end of your hair. Roll your hair up toward your roots, keeping the t-shirt strip in place the whole time. When you've rolled your hair and the strip up to your scalp, tie the ends of the strip to hold the rolled hair in place.
    • If you only want to curl the ends of your hair, stop rolling halfway up your head and tie the strips at the place where you want the curls to stop.
    • Roll your hair under, rather than up, for curls that curve toward your neck rather than curls that bounce outward.
  4. Let your hair dry. Wait several hours or go to bed with your hair rolled into strips. When your hair is completely dry, untie the strips and loosen your hair. Do this gently if you want tight curls. For looser curls, run a wide-toothed comb through your hair to separate them into waves.

Sock Bun for Voluminous Waves

  1. Prepare the sock. Grab any (make sure it's pretty long). Cut the toe part off of a clean tube sock (about 1 1/2 inches or 4 cm). Roll the sock into a donut shape.
  2. Pull back your hair. Start with dry hair for this method. Pull it back in a ponytail at the top of your head, then fasten it with a hair tie. Spray your ponytail lightly with water to help set the waves.
  3. Position the sock. Hold the end of your ponytail and place it through the hole in the sock. Wrap sections of hair over the outer surface of the sock donut and tuck the ends securely underneath it. Continue rolling the sock down your ponytail toward your head, keeping hair tucked underneath it. The bun should stay securely in place once it reaches your head.
  4. Leave the bun in overnight. Remove the sock and hair tie after 6-8 hours. Gently run your hands through your hair to release the waves.
  5. Finished.

Headband for Vintage Curls

  1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. If you've already washed it recently, you can simply get it wet. Blot it dry with a towel.
  2. Wrap your hair around a headband. Choose a soft elastic headband, the type that wraps all the way around your head to keep your hair out of your face. Working in sections, wrap your hair around the headband and use hairpins to pin the ends in place as you go. Continue until all of your hair has been wrapped around the headband.
  3. Let your hair dry. Go to sleep wearing the headband so you hair has time to completely dry. To speed things up, use a hair dryer on the cold setting to blow air over your hair.
  4. Remove the headband and shake out your curls. Unpin each section of your hair and let the curl down. Continue until your hair is completely loose. Keep your sweet, vintage curls in place by scrunching them with a dollop of mousse and spraying your hair lightly with hairspray.

Easy and Light Waves

  1. Wet your hair with water. No need to wash thoroughly unless it's dirty.
  2. Brush your hair thoroughly.
  3. Separate your hair in two sections. Twist each section tightly.
  4. Turn the twists into side buns.
  5. Leave in place during sleep. Let them dry overnight.
  6. Open the buns in the morning. You'll have light waves!

Twist Curls

  1. Towel dry your hair until it is damp.
  2. Comb and part your hair. Separate the two sides.
  3. Twist one half of your hair until it is tightly twisted. Use a small clip to pin the twist on top of your head. If you don't have pins, hair ties may work. Repeat to the same side.
  4. Wait for your hair to dry. This will take anywhere between 4 to 6 hours, or even overnight.
  5. Remove the clips once dry. Enjoy your messy, spiral curls.

Bobby-Pinned Curls

  1. Wash your hair or take a shower. Then you want to let the hair dry a little. It has to be damp in order to absorb water better.
  2. Once your hair is mostly dry, brush or comb it through. You will need perfectly brushed or combed hair for the curls to be smooth.
  3. Prepare your materials. You will need:
    • a brush
    • a comb (optional)
    • a towel to keep your clothes dry (optional)
    • lots of bobby pins
    • a clip
    • a fat marker, sharpie, or any fat tube
  4. Separate your hair into two sections. There should be a huge section at the top, and a teeny one at the bottom. You can do this with your fingers or with a comb.
  5. Grab you marker/sharpie or tube and tilt a section of your ends in the bottom section under it.
  6. Slowly wind the tube up the way you would a roller.
  7. Twist the marker/sharpie or tube up and down slowly pushing it out of the coiled hair.
  8. Secure with a bobby pin.
  9. Keep doing this for the bottom sections. Once you have the bottom part done, make another section and repeat. Do this until all the hair is in little knobs. Don't worry if it looks crazy; it probably will!
  10. Leave the pins  in at least an hour, then remove them. The curl should unwind itself.
  11. Go rock your new bouncy curly look!



Tips

  • Avoid brushing your hair after styling. This will separate the curls and leave hair looking messy and frizzy. Instead, gently loosen the curls with your hands for a tousled look.
  • Curls show better when left for longer so it's better to sleep overnight in it.
  • When in haste, braid your hair into two or three braids. Twist the braids into a bun just by your ears. Use bobby pins or a clip to keep it in place and wait 10-20 minutes. Afterwards, undo the buns, take out the braids, run your fingers through them and optionally spray hairspray. You should get beachy or loose waves.
  • Make braids as tight or as loose as you wish depending on how tight/loose you want your waves to be.
  • If you want any part other than the center part specified, part your hair that way before you curl it. Rearranging your hair while it's curled will just make it frizzy.
  • Dutch braiding or twisting works instead of french braiding.
  • Wait at least six hours before taking out your hair.
  • If you have a lot of hair, then it's best to braid your hair into six braids, then braid those into three, then braid those into one.
  • Another way to curl hair is take a bracelet that is stiff, like a skinny bangle bracelet, and wrap a lock of hair in and out of the side of the bracelet. Either hold the strip of remaining hair for a minute or pin it to your head. (It helps if hair is damp.)
  • For pin-straight hair, use mousse or other holding product to help set the curl/wave before styling. Hairspray maybe used after styling to keep waves or curls intact.
  • Secure the rolls with hairspray.
  • For shoulder length hair, twist damp, brushed hair, and either blow it dry, or go over it the a flat iron. Do this all over your hair. Lightly spritz to keep it curly longer.
  • If you don't have a t-shirt or sock to curl your hair, try doing the same with paper towels or sturdy paper.
  • For frizzy hair, apply an anti-frizz serum to hair prior to styling.
  • If you loose braid dry hair overnight, it will give light waves without breaking your hair.
  • Do 2 nine stranded braids and 1 single then plat them all together.
  • When braiding your hair, make sure your hair is 100% dry. If hair is even slightly damp, the waves won't hold. Spray on dry shampoo for volume and hairspray to keep the waves tight. Do this the night before and sleep on it for the best outcome or do it a few hours before. Another method would use a straightener and braid your hair going over the braids with the heat.

Things You'll Need

  • Bobby pins
  • Wide toothed comb
  • Mousse, hairspray, anti-frizz serum and/or other holding product (optional)
  • A clean tube sock
  • Scissors
  • Extra rubber band (if needed)

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Sources and Citations

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