7 ways to get heatless curls "Natural hair tips"

If you love curls, but you’re not about that heat life and potential heat damage, here are 7 ways to get perfectly defined curls without applying heat to your hair.

1. Heatless Curls with Flexi Rods Set

Photo credit:@brialarine

Start with stretched hair. (You can achieve this without heat by braiding after you wash).

Apply a few drops of hair oil to keep it sleek and laid down.

Section your hair, starting from the back, and add foam wrap (just enough for it to be lightly coated). 

Then install a flexi rod to the sectioned hair. One tip for the perfect flexi-rod set is to place the middle of the rod halfway up the sectioned hair length. Then, wrap the hair from mid to ends away from your face. Ensure your ends are flat. Then roll the top until it’s tight to your scalp and bend the rod to keep it in place. Repeat until you’ve finished your head.

Allow your hair to dry – either naturally or using a fan. Remove the flexi-rods, and voila, you have defined curls without heat. 

Separate each coil and tease the roots to get a fuller look. Then, if you like, finish off with an edge control. 

 

2. Heatless Curls with Curlformers 

Spiral curlformers are another quick way to get curls without heat. 

Apply your favorite styling product. Run the curlformer hook through the curlformer, put the hair in the hook, and then draw your hair through. 

Once you’ve pulled the hair through, you can either leave it as is, or wrap it around (almost like traditional curlers you’d use with textured hair). If you do the latter, start at the ends, wrap around the finger, and roll up to your scalp, and pull the end through to secure. 

Once the styling product is dry, you can take down the curlformers. 

3. Heatless Curls with Bantu Knots 

Photo credit: @teairawalker

Start on stretched hair. Apply a light oil and start with sectioning your hair. (You can also add your leave-in and detangle each section as you work.)

Twist your hair from the roots, pinching flat in the process. Then start wrapping the hair until you reach the end, where you tuck the ends under.  

Once the hair is dry, then take down the Bantu knots, fluff, and you have tight, heatless curls. 

4. Heatless Curls with a braid-out

A popular heatless curl method, braid-outs are a quick way that doesn’t need any curling tools. 

Section your hair into 6 or 8 large areas. 

Apply your favorite styling product and then braid the hair flat. (For example, you can do a center part, braid flat from the center part down to the sides).

Wait for the product to dry (it should be completely dry before you take down the braid). Apply a light coating of oil to your hand to prevent frizz. If you like, you can also apply a bit of edge control. 

Then, gently undo each braid, separating each strand as you go along. 

Then you can either use a comb/pick to fluff the roots for volume. 

 

5. Basic Roller Setting 

Photo credit: @stylistlee

The process is similar to the flexi-rods set. 

It’s best to start with stretched hair (though it’s not a must).

Section and apply your favorite styling product. 

From the tips, apply the hair to the roller, and roll until it reaches the root., Then secure the roller with the cover. 

Once the hair is fully dry, then take down the rollers, fluff, and enjoy your curls. 

 

6. Natural Wavy Hair Extensions 

With a natural hair extension like the SL Raw Natural Wavy Hair, you don’t need to do anything but install this extension bundle to achieve lush, bouncy curls without heat. Made with 100% natural hair and pre-styled, you won’t have any issue achieving the type of curls you’d like. 

Easy to install and style, and as they come already curled, it’s a great way to get the look you want without the heat or work.

7. Pin Curls

Yes, that’s right. You can get heatless curls using your bobby pins. Here’s how. 

Start with wet or damp hair, apply your leave-in conditioner or styling product. 

Then section your hair. The smaller the sections, the tighter the curls so decide on the size you’d like. 

For each section, wrap them around your finger, curling upwards to the root. Then, using the bobby pins, secure them in place. Once the hair is dry, remove the pins and unfurl the curls. (If you made the curls small and tight, then just remove the pins so as not to disrupt the curls.)

And there you have it, 7 ways to achieve heatless curls. 

Do give each of these heatless curl methods a try. And if you’d like to save some time and get longer-lasting curls, grab the SL Raw Natural Wavy Hair bundle to get it done with less work.