It’s hot outside, and I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to bust out the hair dryer or flat iron to get my hair straight. Not to mention, the hot weather always seems to ruin all our hard hair work. If you’re looking for ways to get your mane straight without added heat, TikTok has a few tricks up its sleeve. The tutorials below will show you how to get straight hair without heat no matter your hair type or texture.
(via Unsplash)
Heatless hair methods are not new. For decades women have been wrapping their hair, using large rollers, and keeping their dryers on cool to avoid excess heat on their strands. These tried and true methods to straighten hair without heat do work. And are still as popular today as they were in their incarnation.
Heatless Blow Dry Method
The heatless blow dry method is one of the easiest methods for achieving straight hair without heat. The main takeaway from this tutorial is that it all comes down to the prep products you use and how they perform. While finishing products (like sprays and defrizzing oils) are also important, the foundation of the blow dry is what will give us lasting results.
Here, we see TikTok user @beautybymishaa start off with damp hair and Redken’s One United Leave-In Conditioner. A leave-in like this is a multi-treatment product that will provide protection, increase manageability and softness, and make detangling easier. More often than not, multi-treatments like this also help speed up dry time, which will aid in our heatless blow dry method.
After adding in the leave-in treatment, @beautybymishaa adds in a blow dry lotion from AG Hair. The goal of a blow dry lotion or cream is to add a bit of a hold to your style and to help with smoothing. Any good blow dry cream will do, but this particular one utilizes rosehip oil which is incredibly good for your hair (and skin). Once the hair is prepped, cold blow drying can begin. Be prepared for this to take a bit longer than your standard dry, but the ultra-shiny and damage-free results are worth it.
The Wrap Method
Hair wrapping is a very common way to get straight hair without heat that has been done at home and in salons for decades. From short hair to super long, this method consists of wrapping the hair in a circular motion around the head and securing it with pins, a scarf, or barbering neck strips.
TikTok user @randely29 shows us this method on her post-wrapped hair to make the steps easier to see. This method will be largely dependent upon your hair type and length, but generally, you will start dividing the hair, a section of hair at the crown, and everything else underneath. Wrap the hair underneath around the shape of your head as flat as possible and secure with pins. Continue this wrapping technique until you reach the crown section where you will do the same.
When trying the wrapping method, you should always start with damp hair that has been prepped with holding and smoothing products. Think sculpting foams, gels, moisture foams, and styling creams. It may take time to find the perfect cocktail for your hair type, but once you do the result will be worth it. But remember, if you choose to sleep with your hair wrapped, be sure to cover it with a scarf or headwrap to keep frizz at bay and your hair in place.
T-Shirts, Scarves, and Saran Wrap
Rag sets and heatless curls have been all over TikTok lately. Again, these heatless curl methods are not new. This heat-free straightening method uses the same idea. Rather than coiling and tying up your mane, you mold the hair down, as straight as possible.
TikTok user @mariaaiellohair demonstrates this heatless hair straightening method using saran wrap, which isn’t as wild as you think. Many heatless methods were created using random items you would have around the house. Think socks, T-shirts, scarves, shards of fabric—and yes, saran wrap.
This tutorial doesn’t explicitly state the products used, but we can somewhat assume. Likely, they are misting their hair to dampen it and applying some kind of smoothing product. Again, aim for smoothing balms, styling creams, multi-treatment leave-ins, and products with a little bit of hold. After wrapping your lengths, let your hair air dry for however long is needed to achieve straighter lengths. There are two tips to keep in mind with this method. One, damp hair is best as it will dry faster. Two, this method may not be for those with wavy or curly hair at the scalp.