Don’t Plug In the Dryer! Here’s How to Style Your Hair Without Using Heat

As much as we love the sleek and polished effect of our hair dryers and flat irons, sometimes we have to give our locks a break. It’s essential for your mane to skip the heat every once in a while because of all the damage and dryness it causes. Plus, who needs the extra warmth on a hot day? Read on for some super tricks on how to style your hair without using heat. Whether you’re rushing to shower and run out of the door, or just want to skip the whole blow-dry process because it’s too tiring, these tips will bail you out every time!

For the Straight Haired Lass

Your hair generally behaves itself, so you don’t really have anything to worry about on a no-heat day. After you shampoo, use a bit of conditioner and make sure to rinse it out thoroughly as it can make your hair limp and greasy. Once you’ve finished, towel-dry your mane and apply a volumizing spray like the Toni & Guy High Lift Volumizing Spray on your roots to liven up your hair and stop it from going flat. Once dry, just run a paddle brush through it, and you’re ready to shine with a healthy bounce to your straight locks.

For the Ladies with Curls

Brushing out your curls usually results in a frizzy disaster, so the best time to do it is before you shower. This helps de-tangle your mane as well as evenly distribute your natural oils across your strands. Wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner like the Matrix Biolage Ultra Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner, and wring your hair of excess water at the end of your shower. Do not towel-dry as your curls can easily take on a twisted or flattened form. Run a wide-tooth comb through your hair, and then section by section, finger-apply a cream moisturizer like Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding (it’s a godsend for curly hair!) from your roots to your ends – and THEN start scrunching your hair using your towel. Once you have blotted off the excess moisture as well as shaped your curls, run a product like Pantene Pro-V Curly Hair Style Satin Hold through your curls to help maintain their shape and not weigh them down.

For Girls Who Have Wavy Hair

Lucky for you that your hair is quite easy to mould into a desired shape! A super-easy method to style your beautiful waves is to apply a texturizing product like the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturizing Spray on damp hair and twist it into a bun on top of your head and secure it with a hair-tie. Unfasten after an hour, use your fingers to tousle it, and you have perfect, cascading waves. Finish off with a shine spray or smoothing serum once your locks are dry. The Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Serum is a favourite with for adding a glossy finish to your gorgeous waves and preventing frizz.

A Few No-Heat Styling Tricks to Try

1. Get Braiding

The easiest way to get effortless beach waves is by braiding your hair when wet. Tie your hair into pigtails when damp and sleep on it. If you have thick hair, make three or four braids instead of the standard two. When you wake up, let them loose and tousle with your fingers. You can even try rope braids, which just means twisting each of the three sections in your normal plait and then braiding them together. When you wake up, they will give you softer bends in your mane rather than defined kinks. Use a spray like Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray to accentuate the waves.

2. Avoid Towel-Rubbing

When you step out of the shower, stay away from the vigorous towel-rubbing. That actually contributes to your hair frizzing up and can interfere with your styling. Instead, gently pat your hair to remove all the excess water instead. Trust us, it makes a difference!

3. Carry a Miracle Spray

An anti-humidity spray will be your saviour on humid days where you’re running around and need to control your hair from turning into a frizzy mess. The Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti Humidity Hairspray is like a magic potion to carry around in your bag to shield your mane from the humidity and keep your style in place.

4. If All Else Fails, Try the Pouf

This half-up-half-down style requires no heat and can be perfected in under 10 minutes! All you need to do is back-comb sections on the crown of your head and then pin half your hair back. (Click here to learn how to perfect the pouf in 3 simple steps.) You can even pull back the rest of your hair to make a stylish bouffant ponytail. It’s our fave style to work some glam into a bad hair day!

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