Heatless Waves & Curls

Ladies, when we think of doing our hair nicely, we usually think of waves and curls, am I right? I've always loved having my hair curled but did it so rarely because it took SO. MUCH. TIME!!! Basically, I only curled my hair (0kay, had my mom curl it because I'm scared of the curling iron :) for Easter and Christmas. Besides the time commitment, there is the damage to your hair. What if you could get gorgeous curls and waves with no damage and the time can be spent doing other things?

Flexible rods were one of the first things I discovered when I was trying to find heatless ways to curl my hair. There are so many different sizes for whatever curl you desire! The way I tend to use these is to spray my hair with some water mixed with product (I've used this and this) and then roll up that section of my hair. I do that over and over until all my hair is rolled and leave it up for a few hours. My goal is to have the damp hair dry around the rod. You won't want to leave the house looking like this, but you can do things while your hair is curling.

Sock buns work amazingly well on my hair. I'm guessing the results will vary based on your unique hair type, but I can get a lasting curl putting my hair up dry. When I do it damp or with product, the result is even better. The benefit of this method is that you can go out of the house and no one will look at you weirdly :) I use sock buns constantly, especially in the summer, and if you put it on the top of your head, you can get curls overnight while you sleep!

The sock "braid" is a new method to me that I found on Pinterest. I tried sleeping with the "braids" and it was not the most comfortable night's sleep I've ever gotten :) I would treat this method like the flexible rods - do them for a few hours before your event while you're doing things around your house. The benefit of the sock "braid" is that you don't need any special tools (like flexible rods). Who knew socks had so many uses?!


If you need curls for a morning event, the sock bun overnight is your best bet. If you have thick hair, make sure your hair is not too wet or it won't dry all the way (ask me how I know :)  If you are wanting ringlets more in line with a curling iron, you'll want to try the sock "braids" or the flexible rods.

These methods take more time, but you are free to do other things while you wait and they don't damage your hair, which is a major win in my book! Have you tried any of these methods to curl your hair? Do you have another method that you love? Please share in the comments below!


I found this article with even more heatless methods!!!! It has step by step instructions and videos to help you. Their paper towel method is my sock "braid".