You’ve probably tried many methods to get your hair smooth, silky, and straight as a pin. But most of the more common methods require a lot of heat, which can do a lot of damage to your hair.
You’ve probably heard of countless options for heatless curls, but you may not know there are many options for heatless straightening.
How to Straighten Slightly Wavy Hair Without Heat
You can straighten your hair without heat in many ways, but it’s important to note that everyone’s hair is different.
Here are six methods you can try if you have slightly wavy hair.
Blow Dry With Cool Air
This method uses a blow dryer but uses the cool air setting to help limit hair damage.
Let your hair air dry about three-quarters of the way, then, section it into more manageable chunks. Hold the blow dryer about six inches from your hair and use the cool setting while you move continuously from root to tip.
According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, cool air causes even less hair damage than letting your hair air dry.
Hair Wrapping
This method requires a little more practice and patience, but the results can be worth it.
Start with damp hair and section it off like you would for blow-drying. You can add a smoothing serum or leave-in conditioner if you’d like. Then, take each section individually and wrap them around your head.
Begin at the sides of your head, pull each section tightly to straighten the hair, and then pin the ends. The top piece is the trickiest part – comb it back and press it down onto the crown of your head, and wrap any excess hair around in the same circular pattern you used for the other sections.
Plastic Rollers
This method will give you a blowout look rather than a pin-straight look.
Rollers may seem counterintuitive for straightening your hair, but they can be very effective. The key to this method is to use jumbo rollers that are much larger than the ones you typically use to curl your hair. The longer your hair is, the larger the rollers need to be for this method.
Start with damp hair, and section it off like you would for blow-drying. Start with the bottom layer and split it into 3-inch sections.
Starting at the back of your head, take one section and place a jumbo roller under the hair and roll it toward your head. When the roll is complete, clip it in place and move on to the next section.
Repeat these steps until all hair is rolled. Leave the rollers in until your hair is completely dry. You can let your hair air dry or use a blowdryer; however, the heat from your blowdryer can cause damage to your hair.
Natural Oils
You can use some common household oils to help straighten your hair naturally, including olive oil and mineral oil. Olive oil absorbs into the hair quickly. It helps strengthen your strands, while mineral oil provides more of a protective coating that needs to be washed off more regularly.
Continuous Brushing
Continuous brushing is the simplest way to straighten your hair without heat. However, it takes a lot of patience, You might want to use the hair dryer on the cool setting or a fan to make this method a little quicker.
- Wash your hair using hair smoothing products.
- Gently pat dry with a towel.
- Take a wide-toothed comb and brush your hair.
- Keep combing until it’s dry.
- Use a frizz control serum since such a method creates plenty of static electricity.
- You can use a fan or a cool hair dryer setting while combing.
Hair Mask
Hair masks can help enhance the overall appearance of your hair by smoothing and de-frizzing, which is helpful when you want to achieve a straight, blown-out look. Masks are easy to make at home, and Healthline recommends using ingredients like raw eggs, manuka honey, or avocado for deep conditioning.
Using hair masks is the most natural, heat-free way to make your hair straight. Besides straightening your locks, such masks nourish and keep your hair healthy.
You can use many natural ingredients to straighten your hair without heat. Just a few include:
- Coconut and lemon juice – mix two tablespoons of lemon juice into a cup of coconut milk and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then apply it to your hair like a mask. Wrap a hot towel around your masked hair for five minutes before washing the mask out.
- Bananas – mash an overripe banana with honey, yogurt, and olive oil to make a mask. Apply it to your hair and leave it for 30 minutes before rinsing.
- Milk and honey – mix a tablespoon of honey into milk, spray it on your hair, and leave it for two minutes before rinsing.
- Olive oil and eggs – mix two eggs with olive oil and leave the mask on your hair for 20 minutes before rinsing.
- Aloe vera – mix half a cup of aloe vera with half a cup of warm olive oil, then apply the mixture to your hair like a mask. Cover with a shower cap and leave it for two hours before washing.
Tips for Straightening Hair Without Heat
If you’re considering using any heatless methods to straighten your hair, make sure you do your research. It’s important to consider what type of hair you have, what’s worked (or not worked) for you in the past, how much time you’re looking to spend on the process, and how much money you’re willing to spend.
Everyone’s hair is different, so you may find that what works for your friend, your mom, or your sister won’t necessarily work for you, and vice-versa. So, make sure to research what is specifically recommended for your hair type.
Knowing your hair type involves correctly classifying your hair’s curl pattern, porosity, density, and texture. Many online tests can help you determine your hair type or ask your hairstylist.
All these methods can help you forget about curls at least for a day. When you know how to straighten hair without heat, you can sport various hairstyles accessible to curly and straight-haired women.
How to Straighten Natural Hair without Heat?
If you have natural hair (curly, kinky, or coily hair), consider it as “stretching” rather than straightening without heat because it is difficult to straighten your hair without heat.
Below are methods you can use to get it done.
1. Bantu Knots
Bantu knots are sections of hair that are wrapped tightly around the fingers, then made into a little bun with the ends secured near the base, next to the roots of the hair. These give a slick, smooth stretch that has a slight curl.
Bantu knots work well as a style and also for stretching the hair. While you are waiting for the hair to stretch completely, you can still wear the look, provided you make neat parts.
How to Make Bantu Knots
Start with freshly washed hair that has been conditioned. Section the hair in a pattern on the head, with each section being at least two inches.
Apply a curl-defining cream to the section. Then while holding the section of hair at the base, twirl the hair tightly, wrapping the hair around the base in a spiral.
When you reach the tips and have a little bun, secure the ends underneath the knot. When the hair is completely dry, release the knots, then repeat the process on dry hair with hair oil. This might take two or three days to complete.
The Result of Bantu Knots
Because you’re creating small buns, your hair, as a result, will have a slight wave to it. You can create a lovely updo with Bantu knots that have been taken down.
2. Twists
Twists are the most comfortable way to keep your hair stretched overnight. Twists don’t sit close enough to the scalp to straighten the entire length of hair.
You can install them at night to keep your style from shrinking up while sleeping. Twists are easy to install, and they don’t tug on the scalp.
How to Make Twists
Section your hair. Start at the scalp and wrap two pieces of a section around each other until you get to the ends. The twist will puff after you’ve created it, and there won’t be any tension near your scalp.
The Result of Twists
Twists add a little curl from the mid-lengths to the tips of the hair. If you don’t want that, the curl is easy to brush out.
3. Braids
Braids are installed tightly and close to the scalp to create wavy, stretched hair for the entire hair length. At least eight are installed two per quarter of the scalp.
How to Make Braids
Starting with wet hair, apply a curl cream to one section. Divide each section into three lengths of hair. Starting at the roots, wrap the right outer section over the center piece, and pull it tightly in place.
Wrap the left outer section over the center piece, and pull it tightly in place. Continue these motions until the tips of the hair are also braided. Braid each section.
When the hair is fully dry, remove the braids. Resection the hair and braid it again, using hair oil to lubricate each section. After a day, remove the braids again and her hair should be fully stretched, wavy and ready to style.
The braids can be pulled up and pinned into an updo while you’re waiting. The process of drying can take a day and a half to two days to complete.
The Result of Braids
You can release the braids when they are fully dry and a finger comb to separate your locks. You’ll have a huge wavy mane. Think old Diana Ross pictures.
4. African Threading
African threading uses weave thread because it’s strong enough to manipulate your hair without breaking. The thread is tied at the root of a section to make it straighter and give the hair more body.
African threading is done so tightly that the sections stick straight up. So it’s not ideal for wearing as a style.
How to Do African Threading
It’s best to start with dry hair that’s already been partially stretched with another style. Section your hair into eight sections and add a leave-in conditioner to each section. Take a length of thread that’s about three times as long as your hair.
Starting at the center of the thread, wrap each side around the roots of the section until it is secure. Wrap the thread at least twice from each side.
Then move down the length of hair, wrapping the hair with the thread by creating small Xs in the front and back of the section. Each time you make an X, pull the hair taut. Braid the tips.
Watch the below tutorial to learn how to do African threading to straighten natural hair.
The Result of African Threading
As long as you pull as you go, your hair will look almost as straight as if you’d used a blow dryer.
5. Jumbo Rollers
Jumbo rollers are plain rollers of an inch to three inches in size. They have holes in them and are smooth. Using jumbo rollers is an old-style method of straightening the hair.
Sometimes they are used with a bonnet hairdryer, but it’s not necessary if you have the time to let them dry in the hair. Drying can take a while as setting lotion is used, which prolongs the drying time.
How to Use Jumbo Rollers
Choose rollers that your hair length will wrap around once. You will also need end papers. Section your hair according to the width of the roller.
Apply a generous amount of setting lotion to the hair section and add the end paper to the tips of the hair so that it covers the tips completely.
Then wrap the section around a roller and secure it with a bobby pin. When you’ve completed rolling the entire head, allow it to dry.
The Result of Using Jumbo Rollers
Each section will come out flat with a slight wave. It can be combed through to remove the curl, or you can style the waves in an updo.
6. Banding Method
You can stretch your hair so that it will look like you’ve had a blowout by banding it. Banding is also a really cute hairstyle when you pin the sections up. So you don’t have to stay at home while you work out the style.
How to Use the Banding Method
It’s best to start with dry hair for this one. Divide the hair into one or two-inch sections. Use a leave-in conditioner on each section.
Apply small bands to each section, starting very close to the roots. Then space the bands down each section one or two inches apart. Leave the bands in your hair overnight, then remove them.
Watch the following tutorial to learn how to use the Banding method for stretching natural hair.
The Result of Using the Banding Method
The hair should be stretched straight, fluffy and ready to style.
Best Products for Straightening Hair Without Heat
Straightening hair products are another great heatless option. From cremes to mousses to serums and more, there are various products on the market designed to smooth those locks and prevent your natural texture.
Hair products that claim to help straighten the hair are more likely to work on wavy hair than curly hair, but here are a few options you can try:
- R+Co Waterfall
- Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother
- Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Anti-Frizz Treatment
- Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3
- R+Co Mood Swing Straightening Spray
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