When scrolling through TikTok, it’s impossible to avoid videos with someone convincing you to buy a new product. Many morning routine videos promote heatless curling products. This made me wonder, with platforms constantly pushing new fads onto their viewers, which fads are worth trying out?
I have medium-length, thick, slightly wavy hair and tried three different methods of heatless curling to see which ones are worth your time and money.
Two of the methods are achievable using household items: the sock method and the braiding method. The other method involves purchasing a stuffed, satin, long headband that you wrap sections of your hair around before bedtime to wake up with a fresh set of curls.
Headband Method
These headbands range in price from $10 to $20, but luckily for me, my roommate let me borrow her heatless curl headband contraption to try overnight. I researched this method before trying it and found that many popular TikTok videos recommended using the heatless hair curler on 20% damp hair. This way your hair dries in the shape of the curls but isn’t too wet the next day.
I hesitated using this on freshly washed hair since most hair types hold curls best when the hair is slightly dirty, however, I trusted the reviews and did it anyway.
I watched several videos to determine which method of hair wrapping was best for my hair length and I found it easiest to put the heatless curler in the same position as a headband. Then I took a section of hair in front of the headband and wrapped it tightly away from my face and around the band. Imagine you’re doing the motion of French braiding, just around a headband. When you reach the bottom of your hair, secure it with a hair tie around the heatless curler.
The next morning, after having the curling device in for about seven hours, I got out of bed to see my (hopefully) bouncy blowout look.
I noticed my hair loosened significantly around the headband over the course of the night, potentially because I move quite a bit when I sleep. This caused my roots to have little volume, but the ends were in fact curly!
The expectation of Instagram-level voluminous curls left me slightly disappointed by the difference in my hair’s results. While I do feel like this method takes practice, I imagine it likely works much better on longer hair, instead of my medium-length hair. With longer hair, it would be less apparent that the roots were straight since there would be more curled hair in the middle and ends.
Braiding Method
Next, I tried the braiding method. This method remains a true classic and one many people have likely tried before. It’s a great protective style when going to bed with your hair wet because it prevents excess tangling and breakage.
I decided to do two French braids on either side of my head. Like the headband, I did this method on damp hair rather than wet hair so that my hair would dry in the shape of the braids.
The next morning, the braids surprised me with how well they stayed intact overnight. Because they were flatter than the heatless curler, they moved less in my sleep. I undid the two braids and saw beachy, mermaid-like waves in my hair. This method seamlessly produced soft, natural-looking crimped waves. The tighter you braid your hair, the tighter the waves will be. If you braid your hair loosely, the waves will be wider and more subtle.
This method kept my hair looking wavy all day. While the thickness of my hair helps maintain curls for a long time, I think it would have a similar effect on most other hair types.
Sock Method
Finally, it was time to try the sock method, which requires using a long sock as a makeshift heatless curl headband.
After a few minutes of rustling around in my sock drawer, I found Nike socks that I felt were long enough. I tied them together and laid them across my head like a headband. I wrapped my hair around the socks on both sides in the same way that I did when using the heatless curling headband and went to bed.
Unfortunately, this was the most unsuccessful method of them all. This one shifted the most in my sleep, and a large portion of my hair came unwrapped. Still hoping for the best, I undid my hair from the socks and was left with very limp curls. I tried to spruce them a little with a scrunching motion, but they completely fell after about an hour.
My Final Thoughts
After trying three heatless curling methods, here is my official review: If you want defined ringlet curls without using heat, I would say the heatless curling headband is worth a try. However, the braiding method will always be superior to me, as it gave me beachy waves that lasted all day without interrupting my sleep (a win for side-sleepers!) The only method I do not recommend trying is the sock method. It seems socks are best when serving their original purpose of styling feet, not hair.
