The No-Heat Hair Trend That’s Taking Over TikTok

Although curls have been ‘in’ for a while, people are becoming increasingly wary of over-relying on heated styling tools. Why? Because excessive heat quickly leads to damage, which your hair isn’t always able to recover from. With this knowledge now more widespread than ever before, social media has come alive with heatless alternatives that enable people to style their locks without having to worry about frying them. 

Want to know more? Read on as HerStyler talks through the no-heat hair trend that has recently taken TikTok by storm! 

The Rise of No-Heat Hairstyles

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Over the past few years, no-heat hairstyles have been the talk of social media. Although advancements in hair tech have meant that there are now plenty of heated styling tools out there that prevent the appearance of heat damage (take a look at HerStyler’s range of hair straighteners as an example), exposing your hair to high levels of heat every single day is still not a good idea. 

This is why heatless curls have now become a huge hair trend – one that is set to dominate 2025 and beyond. This also happens to tie in with another big TikTok hair trend at the moment – embracing natural texture and the multiformity that this provides when it comes to the vast array of different curls out there. Rather than fighting against your hair’s natural texture, which is often the case when curling wands and irons are used, heatless curls tend to work with your hair, enhancing that texture with waves and volume.

Heatless Curls for the Win

Want to get in on the heatless curls hair trend? Scroll through TikTok and you’ll notice that there are many ways to achieve this. Each will give you a slightly different finish, making it worth experimenting with a few techniques to figure out which works best for your hair.

Here are a few of the most effective methods to try:

Sock Curls

Sock curls became a much-loved hair trend a few years ago and have only grown in popularity since then. Why? Because not only does this method create beautifully bouncy curls, but you also don’t need any special tools other than a pair of long (and clean!) socks:

• Wash and condition your hair before smoothing a hydrating hair serum, like the HerStyler Evolution Argan Oil Hair Serum, over your locks. Then, wait until your hair is almost dry before continuing.
• Divide your hair into two. Some like to do this down the middle while others prefer a top half and a bottom half. We would suggest giving both a try!
• Take one sock, holding it so that the ankle opening is at the bottom, and then wrap your hair around it. Once you’re done, secure your hair by wrapping the sock around itself, rolling the bottom of it up and over itself. This will create a bun-like shape.
• Repeat the process with the other half of your hair.
• In the morning, remove the socks and revel in your gorgeous new curls! 

Braiding

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When it comes to heatless curls, the braiding method is a classic. It’s one that has been practiced for generations, with the advantage of this one being that you have full control over the size of your curls based on the size of the braids that you create:

• Wash and condition your hair, and then wait until your hair is half-dry before continuing.
• Figure out how many braids you want to create. A single large braid will give you a very subtle wave while several smaller braids will provide tighter curls. The middle ground – a few medium-sized braids – will leave you with beachy waves.
• Rather than using a tight elastic band, which will leave the ends of your hair looking kinked, secure each braid with a silk scrunchie.
• Once your hair is dry, release your braids.
• If your curls need some extra definition, give your hair a spritz of the HerStyler Argan Oil Hair Spray. 

Pin Curls

Pin curls are another popular way to pull off the heatless curls hair trend. For this look, you’ll need a stash of bobby pins, along with a hair serum that will encourage your curls to set properly:

• Wash and condition your hair before waiting for it to be almost dry.
• Apply a hair serum to your locks.
• Part your hair and then divide it into one-inch sections.
• Take one section, roll it up toward your roots, and then secure it in place with bobby pins. Criss-cross two bobby pins over each other to hold that section in place.
• Repeat this process with each section of your hair, until the entirety of your hair is pinned up.
• Leave your hair to finish drying. If you want to sleep with the pins in, a head wrap will make things more comfortable for you! 
• Once your hair is dry, remove the bobby pins to unravel each curl. Finish your look with a small amount of hairspray to lock your curls in place while giving your hair some shine.

Headband Curls

Curling headbands have really helped to take the heatless curls hair trend to the top, with these tools featured all over TikTok lately. If you don’t want to invest in one just yet, this method makes use of a regular headband to achieve the same result:

• Wash and condition your hair, before applying a hair serum while your hair is still damp.
• Place a headband on your head, positioning it in the same way you would if you were wearing a crown.
• Take a small section of hair from the front of your head, looping it so that it goes over the top of your headband and then comes back from underneath.
• Continue this process until the entirety of one side of your hair has been looped through the headband. Then, repeat with the other half of your hair.
• Pin everything in place before giving your hair a spritz of hairspray.
• Once your hair is dry, remove your headband, release your locks, and enjoy your curls!

Scrunchie Curls

The scrunchie method of creating heatless curls is very simple and, once again, you won’t need any special tools, other than some silk or satin scrunchies and some clips. Claw clips tend to be the easiest but duckbill clips would be preferable if you plan on sleeping with them in:

• As always, start with hair that has been washed, conditioned, and partly dried.
• Split your hair into four sections, so that you have two at the top and two at the bottom.
• Take one section and wrap it around a scrunchie band.
• Secure the scrunchie/your hair with either a claw clip or a duckbill clip.
• Repeat the process with the remaining three sections.
• Once your hair is dry, remove the scrunchies. You should now be left with tight curls, which can be set in place with some hairspray.

Hair Rollers

Of course, we can’t talk about heatless curls without mentioning hair rollers. They soared to popularity in the 90s but are back today, providing a level of volume and bounce that other methods often struggle to achieve:

• Wash and condition your hair. Wait for it to be about 80% dry before continuing.
• Divide your hair into sections. The more sections you create, the curlier and more voluminous your finished look will be.
• Take one section and roll it up toward your roots with a roller. They’ll often hold themselves in place but, if your hair is quite fine, you may want to secure each roller with a bobby pin. 
• Repeat the process with the rest of your hair, until all of it is rolled up.
• If you plan on sleeping with the rollers in, wrap a silk scarf around your head before bed. This will help to keep your rollers in place while you snooze.
• Once your hair is fully dry, remove the rollers and unravel your curls. Set your new curls in place with some hairspray.

Prolonging the Lifespan of Your Heatless Curls

As beneficial as this hair trend may be, there’s no denying that creating heatless curls can sometimes take quite a bit of effort. It’s not something that you’ll want to be doing every single day, which is why it’s worth taking extra steps to prolong the lifespan of your curls as much as possible.

How can you do this? 

As we mentioned earlier, applying a hair serum to your locks before you begin will make a huge difference, as will a small amount of hairspray once you’re done, which will lock everything in place. 

With that said, most problems occur overnight. You go to bed with perfectly prepped curls only to wake up with a frizzy mess! The solution here would be to protect your curls while you sleep. Swapping to a silk pillowcase will help with this. The smoothness of silk won’t rough up your strands in the way that other fabrics will. This will leave your curls looking beautifully defined, as well as hydrated, the next morning. A silk bonnet or hair wrap is another option. 

If these methods don’t work for you, consider wrapping your hair in a loose bun or braid before you head to bed. Don’t make this too tight as you don’t want to over-stretch your curls. Instead, the aim is to maintain their shape and definition so that you don’t end up flattening them out once your head hits your pillow.

Finally, resist the temptation to touch your curls during the day! While you may love running your hands through your mane or twirling a few strands around your fingers every now and again, this will only add moisture and oil to your hair. It won’t take long before this impacts your curl pattern while exacerbating frizz.

Summary

While some social media hair trends can be downright dangerous for your locks, the heatless curls trend is one that’s championed by just about everybody! It gives you a way to add bounce, volume, and waves to your locks without having to worry about the appearance of damage. While there’s nothing wrong with occasionally using heated curling wands, having a few heatless options in your hairstyling arsenal is great for when your locks need a break.

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