How to Transition to Heat-Free Styling for Natural Hair

It’s a misconception that you can only style natural hair with heat and chemicals. The natural hair community is alive and kicking to show us just how versatile African American hair truly is. Let’s see what it takes to put away the gadgets and embrace heat-free styling today.

What is Heat-Free Styling?

Basically, heat-free styling means creating your hair style without any heating tools. That means no flat irons, no curling irons, and no blow dryers. If you’re used to heat styling, this idea can be daunting. But if you’re struggling with dry, brittle hair, split ends, or losing your natural curls, consider heat-free styling to restore and protect your afro textured hair.

What are the Benefits of Heat-Free Styling?

1.    Better Hydration and Moisturizing

Heat tends to strip the natural oils from your hair, which leads to dryness and brittleness. You may add hair oils or moisturizers to your hair after heat styling, but the natural hydration from heat-free styling can actually make your hair softer and more manageable.

2.    Less Hair Damage

Heat also weakens your hair strands and makes them more susceptible to breaking. Therefore, heat-free styling allows your hair to thrive naturally and avoid needless damage and hair loss.

3.    Improved Hair Growth

Natural hair was never designed for heat styling, so excessive heat creates a poor environment for hair to flourish. Switching to heat-free styling begins the healing process, allowing your hair follicles and strands to grow as nature intended. Over time, your hair grows healthier, thicker, and stronger.

4.    Versatile Styling

There are lots of ways to wear heat-free styled hair, including twist-outs and bantu knots. You can get super creative with your look, adding waves and volume just with your fingers. (More styling tips in the next segment.)

5.    Low Maintenance

If you’re always on the go or prefer a more natural look, heat-free styling is the way to go. It requires less time and effort to style and maintain your hair once you let go of the heating process.

6.    Saves Money

Heat styling tools not only cost a pretty penny to buy, but they can run up your electric bill with frequent use. You’ll also need to replace them when they’re broken or upgrade to newer models to keep up with trends. But with heat-free styling, all you need are some wide-toothed combs and hairbrushes, plus some natural hair accessories to glam up your look.

Note: Sometimes, going 100% heat-free isn’t practical, e.g., during cold seasons when you really can’t air-dry your natural hair. In that case, I’d advise towel-drying your hair thoroughly first, then using a hair dryer on the lowest setting. This way, you can dry and style your hair without excessive heat.

5 Elements of Heat-Free Styling for Afro Textured Hair

Here are five ways to make your transition to heat-free styling easier for your natural hair:

1.    Protect Your Afro Textured Hair During the Day

If you’re used to straightening your natural hair, it feels counterintuitive to let it shrink and curl. But you can wear an updo for a polished look or unravel your double twists for a more playful style.

These protective hairstyles for blacks minimize the impact of the elements on your hair, meaning you’ll manipulate your hair less and reduce your reliance on heating tools. Before you know it, you’ll look and feel just as great, if not better, when you stop straightening your hair. 

2.    Style Your Hair Overnight, too

Another convenient way to style your natural hair without heat is to let it set overnight. For example, moisturize your hair, do a twist-out, wrap a headscarf, and go to bed. In the morning, you’ll have gorgeous curls with almost no effort: just unravel them and head out confidently to face the day.

If your natural hair is naturally curly, gather your strands at the top of your head and wrap it in a pineapple style before bed to keep your curls intact. This way, your hair will be very manageable and easy to arrange into your daytime style.

3.    Use Rollers and Flexi Rods

For more defined curls, try using flexi rods and rollers along with your favorite natural hair styling products, e.g., gels, moisturizers, and conditioners. You can even apply rollers and rods with just a little spritz of water to make your afro textured hair more pliable. As your hair air-dries, your curls lock into place. All you need is to fluff it up at the roots for more volume—no heat necessary.

4.    Accessorize for a Touch of Flair

A headband, scrunchie, or scarf can add personality to your heat-free hairstyle, especially if your afro textured hair type tends to have a life of its own. Use pins and clips to secure your curls without adding too much tension to your strands.

Personally, my type 4C afro only agrees with my own DIY headbands. I’ve made at least seven headbands to go with different handmade earrings and different outfits. (They’ve also helped me hide many bad hair days, for sure.)

5.    Try a Wash-and-Go Look, too

The one afro textured hairstyle with almost zero manipulation is the wash-and-go. It’s a great way to give your hair a break from heat styling. Just let your hair air-dry, use as little product as possible, and see how you feel. It feels good to have one less thing to worry about because your hair will basically take care of itself.

Note: It’s easy to over-manipulate your afro textured hair as you transition to heat-free styling techniques. For example, the fine-toothed combs that swished through heat-straightened hair won’t work as well for your more natural look. You may be frustrated with the shrinkage and tangles at first, but be patient and learn how to detangle your natural hair over time.

Heat-Free Styling is a Lifestyle Choice

As I’ve mentioned previously, heat-free styling can help your natural hair grow stronger and healthier. Ultimately, though, it’s a personal decision and you must weigh its pros and cons.

For example, maybe you’re already accustomed to heat styling and your hair is still healthy and strong. In that case, heat-free styling can be inconvenient and take a while to get used to. Or maybe you’re concerned that heat-free hairstyles don’t look as professional as heat-straightened or curled hair. To that, I say there are plenty of ways to style black natural hair and still look professional.

I can only speak from experience that I’ve become much more confident since going natural, and I’ve saved money because I don’t go to hair salons anymore. My 4C hair is thicker and stronger than ever, and I can happily trim it way down and know it will grow back without any problems. I hope this guide will help you make the best choice for your natural hair to make you happier, more confident, and make your life easier.