Beat the Heat: Yummy's Favorite Tools for Heat-Free Styling

All of Yummy’s followers know that we are big advocates of laying off the heat once in a while to promote healthy hair and the long life of your extensions.  You certainly don’t have to - all of Yummy’s extensions and wigs are made of 100% raw, virgin, hair - meaning natural human hair that has not been processed - so it can handle repeated heat stylings. But, like all natural hair, the use of hot tools like hair dryers, curling irons, and flat irons will weaken the hair follicle, leading to breakage and a duller texture over time.  It can even change your natural curl pattern!

Since no one wants that, we recommend styling your hair without heat every other day or so (sorry - we said it again!) Luckily, the beauty world is awash with alternative tools to straighten, curl, and volumize your gorgeous locks - all while staying 100% cool.

Below, we’re sharing our three favorite tools - a classic, a tried-and-tested newcomer, and a Tik-Tok famous newbie. Try one - or all three - to find out what works best to achieve your best heatless hairstyle! Your hair will thank you.

Foam Rollers

These are the OG hair curlers, and yes, we know - your grandmothers probably used them. But why mess with a good thing? If they were good enough for Rita Hayworth and Marylyn Monroe, they’re probably good enough for you to.

Spring rollers are made of a soft spongy material and a clip to hold them in place. The spongy material makes them comfortable enough to sleep on, and it absorbs water from wet hair. The core ranges in width from teeny-tiny pins to giant soup-can size, so you can achieve any curl size you prefer!

To use, simply shower and condition hair as usual. Divide wet hair into sections and roll up into rollers, snapping the clip into place an inch or so below the scalp, so that hair isn’t pulled too tightly. Cover hair and rollers with a silk cap or wrap, and catch some zzzz’s. Leave them in long enough for hair to dry fully and remove curlers one at a time. Depending on how defined you want your hair to remain, you can brush out gently with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb.

Flexi Rods

Flexi rods are probably our favorite no-heat styling tool. We’re not sure who designed them, but they are ingenious. Flexi rods are essentially bendable foam rollers (though in flexi rods, the foam is a little bit more firm) that are able to hold their shape when bent so that you can hold the ends of your hair in place by folding the rod inward. They are so cheap and easy to use, we think everyone ought to have a set at home!

To use, shampoo and deep condition your hair, and then divide into about ten to twenty sections. For each, run a bit of mouse through your hair, and twist butter if you like. Pull hair up from the scalp, and start wrapping hair around the rod, starting close to the scalp and working your way to the ends, twisting as you go. Add a bit of twist butter to the ends of your hair to help hold it in place on the rod. Finally, bend the rod so that it remains firmly against your scalp.  As with the curlers, cover your hair with a silk cap or wrap, and sleep on it!

In the morning, after removing the flexi rods, you can gently separate the curls with your fingers - the more you separate, the greater the hair volume.

Curling Ribbon

It looks a bit like something you’d expect Little Bo Peep to wear, but we started noticing this heatless hair tool popping up all over TikTok and had to try it for ourselves. We were absolutely blown away and loved the huge waves we got from this one.

A curling ribbon looks a little like a thick satin headband, but with sides that hang down around your collarbones. To use, you simply part your hair in the middle and braid each side around a side of the headband. As with all of the other heat tools, this one can be used with wet or dry hair, but the results will be more dramatic - and last longer - if used when your hair is wet and allowed to air dry.

 By far the fastest tool to use, the curling ribbon gets ten out of ten in our book!

 So there you have it - no more excuses for using heat tools every day! In fact, we bet that after you try these out, forgoing the heat will no longer feel like a sacrifice. As always, make sure you show off you new and healthy styles by tagging us on Instagram - Yummy wants to see you shine!