No Heat Curl Methods: A Review

I have really long thick hair and sometimes wearing it straight everyday gets boring. However I am also really lazy, so styling my hair for work is pretty low on my priority list. I decided to test drive some no heat curl methods. How much easier could it be, wash hair, roll into curls, sleep, wake up, look amazing. Right? Here are my reviews on a few methods. (Please excuse the less than flattering photos of me...I start work at 6am.  I dont look human for at least another 2-3 hours!)

Technique #1: Andrea's Choice Twist Curls (See the tutorial HERE)

For this method you basically divide damp hair into sections, twist around each other, pin into place, sleep and then untwist.

 This technique was really easy to do, however I was not impressed with the results. My curls were not well defined even after styling gel and mousse. As the day wore on they became giant frizz twists.

Score: Fail

Technique #2: Braided Waves

For this technique I divided my damp hair into sections, braided it, slept, then undid the braids.

Like the twist technique my curls were more wavy than defined and became increasingly frizzy as the day wore on. Also, tying the ends of the braids with hair bands left kinks and straight ends.

Score: Fail

Technique #3:  The Sock Bun (You can view the tutorial HERE)

For this technique you roll your damp hair around a sock, sleep, unroll and apparently get amazing curls

I tried this technique 3 separate times and each time my hair turned out like this. Frizzy, no real defined curls, just basically a mess.

Score: Fail

Technique #4: Sock Roll Curls

A friend explained to me how to do this, she did it on her daughter's hair.  You take damp hair, divide in sections. Wrap each section around a sock.  Roll each sock to your crown and tie the ends together. Sleep. Wake up, untie each sock and curls! I saw the pics of my friend's daughter and her curls turned out great! So I was optimistic.

 This is what it looked like when I first unrolled the socks. Unfortunately, only a few curls in the front even looked like curls.....

After some styling gel and mousse it became this giant mess. Unfortunately my curls were not cute and bouncy like my friend's daughter. They were mostly a tangle mess.

Score: Better than fail but not a pass.  This method has potential.  My friend's daughter had great curls, so I know its possible.  But maybe just not on my hair. *sniffle*

Technique #5: Twisty Roller Curls (You can view the tutorial HERE)

This technique required me to purchase twisty bendy rollers (yes that's the official term).  I picked up a cheap set from Sally Beauty Supply.

These curls turned out lovely, very tight and defined.  However due to sleeping on the rollers some of the curls weren't really curling in the right direction.  Also, sleeping on these rollers sucked. I wrapped my hair in a silk scarf to keep them all in place. It was extremely uncomfortable.

Score: Pass but not perfect. If the rollers were more comfortable, this would be perfect! Perhaps a different kind than what I bought would work better.

Technique #6: Bohemian Headband Curls (View the tutorial HERE)

For this technique you wrap damp hair around a headband, sleep, unroll, curls!

The first picture is when I first unrolled the headband. Then a closeup, then what my hair looked like at the end of my work day. I actually had forgotten to put any product in my hair, so I was pretty impressed with how well the curls held after a 9 hour day.

Score: Pass

This method had the most consistent and nice looking curls.  There wasn't much for kinks or frizz, and that was also without product! The curls aren't quite as nice as heat styled curls, but they serve as a great alternative.

Technique #7: The Scrunch and Go

This is my usual curl technique. Wash my hair, scrunch with gel and mousse, air dry. This works great on hot summer days.  However going into work with wet hair just isnt really the look I'm going for.

Score: Pass.  The curls are great for a daytime look in the summer, but it doesn't dry quick enough in the morning for me to do it for work without going into the office with wet hair. Its also not great in Minnesota winter.  Nobody likes icicle hair. But overall, great curls....but then again, it is my natural texture! 

I hope you enjoyed this review and maybe found some techniques to try! If you do, please leave your reviews in the comments.  I'd love to see how these work for different types of hair.