Get Gorgeous Hair—No Heat Required!

Are your locks fried from heat styling or sun damage? Take a breather and try out these three heat-free curling techniques that will turn heads without the burn.

The hallmark of a vintage curl is a soft ringlet. The good news is, you can get fabulous retro-inspired locks with an elastic headband. Prep your slightly damp hair (about 80% to 90% dry) with an anti-frizz smoother like Living Proof Wave, Curl Styling Cream. Position an elastic headband (found at any drugstore) across the forehead and the middle of the head. Begin wrapping the hair around the headband section by section, starting from the front, and go to bed like this. When you wake up and unwind, you'll find yourself with gorgeous retro-tastic waves. Make sure to soften the effect of those tightly wound curls with a paddle brush. Still confused? Watch this video for an easy-to-follow how-to.

We love hair that can take you from a day at the office to a night out with your girlfriends. Luckily, the rope twist technique (also called Bantu knotting) is an easy way to give your tresses some serious coils. First, make sure hair is tangle-free with a comb. Then divide, your hair into even sections. Remember: the smaller the section, the smaller the curl. Begin twisting each section until the hair naturally starts to coil itself. Secure your knots firmly with a small elastic hair tie. It'll take a while, depending on how much hair you have, but continue this until you've coiled your whole head. When you wake up to get ready for the day, you'll reveal intense curls and big hair! Use a gel or balm to tame the frizz and take the volume down a notch (we love using Phyto Botanical Relaxing Hair Balm). Since you've got so much movement and texture throughout the day, you can create fun styles at night with bobby pins—faux-hawk anyone? Watch Missy L.'s tutorial to the right to see how she takes her hair from work to play.

Nothing says sexy like lustrous, tumbling waves. How to achieve this gorgeous effect without succumbing to damaging styling tools? Meet your new best friend: Velcro rollers. These large metallic/plastic curlers have been around for decades, but they're still popular because they give lift, movement, volume, and shine to any type of hair, and are relatively easy to apply. First, prep your 90% dry hair with a root lifting spray like Nexxus Root Exxtend Volumizing Root Lifting Spray. Grab a bunch of velcro rollers in various sizes, and roll 1" to 2" sections , alternating the direction you roll them in. Use bigger rollers on the bottom layer of your hair and smaller rollers on the top for more dimension. Check out Nisha D.'s video on how she uses Velcro rollers to turn her locks from limp to lifted—sans heat.