Having naturally textured hair is a blessing, until it isn’t. When your bends and waves start looking less ‘defined and beachy’ and more ‘frizzy and irregular’, managing and styling your mane – without turning to hot tools – gets a whole lot trickier.

But take it from me, a beauty journalist with semi-straight, semi-wavy hair who typically lists ‘a pair of straighteners’ in her top five desert island picks, going heat-free with frizzy hair is possible – with the right routine, products and techniques under your belt.

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How to style frizzy hair without heat

Going heavy on hydration

Finessing heat-free styling with frizzy hair begins in the shower. Knowing that ‘frizz is caused by a lack of moisture or lost lipid content in the hair fibre, and the texture changes as it searches for moisture in the atmosphere,’ explains Tom Smith, global hair health expert for CurrentBody, it makes sense that adding more moisture will help to combat unwanted texture.

‘You should be using a hydrating hair mask once a week, and increasing your use of moisturising shampoos to combat frizz by penetrating the hair and hydrating it from the inside out,’ says hairstylist Charlotte Mensah. ‘Conditioner is your number one weapon. Saturate the hair, especially from mid-lengths to ends and wait at least 15 mins before rinsing.’

A hydration-heavy shower routine will keep the hair as soft and silky as possible, and prep the strands to dry in a neat, uniform pattern.

Post-shower priming

Leave-in styling products are to your hair what serums are to your skin—the key step that makes all the difference. Smart, modern formulas are equipped with style-retention technology to give long-lasting hold to your heatless styles and prevent your natural texture from taking the reins. Plus, if you’re open to wearing bends and waves in your hair, but struggle to get them looking right, a curl-defining or air-dry cream can help to refine your shape.

‘Frizz happens when the hair is dry and searching for moisture in the atmosphere. This can be combatted by using products that contain lipids, oils, and other moisturising and conditioning ingredients. Applying these to the hair immediately after it has been shampooed and conditioned will allow your hair to drink in the moisture it needs, and avoid drying out during the styling or drying process,’ Smith explains.

A few packaging buzzwords to look out for are ‘smoothing’, ‘priming’, ‘defining’ and ‘moisturising’ to best prep frizzy hair, but here’s a breakdown of the different types to choose from.

Air-drying creams: Designed to create humidity-defying smoothness and enhance the definition of natural curls and waves, air-dry creams provide gentle hold and maintain shape, without feeling crunchy. If you’ve tried to brave the air-dry in the past, and watched your damp strands slowly unfurl into a frizzy mess, air-dry creams might be just the ticket for you.

How to apply: Rub a grape-sized amount between your fingers, and rake through damp lengths. Collect the ends of your hair in your palm, and simultaneously scrunch and squeeze upwards to encourage your natural curl pattern.

Best for… diminishing frizz

Hair primers: Simply speaking, hair primers help hair behave better. If you’ve tried heatless styles, like overnight plaits or curling rods (more on these later), but find your frizzy disposition creeps through eventually, try a hair-primer. They seal the hair cuticle to create a neater outward appearance, diminish frizz, conceal irregularities in curl patterns and help your heatless style last longer.

How to apply: Apply a small amount to towel-dried hair, from roots to ends, using a fingers or a comb. Can be used alone or as a foundation for styling.

Best for… long-lasting hold

Curl-defining creams and gels: Braving the air-dry? Whip your wild, unpredictable waves into shape with a curl-defining cream. Subtly defining and regulating the curl pattern while maintaining a soft appearance, curl creams and gels are king for taming frizz and restoring order to untidy manes.

How to apply: Use fingers to rake a grape-sized (or slightly more, depending on hair density) amount through your strands and scrunch upwards.

Best for… shape and definition

Hair mousse: If your hair tends to fall flat as it air-dries, give it a boost with a quality mousse while it’s still damp. Mousse enhances texture and volume, leaving your hair full of life without the stiffness or stickiness. It’s perfect for defining curls, giving them natural shape and effortless bounce, and best of all, making them last.

Best for… volume

Dry-styling techniques

Envious of the straight-haired girls that throw their hair up into a bun overnight, and wake up to shapely, bouncy curls? Us too. Frankly, it isn’t an option if you have frizzy hair, but there are alternative overnight styles you can try.

Once you’ve applied your leave-in product of choice, and left the hair to dry 80%, braid or twist the hair – neatly and tightly – and secure with a silk scrunchie. ‘This will minimise how much it moves while you sleep, and keep your hair smoother and more frizz free,’ says Olaplex ambassador Tom Smith. ‘Friction and tangles can occur overnight, so implementing a pre-sleep routine like this is a great way of waking up with a good hair day ahead of you.’

Or, anyone with a TikTok or Instagram account will have seen the frenzy behind overnight curls, where the hair is gradually wrapped around a foam curling rod and left to dry overnight. This may work best on straight hair-types, but when coupled with a smoothing balm or hair-primer, like Oribe’s Heatless Styling Balm, the effect is equally as chic and pretty on frizzy hair-types.

From my own trial and error, the trick is to wrap sequential sections of hair in alternating directions, as this keeps the hair tight around the rod and makes the curls last longer – plus, the finished effect looks more like natural waves than Hollywood curls.

However, should you wish to let your curls loose (with the help of an air-dry or curl-defining cream), it’s advisable to wash your hair in the morning and leave it to dry fully during the day. With your head laid flat on your pillow, you’re likely to squash or misshape your curls. ‘Avoid touching the hair while it is drying as this will encourage fluff and frizz, try to wait until the hair has completely air dried before moving it which will allow your hair to dry naturally without frizz,’ adds Smith.

Maintenance

To keep your heatless style in shape until your next wash-day, aftercare is key. Once a day – preferably before bed – apply a leave-in conditioner or a nourishing oil to seal the hair cuticle and keep the hair feeling soft.

‘Always wear a silk or satin scarf when you go to bed at night. The smooth texture will prevent your braids from frizzing and keep your edges looking fresh. This also protects your roots from drying out when you sleep,’ says Mensah. ‘Alternatively, you can use a silk or satin pillowcase over your pillow to reduce friction and to keep your hair from drying.’

Then, when you wake up in the morning and remove your braids or curls, ‘rake through them with your fingers,’ advises Cos Sakkas, global creative director for Toni&Guy, rather than a brush or comb, as this will make the hair frizzier.

Hairdressers have long recommended booking in for regular trims to maintain healthy hair (though I’m guilty of flouting this rule myself), but it’s actually solid advice. ‘Split ends will make hair look frizzy, and make hair look and feel deflated. Get those ends cut and put some shape back into your mane,’ says Sakkas.

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