Avoiding hot tools without looking like a hot mess

[mshizzleceba]

Hi all. First time poster here! Lurked for a while 😁 I have shoulder length fine, thinnish hair (would have said thin but since I'm pregnant now it's not as thin as before, however I hear it's temporary.) I high and lowlight my hair every 8-10 weeks for grey coverage and style.

As the summer is going on, I'm hoping to avoid using hot tools unless I really need to use them for a specific look. I've read about how it may help with hair growth. Any tips on how follow this and not look like a frizz ball? I have some slight waves when I let it air dry so it could look wavy with the right coercion.

Please feel free to point me to an existing post(s) on this subject 😁

[lapushka]

Maybe it's a good idea to first hair type yourself, or let us do it for you. You just shampoo & condition your hair, gently pat dry with a towel, then do not comb, brush or otherwise touch the hair, let it dry, and take a picture from the back.

Heat styling is not the greatest for your hair, so if you do want it straight, then just use a blow dryer. A blow dryer is still fine as long as you use it on cool/warm, and not hot. If you can hold your hand in the airstream for a long time without it burning, it's a good temperature for the hair.

Welcome!

[spidermom]

You can use a styling product like gel to control frizz. Unless you live in a dry climate, aloe vera gel - but not the green kind used for sunburn - is a very good option. I have recently rediscovered it and am in love with my hair.

Since it's summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere), you could do something like comb gel through, then twist up the back and secure with a claw clip. I find gel is nicest when I wet my palms with water first, then rub about a fingertip size of gel between them, then over the surface of my hair. Otherwise it makes my hair look dull and feel stiff.

[missmagoo]

I think it also depends on your climate. If it's humid where you are gel and updos are your best bet. When my hair was shorter, I liked Upper Management gel by Kiss My Face.

[lapushka]

Eco Styler is a good gel. I love the olive oil one. I have still yet to try the argan oil version. LA Looks do a good gel too. They are both alcohol-free and don't flake (if you don't overuse them). I use a coinsize amount for my classic length hair, and I'm wavy. If you have shorter hair, use *way* less.

[LongCurlyTress]

You can use a styling product like gel to control frizz. Unless you live in a dry climate, aloe vera gel - but not the green kind used for sunburn - is a very good option. I have recently rediscovered it and am in love with my hair.

Since it's summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere), you could do something like comb gel through, then twist up the back and secure with a claw clip. I find gel is nicest when I wet my palms with water first, then rub about a fingertip size of gel between them, then over the surface of my hair. Otherwise it makes my hair look dull and feel stiff.
Great idea spidermom!

[Betazed]

When I went heat-free, I found updos were my best friend. I'm not sure how much you can do SL (when mine was that length I flat ironed daily and didn't know any updos) but I'm sure there's a lot of options. I discovered a slight obsession with braids when I went heat-free (the 1st time). And I agree with hair typing. That should help other members give you better advice on products and such.

[pahbee]

I think not touching your hair with your hands while it's drying eliminates a lot of the frizz. I just periodically shake my hair out of the clumps as it's drying. Drying your hair outside (ie in the sun) is better than using a hairdryer, actually. :)
Moisturizing hair products and make a tinyyy bit of leave-in mixed with some water applied all over the hair could help. Like some serum or DIY hair water.
I like ACV and tea (hibiscus, nettle, or catnip) hair rinses too! :cool:

[mshizzleceba]

Wow thanks everyone for the tips so far! I plan to wash my hair later today or tomorrow and will post the picture then

[Arctic]

When you enough posts (25+) have a look at my blog for ideas how to wear shorter hair. I have quite a few photos there, often with instructions or links to tutorials. Shoulder length hair is plenty long to put up already, at least for those with i to ii thickness.

[Iamsiam]

I honestly thought I'd never see the day where my hair would look reasonable without the use of heat tools. But since I now oil my hair daily (half the length to the tips) it seems the hydration has kept the fuzzies under control! Try a tiny amount of oil, bamboo, Argan, coconut, macadamia etc and see how that works

[Ana H.]

These are two methods for gorgeous heatless loose waves. Even if you could only wrap your hair around once I think it would be a great way to help the hair dry smooth and frizz free. Maybe the ends would flip out in a odd way? I dunno, you could try it and see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WCvYqpcU8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Mo0XCeJqw

[Upside Down]

I think not touching your hair with your hands while it's drying eliminates a lot of the frizz. I just periodically shake my hair out of the clumps as it's drying. Drying your hair outside (ie in the sun) is better than using a hairdryer, actually. :)
Moisturizing hair products and make a tinyyy bit of leave-in mixed with some water applied all over the hair could help. Like some serum or DIY hair water.
I like ACV and tea (hibiscus, nettle, or catnip) hair rinses too! :cool:

Seconding the bolded part.

Use a little styling product (scrunch - optionally) and let your hair be till it is dry.

[mshizzleceba]

Sounds like patience and "do not touch" is the key to success here! LOL.

A follow up question...how do you find your air dried hair the next day? Do you find it more wild/difficult to style? Do you dampen it to re-style with product and then re-air dry?

[Upside Down]

Sounds like patience and "do not touch" is the key to success here! LOL.

A follow up question...how do you find your air dried hair the next day? Do you find it more wild/difficult to style? Do you dampen it to re-style with product and then re-air dry?

Depends on the hairtype lenght and the style you sleep in. With shoulder lenght there is not much choice but if you want you may try a silk bonnet. Can you manage a french braid? Or some of the damp sets for heatless waves and curls can be a sleep style ( not the most confortable solution).

I personaly do not wear my hair down often anyway so on day 2. it is in a bun or a braid.

Redamping should work if your hair is wavy. You can use a spray. I remember epsom salt solution being in at some point in time for "beach waves". Do you think you will need to detangle in the morning? If you can avoid brushing it can help with keeping a wavy style for another day.

[Inga-Marjukka]

My hair is super prone to frizz, and for a long time I blowdried daily to keep it under control. However, since I completely stopped using heat my hair has started behaving well without any heat since it's in a better and smoother condition. It was just the transition period from heat to no-heat that really sucked, but it was definitely worth it.