No heat Challenge!

[Nicolesid1]

Ok I searched and hope on I didn't find anything like this. have been trying to grow my hair from shoulder length about a year and a half ago. I have tried the whole only heat once or twice a week and still damage so I am trying NO heat but not just No heat.

No heat and styles that look like I have used heat. Any one with me?

I am going to try for a week and go from there... Maybe I will get to a month or even a year.:cheese:

[Shellby]

Yay for no heat. I have started using velcro rollers for my bangs instead of using my blowfryer or curling iron. That is the last way I use my hairfryer. Good luck with your challenge! I am thinking of trying some rag rollers.

[HintOfMint]

Out of curiosity, why no styles that only look like you applied heat?

A few weeks ago was the first time in years that I had blowdried and flat ironed my hair, so I've gotten pretty adept at the no heat business. You get used to it to the point where it's not really a challenge anymore, but best of luck to you in avoiding heat and growing your hair!

ETA: I do flat iron my bangs. I have no intention of growing them out anytime soon, so I don't feel bad abusing the heck out of them.

[jenwexler]

Yey no heat all the way! My hair behaves now that I keep it extremely moisturized so i don't need a straightner or curlers or anything like that. I have pictures on the link in my signature. It dries nice without heat. It's short for now. I hope heat free styling will be easier as I help it grow.

[Lianna]

When I want my bangs to look nice I use heat on them, but I want to stop, and grow them out. Haven't used heat in a while, but the support is always good!

What kind of styles would that be? I don't get it, sorry. Like we can't use cold rollers because it simulates a curling iron? Or we can't do a wrap because it would be straight?

I kinda of see a point, like we wouldn't be tempted to use a heat tool, when in a hurry, instead of these no heat methods. In my opinion, that's overkill. It's nice to have a diferent style sometimes, and if it doesn't harm the hair is all good in my book. I could do it though, maybe spare some days a month to inovate styles (no heat).

[jenwexler]

I have a thread that tells how I tame my bangs heat free. It's also on the link in my signature but you'd have you scroll down a page or 2 to find the pictures and instructions.

[Dyefree]

Yay for heat free! :D

Its amazing how many hours I wasted battling with blow fryers, flat irons and curling tongs :confused: I started using them 15 years ago (and never stopped), every single day!

I have been totally heat free for two weeks now, and honestly the urge to pick up the straighteners has totally gone... Life is too short to spend a few hours styling my hair.... And my hair feels better already ( I can almost hear it taking a huge sigh of relief ;) )

[daaisychains]

Go you, i was using straighteners every day up until 3 years ago, when my hair is straight anyway!

It's worth it in the end, people comment 'how did you get your hair so shiny?!'
Thats what careful treatment, cold rinses at the end of a shower and a touch of coconut oil does for you.

Happy growing

[alwayssmiling]

I think within the year that I have been a member here its the most important decision I made to do away with heat. My hair just didn't seem to grow whilst straightening. For me, its a psychological hurdle that I needed to get over. Its ok for my hair not to be perfect every day. This morning I woke up and for whatever reason my hair was particularly frizzy and messy, I just decided it was going to be a hair tied back day - in the past I would have to run the straighteners through it before I stepped out of the door.

I do occassionally use the hair dryer and straighteners but its quite a rare event these days and my hair is thanking me for it.

[TXbarbie]

Ugh call me conceited but I just can't imagine going out on the weekends with my girls without having totally straight hair. xD Maybe I'll half-ass this challenge and go heat free during the weekdays...? :P A little less heat would probably be better than heat every other day anyways!

[Lianna]

Hey, Jen. Your heatless bangs tutorial is great, but I can't wait for bangs to air dry every morning before school. I usually wash it in the morning, damp bun and clip away the bangs (they're getting too long to wear loose).

Hey, TXbarbie! I used to heat style often too, now I know why I had hair breaking. Like I said earlier in this thread, it would be nice to have some off days.

[Avital88]

I'm flat iron free for 6 weeks now:) That is a long time for me!!but the last time i blowdried is about 2 weeks ago but actually only because i switched the flatiron for the blowdrier
The next time i'm going to blowdry will probably be NYE(to make it straight) but thats fine with me.
For special occasions only i will use heat, and the flat iron i'm not gonna touch for a looooong time.
Straight hair looks so much better on me than wavy/curly :(
I want to reach hip and im just 4 inches away so at least there is a goal.
good luck to everyone!!

[LocustSpawning]

I went from straightening my hair eeeevery day for 2 years, to going totally cold turkey!! It's hard, but possible... now, I only occasionally feel the want to straighten it, and then I just tye it up :)

[torrilin]

No heat and styles that look like I have used heat.

This part confuses me :)

See, my hair is very straight. If I try to use heated curlers, it just laughs and the curl falls out. It'll even laugh at perm solution. This means my hair is not very porous, so it's pretty damage resistant... but it also really is only doing what it does best. Being straight. Even so, I can get effects that look like I've heat styled and those are the only methods where my hair will cooperate for more than a few minutes.

Most women with curly hair have hair that is a lot more flexible in what it will do, and that means their hair is more porous. That increase in porosity means the methods that work on my hair will be easier on yours :D So instead of sitting around for 12 hours waiting for the style to dry from sopping wet, you might get away with an hour or two.

I really hope you stick with it. For all that my hair logically ought to be very resistant to heat damage, a single bout of blow drying will leave me with months of agony over detangling. I can't imagine how much worse it'd be with hair that was susceptible to damage!

[jenwexler]

Hey, Jen. Your heatless bangs tutorial is great, but I can't wait for bangs to air dry every morning before school. I usually wash it in the morning, damp bun and clip away the bangs (they're getting too long to wear loose).

Hey, TXbarbie! I used to heat style often too, now I know why I had hair breaking. Like I said earlier in this thread, it would be nice to have some off days.

I've been doing it so much that my bangs actually started to train themselves to dry that way. I can even just keep the headband on for like 5 minutes which is long enough for me to let it set and then it dries that way but it's probably different for every person. If you leave it on too long they can become too flat so it's actually good to leave the handband on for a short period of time. The headband doesn't get in the way for my classes at all. I keep it on while I brush my teeth and get dressed and them they're all set. It also works on dry hair, especially when my hair is really moisturized. how about test driving it on a weekend to see i it works? My bangs are starting to get really long and it still works because the long ends just flip out when I push them to the side which looks pretty cool.

[Lianna]

Jen - I used to bobby pin my wet bangs til it dried for years. :D But my hair doesn't dry that fast, at all. I also used to wrap, it works well, I'm just lazy these days. :)

[jenwexler]

I tried to bobby pin before but it always left a dent and fell out =[

[breezefaerie]

Good luck to everyone:)
I only heat style my bangs. I would love to know how everyone with bangs handles no heat.
Jen, I love your tutorial but can't wait for my hair to dry while doing that.
Shelby, how do you use the rollers on your bangs?

[Coan-Teen]

I started this independently on Monday. I'm in with you. No heat styling. I'm even trying not to do it tomorrow when I'm going to the Marine Corps Ball with my husband. I'm going to attempt not to use heat, but I get set back and can't do anything else with it I may have to cave and restart Thursday. I'll let you know if I made through. Good luck!

[jenwexler]

I've been heat free for probably a month now. Before that, I got my highlights and the lady told me it was okay to heat style. I only heat styled for a week and was done with it. It made my hair feel awful. Before the highlights, I went a month without heat styling I think.

[Shellby]

Shelby, how do you use the rollers on your bangs?

I have the velcro type rollers so you don't need pins with them. I have the large and medium. I like the large for volume and the medium for more of a curl. I let my bangs dry a bit. I pull my bangs up straight and put one roller right in the middle of my forehead and then 2 on either side and let it dry. The curlers do grab your hair so you need to be aware and be gentle not pulling the roller too hard through your hair. I have thin fringe so it doesn't take too long to dry completely. Usually after I have put on my make up and gotten dressed it is done. I remove the rollers and comb through a little. On non wash days I spray lightly with some water and redo the rollers. On more than one occasion I have forgotten to remove my rollers! I have gotten all the way to work with them in. Thankfully never gone IN to work with them in. Yet. :D My hairdresser thought I had used a blowfryer and round hair brush to get the volume.

Also sometimes when my bangs are really annoying me I will put them all up in the one large roller while I am puttering around the house. Again remember to remove roller if leave the house!

[nena_shawty]

i havnt used heat in 8 months and it makes a big diff

[KittyLost]

I'll do a no heat challenge :) it's more or less what I do now as I only heat style for special occasions but I flat iron my fringe or use the cool setting on my hairdryer after every wash. From now on I'll use heatless methods to style my hair and just clip my fringe to keep it kinda straight haha.

I'll take it in baby steps first though! No heat until 2011 and then I'll see where I go from there.

[feralnature]

One thing good about being my age (50s) is that I am of the hippie generation and we don't care if our hair is ironed straight or whatever. When I go out with my running buddy, well, she has some kind of post chemo mop on her head and she just had a mastectomy so ironing my hair is not even on my radar.

I went 3 years without heat until I went to Visible changes for an updo for my son's wedding and the lady just fried it with a flat iron. Now yall know why I just did the self-trim. I could have gone another year had I not had the stupid flat iron taken to my hair.

[curlymarcia]

I'll join to the challenge!! I have very fine hair that hates heat. I don't use heat frequently because I love my curls. But when is too cold I blow dry in warm temp, and it does damage my hair. I have to quit heat totally!!

[jojo]

I am all for doing this but then I only straighten my hair 3 times a year if that, would be nice to try for zero time, count me in!

[jenwexler]

If anyone gets bored with hair, I suggest rag curls.

[Vermelha]

I either use rollers or pull my hair back in a bun. So no heat for me!

[jenwexler]

Roller are nice but if you want to sleep while curling, rags are more comfortable.

[Vermelha]

Roller are nice but if you want to sleep while curling, rags are more comfortable.

I sleep in the hard rollers ;) Took a minute to master it, but at the expense of great hair, it's sorta worth it :D

[Coan-Teen]

I sleep in the hard rollers ;) Took a minute to master it, but at the expense of great hair, it's sorta worth it :D

That's dedication, right there. Haha. I don't think I could do it. I can't sleep as it is.

[jenwexler]

Yey no heat all the way! My hair behaves now that I keep it extremely moisturized so i don't need a straightner or curlers or anything like that. I have pictures on the link in my signature. It dries nice without heat. It's short for now. I hope heat free styling will be easier as I help it grow.

I feel so weird quoting myself but I just wanted to remind everyone what I said about moisture and proof that it helps ALOT with damage and hair in general. My hair still has dye on the ends but it's really hard to tell because I am so careful with my hair now.

Before: Dry, damaged, cone shampoos, heat free for the day, washed more often

http://i55.tinypic.com/2lkr47l.jpg

After: Moisturized, dyed ends but mainly healthy, sulfate free cone free shampoos, completely heat free, washed every few days but occasionally rewetted with water

http://i54.tinypic.com/33c96vb.jpg

Moisture is the best for my hair since I have been heat free <3

[jenwexler]

By the way sorry I didn't realize the picture didn't resize when I uploaded it.

[Hana212]

OOH this is the perfect thread for me!!
"Hi my names Hana and I am a straightening addict"
I have straightened daily (or curled once a week) since I was 11 (which is also when I started bleaching my hair too)
I am now 20.. and as of September 30th 2010 I have only used the straightener once!!! (for a 21st) and only used the blow fryer once!! (at the hairdressers)... apart from that I have been heat free for practically 5 weeks! and my hair is loving me for it.

Last night I tried sleeping in sponge rollers.. it was very uncomfortable and word of advice, don't use a pillow. But my curls this morning are beautiful!!
I have also tried, paper curls, crimping using material, braiding for waves, air drying then putting in Velcro rollers for straight but volume like I've blow fried.. Pretty buns, flower buns for ringlets... and more..

I love learning new styles :D

I'm having fun!!

[<3OnHerSleeve]

I want to go without heat-appliances, but I know of a few occasions where I am going to do this. I haven't used a hair curler in a couple of months... record for me, or a hair straightener. However there are about 3 events that I'm going to need to use something for styling: last "reveillon" (end of year celebration at my uni), graduation (a must of course lol), and for my godchild's baptism. Those are the only times I'm planning on touching my hair with a heating appliance.

[jenwexler]

OOH this is the perfect thread for me!!
"Hi my names Hana and I am a straightening addict"
I have straightened daily (or curled once a week) since I was 11 (which is also when I started bleaching my hair too)
I am now 20.. and as of September 30th 2010 I have only used the straightener once!!! (for a 21st) and only used the blow fryer once!! (at the hairdressers)... apart from that I have been heat free for practically 5 weeks! and my hair is loving me for it.

Last night I tried sleeping in sponge rollers.. it was very uncomfortable and word of advice, don't use a pillow. But my curls this morning are beautiful!!
I have also tried, paper curls, crimping using material, braiding for waves, air drying then putting in Velcro rollers for straight but volume like I've blow fried.. Pretty buns, flower buns for ringlets... and more..

I love learning new styles :D

I'm having fun!!

try rag curls; they're really comfortable!

[Roscata]

I've been doing this since I joined LHC, so I'm in on the challenge. I don't even use warm/hot water to wash my hair. :D I'm thinking I might keep this up for ever. Which shouldn't be too difficult I'm not really into the use of heat.

[Lianna]

Some people do DC with heat, I don't see how just warm/not boiling water in the shower is harmful for hair. I take warm showers. It doesn't hurt skin so...

[jenwexler]

I've been doing this since I joined LHC, so I'm in on the challenge. I don't even use warm/hot water to wash my hair. :D I'm thinking I might keep this up for ever. Which shouldn't be too difficult I'm not really into the use of heat.

I use cool water on my hair but for my body i switch to warm water.

[Lianna]

I think avoiding warm water is too much of a paranoia. I mean I use to put HOT IRONS on it...Touch a hot iron you get burned...but warm water? I really don't think it hurts, seriously.

In fact, it helps clean the greasies and wash way the shampoo or conditioner better.

I read a comment around here about someone who only had cool water to wash for a long time...she had those kind of problems.

Maybe someone could explain how warm water is so dangerous, I'm open minded.

[Roscata]

I use cool water on my hair but for my body i switch to warm water.
Me too! :D Glad to see I'm not the only one who switches like that.

[Roscata]

I think avoiding warm water is too much of a paranoia. I mean I use to put HOT IRONS on it...Touch a hot iron you get burned...but warm water? I really don't think it hurts, seriously.
In fact, it helps clean the greasies and wash way the shampoo or conditioner better.
I read a comment around here about someone who only had cool water to wash for a long time...she had those kind of problems.
Maybe someone could explain how warm water is so dangerous, I'm open minded.

I don't know if it's harmful or not, I do it because I am trying to stretch out my washes. I got the idea from this article:
Making washes more cleansing (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=77)

[ddiana1979]

I haven't used heat for years now. Mostly because I'm LAZY. ;) I haven't used a curling iron or hot roller since I was a teenager, no need for a flat iron since my hair is straight as a stick anyway, & blow frying takes too long & is damaging. I do blow dry my bangs on the "cold shot" setting, to fluff them up a little & style. If I let them air dry like the rest of my hair, they never hang quite right.

And Re: washing, I CWC with warm water, and then for the final rinse I use water as cold as I can possibly stand it.

[curlymarcia]

I started using cold water 5 months ago, and the difference in my hair is HUGE.

[RubyEmpress]

I actually just started doing no heat on my own starting this past Monday (4 days). This is a huge change for me.
I use to shampoo my hair everyday, then blow dry, then straighten it. My hair was starting to feel so dry so i weaned myself off of the flat iron (still washed and blow dried everyday).

Then I found LHC and my hair routine has drastically changed and so has the health of my hair.
I now use coconut oil overnight before a wash, shampoo once a week and CO (VO5) when I need it between washes . I also am looking at shampoo bars from Lush to go SLS free.

Now I'm continuing the challenge of going heat free. The first few days my waves looked very frizzy but I can see it slowly improving each day.

[jenwexler]

Cooler water makes my hair shinier. It feels nice =]

[Hana212]

try rag curls; they're really comfortable!

Yes I have tried rag curls.. but I prefer the look of the sponge rollers... paper curls aren't too bad either - looks better on the 2nd day though.

[RubyEmpress]

No longer a slave to the blow dryer and it feels so liberating! It will be 10 days tomorrow since my last fry session and my hair is looking super shiny and feels silky soft :)

[jenwexler]

Honestly, my heat appliances are taking up a lot of room in my drawer but I don't have it in me to toss them. They were so expensive I want to keep them just in case I ever change my mind and absolutely need them for a special occasion. I must have spent over 200 bucks on my heat stuff. Maybe I can use my flat iron to make grilled cheese;)

[Tia2010]

I am kind of no heat :) I don't blowdry my hair ( I never have liked doing that) .... but I do curl/flatiron once in a while if I'm going out somewhere , but I have been trying to stop that....I haven't curled/ flat ironed in about two months now , so I'm trying :D

[StraduX]

Should be no problem for me since I don't have any hair-singing appliances to worry about!

[Becky9679]

The only heat appliance I own is a dryer and it's incredibly rare that I use it, I've always preferred air-drying my hair. When I want waves or extra volume I just braid while wet.

I'll always remember the time one of the girls I work with was talking about straighteners and made the massive generalisation "every woman owns a set of straighteners these days" to which my response was "I don't. Why would I need straighteners with hair like this?" She was totally dumbfounded, I guess she assumed having naturally poker straight hair isn't possible!

[jaimers]

Hi gang! I'm new here, but also trying to limit my heat use. I decided about a week ago that I wanted to grow my hair out. (currently at shoulder/collarbone length).
So I started reading up and switched a lot about my routine. I haven't used a straightener or curling iron in a week. I started last week without my blow-dryer, but noticed by the end of the week that my scalp was getting gunky/flaky.
When I was a teenager my hairdresser 'yelled' at me for putting my hair up wet, said that it lead to my scalp not drying properly. She is a family friend, so I doubt she'd lie to me, but has anyone else heard this? Does anyone else have this problem?
The last couple days I have used my blowdryer on the Low setting (both temperature, and velocity), and haven't had the scalp issues, but I'm sure that it's not helping the length of my hair!

[Dyefree]

Ok, so I'm just over one month heat-free and honestly my hair feels so much better!!!

It still looks pretty frizzy on some of the dry ends where the bleach and heat have permanently frazzled my wavy/ curly hair.... But it feels like normal, soft hair as opposed to a dry wiry broom (and I am NOT exaggerating that description)
I won't lie and say I haven't been tempted though... Oh god yes I have, especially when out with dh and I see all these pretty women with smooth sleek hair... :sigh: :o don't get me wrong though, hubby is extremely supportive and gives wonderful scalp massages every night and always comments on how different and soft my hair is feeling already... He knows how vain, and particular I was about dying, styling and extending my hair .... Going 'natural' is a huge and life-changing step for me ( goodness, I sound soooo shallow when I read that back!) so he knows to tread very carefully when it comes to my hair..... :o

But I'm going to be strong, one day I WILL have beautiful, soft, natural frizz- free, long hair.... It's just going to take a few years to get there....

Anyone else want to check in and update on progress?

[LocustSpawning]

I straightened my hair once maybe twice a day for 2-3 years until around.. a month and a half ago. I still straighten when I'm going to gigs, but that's literally it. & That's only been twice in that time :) My hair is much better now.

[Avital88]

I havent used my flat iron since october 1, woehoee almost 2 months.
But i have to say that this weekend i'm going on an anniversary trip to Rome with my boyfriend and its kind of itching to have perfectly straight hair there!
Plus i want to see how much lenght i gained ,its less visible wavy:)
So i MIGHT use my flatiron(with heat protection ofcourse) but not sure.
Wow, i allready feel bad for my hair Thinking about using it LOL

[CrisDee]

I've been forced to give up heat since I switched to henna a year and a half ago. Blow drying on warm didn't cause issues, but blow drying on the hottest setting, then putting "body" in my hair with the large barrel curling iron RUINED my henna'd hair, turned the bottom 4-5" burgundy. That was part of why I chopped all my hair to pixie in March 09. I continued to use the blow dryer, though, on warm setting only, until this past August - I just couldn't figure out how to make my hair look decent without using an electric styling device. Then I discovered hair wrapping (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51781)- and was able to give up the blow dryer entirely!

But I've gotten to a length right now where the hair wrapping isn't working as well as it used to. I'm still in the process of figuring out what in the world will make this stupid hair look decent until it's long enough to truly put it up (without 5 lbs. of metal holding the short bits!). Hope I can figure that out quickly, before I lose what's left of my mind! :silly:

[lostchyld]

I just ditched my hairdryer last weekend. Well, I suppose it was actually ditched awhile before that, but I hadn't made the decision to not use it until just last weekend when I did some research into my hair and started the transition into no-'poo and CG. The straightener got ditched at a friend's house and eaten by her dog around halloween, although, again, the decision wasn't made to not use it until this last weekend. Needless to say, I wasn't using either of them much before so it won't be a huge loss.

I will miss having my Sis do my hair. She's big into straighteners and curling irons and I like having peeps play with my hair, but that's a pretty small price for hair that behaves every day instead of only when someone else is doing it.

[<3OnHerSleeve]

I used my hair curler for the first time in several months yesterday. in comparison to how my hair used to go, my hair still remained soft. Before when I used to straighten or curl my hair every week or two it would go very dry and straw like. I think it didn't do that this time because I've been kind to it for those few months that a one off didn't kill it (phew)

[Hana212]

I am now going on 2 months heat free!

[BellCat]

I've started this when i got a trim last january and only rarely use heat. It has made such a dramatic difference to my hair. It's so much healthier and thicker

[Roscata]

Thread revival!

I have been heat-free since since September 2010 and I haven't seen one split end since. The part I love most about this is that I get to enjoy my natural hair in all it's glory, flaws and all. :D

[mallorykay13]

Im going for 6 months. Whoot

[Toiréasa]

I have been 6 months without heat and not one split end just healthy shiny hair yah :))))

[x0h_bother]

I went heat free for a long time, maybe once a month I would, and there wasn't enough difference to make me continue. I will definately never flat iron DAILY ever again, but I love having versatile hair. To each his own I guess!

[DarkSky]

I went heat free for a long time, maybe once a month I would, and there wasn't enough difference to make me continue. I will definately never flat iron DAILY ever again, but I love having versatile hair. To each his own I guess!

I'm feeling the same way too! I don't have many splits or breakage before or after trying heat free method. I just want to enjoy my hair and it's versatility too. I've definitely cut back ALOT on my heat styling since getting back onto LHC!!! I'll keep that going .. I just don't want to be too rigid about it. One thing that I've changed is that I will only either blowdry with a round brush or flat iron (after air drying) but won't do both in the same sitting. I found it to be unnecessary anyways. CG/CO method has made the best difference for me actually. My hair is so much softer and happier.

[Hamh]

Nearly four months for me and no more dry ends!!

[Audhumla]

I've gone cold turkey on heat styling in the last month and I'm hoping to continue that indefinitely. Good luck going heat free !

[Roscata]

Im going for 6 months. Whoot


I have been 6 months without heat and not one split end just healthy shiny hair yah :))))


Nearly four months for me and no more dry ends!!


I've gone cold turkey on heat styling in the last month and I'm hoping to continue that indefinitely. Good luck going heat free !

Great job giving up the heat! I know it's difficult. You could always reward yourself by doing something nice for your hair at certain intervals like buying oils, conditioners, accessories, just to celebrate your commitment to being gentle to your hair.

[Roscata]

I would like to post the heat-free alternatives to styling for those who still want to straighten, wave or curl their hair but also want to stay in this challenge. Also the natural styling products that will be less harmful to your hair. :D

From my own hair site (I summarized all the information on one page at a time): Heat Free styling (https://sites.google.com/site/roscatahair/heatfreestyling) (to straighten, curl and wave hair without heat), Natural Styling Products (https://sites.google.com/site/roscatahair/naturalproducts) (hair gel, hair spray and mousse), De-frizz spray (https://sites.google.com/site/roscatahair/defrizzspray).

From LHC and other sites: Pin Curls (http://beautyisathingofthepast.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-set-pin-curls.html), Rag Curls (http://vixenvintage.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-do-rag-curls.html), Rag Waves (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=82), Wrapping Hair Straight (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=17291), Defrizz spray (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277), Natural Hair Mousse (http://www.pioneerthinking.com/mousse1.html), Natural hair Spray (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54312&highlight=natural+hair+spray+lemon+orange).

Good luck to everyone in this challenge! We can do it! :D

[mallorykay13]

Im going for six months. Whoot whoot

[mallorykay13]

Great job giving up the heat! I know it's difficult. You could always reward yourself by doing something nice for your hair at certain intervals like buying oils, conditioners, accessories, just to celebrate your commitment to being gentle to your hair.

Today I got a zebra striped shower cap! :cheese:

[Roscata]

Today I got a zebra striped shower cap! :cheese:

That sounds awesome! :D

[PrettyFit]

Is there anyone out there who is still trying to kick the heat habit?

Confession: I still use a hooded dryer (on low), blow dryer (on low or cool), and a flat iron (after protein treatment, and deep conditioning moisture treatment). I do at least one of these heated styling options once per week. I also air dry and bun once per week. When my hair is bunned (and frizzy), I feel like I am not fully groomed, which is why I like to straighten once per week.

After reading many posts about the perils of flat ironing, I think that I will try to kick this habit first. Is there anyone else out there who needs to kick the iron (or at least reduce its use)?

I am currently sitting with a SMT. Tonight, I will do a roller set instead of blow drying! Anyone with me?:bounce:

[Pearly~91]

Here I go, goona make it official, I'm gonna go the rest of the year without heat! I don't use it often, maybe once a month in the summer, but it gets to be more and more as it gets colder. So, this will be fairly easy to start, but it's gonna be hard this winter. I really don't like frozen hair... :(

[PrettyFit]

Here I go, goona make it official, I'm gonna go the rest of the year without heat! I don't use it often, maybe once a month in the summer, but it gets to be more and more as it gets colder. So, this will be fairly easy to start, but it's gonna be hard this winter. I really don't like frozen hair... :(

Whooo hooo! Very impressive! The rest of the year!

I don't blame you with not wanting frozen hair. I think I just got a chill thinking about it. Do you only wash in the mornings?

As for me-- since I forgot to specify a time frame-- I will shoot for one month without heat (baby steps)! If that goes well, I will stretch it to two months, and so on. :D

[Pearly~91]

Whooo hooo! Very impressive! The rest of the year!

I don't blame you with not wanting frozen hair. I think I just got a chill thinking about it. Do you only wash in the mornings?

As for me-- since I forgot to specify a time frame-- I will shoot for one month without heat (baby steps)! If that goes well, I will stretch it to two months, and so on. :D

I very rarely wash in the mornings, but my hair doesn't usually dry completely overnight. I have gone outside with my hair sopping wet and come back inside with icicle hair before, so I try to avoid it. It's cold plus I kinda think freezing may cause damage.shudder:

[Rufflebutt]

Me! I'm on my third month of no heat. :) I'm really beginning to love my natural hair!

[PrettyFit]

I very rarely wash in the mornings, but my hair doesn't usually dry completely overnight. I have gone outside with my hair sopping wet and come back inside with icicle hair before, so I try to avoid it. It's cold plus I kinda think freezing may cause damage.shudder:

Yikes. I would not want that either. How often do you wash? Could you do one the night before your day off work? Or wash early in the evening/afternoon when you get home? I know some people also use blow dryer on the cool setting to speed drying time.


Me! I'm on my third month of no heat. :) I'm really beginning to love my natural hair!

Awesome! What is your hair like without heat? Have you noticed any improvements yet? What was the adjustment like initially?

[pocketfulla]

I'm in - although I will allow myself once every two months for parties or going out for dinner, and even then only very minimal, like my fringe or a couple of frizzies I can't tame.

[Asprettyasme]

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[PrettyFit]

I'm in - although I will allow myself once every two months for parties or going out for dinner, and even then only very minimal, like my fringe or a couple of frizzies I can't tame.

Good strategy! Progress is progress. :) The process of growing healthy hair is so long, that we have to find a way to enjoy our styles, and look our best in the meantime! You never know, along the way we may discover tricks to get a look we like without heat. But I like the idea of reserving the right to do it in emergencies.

[PrettyFit]

I wish! I just washed my hair just now and its in a big fat bush. No way I could stop using heat, I don't look good in a bush. But this year,, I have stretch my time to a month without heat! I straighten my hair once a month and I am so proud. It last all the way until the next month when I get it redone. This year I have not used much heat at all, just recently I had my hair gel down into a pony tail. That is the only style I can wear without using heat that doesn't make my hair look bushy. I had that in for two weeks but it got super dirty with becuz of all that gel so I had to wash it which is what I did today :D!

I have some cool tips for anyone who have a hard time not using heat because of the fact they can't find cute hair styles. One hairstyle you can do without heat is (if you have long hair) put your hair in sections and braid each section at night and then in the morning take your braids out and they will be wavy and super pretty! You can also get a beachy look from spraying holding spray in your hair and scrunching it up to make it look wavy as well. One girl on youtube (socalhco888) does that all the time and her hair styles be so pretty. If you have afro texture hair instead of braids you can put your hair into cornrows,, leave them in overnight and take them out in the morning and it will create a really pretty curly hair style. I did that hairstyle the beginning of the year and it really helped my hair take a nice well needed break and it made me super happy! I still felt beautiful even though I didn't use heat. You can use rollers to roll your hair in and that will help curl your hair. One thing my uncles girlfriend use to do is she would get her hair straighten and curled from the salon and then she would buy these clips (rollers would do the trick too) and she will clip up her hair every night and then each day take them down and every day her hair still looked fresh like she just came from the salon. You can wear lots of pretty ponytails and buns, my favorite ponytail was the cheerleading one (the ponytail that sits all the way on top of your head) I wore that hairstyle faithfully and it took my mind off my hair. You can also find more secrets and tips to make your hair last longer after you straighten it. So you would not have to feel tempted to straighten it all the time. Or you can just love your hair type. Wash it and condition it and then don't do anything to it and see how your hair turns out on its own. Maybe its super pretty without all that handling and manipulation, you never know.

Thanks for sharing those styling tips! Do you ever wear your hair twisted? Or do you always wear it in straight styles?

[PrettyFit]

Okay I just completed my first no heat roller set and although I am super tired, I had to write in to share my results because I am so excited!:joy:

I was extremely addicted to the flat iron because I really thought it was the only way that I could get my hair smooth. I tried roller sets a couple of times before but my hair turned out bushy, stiff and frizzy. I ended up with breakage from trying to comb it in that condition. NOT this time!! My hair is sooooo smooth and shiny, and as soft as silk! It could be the lack of heat, and it could be that my hair is in better condition from my other newly formed habits.

Anyway-- It turned out much softer than the flat iron! I am officially hooked! Here is what I did:

1. SMT with coconut oil, pre wash, applied to dry hair (a little more than an hour)
2. V05 CO wash (left my hair feeling a little too soft)
3. Paul Mitchell Super Strong Conditioner (my hair likes cones)
4. Aloe Juice (as leave in)
5. Coconut oil (very lightly applied to towel dried hair)
6. Mineral oil (very lightly applied after coconut oil to "seal" the coconut oil)
7. Lotta Body Setting Lotion (1 part, mixed with 1 part aloe juice, 1 part water)
8. Set on large magnetic rollers
9. Sat under hooded dryer (cool setting) forever:rolleyes:
10. Removed rollers and wrapped, and tied (to relax curl)

Wow-- listed out like that it seems like a lot of work but it was worth it for me! There was only ONE hair on the floor when I was done! ONE!

[Littlewing13]

yeah I need this. Ive been so good all year but straightened my hair tonight. ends already feel frazzled. thats twice in the past 2 months, but before that only twice this year. I could improve. & my hair has been feeling so much better since cutting down.

[PrettyFit]

yeah I need this. Ive been so good all year but straightened my hair tonight. ends already feel frazzled. thats twice in the past 2 months, but before that only twice this year. I could improve. & my hair has been feeling so much better since cutting down.

I can't wait until I see improvement in my hair.

So what's your goal?

[RedheadMistress]

- I haven't used heat for a long time, been a member on LHC for years and a couple of years ago maybe, I stopped using heat all together .
Gave my straightener and blowfryer away to people, heh, soon gonna get rib of my hairbrush as well and get off my hairbrush addiction ! [so far haven't brushed in a month! yay me !]

Good luck, it's not too hard .

At first I started wrapping my curly wet hair in order to get it straight and it works and my hair feels softer and more awesome than if I had straightened it with a hair straightener . .so hopefully you'll like it !

All methods i use to straighten my hair makes it feel softer so I don't find it hard Not to use heat . . now I'm trying to quit bleaching my hair and just henna . We'll see what happens .

Good luck !!

[RubySlippers]

I'm in.

I haven't let any heat near my hair since mid June. And it's starting to really show the improvement. Hurrah!

I was a frizzy haired straightener user, and I always felt that my hair was too fluffy to leave it un straightened. Funny enough, now that I'm actually looking aftermy hair it doesn't seem to need it. Well surprise surprise!

[Sophiatrist]

I think it has been about a year now since I used heat on my hair at all. During the awkward phase of growing it out from really short to about shoulder length I used the blowdryer and curling iron a lot. Since then it's been no problem just letting it air dry.

[mallorykay13]

Alrighty Guys. I'm with ya. Last time I heat styled was on July 21. I am going to allow myself heat for homecoming and prom, but thats it. This next school year, I promise to only use heat twice! Whoot

[PrettyFit]

I'm in.

I haven't let any heat near my hair since mid June. And it's starting to really show the improvement. Hurrah!

I was a frizzy haired straightener user, and I always felt that my hair was too fluffy to leave it un straightened. Funny enough, now that I'm actually looking aftermy hair it doesn't seem to need it. Well surprise surprise!

Encouraging! :)


- I haven't used heat for a long time, been a member on LHC for years and a couple of years ago maybe, I stopped using heat all together .
Gave my straightener and blowfryer away to people, heh, soon gonna get rib of my hairbrush as well and get off my hairbrush addiction ! [so far haven't brushed in a month! yay me !]

Good luck, it's not too hard .

At first I started wrapping my curly wet hair in order to get it straight and it works and my hair feels softer and more awesome than if I had straightened it with a hair straightener . .so hopefully you'll like it !

All methods i use to straighten my hair makes it feel softer so I don't find it hard Not to use heat . . now I'm trying to quit bleaching my hair and just henna . We'll see what happens .

Good luck !!

Thank you!! Giving away my blower or iron? Hummm. That would be my graduation ceremony once I have officially kicked the habit.


I think it has been about a year now since I used heat on my hair at all. During the awkward phase of growing it out from really short to about shoulder length I used the blowdryer and curling iron a lot. Since then it's been no problem just letting it air dry.

Congrats! :)


Alrighty Guys. I'm with ya. Last time I heat styled was on July 21. I am going to allow myself heat for homecoming and prom, but thats it. This next school year, I promise to only use heat twice! Whoot

Wow-- twice this school year! Sounds great! Whooot Whoot!!!

[Pearly~91]

Yikes. I would not want that either. How often do you wash? Could you do one the night before your day off work? Or wash early in the evening/afternoon when you get home? I know some people also use blow dryer on the cool setting to speed drying time.


I usually try to stretch washes in the winter, to avoid the wet hair, so I'll probably wash about 1 time every 5 to 7 days. I'll just have to get creative with finding ways to dry it faster. Also, if my hair is still damp and I wrap it close to my head under a heavy scarf or hat it doesn't freeze usually, so I can always do that more. :) Really all it comes down to is I have to be careful and think before walking out into the cold... which I should probably do anyways. ;)

[Redhead Rebel]

Im joining, used my hair dryer for the last time on Friday and the straightner a week ago :)

[PrettyFit]

Im joining, used my hair dryer for the last time on Friday and the straightner a week ago :)

How long do you plan to go?

[spookyghost]

Im going to try my best with this challange. My hair is damaged so air drying looks pretty bad on my hair. I only use the blow dryer on warm/cool. I have given up the straightner about seven months ago. My problem is that when I stop using the dryer it doesnt look any better. Worse actually. I stopped all heat once this year for about five months and my hair didnt look like it improved at all. Please dont get me wrong. Stopping all heat is the best thing I can do for my hair. I know and agree with this. My problem is how awful and embarrasing my hair looks while I do this. And it will take a long time for my hair to look any better because of how damaged it is. I am going to try though.

[BigFreakinAl]

Oooh, count me in on this! I haven't used heat on my hair for a good two months, since mid-June, (mainly because I shaved off all of my horribly bleach damaged hair to start fresh in mid-June and it hasnt been long enough :) ) But I'm hoping to never use heat again! My hair is getting to a length now where it's beginning to curl up, (it gets suuuuper curly when long) and the temptation to straighten it is returning, It's going to be rather difficult when it gets a little longer.. but I can do this! Long, healthy, natural damage free hair here I come! :D :D Time to embrace these natural curls and grow them long!

[amanda_the_tall]

this challenge is going to reinforce my somewhat decent habits. i think i've blowdried on the lowest setting maybe 6 times since january, only for emergency situations like running behind for church/work. hoping i'll be more consistent, and at least make it to my birthday, november 23, in which i might allow myself to heat style that day. maybe. none till then! :D

[Ginbill]

This is great. I haven't used heat except for maybe 4 or 5 times in 2012. Which I think is great because I used to use it 3 or 4 times a week in way of flat ironing. :/

[palaeoqueen]

I haven't used heat since last December. I do give my fringe a blast with the blow dryer on the cool setting but it's very short (3-4") therefore somewhat disposable. This is a big deal for me because I used to wash, blow dry and straighten every single day. Some days I would even re-straighten in the afternoon/evening. It was painful stopping (I started cutting down last summer) as my hair is so damaged, it just looked awful, but it's now looking so much better and I don't even miss the heat any more. Plus I have so much more time in a morning now, my husband has noticed how much quicker I get ready and even my mum notices when we visit. It's lovely as well no longer fretting about getting caught in the rain/humid weather as these things actually just make my waves look even better! All in all a great success :)

[PrettyFit]

Im going to try my best with this challange. My hair is damaged so air drying looks pretty bad on my hair. I only use the blow dryer on warm/cool. I have given up the straightner about seven months ago. My problem is that when I stop using the dryer it doesnt look any better. Worse actually. I stopped all heat once this year for about five months and my hair didnt look like it improved at all. Please dont get me wrong. Stopping all heat is the best thing I can do for my hair. I know and agree with this. My problem is how awful and embarrasing my hair looks while I do this. And it will take a long time for my hair to look any better because of how damaged it is. I am going to try though.

I have the same issue. Have you tried roller sets. This is my newest discovery. SMT, CO wash, Protein treatments followed by deep conditioners, and roller sets have helped me so far!

Have you done the curly girl method? I think it works well for damaged strands.

[mallorykay13]

Alrighty Guys. I'm with ya. Last time I heat styled was on July 21. I am going to allow myself heat for homecoming and prom, but thats it. This next school year, I promise to only use heat twice! Whoot

So, I need y'alls opinion. If I go to two homecomings and two proms (I moved away my senior year and hope to attend both of my schools' events) does this count as cheating or stretching my goal? What do you guys think?

[loveisdivine]

Im sure just 4 times wont really hurt too much. Aslong as you just do the minimal amount of heat needed.

I'm gonna join this. I havent used my flat irons for 2-3 months and the bloy dryer for 2-3 weeks.

I seriously need to get rid of these white dots.

[PrettyFit]

Woot woot! I have been wearing a bun since my last wash (4 days)! I was tempted to flat iron it when my hubby asked me out on a date this weekend, but instead wore my bun and made it look as cute as it could! HUGE step for me! My default would have been to whip out that flat iron and smooth out my strands.

Am I the only one having to take tiny baby steps here?

[rtree721]

This is a great idea. Everyone should try to give up heat styling and embrace their natural hair at least once. I haven't heatstyled in five months but I have a feeling I will be tempted to soon because of a wedding coming up.

[H o n є y ❤]

I'm joining the challenge! My challenge is to not use heat until I make it to BSL. That may be a year (or years) and some change so it's gonna be a real challenge for me but I'm all up for it!

[wispywinnie]

I am totally in! No heat until APL! :)

[Betazed]

Took me awhile to find this thread again.

So, I had been heat free for months when, during the Christmas season, I busted out my flat-iron. I have a lot of special occasions right at the end of the year. Not only do I go to my grandparents' house for Christmas and New Years dinner, but my anniversary is Boxing Day (or the day after Christmas for those non-Canadians out there) and my birthday is at the beginning of January. So, during this time period, I gave up being heat-free. I flat-ironed. I blow dried. I curled.

... And I had a tremendous amount of damage and splits when all was said and done. I'm now of the opinion that heat protectant products are useless. The only option was to cut to get rid of the damage. Right after my birthday, I cut 3 inches off, which took care of most of the damage bits. But having just reached hip length, I don't want to risk having to do another cut like the last. Micro-trimming only, please!

So, I'm back to heat-free. Funnily enough (Is fun-ily a word?), when I was last on LHC, I had been heat free for 2 months. Now, I am again, back at 2 months without heat. At least I don't have to change my sig! Haha!

[Goddessa]

Former heat addict here.

About 2 years ago consciously stopped straightening daily. As of 4 months ago I am 100% heat free and my hair couldnt be happier. Enjoying all that time i get to sleep in too.;)

[Lavendersugar]

I have air dried for years and only blow dry if it's a must due to time. I can't use a curling iron if you offered to pay me. I drop the iron, each side looks different. Can't get a set curl pattern. It's pointless because in an hour the curl is gone.

I'll join but it feels like I'm cheating since I've already been air drying. However, if I must blow dry when winter comes my challenge is to do roots only on low heat. No choice in the winter.
I also have a wedding coming in July and might need to blow dry. Outside of that it is all air dry.

[MINAKO]

I usually only used heat on my hair about 4-6 times a year max. Now i'm planning to use it again more frequently and i don't mean gentle blow drying, more like flatiron and curling wand. I have hair way healthier than i ever thought i could achieve and while i have always been careful with heat it never really damaged my hair noticably. If i can straigjten it twice a month and keep my hair straight for one week each time i would even get more satisfaction out it if i had to cut back a few inches. Protectives styles are such a habit now but i'm really asking myself if my growth obsession has finally come to an end. I don't even care for longer lengths on myself and couldn't care less to find out about my terminal.

[The Ubiquitous]

I'm a bit late to the party but I'm in.
As long as I'm careful my hair doesn't seem bothered by heat. However, I get overheated and bothered by the hair drier and I'd like to find out what my actual texture is. I suspect it's actually quite curly.
I have a couple of air drying concerns though:
1. The time it takes to dry. Right now I have very short hair that was significantly thinned out by the hairdresser. It still took about 3 hours for my hair to be pretty much dry this morning.
2. Because my hair is so short, it needs "doing" everyday to look half decent. Given how long it takes to dry I'm not sure how I'm going to overcome that?
3. I've never been able to manage sleep styling. If I have any head covering my hair doesn't dry. I move a lot during the night so if i dont cover, my hair ends up all over the place. Again, I get hot and bothered at night quite a bit which means my hair isn't all that fresh when I wake up.
4. Put simply - The frizz!
On the plus side, with very little work (just lots of patience! ) I was able to get my hair to air dry reasonably OK today. I'm not particularly precious about how my hair is styled (i gave up trying to force my hair to do anything it doesn't want to do a long time ago) and I'm happy to work with whatever flicks and volume it decides to produce on any given day as long as it looks vaguely like I've at least brushed it! So that's a good starting point.

[notnotevil]

I used to flat iron it daily for over 3 years, always blowdrying it, while simultaneously box dyeing it. I've come a long way from that that's for sure.

After cold-turkeying it for a few months now, my hair is slowly beginning to look alive.

The hardest part of this is waiting eons for my thick hair to dry after washing. But I found that if I keep it under 2 consecutive towels for half an hour it stops dripping and keeps my head warm. Then I air dry in layers, which was a giant discovery for me.
Cold weather is coming, though, so now I'm in this challenge to figure out how to avoid blowdrying my hair when it's freezing. Any of you guys have tips for that?

[The Ubiquitous]

I used to flat iron it daily for over 3 years, always blowdrying it, while simultaneously box dyeing it. I've come a long way from that that's for sure.

After cold-turkeying it for a few months now, my hair is slowly beginning to look alive.

The hardest part of this is waiting eons for my thick hair to dry after washing. But I found that if I keep it under 2 consecutive towels for half an hour it stops dripping and keeps my head warm. Then I air dry in layers, which was a giant discovery for me.
Cold weather is coming, though, so now I'm in this challenge to figure out how to avoid blowdrying my hair when it's freezing. Any of you guys have tips for that?

How do you airdry in layers Notnot?
Or should that be, how do you ensure that only the right sections dry without the other sections drying in weird and wonderful ways from being clipped up or whatever?

[Miata]

Then I air dry in layers, which was a giant discovery for me.

This. Is. Genius. I guess that makes you a notnotevil genius ;).

Seriously though, I have thick, fairly straight hair and it takes quite some time to dry, so I'm gonna try this out after my next wash. Sounds like it could be a game changer!

[meteor]

^ Not notnotevil, but I figured I'll chime in :flower: on how I air-dry in sections: I just do a half-up bun, and periodically take it down, take more of the hair from the bun down and make a smaller half-up bun. So first, only a smaller underlayer is drying loose, and then I'm adding more and more layers to that length that's left down.
The hair is still very damp by the time I let all the hair down, so there is no issue with hair taking weird shapes from the bun.

By the way, this works even without half-up buns, but with simple claw-clip half-ups, as well - there is also lower risk of tangling or wet-setting from the bun this way. ;)

[queenbee1]

Joining this challenge. Today will be the last time I a c tually flat iron. Then I'm planning to get a hair cut, dye and not ironing my hair for 6 months :D

[notnotevil]

How do you airdry in layers Notnot?
Or should that be, how do you ensure that only the right sections dry without the other sections drying in weird and wonderful ways from being clipped up or whatever?

Just like meteor said, you can do half-up buns. Sometimes I only twist the rest of the hair and leave it on top, which holds alright when it's wet. Like so:
https://s9.postimg.io/6t8y6u84f/IMG_20160918_151056.jpg
(Your hair may or may not be too long for that.)

Then I shake out the layer I leave to dry to let air enter more easily. When I do that, any shape that the bun may have given my hair is lost.
Either of those methods don't affect the shape my hair dries in :).


This. Is. Genius. I guess that makes you a notnotevil genius ;).

Seriously though, I have thick, fairly straight hair and it takes quite some time to dry, so I'm gonna try this out after my next wash. Sounds like it could be a game changer!

Hah! "notnotevil genious", love that! :D
I was bound to try that since I'd been blow-drying my hair in layers for so long. And happy to vouch that it helps.

[maegalcarwen]

I went heat free 4 years ago, never looked back! :)

[animetor7]

I haven't used heat in 5 years except one blow out at the hair dresser's. What's interesting is when I was transitioning from using heat nearly daily to not at all, I found that the less I used heat, the less it seemed like I needed it. My hair has become more and more manageable and better and better looking in it's natural texture since quitting heat. Good luck everyone still on this journey to a heat-free life!! :)

[The Ubiquitous]

Shall remember the dry in layers for when i regrow my hair - thank you!
So 2 days in and I've failed - I very lightly used my straightens this morning.
I need to figure out how to keep my hair in some sort of shape over night. I need to have a play with scarves.
I hendigoed last night so I'm not allowed to wash for a few days - this will be fun!

[The Ubiquitous]

Haha! So I think I'm an official thread killer!
Anyway, ive mastered the "neat enough" without heat look although it takes a lot of planning. I do wonder though, if wetting my hair every morning to air dry it in shape is all that good for it. Once my fringe is a little longer I think it will be much easier.
The last few days I've had to look VERY presentable so I have resorted to heat (just to finish off after air drying) and my hair has looked so much better for it, style wise, shine wise etc. With just a little heat I've decided I actually love my hairstyle right now. Plus I've styled and left it alone. When it's air dried I have to faff about with it all day.
When my hair was long, it never showed any heat damage. It's now super short so I've no concerns about using heat (sensibly) so I throw my hat in on the challenge (so I can show my hair off!).
When I decide to grow my hair out I will revisit and I'll keep an eye on the effects of heat but in the meantime I will use minimum heat to style my hair because it means I enjoy my hair so much more.

[202_bh_rider]

agh, the struggle of no heat! i used to be addicted to my straightener..like seriously addicted. i have this one wave in the front, and my baby hairs curl and stick out like devil horns!! it was a struggle, but i'm learning to love my hair, as i'm sure everyone on here does :) joining just to remind myself to stay on track, good luck guys!

[Lesleyanne_12]

I'm going through this no heat in my hair at the moment. It really does improve the feeling of your hair. I'm learning to like my new natural hair texture....

[Glitch]

I'm on day 6 of this heat-free journey :) I gave up heat styling for a few months during the last summer break but caved in after a wedding. Now I just manipulate my hair with my hands into drying straight. Of course, it's really tempting to smooth out a remaining wave here and there, but I'll try hard to continue on without heat!

Recently, I attended a big birthday party without straightening. I don't think I've ever done that since I started, many years ago (I spent that heat-free summer break mostly isolated, recovering from a surgery). I was dreading this party because I really believed I would once again turn to my straightener, but I really surprised myself :D Later, I was too afraid to look at the photos from the event, but finally forced myself to. My hair didn't look insane like I had imagined, in fact it looked fine. I'm totally amazed and also impressed with the massive differences going heat-free can make over time. Not to say that every day is easy, but I believe it'll get there and hopefully I won't overthink these little things.

[Drowseyweirdo]

I love this idea I've had some bad breakage 5 years ago from straightening my hair and this sounds like great way to learn to love my regular texture.

[amiraaah]

i'm glad to see this thread,i used to straighten my hair every 3 days and pass the flat iron on each section literally more than 10 times without heat protectant and without completely drying my hair. sometimes my hair stick to the flat iron(imagine the damage:().i have done this for six years and when i feel like:stop using heat,i stop for 1 month and my hair looks horrible so i use it again.
but now,i stopped using heat completely for 7 months and i can't believe this.my mom used to complain because i used heat so much now she tells me use a blow-dryer every once in a while for a change:laugh: but i refuse.

[circlers]

I haven't used heat on my hear in a few months now (maybe 1.5-2 months since the last time I used the blow dryer on the coldest setting, and around 3-4 months since I used it on the hot setting, at the hair dresser) and honestly it makes me feel so much better about my hair, cause I feel like at least I'm not abusing it :lol:

[Glitch]

i'm glad to see this thread,i used to straighten my hair every 3 days and pass the flat iron on each section literally more than 10 times without heat protectant and without completely drying my hair. sometimes my hair stick to the flat iron(imagine the damage:().i have done this for six years and when i feel like:stop using heat,i stop for 1 month and my hair looks horrible so i use it again.
but now,i stopped using heat completely for 7 months and i can't believe this.my mom used to complain because i used heat so much now she tells me use a blow-dryer every once in a while for a change:laugh: but i refuse.


I haven't used heat on my hear in a few months now (maybe 1.5-2 months since the last time I used the blow dryer on the coldest setting, and around 3-4 months since I used it on the hot setting, at the hair dresser) and honestly it makes me feel so much better about my hair, cause I feel like at least I'm not abusing it :lol:

I’m so happy you guys are determined and feeling great about it after stopping :flower: Very inspiring!

[amiraaah]

I’m so happy you guys are determined and feeling great about it after stopping :flower: Very inspiring!

it's really great,the first 3 months went horrible because i was addicted to heat tools.with the help of diys and trimming half of the damage(i cut from WL+ to bsl twice) my hair looks thicker, shinier and is growing back to waist:).

[circlers]

I’m so happy you guys are determined and feeling great about it after stopping :flower: Very inspiring!

I thought my hair would go crazy, because it used to have some very uneven curls and wurls, but I literally just leave it in an old t-shirt after I wash it, and then when it's a bit dryer I just braid it into 2 braids and let it dry, and it does the trick :D

[Glitch]

it's really great,the first 3 months went horrible because i was addicted to heat tools.with the help of diys and trimming half of the damage(i cut from WL+ to bsl twice) my hair looks thicker, shinier and is growing back to waist:).

Thanks for sharing! I had to similarly chop off my hair from BSL to CL, and will still need a lot of trims to help thicken it up more. I'm excited for your soon to be new and healthy waist length hair! It's also my goal :)


I thought my hair would go crazy, because it used to have some very uneven curls and wurls, but I literally just leave it in an old t-shirt after I wash it, and then when it's a bit dryer I just braid it into 2 braids and let it dry, and it does the trick :D

That sounds so nice and simple! I'm looking forward to experimenting with simple routines now that I won't that I won't be relying on heat -I can't wait to see your hair progress even more in the future :D

[circlers]

Thanks for sharing! I had to similarly chop off my hair from BSL to CL, and will still need a lot of trims to help thicken it up more. I'm excited for your soon to be new and healthy waist length hair! It's also my goal :)



That sounds so nice and simple! I'm looking forward to experimenting with simple routines now that I won't that I won't be relying on heat -I can't wait to see your hair progress even more in the future :D

Well keep us updated on which routine you settle on!
And I personally can't wait either hahaha :D

[*Wednesday*]

I haven't used heat since January 2017. I was an avid curling iron-ist and blow dryer user (2-3 x's a week). What made me kick the heat was joining the no cutting challenges. The curling iron would dry out my ends and the only way to avoid split or dried out ends and having not to cut them was eliminating the two. So far, so good.

[Glitch]

It’s now been exactly 2 months since I quit heat styling! In that time, my hair has already become pretty healthy! Especially after a ton of the heat damaged ends were cut off (I’ll probably still have remaining damaged hair for at least a few more years, but I’ll be microtrimming them away little by little). In these couple months, I experimented heavily with heat-free straightening methods (straight hair is just a preference), and eventually settled with a hair wrapping method :D To think that really straight hair is easily achievable without deep frying is really mind boggling! It’s hard to tell I don’t use heat tools anymore, because the results are so nice. My mom hasn’t said anything negative about my hair either which is a really good sign LOL.


I haven't used heat since January 2017. I was an avid curling iron-ist and blow dryer user (2-3 x's a week). What made me kick the heat was joining the no cutting challenges. The curling iron would dry out my ends and the only way to avoid split or dried out ends and having not to cut them was eliminating the two. So far, so good.

Congratulations!! Your hair looks healthy and nourished. I know how difficult it is to completely quit heat styling, but the hair will show its gratitude in many ways afterwards :)

[gustavonut]

I’m in. I’ve been doing this for two weeks now and it’s not bad. :)

[Glitch]

I’m in. I’ve been doing this for two weeks now and it’s not bad. :)

Welcome, welcome! Soon it won't even feel like a challenge anymore :D

[gustavonut]

Welcome, welcome! Soon it won't even feel like a challenge anymore :D

Thanks! Got any tips to help improve the air drying experience? Lol

[Glitch]

Thanks! Got any tips to help improve the air drying experience? Lol

Hm personally, I "cheat" all the time by sitting in front of a room temperature fan here and there or sitting far enough from the heater so that by the time the air hits my hair, it's just a breeze :) As someone said before, "assisted air drying" lol!

[browntatis]

Hello Everyone!.
I hope this challenge gets active again. I am in for the challenge!
I always let my hair air-dry, and even though my hair type is 1a/1b I am a heat obsessive, especially because my ends are a little dry and the only way the make them look pretty and smooth is with heat. I know, it makes no sense! I know its damaging.
I will give up heat for a few months, just to see if my hair improve, also because I am letting it grow this time.
I hope more people get in, just to get some support.
Happy Growing!

[ArabellaRose]

Might aswell post in here! I'm staying away from all heat styling, since joining the forums a few months ago I've only used the straighteners once and a hairdryer on a warmer setting twice. Everything is packed away in a suitcase now to avoid temptation.

[Arciela]

I've been heat free since 2012. :) I actually gave away all my heat tools..it was so hard at first! I had no idea what to do with my hair..it just looked poofy, fried and littered with white dots. But two years later my hair grew out, all virgin with no damage and now its a breeze :) I can't even think of using heat anymore! I just use a little gel on my waves/curls with some leave in and I am good to go :D

[browntatis]

That is a really good idea ArabellaRose, I think I will do the same, put away my heat tools just in case.
Today is pretty much the first day I tried to go out with my hair natural, not heat styled. I hate my ends, they are so dry, but only that, DRY! because thanks God I dont have any split ends, so I don't want to chop them off. I will add a pic so you can see the huge difference between heat and not heat. styled it looks more healthier, but its only an optical illusion, I have to get that in my head! Here is my hair styled and air-dried, my natural texture.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34540&d=1545005641

And this is the hairstyle I had today, I will have to start doing my hair more to stop using heat, I normally have it flat ironed
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34541&d=1545005655

[yahirwaO.o]

browntatis I wish my hair was naturally smooth like yours!!!!!!!!!! :thud: I actually get the feeling too about my hair looking better when flat ironed even tho some oil and BB brushing makes it decent enough for a 1C like me, but its not the same. It is an optical illusion and im pretty sure if you go healthier on your routine and length travels down it can get quite sleek and shiny without heat!!!!

I had a nice heat romance this year with my flat iron this year..oh yeah the splits got bad even I was not as going frequent with it.

While I love a sleek smooth result from titanium dead hot tool, I much prefer to go easy on my hair and embrace it fully. :D I mean it looks shiny in its own, more voluminous thus uller and im able to bear with it in unexpected weather much kinder way. So yeah no more heat (apart from the occasional blow drying) for me now!!!! :D

[kitcatsmeow]

Just wanted to chime in with some encouragement to those going heartless. It’s been about 8 years since I quit all Heat and it was the best decision ever (after quitting bleach). My hair is naturally wavy with some curls but I wrap it to straighten it and as you can se in my profile and sig, it gets pretty darn smooth! Actually even smoother than with a flat iron or blow dryer. It’s silkier and healthy and all I have to do for some curls/waves is take it out of my bun.

It took me a while to find my perfect heartless routine so don’t get discouraged. Good luck!

[browntatis]

browntatis I wish my hair was naturally smooth like yours!!!!!!!!!! :thud: I actually get the feeling too about my hair looking better when flat ironed even tho some oil and BB brushing makes it decent enough for a 1C like me, but its not the same. It is an optical illusion and im pretty sure if you go healthier on your routine and length travels down it can get quite sleek and shiny without heat!!!!

I had a nice heat romance this year with my flat iron this year..oh yeah the splits got bad even I was not as going frequent with it.

While I love a sleek smooth result from titanium dead hot tool, I much prefer to go easy on my hair and embrace it fully. :D I mean it looks shiny in its own, more voluminous thus uller and im able to bear with it in unexpected weather much kinder way. So yeah no more heat (apart from the occasional blow drying) for me now!!!! :D

Thank you Yahirwa0.o for cheering me up, I love what you said about embracing ones texture, that is very true. I also love how thick your hair is! And your hemline!
Can you please tell me what is a BB brushing, it sounds interesting!

[browntatis]

Just wanted to chime in with some encouragement to those going heartless. It’s been about 8 years since I quit all Heat and it was the best decision ever (after quitting bleach). My hair is naturally wavy with some curls but I wrap it to straighten it and as you can se in my profile and sig, it gets pretty darn smooth! Actually even smoother than with a flat iron or blow dryer. It’s silkier and healthy and all I have to do for some curls/waves is take it out of my bun.

It took me a while to find my perfect heartless routine so don’t get discouraged. Good luck!

Thank you Kitcatsmeow for the encouragement, it is very much appreciated. Wow 8 years is impressive! I can tell how beautiful your hair is.
Yes, I will have to start figuring out my new heatless routine so I don't give up, I really want to improve my hair's health :D.

[redfrau]

Would anyone like to get this going again?

Except the occasional bang dry on very low heat (and I’m keeping them short for now) I’ve been heat free since joining this forum back in late May.

Hardest thing for me is I get a sinus migraine sometimes if the weather is damp and cold and I air dry my hair. This might be avoided by scheduling wash days for optimal weather conditions. I’m willing to try that.

My goal is no heat for at least the rest of the summer, maybe forever depending on results and ability to avoid the headaches.

[Feral_]

Would anyone like to get this going again?

Except the occasional bang dry on very low heat (and I’m keeping them short for now) I’ve been heat free since joining this forum back in late May.

Hardest thing for me is I get a sinus migraine sometimes if the weather is damp and cold and I air dry my hair. This might be avoided by scheduling wash days for optimal weather conditions. I’m willing to try that.

My goal is no heat for at least the rest of the summer, maybe forever depending on results and ability to avoid the headaches.

Have you tried keeping it in a turbie / microfibre towel for longer, to take more of the moisture out? Another option might be to plait a scarf in with it to absorb moisture, and you’d get soft curls too.

“No heat” is not much of a challenge for me as I let mine air dry no matter what the weather, and luckily don’t suffer with headaches. I wash it in the evening so it’s dry before I go to bed.

[SelenVinland]

I stopped using heat on my hair back at the beginning of May when I decided to grow my hair - originally I would tame the sides of my hair and my bangs with a flat iron in the mornings. I've figured out other ways to smooth those down and now that they're getting longer gravity is helping a lot with that. My hair air dries pretty quickly right now (I have fine hair--not sure if that has anything to do with it) so letting it air dry isn't much trouble.

[sipnsun]

Bumping this thread because it's encouraging reading everyone's responses. I miss the way my hair looks when it's blow dried but don't miss the damage and breakage that occurs while pulling a round brush through wet using a drier on high heat. Sometimes I'm amazed that I have any hair at all considering how I have treated it in the past.

[TwilightMermaid]

I used to straighten my hair annually but I haven't for the past two years because A) I'm lazy. Straightening curls is a hassle. And B) I wanted to get longer hair so I decided to stop all kinds of heat. Heat styling was never a big part of my hair care so giving it up wasn't much of an issue. I don't plan on straightening my hair anytime soon, and definitely not before I grow my hair to waist length and layer my hair. So yeah I'll take the no heat challenge for at least the next two years lol.

[mariakatija]

It's been a month since I've use heat on my hair! I used to use the blow dryer on occasion but since I'm back to growing I had to cut it out. It would be cool to have virgin hair (no heat + no dyes).

[Star_fish]

Haven’t used heat for a while & don’t think I’ll go back to it now except for special occasions.