15 Heatless Hairstyles Tempting Me to Put Away My Straighteners for Good

I’m just throwing it out there, the world of beauty can be extremely time consuming. From multiple step skincare and makeup routines to fitting in nail appointments and waxes, I think it is safe to say things can get out of hand... On mornings when I’m in a real rush, I’m all over saving precious minutes cutting back on something in my many stages of beauty prep. That’s where heatless hair days come into play.

As much as I love my hair tools—shoutout to my Dyson Air Wrap and Drybar blow-dry brush—I am someone who has often left my hair to air dry. Having a natural wave to it means that, with a little help of some styling products, it can be done in mere minutes. And the benefits don’t stop there. 

"Nailing down a couple of heatless hairstyles that you can create easily a few times a week will have a huge benefit on your hair health in the long term,” says Kieran Tudor, hair stylist at Josh Wood and co-founder of Centred haircare. "Reducing the overall heat and mechanical damage will mean less split ends, shinier, fuller hair and colour that lasts longer, too.”

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(Image credit: @TAYLOR_HILL)

Taylor knows a thing or two about working with her natural hair texture.

"One of my favourites is creating waves by twisting hair around a set of tights—thank you, Tik Tok—but I’d say it really depends on your individual hair type and style,” explains Tudor. "For me, condition is always key so anything you can do which is also benefitting the hair is a winner. Think wearable treatments, leave-in conditioners and scalp treatments, it’s all about getting products to multi task and work harder for you and your hairs condition.”

I have always been an advocate for the heatless hair movement as it’s about celebrating the natural texture we've been blessed with and not tonging or straightening the life out of it, which I definitely remember doing at school. Tudor echoes my view entirely, saying we should celebrate individuality and be expressive with our hair. "Coming in to spring is a nice time to experiment too as the new season is all about fresh beginnings and the warmer weather means it doesn’t feel as daunting to leave the house with slightly damp, rough-dried hair,” Tudor adds. "Laying off the heat before the summer months isn’t a bad idea either.”

Keep scrolling to get all of the inspiration you need from the best heatless hairstyles around.

The Best Heatless Hairstyles:

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(Image credit: @AEMILIAFAY)

Flicking hair over to the side once it's dried gives an undone, carefree and relaxed feel.

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(Image credit: @EMMANUELLEK_)

We can't get enough of Emmanuelle's gorgeous chocolate-toned coils.

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(Image credit: @BADGALRARA_)

Running a conditioning treatment through the ends of the hair as it air dries will help to combat brittleness.

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(Image credit: @THATCURLYTOP)

Apply nourishing butters and curl creams for soft, bouncy definition.

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(Image credit: @GRACEALEXANDRIAA)

Another quick and easy way to achieve a gorgeous heatless hairstyle is by sleeping in damp plaits...

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(Image credit: @HELENACUESTA)

...or wearing them throughout the day. Mermaid-inspired hair incoming!

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(Image credit: @FLVMEPRINCESS)

Having one of those days where your hair just isn't working down? Space buns and plaits make for an effortlessly cool look.

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(Image credit: @BROOKYLNNGALLAGHER)

Our trusty crocodile clip, what would we do without you? The perfect way to quickly and easily throw the hair up when you can't be bothered to style it.

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(Image credit: @CLAIRE_MOST)

To keep textured curls and coils strong and healthy, use deeply conditioning oils to inject moisture and strength into strands and boost shine and definition.

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(Image credit: @ISABELRUDIE)

Curtain bangs paired with natural air-dried curls is a serious vibe.

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(Image credit: @JULLIE.JEINE)

Style braids, twists and locs like Jullie. 

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(Image credit: @MONIKH)

Fashion and lifestyle influencer Monikh is in favour of air drying her gorgeous thick, dark hair in a middle parting.

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(Image credit: @ALYSSAINTHECITY)

A textured bob and cropped fringe makes for the coolest effortless summer style.

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(Image credit: @ELIZABETHANNEVENTER)

And if all else fails, air dry your hair and stick on a cap. Not only is it the on-trend thing to do but it'll keep spring sun out your eyes too. 

Shop The Best Leave-In Treatments for Heatless Hair:

Wanting Waves? Shop Heatless Curling Tools:

Next Up: Looking At These 12 Bob Hairstyles Made Me Chop My Hair—Now I'll Never Look Back

This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Mollie Burdell is a freelance beauty editor, presenter and host. She trained as a makeup artist at the prestigious Delamar Academy, covering everything from prosthetics and theatre to TV and film, and then went on to graduate from university with a First Class Honours degree in journalism.

After completing internships at Grazia, Look, Cosmopolitan and Stylist, she landed her first writer role at Superdrug's Dare magazine. Mollie then joined the Harrods content team as a beauty writer before being promoted to the deputy beauty editor. There, she developed the content strategy, tone of voice and creative identity for H Beauty—Harrods's standalone regional beauty stores. When she wasn't interviewing the likes of Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr and Regé-Jean Page, you'd find her on a live broadcast, hosting an event, shooting video content, reviewing the lastest beauty launch on social or crafting a magazine feature. She has also hosted and contributed to the LuxeGirl by SheerLuxe YouTube series.

When Mollie isn't writing about beauty, you'll find her talking about it on a TikTok shop, dancing to pretty much anything with a beat, reading a crime thriller or performing a solo rendition of "One Day More" from Les Mis.