Heat styling can wreak havoc on your hair. So how do you get your strands sleek? We’ve got the best heat-free methods for straightening ahead.

Styling your hair with heat can be extremely damaging to your hair. But there’s nothing quite like the silky smooth style you create with your flat ton. Or is there? We love a heatless hairstyle here at Davines; mostly because it keeps your strands healthy, but when they’re trendy too?! Sign us up! TikTok’s latest hair obsession is heatless hair straightening and it’s not as daunting as it sounds. All you need is a little know-how, with the right products and techniques. If you’re ready to give your hot tools a break, and try the latest viral hair trend, this post is for you. Because we’re telling you how to straighten hair without heat ahead.

Hot tools are great for creating sleek straight looks, but they can cause some serious damage to your hair. Straightening tools like blow-dryers and flat irons work by using heat to break the chemical bonds in the hair. During this process, the broken bonds reform into different shapes, and as the hair cools, the new shape temporarily sets. This weakens the hair’s strength and elasticity, and degrades its structure, causing irreversible damage to the hair. In the short term, this damage can leave your strands looking dry and frizzy, with split ends and breakage. In the long term, repeated heat exposure can permanently change the structure of your hair, leaving it lifeless and unmanageable. So it goes without saying that anytime you heat style, prepping with a heat protection product like our MELU Hair Shield is a must. On the other hand, once you stop using heat, you’ll notice an incredible difference in your hair's health and appearance. Strands will become softer, smoother and shinier, with minimal split ends and breakage.

Ready to learn how to straighten hair without heat the TikTok way? These heatless styling hacks are the latest trend to go viral and they’re as easy to master as a ponytail.

Hair Tie Ponytail Wrap

Step 1:Start with clean, damp hair, or use a spray bottle to wet the length of your hair.

Step 2: Tie your hair into a low ponytail using a scrunchie. Use a bristle brush to gather your hair into a smooth pony against the back of your head.

Step 3: Start at the top of the scrunchie and work your way down to the ends, wrapping hair ties around the ponytail so that it’s completely covered.

Step 4: Let your ponytail set overnight and carefully remove everything in the morning. Comb your fingers through your hair and voila, it’s straight.

Ribbon Ponytail Wrap

Step 1: Start with towel-dried hair and apply hair oil, starting at your crown and down to your ends.

Step 2: Brush your hair into a low ponytail, secured with a scrunchie that won’t cause creasing.

Step 3: Take two one-inch thick ribbons and gently tie them to the top of your ponytail. Wrap them around the pony so that your ends are covered, and tie the ends together to secure.

Step 4:Let your pony sit overnight, and gently unwrap the ribbons in the morning.

Remove the scrunchie and use your fingers to comb through for a naturally straight style.

Towel drying your hair is far less damaging than blow-drying, because it doesn't involve heat. But even without using heat, the tool you use here matters. In this case, your towel. To reduce frizz on heat-damaged hair when you towel-dry use a microfibre towel or cotton t-shirt. These materials are very absorbent and gentle on the hair. Post-shower, take your hair into your towel and gently squeeze out the water with the towel. Then apply a smoothing product like our LOVE Hair Smoother and follow by combing it out straight and letting the hair air-dry. For added straightening, sporadically comb through your hair while it's drying. Finish with some hairspray to tame flyaways as needed.

If you’ve got curly hair, it’s important to understand that heat-free hair straightening isn’t as straight-forward for your hair type. It’s much easier to straighten wavy hair without heat than curly. But it is possible, and at the very least, to get pretty close. Wondering how to straighten curly hair without heat? The best heatless technique for curly and natural hair is wet-setting. A wet set is a method of styling that immediately follows a shampoo and conditioning session, while the hair is still wet. Also known as a wash and set, a wet set can both create curls or straighten hair, depending on the tools used. To straighten, you’ll need a straightening product like our Relaxing Moisturizing Fluid and a set of jumbo velcro rollers. Use a fine-tooth comb to distribute the smoothing product through your hair, before sectioning it into four equal parts. Wrap a one-to-two-inch section of hair as tightly as you can around the roller and continue until all your hair is wrapped. Finish with a light hairspray. Because wet-setting can take several hours to dry, it's best to set before bed and wrap a silk scarf around the velcro rollers so they don't move around while you sleep. In the morning, remove the rollers and run your fingers through your straight hair.

Another heatless hair hack for straightening curly strands might sound counterintuitive, but trust us, it works. We’re talking about using braids to air-dry your curly hair straight, and this is one of our favorite tricks for frizz-free, heatless straightening. Start by distributing a mousse like our This is a Volume Boosting Mousse through your mid lengths and ends. Rake it through with your fingers, smoothing any remaining product through your roots. Then comb it through your strands with a wide tooth comb. Then loosely braid your hair in two braids and let it air-dry. Make sure your hair is fully dry before removing the braids. When you take them out, you’ll be left with a frizz-free wavy texture, rather than your usual curls.

When it comes to how to straighten hair without heat, you might be surprised to see blow-drying as one of the options. But, you read it correctly. We said blow-drying. We never said the blow-dryer was the problem- just the hot air. You can absolutely blow-dry your hair with cold air. In fact, we encourage it. Blow-drying your hair with cold air not only straightens it without damage, but the cold air helps to seal your hair’s cuticle structure, protecting it from splitting and keeping it healthier. It also helps to reduce frizz, maintain your hair's color and soothe a dry or itchy scalp. To blow-dry your hair straight with cold air, apply a lightweight blowout cream like our This is a Primer to towel-dried hair. This helps to tame any frizz and smooth down any flyaways. Then, blow-dry as usual, using the dryer's cold setting. Set your sleek strands with a light hairspray or shine spray.

Say goodbye to heat damage and hello to softer, smoother, shinier, hair with minimal split ends and breakage by giving up your hot tools. Heatless hair straightening is the trend to try for silky, straight locks and it’s easy to master. All you need is the will to put down the heat, along with the right products and techniques. With our tips for heat-free straightening you’ll notice an incredible difference in the health and appearance of your strands. And be sure to use high quality products like the ones from Davines on your strands. Our straightening and anti-breakage products use high grade, all-natural ingredients to keep the texture of your hair healthy and intact.

by Jaclyn LaBadia, featured contributor