7 best heatless hair curling headbands to buy in 2023
Costing a fraction of expensive hair styling tools, this curling trick works while you sleep, with users swearing they are “never using heat again”.
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Going to bed with straight hair, waking up with curls — it sounds too good to be true.
But that’s exactly what a heatless curling headband will do, with the added bonus of costing a fraction of the price of heat styling tools that can also lead to hair damage in the process.
It’s taken off on TikTok as well, where the hashtag #heatlesscurls has racked up a whopping 1.5 billion views and celebrities like Abbie Chatfield have documented themselves trying out the trend.
“They literally look like my roller curls, I’m shook,” @lilyvanbrooklyn shared in a before and after video that’s been viewed 7.8 million times.
“Honestly never using heat again,” another TikTok user @kayli.boyle said in a video of her jaw-dropping results.
But does it pass the hairdresser test? According to Jaye Edwards, EdwardsAndCo owner, founder and colourist, yes it does.
“Heatless hair curlers have gained popularity as post covid hair health has become a huge priority for people,” he told news.com.au.
“Now that we’re all back at the office and time poor, it’s super time saving, as you sleep with them in.”
Read on for our expert guide to using one to get the best results.
HOW WE CHOOSE PRODUCTS
To help you achieve the curls and waves of your dreams – minus the heat, our team of experienced writers spent hours researching heatless curler headbands that we deem worthy of including in articles. We find out what factors make them good by talking to experts, reviewing test results and analysing thousands of customer reviews.
In this article
- Best heatless curling headbands
- Best octopus heatless curling headbands
- How do you use a heatless curling headband?
- Best products to use with a heatless hair curling headband
- Are heatless curls just as good as heat styled curls?
OUR TOP PICKS
BEST HEATLESS CURLING HEADBANDS
This is the most common kind of heatless curling headband you can find and best if you want your curls to resemble a wavy blowout.
Kitsch Heatless Hair Curler Set in Satin, $35 (down from $39)
What You Need To Know
This curling set from Kitsch features a 86cm foam curling rod with a 3cm diameter and two satin sleep scrunchies to secure your hair, and keep it frizz-free. The set is said to be lightweight and easy to pack away – plus, it can be hand washed in cold water when needed.
Making its rounds on TikTok, this product has over four million views and many user posting their own reviews and results, plus it also boasts a 4.8-star rating with over 1000 five-star reviews. One satisfied customer says she “cannot believe how well this works”.
“I am a very low maintenance woman. In fact, even if I wanted to do more to myself, I wouldn’t know how. I lack in the feminine skills department. But with Kitsch, I can have hair that looks like I know what I’m doing when really I don’t,” she wrote.
“I’ve never had better hair days for ZERO effort; it’s unreal. I really didn’t think it would be this good, but the price point was too great not to just give it a try. My hair, my morning/night routine, and my husband are all grateful for this hair holy grail.”
MH MOIHSING Heatless Curling Rod Headband, $13.56 (down from $21.99) at Amazon Australia
MH MOIHSING Women Girls Silk Ribbon Hair Rod
What You Need To Know
The four-piece set includes a 98cm ribbon made from ABS and silicone, two satin scrunchies and a plastic claw clip to help you secure the ribbon headband at the top.
“I was going to buy a $50 set of these heatless curlers but jumped on Amazon instead,” one five-star reviewer writes.
“Lucky I did, these work so good, after I wash my hair I dry with a blow dryer or let it air dry then add some styling mousse and wrap my hair around the headband.
“When I wake up in the morning I have beautiful curls, my hair is very long – 24 inches – and I have no issues using this product, it also is super comfortable to sleep in.”
Mermade Hair Heatless Curls Kit, $49 at THE ICONIC
Mermade Hair Heatless Curls Kit
What You Need To Know
Made with 100 per cent mulberry silk, this heatless curls kit by Mermade Hair will assure your hair remains silky, shiny and frizz-free. It’s filled with cotton making it very lightweight and soft, and suitable for overnight use without damaging your hair.
The kit comes with one rod, a 9cm claw clip to secure the rod and two mulberry silk scrunchies to tie off the ends.
Holding a 4.7-star rating on Google, one shopper says to “throw away the cheap imitations [curling headbands]”.
“This product is amazing! So easy to use, I must admit, it took me two attempts to get it right, but now it takes less than 10 minutes to do,” they wrote.
“The curler itself, is so soft. The imitations out there are like sleeping with a pool-noodle on your head, Mermade Hair’s product is so light weight and soft, I had no issues going to bed with it in, and having a good night sleep. In the morning, my hair looks sensational! Beautiful curls that last the day and the night, and even the next day. Love, love, love this product!”
Pintaur Heatless Hair Curler, $11.99 at Amazon Australia
Pintaur Heatless Hair Curler
What You Need To Know
Made with high-quality and high-resilience sponge, this afforable heatless hair curler kit comes with a headband, two satin scrunchies and a claw clip to keep the headband in place. The sponge headband is breathable, comfortable, odourless and washable, and will return to its original shape.
Five-star reviewers say this heatless curler is “worth every cent” and “created the perfect curls”.
Fitifun Velour Heatless Hair Curler Ribbon, $49.74 at Amazon Australia
Fitifun Velour Heatless Hair Curler Ribbon
What You Need To Know
This heatless hair curler set is not like the others. It isn’t thick and bulky, rather, it’s slightly flat and made with velour – making it soft and gentle on your head and it wraps around your head twice for extra security. Measuring 155cm long (super long) and 4cm wide, it’s perfect for those with long hair. The set includes the hair curler ribbon, two hair ties, two scrunchies, and a claw clip.
One five-star reviewer says its “a literal game changer”.
“I have really thick hair with long extensions in place and it takes so long to curl my hair I was like there has to be a better way. I tried the other thick pink satin hair wrap and it was super uncomfortable to sleep in so I decided to try this one instead because it was a softer material. IT IS AMAZING. I literally get so many compliments every single day and it’s so easy to use once you get the hang of it. There are some posts with videos worth watching. All of my friends have now bought this item because of me!”
BEST OCTOPUS HEATLESS CURLING HEADBAND
This heatless curling headband is its name because of its long, tentacle-like fabric ribbons that hang from the elastic headband that sits on top of your head like a crown.
In a TikTok video that racked up more than 100,000 views in May, Abbie said she was “obsessed” with the results after sleeping in an octopus heatless hair curler overnight to style her hair for an early morning photo shoot.
Her only caveat was that it curled more the ends of her hair, making it better suited if you wanted curls for a half up hairdo.
Octocurl Heatless Hair Curler, $64.91 at Amazon Australia
Octocurl Heatless Hair Curler
What You Need To Know
Made of microfiber, this heatless hair curler by Octocurl is absorbent – wicking away any dampness so that you get the desired curls or waves you’re after. It has 16 curling rods with an elastic attached to the ends and an adjustable headband size, and the number of rods you choose to curl with will affect how loose or tight your curls will be.
One five-star reviewer says they’re “truly impressed” with this product.
“First off I never do product reviews, but this deserves a review. I am truly impressed, I had no idea what I was doing, there is a little booklet of helpful tips that I kind of followed,” they wrote.
“Then I just went with it and made up the rest. I got my hair wet, it took me 20 minutes to fumble my way through this then I went to bed... these Octocurlers are like sleeping on a pillow, a slightly lumpy pillow, but not the worst thing. I was able to actually sleep and keep them in all night. Then when I woke up and took them out to my surprise my hair had actual curls ... I am to lazy to actually style my hair especially in the mornings, hence why I was trying Octocurlers. Also my hair stayed looking good all day. 5 out of 5 I do recommend.”
YIXIPAZH Octopus Heatless Hair Curler, $27.67 at Amazon Australia
YIXIPAZH Octopus Heatless Hair Curler
What You Need To Know
This heatless hair curler is made from cloth cotton and has an adjustable headband to make sure it sits comfortable on your head, and eight rods with an attach elastic at the end to secure your hair. It can easily be put away after use and can be folded without deforming.
And while it may look... odd, reviewers say it’s “easy to use” and “works”.
HOW DO YOU USE A HEATLESS HAIR CURLING HEADBAND?
One of the great things about a heatless hair curling headband is that they’re relatively simple to use.
To use a standard heatless curling headband, start with hair that’s 80 per cent dry, placing the curling headband in the middle of your hair.
Starting from the top wrap your hair around the curling headband, adding more hair as you get to the bottom.
If you’re using an octopus curling heatless curling headband, you’re going to instead divide your hair into eight sections.
Wrap each section around the cloth piece, securing the ends in place with the elastic band at the end.
The next step is simple: Sleep.
“Brush them out in the morning with your fingers or a wide tooth comb, work through a light serum to defrizz any flyaways and set in the curls,” Jaye said.
As well as using a serum, you could also use products on your damp hair to help the curls set overnight, Jaye said.
“You can apply a defrizz cream or a curl enchanting cream to your damp hair before the heatless curler, this will help lock in moisture and shape,” he said.
BEST PRODUCTS TO USE WITH A HEATLESS HAIR CURLING HEADBAND
ELEVEN Smooth & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum, Adore Beauty, $24.95
Containing argan oil to smooth and nourish hair, this hair serum has a delicious watermelon scent.
95 per cent of Adore Beauty shoppers who purchased it recommend this serum, with one five-star reviewer describing it as a “staple in my hair care routine”.
KEVIN. MURPHY Killer Curls, Adore Beauty, $52.95
Designed to defrizz while helping to define curls, this cream is lightweight and ultra hydrating for hair.
It contains Australian fruit extracts, aloe vera leaf juice, watermelon extract and baobab seed oil to leave you with smooth curls when you hair dries.
ARE HEATLESS CURLS AS GOOD AS HEAT STYLED CURLS?
Jaye gives heatless hair curling headbands the thumbs up for being not as damaging, but points out that you won’t have as much “control” over the final curl.
“It’s a great alternative for those concerned with hair health, however, it does depend on the occasion and the look you are trying to achieve,” he said.
“Heat stylers give you a lot more control, so if you’re after a specific look, they are the better option.”
But expect to have hair curled through the heatless method to last longer than when styled with heat.
“They’re a lot more of natural look, as heat curls create very perfectly structured curls,” Jaye said.
“I find they also hold better as the curl forms from wet to dry.”
Want more beauty content? Check out the $69 hair straightener that “beats my GHD”, as well as the hair curler supermodel Bella Hadid likes to use.
If you’d like a cheeky discount on your next shop check out news.com.au Coupons with discount codes for big brands like Adore Beauty and Sephora.
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