Best heatless hair styling tools: Curlers, rollers and more

Most of us love the polished, professional look we have straight after a visit to the hair salon, but try to recreate it yourself at home every day and your hair will soon tell a story.

Dulled colour, parched strands and damaged ends split from over-exposure to extreme heat: it’s no way to treat your crowning glory.

It’s well known that overuse of flat irons and curling irons can wreck your hair, causing it to become brittle and dry - a look that’s never in fashion.

Frizz tends to be the most common reason for people reaching for heated hair tools, looking for a quick and effective way to banish the flyaways. It can also be tricky to achieve volume with staying power without the help of a hair dryer or heated curlers.

But it’s not impossible. As many of us wake up to the fact that daily use of heated tools is doing our locks no favours, there are some haircare companies that are leading the revolution for heatless hair styling tools.

You’ve no doubt seen them doing the rounds on your newsfeed (mainly TikTok, the home of current trends); curious shapes and contraptions that, once properly mastered, give your hair the look of a salon-fresh style without switching on a single tool. Many work best with a hair product like an oil, volumising mousse or creme, adding more body compared to naked hair.

If you’re interested in this healthier, less harmful way to achieve red carpet-worthy locks, we’ve found the best around worth spending your money on.

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SILKE Heatless Curler

If you’re anything like us, right now on your wrist is anywhere between 1 - 3 hair ties, ready for those moments when you need your hair out of your face. SILKE offers some of the best around, and now has brought its kind-to-strand signature to other tools. A claw grip and a heatless curler is all you need here to help achieve Hollywood-esque curls minus the heat.

Made from the same silky fabric as the hair ties, the tool is essentially one long, skinny foam sausage that you position on the centre front of your head (hair centre parted) and secure with the claw grip. Then working from the top-most sections, wrap a three inch-wide section around the tool, pulling away from your face so that the roots are pulled up - this is what will give you the volume you’re looking for. Work in sections along one side from the top of your head to your temples, around the ears and finally the back of the neck, securing it all at the end with the hair tie, then repeat on the other side.

SILKE recommends using the tool with damp hair and sleeping in it, which, as side-sleepers, we found challenging. Luckily the tool will give you the desired effect if you wear it for three to four hours (or as long as it takes for your hair to completely air dry). This makes it an option if you want to try heatless for an afternoon or evening event.

The benefits are obvious: zero heat damage and bouncy curls to die for. Add a styling creme, mousse or a few drops of hair oil to your damp locks before wrapping them around the hair tool for a more polished result.

Available in black or pink.

Buy now £42.00, SILKE London

Drybar High Tops Self-Grip Rollers

This set of six rollers comes from professional stylist Alli Webb who knows a thing or two about haircare. Designed to finesse every hair type and concern, the self-gripping rollers promise to add volume without kinks.

Simply section hair, and roll each piece from the ends up finishing with the roller towards the back of the head to help it stay in place. The brand recommends gently drying hair with a hairdryer on a low heat setting to get it almost dry before using the rollers, minimising damage while allowing you to get beautiful, bouncy curls faster.

Buy now £10.00, Harrods

Kitsch Satin Heatless Pillow Rollers 6pc- Soft Marble

If you’re after beachy waves or a more laid back curl, this set of six rollers may be the heatless hero your hair has been crying out for. Once you’ve added product through damp hair, section off parts and wrap around each curler, snapping the ends together once all the hair has been gathered to keep it all secure. Wait until hair has completely dried before removing the satin rollers, which should slide off your locks with ease thanks to the silky nature of the fabric.

Buy now £10.50, Boots

Kitsch Satin Heatless Curling Set - Sunset Tie Dye

We've had overnight oats, now it's time to say hello to overnight curls; both sensations born from social media. This fabric tube is another riff off a viral TikTok trend, in which users wrapped hair around the belt of a dressing robe and secured it with ties on the end. You can leave your gown tied with this tool encased in a warm soft tye-dye print with matching hair scrunchies.

Section from the top, away from the face and loop around the tube, securing the whole lot with the ties at the end. By morning, you'll have perfectly curled waves. Easy.

Buy now £9.52, lookfantastic

Pintaur Store High Resilience Sponge Heatless Hair Curler

Love leopard print? Us too. That’s one reason to bag this heatless hair curling set. The other? The length is perfect for longer hair in particular, with plenty of room to wrap sections around. If you’re after beachy, boho waves, wrap larger sections loosely around the rod; for tighter curls with added longevity, pack the sections in a bit tighter.

Buy now £10.99, Amazon

DMQ Heatless Curler Hair Bun

It may be a streamlined version of a hair rod, but this double-scrunchie offers much the same results. Using it is arguably more simple too: gather hair into a high pony as far up along your head as you can manage, and wrap sections around the more concentrated scrunched section (shown here in light green). Once all your hair is in, use the darker half to wrap over your hair and keep everything secure, ready for you to sleep or work in. This option works best on longer hair as you need to have enough to gather up and wrap from the top of your head.

Buy now £6.79, Amazon