Style without heat

Compare curl-setting methods, loose everyday styles and temporary additions.

87 guides · Free to read

Choose your starting point

First decide whether you want to set damp hair into a shape or arrange hair that is already dry. For a set, compare the hand movement, tools and waiting time: braids, twists, knots, rollers and rods are different choices. Everyday buns, clips and ponytails serve a different purpose.

Compare the methods

Explore the methods below. Open a guide for when to use it, what you’ll need and the full steps.

A woman supports a swept side section while sliding a curved side comb forward beneath it.

1–3 min hands-on

Anchor hair with a side comb

A side comb is a curved hair accessory whose teeth hold a swept-back section in place. It stays in the hair rather than combing through the lengths.

A woman seats the hairpiece comb at her ponytail base before closing the wrap.

5–12 min hands-on

Attach and remove a wraparound ponytail

A wraparound ponytail adds a removable hairpiece using small combs at a natural ponytail base, a hook-and-loop wrap and a hair strand that covers the fastening.

Scrunching one wet straighter top section beside a released wavy underlayer for visual scale.

5–15 min hands-on

Blend a straighter top layer with wavier underlayers

Mixed-pattern blending wet-sets only the straighter canopy so it dries closer to the wave pattern underneath.

An adult guides a soft brush forward over short damp hair while following the crown direction.

2–5 min hands-on

Brush short hair along a wave pattern

Directional wave brushing guides short wavy, curly or coily hair outward from its crown in consistent paths to arrange a close wave pattern.

A woman holds the base of one twisted section and circles its length into a low Bantu knot with her other hand.

25–60 min hands-on

Create a Bantu-knot set and knot-out

A Bantu-knot set twists damp sections into compact coiled knots, then unwinds them only after they are fully dry for a knot-out style.

Woman uses both hands to cross an outer strand over the middle while keeping three strands of her own damp hair separate.

30–75 min hands-on

Create a braid-out

A braid-out shapes loose hair by letting it dry in three-strand braids. Opening the braids leaves the hair in the wave pattern formed by the crossings.

Woman crosses two strands of her own damp coily hair in the same direction to form a hanging twist.

25–60 min hands-on

Create a twist-out

A twist-out shapes loose hair by letting it dry in two-strand twists. Opening the twists leaves the hair in curl groups formed by the set.

A woman holds a wet curl section over the upward-facing bristles of a horizontal styling brush, with the loose ends draped over its outer edge.

15–40 min hands-on

Define curls with a styling brush

Brush styling uses the bristles and shaped outer edge of a curl-defining brush to gather wet hair into groups that dry together.

Supporting and smoothing styler through one wet coily section.

30–60 min hands-on

Do a wash-and-go on coily hair

A coily wash-and-go styles conditioned wet coils in sections, then dries them without setting twists, braids or rollers.

A man holds his ponytail while wrapping a hooked hair bungee around its base.

3–8 min hands-on

Fasten a ponytail with a hair bungee

A hair bungee is a short elastic cord with a hook at each end, wrapped around a gathered ponytail and anchored into the hair.

A woman guides the lock backward with her right hand while her left residual forearm anchors the long elastic tail.

5–15 min hands-on

Fasten and release a ponytail with a one-handed aid

A long-loop ponytail aid gathers hair as its sliding lock moves backward, using a separate anchor for the tail so one working hand can guide the lock.

A man supports his ponytail while closing the upper clasp of a vertical banana clip.

3–8 min hands-on

Fasten hair with a banana clip

A banana clip gathers hair between two long curved comb arms that hinge together below and fasten above the ponytail.

A woman supports her half-up gathering while closing a clasp barrette around it.

3–8 min hands-on

Fasten hair with a clasp barrette

A clasp barrette holds a gathered section between a decorated upper plate and a hinged lower arm that latches shut underneath.

A woman works down a small clump, with a formed spiral above her index finger and an uncoiled tail below.

20–60 min hands-on

Finger-coil curls

Finger coiling wraps small damp curl clumps around a finger to shape temporary spirals.

A woman closes a flat velvet wig-grip band at her nape without stretching it.

2–5 min hands-on

Fit a velvet wig-grip band

A velvet wig-grip band sits beneath a removable wig and uses its fabric surface and adjustable closure to help hold the cap in place.

A woman steadies the edges of a hair-side-up crown topper before fastening its clips.

5–12 min hands-on

Fit and remove a clip-in hair topper

A clip-in topper is a partial hairpiece that adds coverage or fullness over the crown. Small clips on its underside attach it to your own hair.

An adult forms an inward side roll beside an already pinned front roll.

8–18 min hands-on

Form and pin victory rolls

Victory rolls turn dry front and side sections inward into upright rolls that are pinned at their bases and worn as a style.

An adult holds a gathered puff with one hand while positioning a round clamp arm at its base.

2–5 min hands-on

Gather hair with a round puff clamp

A round puff clamp gathers textured hair inside two curved arms with short teeth and interlocking hooks.

An adult threads one ribbon tail through a braid gap below the first loose crisscross.

5–12 min hands-on

Lace a ribbon between two braids

Ribbon braid lacing threads a ribbon back and forth between two finished braids to form a visible crisscross.

An adult lowers a thin vertical section between the two working strands of an early side row.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a basket-weave side row

A basket-weave side row traps hanging sections between two twisting strands, making a woven line while the lower hair stays loose.

An adult supports two hair-bow loops while placing a narrow center strand over their small tie.

8–18 min hands-on

Make a bow with your own hair

A hair bow divides one folded hair loop into two wings and covers the middle with a narrow strand.

A woman supports a hair tie while widening the hair above it into a rounded bubble.

3–8 min hands-on

Make a bubble ponytail

A bubble ponytail uses spaced hair ties along one ponytail, with the hair between ties gently widened into rounded sections.

An adult keeps the first loop open while guiding the second section’s tail toward it.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a Celtic knot in a side section

A Celtic hair knot interweaves two sections through one open loop to make a flat decorative knot.

An adult continues a loose Dutch braid across the front while the remaining hair hangs free.

10–25 min hands-on

Make a continuous crown braid

A continuous crown braid adds loose hair into one braid as it travels around the head, then tucks its tail into the starting point.

A woman spreads a section over the foam ring and tucks its ends beneath the rim.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a doughnut bun

A doughnut bun spreads a ponytail over a foam ring, then tucks and pins the ends around the ring’s base.

A woman holds a raised Dutch braid while gathering a loose side section with her other hand.

8–20 min hands-on

Make a Dutch braid

A Dutch braid adds side hair to three strands that cross under the center, making the woven braid stand above the surrounding hair.

An adult draws a folded part of the hair tail through an open loop using two fingers.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a finger-crochet hair chain

A finger-crochet hair chain draws a folded length of hair through the previous loop to make an interlocking chain.

A woman supports four separate working sections below a flat woven side braid.

6–15 min hands-on

Make a flat four-strand braid

A flat four-strand braid weaves each outer strand across two inner strands, using over-under on the right and under-over on the left.

A woman gathers a small slice into the lower strand at the working end of her own flat twist.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a flat twist

A flat twist crosses two strands while adding loose hair into the lower strand, making a rope that follows a section close to the head.

A woman holds her braid with one hand and adds loose side hair with the other.

8–20 min hands-on

Make a French braid

A French braid adds loose side sections to a three-strand braid, creating a plait that follows the head before continuing down the lengths.

An adult holds two fishtail halves while adding one small loose side pickup across to the opposite half.

8–18 min hands-on

Make a French fishtail side braid

A French fishtail adds loose hair into a two-section fishtail as it travels along the head, before continuing as a free braid.

A woman supports an upward French twist while tucking its loose ends into the roll.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a French twist

A French twist rolls gathered lengths upward into a vertical fold at the back of the head and holds the fold with pins.

A woman adds hair only from the back-facing edge of her own side lace braid.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a lace braid

A lace braid adds new hair to only one side of a three-strand braid, leaving the opposite edge free.

A woman supports an unsecured low coil with one hand while guiding the loose twisted length around its base; the soft tie is still on her wrist.

30 sec–2 min hands-on

Make a loose bun

A dry-hair updo that gathers a low ponytail into a loose coil held by a soft fabric-covered tie.

A woman begins a side braid by moving one outside section over the middle, keeping three sections separate.

2–5 min hands-on

Make a loose everyday braid

A three-strand braid weaves three sections of hair together by crossing the outside sections over the middle in turn. This loose version starts over one shoulder.

An adult holds a large loose overhand loop in two side sections before settling it into a knot.

8–18 min hands-on

Make a loose knotted side row

A knotted hair row joins two sections with loose overhand knots, adding nearby hair before each new knot to extend the row.

A woman separates the upper ponytail into two halves around the lower ponytail before lifting the lower tail.

8–18 min hands-on

Make a pull-through braid

A pull-through braid forms linked loops by splitting an upper ponytail around a lower one and tying the split halves together beneath it.

An adult holds a larger side section separately from a smaller hairline section.

8–18 min hands-on

Make a ring braid in a side section

A ring braid wraps successive small sections around a larger section and draws each tail through its loop to make a row of ring-shaped details.

4–10 min hands-on

Make a rope braid

A rope braid twists two sections individually in one direction, then winds them around each other in the opposite direction.

A man transfers a thin outer strip between the two main sections of his own fishtail braid.

6–15 min hands-on

Make a side fishtail braid

A fishtail braid interleaves thin strips from two larger sections, creating a narrow herringbone pattern along the lengths.

Holding the upper tail over one shoulder while securing the remaining hair into a separate lower ponytail.

1–3 min hands-on

Make a stacked loose ponytail

A stacked ponytail places two loose tails vertically so the upper tail overlaps the lower one.

An adult holds one braid-end strand separately while gripping the other two higher up for the first slide.

5–12 min hands-on

Make a three-strand slide-up braid

A slide-up braid gathers two braided strands along a held third strand, then eases the gathered loops apart to form a small zigzag accent.

A man carries one strand across both other strands while making a three-strand twist.

4–10 min hands-on

Make a three-strand twist

A three-strand twist repeatedly carries the leftmost strand over both other strands to the far right, forming a rope from three sections.

A man opens a gap above the ponytail tie with his fingers before turning the tail through it.

2–6 min hands-on

Make a turned ponytail

A turned ponytail passes its free tail through a gap above the tie, making an inward twist on each side of the base.

A woman releases a lower waterfall strand while holding the two continuing strands of her own braid.

7–15 min hands-on

Make a waterfall braid

A waterfall braid releases the lower working strand at each repeat and replaces it with a fresh nearby section, leaving loose lengths below the braid.

An adult holds an open prepared tinsel clip beside the side of her hair.

5–10 min hands-on

Make and wear a removable tinsel clip

A removable tinsel clip anchors folded decorative strands to a snap clip so the whole ornament can be taken out together.

A woman turns a comb through one small isolated section while guiding its free tip.

3–8 min hands-on

Make comb coils

Comb coiling rotates a small section with a comb while moving toward the tip, then slides the comb free to leave a spiral.

A woman wraps damp hair from one side around a padded curling ribbon while the other ribbon end hangs free.

5–15 min hands-on

Make heatless curls with a soft curling ribbon

Soft-ribbon curling wraps two sides of damp hair around a padded form and secures the ends while the hair dries without a heated tool.

A woman holds one plait across her crown while pinning it; the other plait still hangs beside her shoulder.

8–18 min hands-on

Make milkmaid braids

Milkmaid braids lay two finished side plaits over the top of the head and pin their ends beneath each other.

An adult holds the upper curve with two fingers while guiding the hair below with a comb.

5–15 min hands-on

Mold finger waves in a side panel

Finger waving shapes damp hair into alternating curved ridges close to the head using fingers, a comb and a setting product.

Holding a loose side twist away from the face.

1–3 min hands-on

Pin back a growing-out fringe

Fringe pinning holds a short front section away from the face with a loose twist and a bobby pin.

An adult supports a side twist near the center-back while placing a pin along the head.

8–18 min hands-on

Pin curls into a faux hawk

A pinned curly faux hawk brings side sections toward the center of the head, leaving their curled ends loose to form a crest.

An adult rolls one long side section inward beneath a temporary bob outline.

8–18 min hands-on

Pin long hair into a faux bob

A faux bob folds long lengths under and pins them to a small hidden nape braid to create a temporary shorter outline.

Supporting a weft seam while pressing a clip near a reachable side part.

10–25 min hands-on

Put in and remove clip-in extensions

Clip-ins are strips of extension hair, called wefts, with snap clips along the top. The clips grip sections of your own hair for temporary wear.

A woman lowers a halo extension loop over her loose crown bun while supporting both weft ends.

5–12 min hands-on

Put on and remove a fitted halo extension

A halo holds a wide strip of extension hair around the back of your head with a wire over the crown. This method covers a design that also has snap clips.

A man adjusts a removable short curly wig by the ear tabs with both hands.

2–6 min hands-on

Put on and remove a glueless wig

Glueless wig placement positions a removable wig by its cap edges and ear tabs, using its intended fit instead of adhesive.

A woman folds gathered hair upward and positions an open claw clip at the fold.

15–60 sec hands-on

Put your hair up with a claw clip

A dry-hair updo that uses a claw clip to hold a low folded bundle off the neck.

An adult cups a partly rolled braid while turning its tied end inward toward the braid base.

5–12 min hands-on

Roll a braid into a low bun

A rolled braid bun folds the tied end of a plait inward and rolls the braid up onto itself, then pins the roll near its starting point.

A man supports his low bun while seating a curved U-shaped pin beneath its outer coil.

3–8 min hands-on

Secure a bun with a U-shaped pin

A U-shaped bun pin catches the outer coil, flips over and slides underneath it so its two prongs anchor the bun against the hair below.

A woman supports her own loose bun while turning a spiral pin into its edge.

3–8 min hands-on

Secure a bun with spiral pins

Spiral bun pins screw into a coiled bun from separate sides and unscrew for removal, rather than sliding straight through the hair.

A woman holds the coil while a single straight stick crosses beneath the bun and emerges through its opposite edge.

2–6 min hands-on

Secure and release a loose bun with a hair stick

A single hair stick holds a coiled bun by catching its outer edge and changing direction to anchor the coil in the hair beneath it.

An adult begins rolling a single loc tip around a prepared pipe-cleaner support.

5–15 min hands-on

Set a small loc section with pipe cleaners

A pipe-cleaner set gives established locs a temporary curl by holding them around a soft, bendable wire support while they dry.

An adult ties the fabric tails of a cloth roll below the ear without tightening the roots.

5–12 min hands-on

Set curls with cloth strips

Cloth-strip curls roll damp hair around folded fabric, with the fabric ends tied together to hold the roll while it dries.

A woman uses both hands to spiral one damp section smoothly along a straight flexi rod.

30–75 min hands-on

Set curls with flexi rods

A flexi-rod set spirals damp sections around bendable rods, then bends the rod ends to hold the sections while they dry.

An adult supports a mesh sleeve near a small damp side section while the other hand lowers the hook handle.

5–12 min hands-on

Set hair with pull-through mesh curlers

Pull-through mesh curlers use a matching hook to draw a small damp section inside a shaped sleeve, which holds it while it dries.

A woman uses both hands to form one damp side section into a flat circular pin curl around two fingers.

25–60 min hands-on

Set pin curls without heat

A pin-curl set rolls damp sections into flat circles, clips them in place and releases them only after the roots and centers are fully dry.

A woman uses both hands to wind the ends of one damp section smoothly around a nonheated roller.

20–45 min hands-on

Set your hair on rollers without heat

A nonheated roller set shapes damp hair into curls or waves as it dries around rollers. The roller size helps determine how tight or loose the curve is.

An adult supports the first curved section of a low bun while placing a pin.

5–12 min hands-on

Shape a low figure-eight bun

A figure-eight bun arranges a twisted ponytail into two connected curves with a diagonal crossing between them.

A man gently combs a damp front section toward the side.

1–3 min hands-on

Shape growing-out short hair

Grow-out shaping directs existing short hair into a comfortable temporary side or backward shape.

A man lightly places a perforated curl sponge against his own short damp curls for circular shaping.

4–10 min hands-on

Shape short curls with a sponge

Curl-sponge styling moves a perforated foam face in gentle circles over short damp curls or coils, grouping hair through the openings.

Soft-brushing damp surface hair backward while the other hand gathers lengths with visibly slack tension.

3–7 min hands-on

Slick hair back with low tension

A low-tension slick-back guides the surface hair backward with product and a soft brush while keeping the hairline comfortable.

An adult supports a small wet curl group while the other thumb and finger smooth its length without winding.

8–20 min hands-on

Smooth individual curls with shingling

Shingling uses fingers and a leave-in styler to smooth individual wet curl groups. It gives each group more attention than raking through a whole section.

An adult supports a reachable section while winding smooth thread around its length below a comfortable root.

5–15 min hands-on

Stretch a small section with African threading

African threading winds thread around a section’s length to hold it elongated temporarily; the thread is unwound to release the hair.

A woman holds a damp coily section while placing soft bands at loose, visible intervals down its length.

10–25 min hands-on

Stretch coils with loose bands

Loose-band stretching places soft bands at spaced intervals down damp curly or coily sections, then removes them after drying for a temporary stretched shape.

A woman holds the ends of one wet curl section with one hand and makes a small side-to-side shake while the other hand stays near the section.

10–25 min hands-on

Style curls with rake-and-shake

Rake-and-shake is finger styling for wet waves, curls or coils. It combines spread-finger raking with a small shake at the ends to help curl groups settle into their own shape.

An adult supports a braid while checking the elastic that holds its folded tip above one lightweight bead.

3–8 min hands-on

Thread and remove a bead on a braid

A hair beader pulls a braid tip through a decorative bead; a folded tip and small hair elastic hold the bead until removal.

A woman supports her low ponytail with her left hand while her right fingers release the opened loop of a mauve fabric scrunchie around the base.

30–60 sec hands-on

Tie a loose ponytail

A loose ponytail gathers hair at one point with a soft covered tie, leaving the lengths hanging free and the roots relaxed.

An adult ties a second fabric knot above a loose first knot at the forehead.

3–8 min hands-on

Tie a stacked-knot headwrap

A stacked-knot headwrap gathers a rectangular cloth forward and ties its ends into layered knots above the forehead.

Four hair ties: a mauve scrunchie at top left, wide green fabric ring at top right, slim charcoal covered elastic at bottom left and amber spiral at bottom right.

1–3 min hands-on

Tie choice and tension

Hair-tie fit depends on the size and stretch of the tie, how much hair it holds and the number of wraps. A comfortable fit holds the hair without pulling at the roots.

An adult guides a small twisted section up over the back of a soft headband.

5–12 min hands-on

Tuck hair around an elastic headband

A headband tuck wraps small sections over and behind an elastic headband so the lengths form a roll around its back.

A woman with a loose bun low at the nape lightly checks her hairline with one hand while the other arm is lowered.

1–3 min hands-on

Vary bun position

Varying bun position means changing where a loose bun is anchored between wears, so the hair is not always gathered and held in the same place.

An adult separates a low side ponytail into five sections in front of one shoulder.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave a five-strand side braid

A five-strand braid weaves each outer section over one neighbor and under the next, alternating sides to make a broad flat plait.

An adult splits a fine outer pickup beside the right main section before its paired wrap.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave a four-sided fishtail braid

A four-sided fishtail splits each small outer pickup in two and passes the pieces around a larger section, building a braid with crossings on several faces.

An adult crosses a hair section with its ribbon kept flat beside it.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave a ribbon into a braid

A ribbon braid carries a soft fabric ribbon alongside one hair section so color appears through the crossings of the plait.

An adult holds four separate sections below a comfortable side-ponytail tie, two in each hand.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave a round four-strand side braid

A round four-strand braid carries each outer section behind two neighboring sections and back between them, forming a compact rounded plait.

An adult guides a fine left outer piece over its own group toward the stationary center before the under-center pass.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave a three-section DNA braid

A DNA braid passes fine pieces from two outer hair sections around a smaller stationary center section, creating a twisting woven shape.

An adult brings a thin wrapper across the right hair section and holds it between two separate cores before passing under the left.

8–18 min hands-on

Weave an infinity side braid

An infinity braid carries one small working strand in a repeated figure-eight path around two larger hair sections.