Challenge: A Week Without Heat

We all want gorgeous curls or a perfectly sleek mane, but it's no secret that our hair ends up paying a price for all the heat we put it through. While heat protectants and the right hot tools can protect your hair from damage, the sad truth is that there’s really no way to completely prevent heat damage—except, of course, giving your hair a rest from heat styling and embracing what mother nature gave you.

If you’re anything like me, curling or straightening your hair is a crucial part of your daily routine...I feel so messy if my hair is not put together! Hair can play a big part in your confidence, and for that reason, there aren't many times we're brave enough to ditch the heat, am I right? That's why I wanted to challenge myself (and now you!) to give my hair a little break from heat styling for a week. 

I know, I know. The challenge can seem daunting, and you may be thinking, “you expect me to go a week without using a flat iron? Yeah right!” I empathize with you. Seriously. My hair is frizzy and awkwardly wavy, so this was quite the challenge for me. At the end of the week, however, I actually felt quite liberated and of course, no one has ever regretted reducing damage to their hair.

If you'd like to challenge yourself to a week without heat, I've put together five go-to hairstyles you can achieve to help you be successful. These are all level one hairstyles, super simple, quick, and easy to achieve so you can spend less time fussing in the morning. 

One more thing: something that I love and appreciate about people’s natural born hair is that everyone is blessed with a unique hair type. Whether it’s color, texture, stick straight, or super curly, these hairstyles had all of you in mind. 

First, prep your hair

Before we dive into the actual hairstyles, it’s important we prep our hair first with a good wash. For this challenge, I recommend not washing your hair for as many days as you can. As you may know, washing your hair too much can strip it of its natural oils causing damage and breakage just like heat styling, so this week is not only a challenge to go without heat but to go without excessive washing as well. 

Let’s start the week off right with a super hydrating wash. I like to apply a hair mask for about 20 minutes before I enter the shower to let my hair really soak in those nutrients and moisture. Then, I’ll rinse it out with cool water. This is a great hair hack, as the cool water closes up the hair cuticle (the outer layer of the hair strand), sealing the hair strand and locking in moisture. This leads to shiny, smooth hair, ready for a full week without no heat. 

Heatless overnight waves

Once you’ve prepped your hair, I recommend parting your hair down the center, and french braiding your hair into two braids. Sleep on the braids, and take them out the next morning to give your hair some natural texture and waves with zero heat.

Let the challenge begin!

Day 1: half-up twisted crown

Let’s dive into the first day of our week without heat, shall we? For my first day, I decided to go for an effortless and beachy style to embrace the last few days of summer. 

Step 1

Start by parting your hair down the center. I chose to part mine down the middle with my finger to avoid it looking too perfect, as I wanted to give it that easy feel.

Step 2

From there, I sectioned off a part of my hair towards the front of my face and I twisted that chunk away from my face. Once I had achieved the twist, I held it at the end with one hand, then I gently started pulling pieces of the twist out to give it a fluffier look. Then, I secured it with a bobby pin on the back of my head. I repeated the same steps on the opposite side.

Step 3

Once that twist was complete and fluffed, I unpinned the previous twist and merged it with the other. Then, I secured them both with a small elastic. If you want to give this look a little more zing, try it with your Luxy Hair extensions for added length and volume to the bottom portion of your hair.

Easy enough, right? This is a go-to hairstyle of mine even on the weeks that I do use heat. I’ll just curl my ends to give the look a more refined feel. 

Day 2: braid/twist hybrid

This hairstyle looks a bit more tricky, but I promise it’s not. The beauty of this is that the messier it is, the better it looks.

Step 1

For this, you’ll need a side part. The location and side of your part are totally dependent on your preference. Once you part your hair, you’ll section off a good chunk of hair near the front of your face.

Step 2

Once you have your large section in the front, split that section in half. With the half furthest from your face, create a standard braid all the way down. Once you’ve completed the braid, pull those braided loops out gently to give it that thicker look.

Step 3

Now, with the remaining hair, you’re going to twist away from your face and fluff that piece out like we did with the previous hairstyle. At this point, you’ll be left with a twist and a braid. Begin wrapping the twist around the braid, then secure it underneath your top layer of hair on the back of your head.

This hairstyle always gets so many compliments because it looks complicated, but with a little practice, you’ll be a pro.

Day 3: the beloved messy bun

This one doesn’t need much instruction because it’s in every girl’s arsenal of “go-to” styles. My favorite thing about buns is the way we can dress them up. I always like to add pretty hair clips, bows, or even bandana headbands to these to really give them spice and personality. For this particular messy bun, I thought outside of the box and actually wrapped a statement bracelet around it. This made the style go from lazy to amazey! (Yes, that’s a word. Well…now it is!)

Day 4: half-up bun

Have you noticed the half-up bun trend lately? I’m totally loving it. It’s so fun how many different ways you can style this half-up hairstyle, and it's fairly easy to achieve for day four of our week without heat challenge!

Step 1

For this style, start by sectioning off the crown of your head, or however much hair you want to be included in your bun. Once you grab the section, position it at top of your head where you want the bun to lay.

Step 2

Before you tie off your bun, make sure to pull out any hair you’d like to frame your face. I chose to do two symmetrical strands of hair to frame my face for a slightly more dramatic look.

Step 3

Once you’ve pulled out any face-framing pieces, scrunch your hair into a ball, then wrap your hair tie or elastic around your bun and secure it. Once you’ve got the general bun in place, you can further shape it and secure it with bobby pins to your liking.

An extra tip: If your hair is on the thinner side and your bun isn't as thick as you would like it, section off your hair sideways toward the front of your face and add one or two wefts of your Luxy Hair extensions. Clip these wefts in with the clips facing toward the back of your head, then gather all your hair into a nice, thick bun.

Day 5: half double dutch braids

Ok, this hairstyle is by far my favorite, and the one I personally wear most often when I'm rocking no heat hair. I’ve rocked this no heat hairstyle myself on many occasions, and if you want to turn up the drama, you can add in a full set of Luxy Hair extensions for mega volume in your braids.  

Step 1

For this one, you’re going to want to part your hair right down the center.

Step 2

Next, you’re going to create a dutch braid all the way down to the nap of your neck on each side of your head and tie off the braid, leaving the ends loose. I use little scrunchies to secure my braids.

Step 3

Once you've secured both your braids, go back through to each braid and pancake them, pulling at the strands of hair to fluff them up and give them that thicker, fuller look. 

Hey, guess what? Your week without heat challenge is done...how easy was that? This week without heat styling was a blessing in disguise, as not only did I give my hair a vacation, but got to take a little vacation from styling my hair as well, using my extra time in the morning to snooze a little more. 

Do you dare try our challenge to go a week without heat and join the #noheat movement? Try these hairstyles to make your week fly by...your hair will thank you!

Happy styling, ladies!

Written by: Daryn Mae Stumbaugh