How to Curl a Wig without Heat?

Real talk, heat styling is great. It helps you achieve your style faster, get those curls popping, and get you ready to head out in a few minutes. However, over time, I wouldn't say the same. 

It can strip your precious wig of its moisture (yeah, even human hair wigs), just like our natural hair, and weaken the hair. This is besides dryness, breakage, split ends, and other damage it could cause.

Thankfully, healthier options are available. These methods eliminate the constant use of heat, meaning they won't leave your wig fried like heat-styling tools can.

What are these methods?

You have to keep reading this post to find out. Without heat, you will achieve bouncy, luscious curls that preserve the lifespan of your wig. So, check out the five ways to curl a wig without heat. But before then, you need to prep your hair. Let's take a look at everything here.

Preparing Your Wig for Heatless Curls

It is very important to prepare your wig for the curls you want to achieve. This makes it easier for the curls to pop without struggling. While the preparation stage doesn't include doing anything special, prepping lays a good foundation.

Follow the steps below to prepare the hair.

1. Place the wig on a mannequin head and secure it with some pins.

2. With a wide-tooth comb, detangle the strands properly and carefully to make it smooth. Avoid pulling too roughly, and be sure to start from the ends before moving upward to the root gradually.

3. Once it is tangle-free, mist the hair lightly with water and leave-in conditioner. You can fill a spray bottle with water and leave-in conditioner to get it on every strand. Once you're done, the wig should be slightly damp but not soaked.

4. Apply a good amount of setting mousse to help the curls hold their shape when you style.

5. Now, divide into manageable sections and secure them with clips. You can part into smaller sections if you want the curls to be tight. It'll also make it easier to style.

Note: Do not use heavy gels or products. They make the wig greasy and heavy.

5 Easy Ways to Curl a Wig without Heat

Discover a few methods you can use to achieve heatless curls on your wig. That way, you can say goodbye to the heat even without the need to visit the salon with your hair.

1. Flexi Rods

Flexi rods are bendable foam rollers that help you achieve defined curls without heat or any chemical processing. Honestly, I think they are one of the most useful things a stylish girly should have for wigs. It comes in handy to achieve natural, bouncy curls. Plus, they create a style that's long-lasting even after washing.

While they are similar to the old-fashioned rollers, they are soft and bendable. These rods are right for any curl size you want. They come in different sizes and range in diameter, giving you tight to wavy results. So, if you want to create a wavy, natural style, you can go for the large rod size. However, to achieve tight coils that are almost like natural curly hair, you should get the small rod size.

Here's how to use flexi rods to achieve heatless curls on your wig:

@wigbaddie_

This is the tutorial on my most VIRAL video ❤️🥰 thank you so much for the support

♬ original sound - wigbaddie_WARRI WIGSTYLIST

Remember you've already sectioned your hair; it's easy from here.

- Loosen each section as you style and smooth with a brush.

- Next, get your flexi rods and place them at the ends of your hair. Roll them upwards towards the root.

- Bend the ends of the rods inward to secure the hair.

- You can also roll each section of the hair around the flexi rods and secure them by moving the ends of the rods inward (like you're squeezing them).

- Move to another section and repeat the process till you're done.

- Let it air dry fully, then loosen them. You can leave them overnight and unwrap the next morning to allow them to set properly.

2. Twists and Braids

If you thought the first method was brilliant, wait till you discover you can actually create curls with twists and braids. Brilliant! Oh yes, these styling techniques are not only used as protective styles, but they can also help you achieve natural-looking curls if you use them.

Although I wouldn't say they'll last for a long time after washing, they're one of the fastest and easiest ways to get heatless curls.

Braids and twists can give you a soft, wavy finish and even tight curls. What it takes is styling either small sections of braids or twists, or going for big sections. The bigger the section, the looser the curls. The smaller the sections, the tighter the curls.

Here's how you can use braids or twists to create heatless curls on your wig:

@elvinaessie Something about thr flexirod at the end just makes a braid out look extra pretty😍 if you try this out lmk and follow me for more hair content x #braidout #hairtutorial #halfwig ♬ original sound - Elvina Essie

- Start braiding your already prepped hair. You can simply loosen and braid the sections you've created. Or section it again if you want the curls to be tight. Braid or twist the wig.

- Complete all of the sections you made and pin afterwards. You can also just hold them together with a hair tie.

- Leave it overnight till the next day and unravel.

Other ways

- Twist two rope pigtails and hold with hair ties. However, this gives you looser curls rather than tighter ones.

- You can create two French braids instead and leave them till the following morning. Loosen and style.

3. Curling Headband

Another incredible method that helps you get perfect heatless robe curls is with a curling headband. This tool is going super viral right now because of the healthy, shiny, and lustrous curls it creates.

It is a satin or silk robe tie that's placed around the wig to get the best result. Some can be worn as headbands, while others are designed in the form of ropes.

If you want a curly, wavy style that's neither too tight nor too loose, this method works well.

Here's how you can use a curling headband to style heatless curls on a wig:

- Divide your wig into two main halves, one on each side

- Lay the curling headband across the top center of the wig.

- Further divide each half into sections to style around the headband. It's like using the twisting technique and styling just around the robe you've placed on your head.

- Take a small section at the front of the robe and the back and wrap them around the satin or silk band.

- Keep wrapping till you reach your ears. Be sure to wrap toward the back for more volume, then wrap toward the face around the ears for a softer finish.  

- The remaining strands left at the back of the wig: wrap them around the robe once you've wrapped around your crown and ear areas.  

- Secure the ends with a hair tie and tie the ends of the robe together.

- Leave it overnight and style the next day.

4. Pin Curls

This technique uses your fingers and a lot of pins to achieve refreshing, bouncy curls that last for a long time without heat. It's one of the classic ways to style a curly or wavy wig without using a heat styling tool.

The biggest advantage besides the curls is that they are very easy to create. Although it might take time to achieve, it is totally worth it. I would advise that you use some bobby pins to secure the sections you'll create. If you think they won't hold for long or want to create bigger sections, get some hair clips that clamp. Specifically, the metal duckbill hair clips.

Here's how to create heatless curls using this method:

- Divide your hair further to create smaller sections if you want tighter curls. Add two sections, depending on how big they are, if you want bigger curls.

- Take each section and wrap it tightly around your middle fingers towards the scalp of the wig.

- Slide the pin through the middle of the rolled hair and hold the hair firmly in place.

- Repeat the same steps for the other sections till you've completely pinned the whole hair. Be careful not to damage the root or cap of the wig.

- Leave the wig overnight or for several hours until it is totally dry.

- Remove the clips gently afterwards to reveal your bouncy, curly style.

5. Hair Rollers

All you need are some hair rollers to achieve a curly style. This method gives you bouncy, beautiful heatless curls overnight. It's quite effective for achieving a Hollywood, vintage style.

Hair rollers have been tried and tested and have proven to create volume and waves in the hair.  It's one of the classic ways our mothers and grandmother styled their hair and hairpieces.

But this time, you won't need to use heat. What you need to do is let them sit for a while to get your style. I'll recommend this method if you wish to achieve big and voluminous curls and not tight ones.

Here's how you can use hair rollers to achieve heatless curls on your wig:

- Take a section of your wig and roll smoothly around the hair rollers till you reach the base of the wig. For a full style, roll them towards the back and not your face.

- Secure it with a clip and repeat for all of the sections you've created.

- Allow the wig to set and dry overnight.

- Gently unravel the next day to reveal the curls.

- Separate carefully with your hands to make them even fluffier.

Conclusion

Styling heatless curls is a safer way to enjoy volume, shine, and waves without using heat on your wigs. With these methods I've mentioned above, you can boldly say no more to heat-styling tools and embrace natural curly styles that make you stand out. So, go ahead and try them.