Waves / Curls without heat

I don't really know many, but I like putting my hair in a few (as in 4-5) french braids with damp hair and then sleeping in it. Usually I just undo them and then shake them out as opposed to brushing/combing. Normally I just braid my fringe and pull it to the side, it looks quite cute 🙂

I can't find the tutorial I found originally to get my mermaid waves without heat, but it's basically this;
http://prettygossip.com/2012/02/29/gorgeous-soft-waves-with-no-heat/
except that you keep twisting and bun the sections of hair, jamming bobby pins in there to keep it secure (I need to buy some of those twisty pins that hold buns)
I do 3 sections, two underneath at the back, and one on top.  It's not very comfortable to sleep in, and my hair refuses to dry so it just frizzes the next day, but the basics are there, I just haven't mastered it yet!

My hair is past shoulder-length, and I still use this method, but when my hair was shorter, it would work too!

In the evening, spritz your hair to get it a bit damp (water works just as well as hair products), wrap/brush small sections of hair around your finger, gently slip it off, then bobby-pin it to your head.  Do some higher in the back and sides for more volume.  The bigger the section, the looser the curl.  Then pop on a hairnet, and when you wake up in the morning, it should by dry enough to take out the pins.

If it's still not dry when I wake up, I usually remove the bobby pins through the hairnet and, if I'm strapped for time, I'll hit it with a bit of blow-drying and let it cool before I remove the hairnet.

Headband curls!

http://blog.sorellasalon.com/2012/07/05/tutorial-no-heat-headband-curls/

I've seen the Headband-Curl method, but I can't help but wonder what horrible things it might do to the ends as you're taking it out... seems like it would pull quite a lot and get tangled in the band.

The result is pretty though!

I tried the headband curl method once and my hair just gently shook off the headband--you don't get tight curls or ringlets, more like loose waves with that method.

They fell out in about thirty minutes, lol, but my hair never holds a curl for longer than a couple of hours, tops, so I can't say I was surprised!

I'm always curling my hair with no heat (your hair should be damp), here are some things I've tried:

Pin (see Alexia's comment)/Rag curls - Awesome tight ringlets, which I then brush out. It gives a very old school vibe. In my opinion rag curls are easier to put in then pin curls.

Headband curls- This works for me, but for a headband I use a piece of fabric tied in the back, that way it's easier to remove it the next day (I untie it and slip my hair out). It gives big curling iron style waves that last for a few days on my hair, though get looser and looser each day.

Bun method- I just tie my hair in 1-3 buns and get loose waves.

Braid/Bun method - I tie my hair in 1-2 braids, then turn those into buns, and get a decent amount of beachy waves.

I've been doing the headband method lately and love it.  (I have naturally thick coarse, wavy hair) I use a soft fabric headband and don't really have a problem getting it out the next morning.  I just shake it a bit and most of it comes right out without a problem.  Depending on how large the pieces you take to wrap around determines how the curls turn out too.  I start with dry hair then after I have it all wrapped I spray it with a styling spray.  It's so easy I just love it, and looks like I've spent a long time curling it and lasts all day.    One morning lately after washing it and letting it dry I wrapped and sprayed it and let it sit that way only for about 2 hours because I had to get going, and it still turned pretty good.

(I have naturally thick coarse, wavy hair)

I think this is why it didn't work very well for me!  I have fine, pin straight hair that doesn't hold curl well at all, even if I try no-heat methods while damp.

At the end of the day, how well any curling method works is down to your hair type 🙂  I have come to accept that my hair will never hold a curl or a wave.

Ladies! There's nothing wrong with using a little heat. All you got to do is be careful and use protective measures. I use the best curling wands I can get my hands on only! (I'm a hairstylist, so this is sort of easy for me). But you can get them very easily at an affordable price on the Internet. Don't use rusty old products on your hair. Use the newer models. They even have those that are actually go for your hair... as in making them more healthy. (Something to do with the electrons in your hair or something, not sure lol)

I have to disagree. Most of us here process our hair a lot, so heat for us IS bad. Very rarely is ok, but daily of weekly isn't a great idea.

I'm also not really convinced by the marketing of heat products that claim to make hair more healthy. My guess is it's a twisted/exaggerated claim.

True, if you have over-processed and double-processed hair, it probably won't survive a routine of regular heat styling.  Although if hair is in a relatively good condition, it will be able to take a blast of air on a low heat from time to time.

I do love the effect of curling wands, but I don't use mine unless it is a very special occasion - now I think it's been 4 months since I've touched it!  But my hair is certainly strong enough to take a bit of blow-drying (after having air-dried for a few hours) to help the last few water molecules evaporate.

Thanks for all the ideas 🙂
I know I definitely can't use heat, my hair seems to loose shine even if I only blowdry.
What I tried so far is the headband method, but it took ages to put in.. Then I made a headband that can be closed with a button, and my bf just took it, held my tips in at the back, rolled ut upwards and close at the front. Took less than a minute and worked great. Too bad I can't do it on my own (he's only there on weekends :/). Need to figure out a way to kind of fix my tips so I can roll it up on my own...

My hair has grown significant over the last 2-3 months, but my hair is not as curly as before. So now, I'm pin curling. I bought the special pin curl clips but I've lost most of them (I have 2 remaining) so I just used clips like when you clip away your fringe (crocodile clips?)

I did the pin curls to your head by picking up 1-2 inch sections, swirl around my finger, wind up towards my scalp following the curl and clip in place to my head. I started running out of clips so I picked up bigger sections towards the back of my head. I only took a pic in the morning when it had dried.

I'm going to try the pin curls where it's away from your head as well, if you know what I mean?
I have also bought a hair bonnet for drying my hair (pic below) so if I'm in a rush then I can dry my hair or finish it off.