How to Straighten Hair Without Heat: 3 Methods and the Products That Help

If you've been searching for how to straighten hair without heat, here's the honest version first. Without heat you're not changing your hair, you're training it to dry in a straighter shape. That works well on hair that's wavy or a little puffy, and less well on tight curls.

Can you really straighten hair without heat?

Partly. Dom Seeley, Color Wow's international creative director, told woman&home that "heat is needed to alter the formation of your hair." He says it's "not impossible," but if your hair has frizz, a wave or a curl, the chances of a sleek result "are super slim."

What heat-free methods can do, he says, is remove "soft waves and bends." They won't give you the glassy shine of a flat iron. Think of it as smoother, flatter and calmer hair, and you won't be disappointed.

Why hair puffs up as it dries

Hair holds its shape with weak hydrogen bonds that water breaks and rebuilds. A 2015 review in the International Journal of Trichology notes that this is exactly what a blow-dry relies on. Whatever shape your hair is in while it dries is roughly the shape it keeps, until it gets wet again or the air turns humid.

So every method below does the same job: it holds wet hair straight and flat until it's completely dry. Products help by smoothing the surface so strands lie together instead of frizzing apart. If puffiness is mostly frizz, our guide on how to fix frizzy hair goes deeper.

How to straighten hair without heat: step by step

1. Wash with a shampoo to flatten hair

A smoothing shampoo won't straighten anything by itself, but it sets you up. Look for "smooth" or "anti-frizz" on the label, with conditioning ingredients such as oils or keratin. The AAD says to massage shampoo into your scalp only and let the rinse run through your lengths, rather than rubbing it in. Then use conditioner after every shampoo. If your hair is dry as well as puffy, our best shampoo for dry hair roundup has gentler, more moisturizing options.

2. Squeeze, don't rub

Rubbing wet hair with a bath towel roughs up the surface and adds frizz. The AAD suggests wrapping your hair in a towel to absorb the water instead. Salon owner Belle Cannan told woman&home that "microfiber towels will absorb more moisture" and cause less friction. Leave hair damp, not dripping.

3. Smooth on a straightening cream while hair is damp

This is the step most people skip. A hair straightening and smoothing cream coats each strand so it dries smoother and holds together. Rub a quarter-size amount between your palms and work it from mid-lengths to ends. Use less on fine hair and keep it off your roots, or your hair will look flat in the wrong way.

4. Comb it straight with a wide-tooth comb

Wet hair breaks more easily, so be gentle. The AAD says that if your hair is straight, let it dry a bit before you gently comb it with a wide-tooth comb. If it's textured or tightly curled, comb it while it's damp. Comb in the direction you'll wrap or roll it.

5. Wrap it around your head (best overnight method)

This is the classic hair wrap, and Cannan's method is simple: part your hair into two sections. Comb the left side and wrap it around your head to the right, keeping it flat against your head. Do the same with the right side, combing it over to the left, and pin it in place. She then covers it with a silk scarf and leaves it "all day or sleep with it."

Two catches. It only works on long hair, Cannan says. And keep it smooth rather than tight: the AAD warns that styles that pull your hair tightly can damage it. Let it dry completely before you unpin it, or the waves come back.

6. Or set it on large rollers

If your hair is too short to wrap, Cannan suggests "a good old-fashioned wet set with rollers." Use the biggest rollers you can find. Roll damp, combed sections smoothly from ends to roots and let them dry fully. You'll get smoothed-out volume and soft bends rather than poker-straight hair, but the frizz and kinks ease out.

7. Or blow-dry on the cool setting

Strictly speaking, this uses a dryer, but no heat. Seeley's tip: apply smoothing products, then blow-dry "on a cold setting," pointing the nozzle "directly down the hair shaft, following the natural fall of hair." It takes much longer than hot air. It's the fastest heat-free option, though, and the one that works on the most hair types.

Hair straightening products: what actually helps flatten hair

There's no product that straightens hair on its own without heat or a salon chemical treatment. Products to flatten hair work by smoothing, weighing down a little and cutting frizz:

Picks that help

TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shampoo

Best for: a budget-friendly shampoo to flatten hair that frizzes and puffs.

• TRESemmé says it's "infused with keratin" and "aligns cuticles to transform frizzy hair into smooth, sleek hair for up to 72 hours." That's a brand claim.
• Its ingredient list includes marula and argan oils, keratin and a ceramide. It's free from parabens, mineral oil and DMDM hydantoin, according to the brand.
• Keep in mind: it contains fragrance and a sulfate cleanser. TRESemmé's site now calls it Keratin Smooth Blowout Shampoo, while the amazon.com listing uses the older name.

Check price on Amazon

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioner Cream

Best for: a straightening cream for air-drying, wrapping or rolling.

• Garnier describes it as "a no-rinse, anti-frizz leave-in cream" with argan oil and what it calls vegan keratin (plant-based amino acids).
• Its directions fit heat-free styling: apply to damp hair, "Do not rinse. Air-dry or blow-dry and style as usual." Garnier suggests a nickel-size amount for fine hair, a quarter-size for medium and two for thick or long hair.
• Keep in mind: it isn't sold as a heat protectant, so add one if you do reach for a flat iron. The amazon.com listing is a 2-pack.

Check price on Amazon

Turbie Twist Microfiber Hair Towel

Best for: drying hair faster without heat or rubbing.

• Turbie Twist calls it "your fastest, heat-free way to dry hair," made from absorbent, lightweight microfiber.
• It twists up and fastens with an elastic loop, so your hands are free while your hair dries before you comb and wrap it.
• Keep in mind: we found no independent tests. Some shoppers report the elastic loop wears out over time.

Check price on Amazon

KISS Colors & Care Soft Satin Wrap Scarf

Best for: covering a hair wrap overnight.

• KISS Colors & Care says the scarf is made of soft satin for "minimizing frizz" and "retaining hair moisture," and to keep styles in place. Those are the brand's words.
• It's sold as an extra-long scarf, which helps it tie around a full wrap.
• Keep in mind: it's satin (a weave, usually polyester), not silk. Tie it snugly but not tight.

Check price on Amazon

FAQs

How do you straighten without heat overnight?

Use the wrap method. Comb damp, cream-smoothed hair around your head in one direction, pin it flat, cover it with a satin or silk scarf and sleep on it. Unpin it only when it's completely dry in the morning.

Do straightening creams work without heat?

Yes, as smoothing creams, not as straighteners. A straightening cream helps damp hair dry smoother and less frizzy, and it works best combined with a wrap, rollers or a cool blow-dry. On its own it won't take out a real curl.

What shampoo flattens hair?

A smoothing or anti-frizz shampoo with conditioning ingredients, followed by its matching conditioner. It helps puffy hair look calmer and lie flatter, but it won't straighten waves or curls by itself.

Is a smoothening hair serum better than a cream?

They do different jobs. A smoothening hair serum adds slip and shine and tames flyaways on dry hair, while a cream gives more control while damp hair dries. Many people use both: cream before drying, a drop of serum after. Our best products for frizzy hair roundup has serums for fine and thick hair.

What are the best hair smoothing and straightening products?

For heat-free styling, the useful kit is short: a smoothing shampoo and conditioner, a leave-in cream, a microfiber towel and a satin scarf or big rollers. Our picks above cover each one.

Are keratin straightening treatments safe?

Salon smoothing treatments are different from the products in this guide. The FDA says many hair smoothing products "often contain formaldehyde," which is released as a gas when the solution is heated, and it advises reading the ingredient list for formaldehyde, formalin or methylene glycol.

How long does heatless straightening last?

Until your hair gets wet again, and less on humid days, because water resets the bonds that hold the shape. Sleeping on satin and skipping the brush on dry hair help it last longer.

Smooth, squeeze, hold it flat while it dries: that's how to straighten hair without heat, and your hair gets a break from the flat iron.