Heat Free Curls

Let’s be honest, most days my kiddos end up never changing out of their pajamas. And when I say my kiddos, well…that may include mama as well. Okay, fine. When I say we stay in our pajamas all day, I might really mean um, well…our underwear.

I’m ashamed to admit the number of times the innocent ring of our doorbell has sent our entire family into full blown DEFCON 5…scampering/crawling past the window and up the stairs to throw something, ANYTHING, on. Or the number of times the Domino’s delivery guy has been welcomed by a smiling, butt-naked child. True story.

So now that I’ve cleared the air, there are times when we actually do leave the house and occasionally make ourselves presentable. I especially enjoy getting my girls fancied-up on the Sabbath day, which isn’t always easy with five kids.

Over the years, I’ve found some quick ways to get fabulous hair in no time at all. Keep reading if you’re interested in how I “curl” my girls hair using zero heat, curlers, or rods of any kind in UNDER 2 minutes. If you’re not interested in that sort of thing, keep scrolling to see pictures of THE CUTEST 3-year-old to ever grace this planet 😉

This is a two part tutorial, or better yet, two different hairstyles for the price of one. I typically do the first hairstyle on Saturday, leaving us with a curly head of hair for Sunday morning.

DAY 1

To begin with, you will create what my girls refer to as “Mickey Buns.” This is super simple and probably doesn’t need much explanation, but I have a few tricks that will help ensure your day 2 curls are just right. Begin with clean, damp, and combed hair. I also like to spray the hair with sea salt. If you want crazy curly hair, you can even comb through a small amount of gel. Next, using a comb (or pencil! or any other semi-pointy object you can get your hands on) create a wide zig-zag part down the center of head…The zig-zag part is crucial and ensures your curls are not severely divided into two halves the next day. DO NOT make your part perfect, it’s a waste of time and unnecessary. Messy parts are cuter anyway! Clip or tie one side of the parting to keep it out of your way and gather the other side into your hand near the crown of the head as if making a high pig-tail.Begin twisting the section of hair tightly TOWARD THE BACK of the head. Twist the entire section until you have about two inches of ends remainingHolding tightly to the end, begin to coil the twisted hair around itself to form a tight bun. Wrap the hair until you reach the “left out” end piece. While holding the end piece taut, wrap a hair elastic tightly around the base of the bun, leaving the ends out. (Twisting and wrapping the ends into the bun is totally fine, you will simply have VERY curly ends the next day and I personally prefer a straighter finish).

Repeat with the remaining section of hair, making sure to twist the other side TOWARD THE BACK as well.Finally, splay the ends around the bun and add your favorite hair accessory! Adorable piggie-buns in no time at all.

DAY 2

Sleep with the bun twists in. They should be on the top of the head and not uncomfortable to lay on…at least my kids have never complained!In the morning, the buns may or may not be hanging halfway off the side of their head. Remove the elastics and do not panic if their hair looks insane.In fact, just plan on it looking like a complete wreck. Run your fingers through the hair and shake out the curls as much as possible. I usually have my girls flip their heads upside down and shake, shake, SHAKE.At this point, I like to comb through the hair with a wide tooth comb or pick and spritz with a bit more sea salt spray. Wah-la! In 2 minutes (or less) you have super full, messy, and gorgeous curls…And in case you’re wondering, Tessa’s hair is naturally STICK STRAIGHT. I love how fast and easy this is and I’m also a huge fan of the wild-woman hair it leaves you with. The twist buns create a lot more curl and volume than the waves leftover after sleeping in a simple braid. I hope you’ll try this on yourself or the ladies you love. I’ve never done this on myself as my hair is already a frizzy curly fro to begin with, but if any mama’s out there try this let me know how it goes!