How to Curl a Wig Without Heat
- Posted on 02 November, 2021
- Hair Knowledge
- By Emma & Stuart
Whether you have a human hair or synthetic wig, you want your wig to stay in tip-top condition. Your wig, like your natural hair, needs a break from heated styles to keep it healthy and to help increase the lifespan of the wig.
Here, we share four techniques to curl wig without heat and answer these frequently asked questions:
Why curl a wig without heat?
Wigs come in a variety of styles, lengths, colours, textures and constructions to suit anyone. Of course, you want your wig to be in the best condition possible to help you feel great in yourself!
Like your natural hair, your wig will thank you for styling it without heat! Heatless curling styles give your wigs a break from any potential heat damage, and you can still get those gorgeous curls you desire. Curling a wig without heat is also an affordable option as opposed to buying curling tongs or straighteners.
When buying a wig, you would have researched the pros and cons of human hair vs synthetic wigs. Unless specified as a heat resistant wig, synthetic wigs shouldn’t be styled using any heat tools to prevent the wig fibres from becoming extremely damaged. Heatless curling techniques are ideal for synthetic wigs as they can’t tolerate heat.
Human hair wigs, on the other hand, have the versatility to be styled with heat, although they risk heat damage if not cared for. If you have a human hair wig and wish to use heat, our blog post How to Straighten a Wig is an informative read.
How to curl a wig without heat
Before you curl your wig without heat, gently brush out the wig to get rid of any tangles or knots. Some women prefer to style their wig on a wig stand to see the wig from all angles and check that the wig is evenly styled on all sides, whereas some prefer to style the wig whilst wearing it. It’s completely up to you as long as you feel comfortable!
Two questions that we’re commonly asked are:
Regardless of if you have a human hair or synthetic wig, these four heatless curling techniques can be used to get gorgeous bouncy curls.
1. Bendy Rollers
Bendy rollers are brilliant to create tight or loose curls and come in a variety of sizes. They’re a very affordable and trusted option, used by many! The smaller the bendy roller is, the more that you’ll have to apply and the tighter the curls will be. Larger bendy rollers are great if you’re after a voluminous look, especially if you have fine hair.
1. To apply the rollers, slightly dampen your wig with water and take a small section of hair about one inch wide and one centimetre thick. The smaller the section of hair, the more defined the curl will be.
2. Next, take one bendy roller and wrap the hair around the middle of the bendy roller. Roll the bendy roller down towards the scalp of the wig cap. Fold the ends of the bendy roller towards one another to secure the bendy roller in place so that the curls won’t fall out.
3. Complete this process around the whole wig and then leave the wig for a couple of hours for the curls to dry and set.
4. After a couple of hours have passed, gently unroll the bendy rollers and unwrap the hair, starting from the bottom of the wig to the top.
5. Now you’ll have gorgeous heatless curls! If you want to set the curls in place for longer, you can apply hair spray.
Top Tip: You can also use this technique with velcro rollers. The only difference being that you’d need to hairpin the velcro rollers into place to make sure that the curls don’t fall out.
2. Plait your hair
One of the quickest, easiest and cost-effective ways to curl a wig without heat is to plait your hair!
1. Like the bendy rollers, start by slightly dampening your wig.
2. Section out the wig depending on the type of curl you’d like. If you want loose curls, take thicker sections of hair and if you want tighter curls, take smaller sections of hair.
3. Start plaiting! Whether you choose a classic plait, a fishtail braid, a Dutch braid or a French twist, you’ll get different types of curls depending on the style of plait you prefer.
4. Make sure to leave the wig for a few hours to dry and for the curls to set.
5. When you’re happy that the wig is completely dry, remove the elastic band and gently undo each plait, and voilà!
3. Headband wrap
For the headband wrap, all that you need is a comfortable headband that goes all away around your head. Make sure that the headband is soft enough to not create any undesirable kinks in the wig.
1. Start with your desired parting and slightly dampen the wig with water.
2. Next place the headband over the top of your wig. Place the top of the headband where your hairline meets your forehead and bottom of the headband at the nape of your neck.
3. Take a small section of hair around one inch wide from the front of the wig and then start to wrap the hair over and under the headband. Each time you wrap the hair around the headband, add in another section of hair.
4. Continue this process around the head until all of the hair is wrapped around the headband.
5. Leave the hair to dry for around three hours and then gently remove the hair from the headband by pulling the headband away from the wig and unwrapping it.
6. Now, enjoy those curls!
Top Tip: Some find it easier to split your hair onto the left and right side and wrap one side at a time, whereas others find it easier to start on one side and work around the head.
4. Doughnut bun wrap
The doughnut bun wrap will suit longer wigs that can easily be put into a ponytail. Hair doughnuts are very cheap and readily available. The larger the hair doughnut, the more voluminous the curls will be.
