Undone, effortless hair has been a thing for as long as we can remember. Whether it be straight, silky lengths, effortlessly tousled waves or curls and coils with natural-looking bounce and definition, over the past few years, hair trends have been heavily focused on finding ways to make it look like we haven’t spent three hours styling it. The reality, however, is that it takes a whole bunch of heated tools, styling creams and setting sprays to achieve “I woke up like this” hair. But finally, after all of the years we have spent struggling to make our hair look effortless,uncomplicated and heatless hair is finally a thing.
Seriously, we’re seeing it everywhere. From fashion girls to celebs, it seems that the events of the past year have pushed us all to embrace a zero-styling approach to hair. If you don’t want to take our word for it, we’ve got confirmation from the king of undone hair himself (and a Kérastase ambassador), Luke Hersheson. “Over lockdown, we’ve all given ourselves a bit of a break in terms of heat-styling. We’re generally doing less in everything. Less makeup, less hair—we’re dressing down. I think we will see that continue,” he says.
The mantra for spring is that less is best. It’s about putting your straighteners, tongs and wavers to the side and embracing air-drying, diffusing and other low-heat hairstyles. The results are genuinely undone, carefree and relaxed. Hersheson adds, “It’s not like when we used to refer to ‘no-hair hair’ when, actually, there was a lot of work going into it. It’s about investing in a great cut or colour in the salon and then embracing a softer approach without tongs and straighteners. Providing you keep your hair in great condition, it just feels right to start embracing easier styles.”
It’s time to prepare for a world where rough-drying your hair is the done thing and where we rely on leave-in products and conditioning treatments to achieve the minimalist styles we want. Keep scrolling to get all of the inspiration you need from the best heatless hairstyles around.
If your hair doesn’t naturally have a wave, rough-dry to about 80% and sleep in plaits overnight. In the morning, you will have effortless beachy waves.
Embracing beautiful, natural hair texture is always a good look.
Air-dry thin, fine hair and avoid reaching for any product that might weigh it down. The results will be soft, fluffy and chic.
Fringe bearers can also adopt the heatless trend. Simply part it down the middle and use a styling cream to tame waves away from the face.
Load up on nourishing butters and curl creams for soft, bouncy definition.
While blunt bobs are a little harder to leave be, getting layers cut into your shorter style is the perfect way to create texture and movement.
Look to the ’70s for inspo if your hair is super long. We’re thinking middle parts, subtle waves and minimal volume.
Balayaged lengths and dirty-blonde styles lend themselves to zero-effort heatless looks.
To keep textured curls and coils strong and healthy, utilise deeply conditioning oils to inject moisture and strength into strands and boost shine and definition.
If things just aren’t working for you on any particular day, don’t be afraid to chuck your lengths into an undone plait. It’s the perfect way to execute a chic look in less than a minute.
The 2021 shag is set to be one of the most popular cuts of the year, and it’s the perfect style to maximise heatless techniques.
Opting for an out-there pastel means that your pretty colour does all of the hard work for you when it comes to styling.
The headscarf is sure to be one of the biggest hair accessories of the summer, and it makes for the perfect partner to unstyled strands.
To avoid limp, shapeless curls, utilise mousse and curl creams post-wash.
To keep hair healthy and strong, protect it with chic silk scarves whenever possible.
The ’90s crocodile clip is perfect for throwing up air-dried hair when you can’t be bothered to style it.
For a chic, no-effort look, spray a volumising product directly onto the roots and flip to one side.
Bleached hair might need a little extra TLC when it comes to treatments if you want to achieve a sleek style. Look for bond-repairing, restorative masks and serums.
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