If you’ve spent any time in the natural hair world, chances are you’ve come across one of the cardinal rules, STAY AWAY FROM HEAT. Avoid it like the plague! Some naturals run from heat faster than Usain Bolt at the Olympics.

The idea of applying heat and risking damage to our beautiful curl pattern for the sake of a hairstyle is simply, unbearable for us.

Others see heat as a necessary evil. Yes, we would love to avoid it… but for whatever reason, we incorporate it as a styling option. This is ok because heat does not automatically damage your hair. With the right heat protectant products and heat settings on your styling tools, you can avoid damaging your natural hair when applying heat.

If you’re looking for an option that allows you to stretch your hair with minimal heat, the tension method, using tension rollers, or hourglass rollers, may be a styling tool that works for you and your natural hair. I love this method because it gives you beautiful, voluminous, fluffy curls. Who doesn’t love big, natural hair?