Heatless Curls: The Original Behind the Trend (and 2,200 infringements later)
When we launched the Flower Curl in 2018, no heatless curler had gone viral. Ours did. It reached more than 105 million people, and the heatless curls trend you now see everywhere took off in its wake. Since then we have watched our design get copied and infringed upon thousands of times even though we have multiple granted patents and trademarks across the globe, so here is the honest truth about heatless curls, including the parts the copies and the perfect little overnight videos leave out.
We did not follow the trend, we started it
Before the Flower Curl, curling your hair without heat meant fiddly rollers, sock curls, bulky heatless curlers and lots of DIY methods which may or may not include toilet rolls. When our curler went viral and reached over 105 million people, heatless curling turned into a movement almost overnight. People began making their own versions, and before long the ribbon trend arrived, which anyone could copy because nothing protected it. Our patented design was copied too, again and again, and we have removed more than 2,200 infringements so far, with more filed every week.
We talk about infringements often, because copies do not only affect you. They affect the environment and the innovators who bring new ideas to market too. A cheap imitation usually means cheap materials that do not last, a curler that does not perform like the original, and money wasted on something you cannot really use. One copy of the Flower Curl we came across was about five times the size of ours, so big it was completely unusable. When a single product suddenly appears in hundreds of shops for a few pounds, it is worth asking what was cut to make it that cheap.
Everything we set out to fix to create the ultimate heatless curler
"I invented the Flower Curl and Waver Bun because every option I tried bothered me, and so I started making a list of all the things I was determined to fix and create the ultimate heatless hair curler." — Yanika Cordina, Founder
Issue 1: Heatless Curlers are impossible to sleep in – fixed!
So many heatless curlers are bulky and wrap around your face, ears and neck. How are you meant to sleep like that, or get anything done during the day? Both our tools sit flat on the top of the scalp, leaving your face and neck free. You can carry on with your day and almost forget it is there, or sleep and roll from side to side without disturbing your curls or your rest.
Issue 2: Inappropriate tangle prone materials – fixed!
We tried endless heatless curlers and the materials and fabrics used were just not suitable for hair. We tried endless materials during our prototyping stage before we found the right one. Some caught the hair and made it stick, others left it tangled and frizzy. We settled on satin, because it has enough slip for your hair to slide off easily, with no snagging and no tangling.
Issue 3: Too time consuming and difficult to master – fixed!
Many heatless methods make you split your hair into lots of small sections, which is so time consuming and also requires a fair bit of skill. Rollers are one example, genuinely hard to master unless your hair is short, and slower still on mid to long lengths. We wanted something quicker and far more forgiving, whatever your hair length. Our heatless hair curler is great for complete beginners. You can’t get it wrong because the curler itself guides you!
Issue 4: Bulky and protrudes outwards – fixed!
Both the Flower Curl and the Waver Bun lie flat against the scalp. Flat enough to pass for a hairstyle. We did not want anything protruding, hanging down your face, or simply heavy and awkward.
Three years, from scratch. We spent three years developing these heatless hair tools because there was nothing like them to copy. Every material and design was chosen with thought and care, because we genuinely care about the four things that matter: comfort, time, look and result. That is the difference between a product that was designed and one that was simply reproduced cheaply.
Issue 5: Different curlers needed for different hair thickness - fixed!
Many heatless hair curlers don't suit different hair thickness. The Flower Curl has been designed for all hair thickness including very fine hair, fine to medium thick and very thick hair. The satin rings can be detached or attached to suit the customer's needs. They can experiment with the curler to see which option works best for them.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Flower Curl really start the heatless curls trend? In our experience, yes. When we launched in 2018, no heatless curler had gone viral. Ours reached millions of people organically within months of launching the hair curler, and the trend, along with a wave of copies and the later ribbon craze, followed.
What makes it different from the cheaper versions online? The Flower Curl is a patented design, made from silky satin, that sits flat on your scalp rather than around your face. We spent three years developing it from scratch, choosing every material for comfort, speed, look and result. A lot of the cheaper heatless hair curlers available to buy do not solve the issues we tackled at the prototyping stage and it’s likely that they have been produced with cheaper materials that do not last.
Is the Flower Curl patented? Yes, we have granted patents in the UK, USA, Europe and China. We have removed more than 2,200 infringements so far, and we file more every week.
What is it made from? Satin, chosen after testing endless fabrics. It has enough slip for your hair to slide off easily, without the snagging, tangling and frizz that grippier materials cause.
How do I know I am buying the original? Buy directly from us at cordinahair.com. Copies often use our own photos and videos to sell a product that cannot match them, so if something looks identical but costs a few pounds and under a different brand name that isn't Cordina Hair or Flower Curl, treat it with caution.
Which tool is right for my hair?
Take our Hair Quiz to find out which hair curler would be most suited to you.
For the practical how-tos, see:
-
or browse our Heatless Hair Curler FAQs.
Explore the Flower Curl and the Waver Bun, the originals we spent years getting right.
