This Top Hairstylist Gave Up Hot Tools For A Week

When it comes to hair that women actually want to wear, I always look to fabulous redhead and all-around beauty genius Kristin Ess. In case you don't know — which, I'm sure you do — Kristin is responsible for bringing you all sorts of amazing goodness from her website, The Beauty Department, which has become a mecca of DIYs and how-to's that have inspired an entire Pinterest revolution. Kristin is also responsible for bringing you the hair of one Ms. Lauren Conrad, the consistently appealing hair and makeup goddess who frequently appears as a contributor here at Refinery29.

But, there is one thing I know about Kristin above all: Girlfriend loves herself a curling wand. Not only that, she knows her way around a flatiron and a blowdryer, and can pretty much wax poetic about every hair tool imaginable. So, I decided that I would challenge her — the goddess of all things hair DIY — to a little experiment: I asked her to give up her hot tools.

At first, there was trepidation. Then, she was on board! A week later, she just couldn't. But, she came back and said she'd try it again. Finally, the phone call: "I did it!" she said. In my inbox were all of the photos you're about to see here — her signature crimson hair twisted, braided, pinned, and pulled, revealing very pretty texture, beautiful styles, and (of course) a few accessories.

Click through to see Kristin's five-day game plan for ditching the curling iron — sage advice for any girl who's going through a little bit of hair color rehab or is trying to simply cut down on the frying. Because, if a hairstylist can live without a blowdryer for a work week, so can you.