10 Ways to Preserve Curly Hair While You Sleep

Is there anything more frustrating than perfecting your defined, bouncy curls and waves, only to wake up to a case of frizzy bedhead and tangles? Or dry, lifeless, flattened curls? It can be difficult enough to find a curly hair care routine that properly care for your curls, which makes it even more irritating to start the day back at square one when you wake up. 

Lucky for all of us with wavy or curly hair, learning how to preserve your curls when you sleep doesn’t mean restless nights and stiff necks from clunky hair protectors — read on to see our top tips for keeping both wet and dry curly hair looking it’s best overnight with the right hair routine.

Going to bed with perfectly-styled curls? Read on for some great hacks to help keep your curl definition in the morning.

Every curly and wavy-haired person should try pineappling their hair at least once, and this is especially true for anyone with tighter curls! This method of loosely securing your hair into a top knot or ponytail (resembling the shape of a pineapple) before bed will keep your curls pretty through the night and maintain healthy hair. Pineappling prevents the frizz, knots and flattened spirals that come with lying on a pillow.

PROS:Not only is this a simple hair tutorial, it also often looks cute on it’s own as a hairstyle! So if you’re someone who likes to sleep in, this is a smart way to jump out of bed and start the day without much effort.

CONS: If you tie the ponytail too tightly, you could wake up with indents in your hair. And don’t just yank it out in the morning, which can also ruin the style: gently fluff your curls with your fingertips when taking the hair band or scrunchie out.

If your hair is too short to be easily pulled into one pineapple ponytail, try multiple! Curly Nikki has a simple tutorial for how she pulls her curls into five smaller pineapple ponytails, and wakes up with excellent defined curls.

PROS: A great choice for anyone with shorter curly hair!

CONS: This could be potentially uncomfortable to sleep on, so make sure you’re using gentle silk or satin hair bands and a bonnet to keep everything in place.

It doesn’t get easier than this! Many curls and waves can be preserved by wrapping your hair into a loose bun: after applying a lightweight curl moisturizing mousse to your hair, gently wrap it up and secure it with a hair band or scrunchie. In the morning, remove the hair band and help fluff your curls and waves with your fingers.

PROS: This is a simple routine you can follow every night and works for all curl patterns and most hair lengths. Just scrunch it up in the morning to perfect your curls.

CONS: Wrapping your hair up too tightly can potentially cause damage and breakage, as well as crush your curl pattern, so be sure to keep it intact but loose at the scalp.

As someone with wavy hair, one of the biggest game changers for me personally was swapping my cotton pillowcases for silk pillowcases instead. Traditional cotton pillowcases can be rough on your strands, making them prone to frizz, breakage, and damage as you toss and turn. But silk and satin allows your hair to glide more smoothly over the surface, meaning your curls and waves will stay more intact and frizz-free when you wake up (check out this blog post for more information on how to fix frizzy hair). The importance of fighting frizz and damage also applies to the towel you use to dry your hair — all hair types can benefit from a microfiber hair towel, but especially anyone with curly or wavy hair. It absorbs excess moisture while being gentle on your curls and leaving enough moisture to keep them hydrated.

PROS:This is a relatively low-effort swap perfect for all hair types that’s amazing for the long-term! And as an added plus, I’ve found that silk pillowcases are also great for your skin, helping to prevent dryness and wrinkling. 

CONS: Silk pillowcases usually don’t come cheap, but it’s a great investment if you’re able to make it. Satin pillowcases come at a lower price point and offer similar benefits, if that's a better choice.

Wrapping your hair at night using either a bonnet or scarf is a classic way to not only keep your curls in place, but to help preserve them in the morning. If you don’t have a bonnet, try wrapping your hair with a silk scarf instead, and secure the scarf with a knot at the top to prevent it from falling out while you sleep.

PROS:This technique is extremely versatile, and is also a great way to preserve braided or knotted hairstyles while you sleep.

CONS:It can take some time to get used to perfecting the wrapping technique, and the final knot in the scarf can potentially cause discomfort while you’re sleeping. But practice makes perfect!

If you shower at night, your perfect curl-preservation technique is still out there:

Wondering how to plop hair? Plopping is just what it sounds like: after applying your go-to moisturizing curly hair products, just plop your hair down onto a microfiber towel or old long-sleeved t-shirt, and wrap your hair up and let it dry for a bit. It’s being lauded as a smart way to get defined, frizz-free curls without any of the usual stress that comes from styling.

PROS: This method works on most curl types, and is especially easy to do if you have wavy hair. Those with curly hair know how important the right routine is to maintain bouncy, defined curls, and often this can mean a lot of struggling and styling to get the desired effect. But that’s why plopping is such a smart technique — you’re basically letting the microfiber towel do most of the styling work.

CONS: Make sure you’ve applied the proper curl prep products before plopping, to provide extra protection against frizz.

The twisting technique is another simple way to preserve your curls — this works wonders as a low-effort way to try and add some definition to my loose waves when I don’t have time to heat-style my hair. On towel-dried hair, start by prepping your hair with a curl-building serum. Then section out your hair (the more sections, the tighter and smaller the curls), and use your fingers to twist each section into a spiral. Once your hair air dries, you can gently pull apart the spirals for looser waves, or whatever look you desire.

PROS: Another easy technique! This even works great after a morning shower, just let your twists air dry as you get ready.

CONS: Unless your twists are piled up into a bonnet, it can be easy to disturb them while you sleep.

This technique for preserving curly hair overnight works for all hair types, even those with naturally-straight hair who want to get their own curls. Braiding your hair while wet will mean you wake up with beautifully set waves and curls. Remember: the smaller the braid, the tighter and more defined curls you’ll get.

PROS: You can really customize your desired style by varying how big or small you make the braids. Even just two French braids will let you wake up to gorgeous waves.

CONS: Tiny braids can be time consuming if you’re doing it alone — if you have naturally tighter curls or textured hair, consider getting your hair professionally braided as a pretty and protective style.

Bantu knots are a traditional African hairstyle that is not only beautiful, but also protective for those with tighter curls and coily hair. It consists of twisting, wrapping, and securing sections of hair all over your head, then tucking in the ends to set the look. Follow this step-by-step tutorial from Byrdie to secure your Bantu knot style with ease!

PROS:This is not only a smart protective style for anyone who has tighter curls and coils, but also something you can continue to wear after you wake up.

CONS:Since this is a traditional style for those with textured hair, anyone with fine, thin or straight hair probably won’t benefit.

Flexi rods are foam rollers that can be bent and twisted to create defined curls and waves. After prepping your hair with moisturizing curl care products, section and wrap your hair around the flexi rods, bending the ends to lock in the twist. Once you wake up, carefully unwrap your hair and fluff it out and the root, then finger comb to break up gently.

PROS:Flexi rods can be used on wet or dry hair, and are a great way to get very defined curls.

CONS:They can take some getting used to, so practice and follow online tutorials until you feel confident.

Great curls also need the right products and care techniques to look their best:

• Start with the right products: Curly hair needs adequate moisture, and styling routines can only do so much if you’re not using good prep products. Use a curl shampoo, curl conditioner, and weekly curl mask to start on a solid foundation.
• Diffuse: If you go to sleep with dry hair, try diffusing your curls. Diffusers evenly distribute air over your head, minimizing the potential for heat damage and letting your curls stay intact and frizz-free.
• Fluff out your curls:Use your fingers to gently separate your curls and waves, and well as at the root to boost volume. Your style might have shifted while you slept, so fluffing your curls helps get everything into place. 
• Refresh throughout the day: If you notice your curls and waves falling flat, apply a few spritzes of a curl refresher or curl cream to help revitalize and define your style.

Caring for curly hair can sometimes feel like a 24 hour job, but that doesn't mean it has to be hard. Just keep these simple techniques and tips in mind (as well as keeping sulfate and paraben-free hair products in your bathroom, like those from Davines) and you’ll be good to go. And if you have any additional recommendations or questions about curly hair, comment below!

by Lauren Hannel, staff contributor

Photos by @goldandglowco