The best way to keep long curly hair fresh overnight is to tie it up in a pineapple. Simply grab the nearest non-snag tie or scrunchie and tie hair loosely in a ponytail on top of your head. If you have a fringe or shorter face-framing pieces, use a small butterfly clip to secure them and you're bed-ready.
Loose protective curly hairstyles like two-strand twists, sleeping with flexi-rods, or a high bun are going to be your best bets. The key when it comes to how to get curls to stay is to corral your hair in a way that won't flatten your curl pattern or stretch your coils out too much.
Sleeping on your hair makes it lose its curl structure and become matted. So, tie your hair up loosely to keep its curl structure protected. You can tie your hair up in a pineapple, a bun, a buff, a headscarf, or a braid, or you can try plopping it.
Avoid Tight Styles
Curly hair tends to be more brittle and prone to damage from high ponytails, tight buns, and upswept bangs. Tension alopecia can also occur from long-term styling, causing hair loss for curly hair and general stress on your delicate roots.
One of the best ways to preserve your curls at night is to gently gather them in a pineapple, in a sort of high, front ponytail using a satin or silk scrunchie, a puff cuff, or an invisibobble (avoid using a hair elastic) to tie your hair up. Be careful not to pull too hard or make the pineapple too tight.
Whilst we know a high ponytail can cause damage, a high, loose bun is a much better option. There are a few methods to make a high bun. You can firstly, use the same method as a low bun, where you twist the hair around itself. This creates a rounder, neater bun.
After towel-drying and detangling your hair, let it air dry for a while until it's about 70-80% dry. This will help your hair hold the curl better, rather than overly-wet hair which might not be as moldable. Start by dividing your hair into sections, then roll and secure separate parts into the rollers.
Not only does touching your hair make it dirty quicker—which is no good for curls that shouldn't be over washed—but it also can make it frizz like crazy. You might remember the days when scrunching hair was all the rage. Even with a pound of product in our hair it somehow still managed to be frizzy.
For hair care products to be considered as Curly Girl-friendly is their ingredients to avoid in the INCI list of the hair care products. A Curly Girl-friendly hair care product must not contain sulfates, silicone, drying alcohol, parabens, and certain waxes and mineral oils.
Loose and classic curls can lather up two to four times a week. Coily curl types can co-wash weekly, and deep cleanse with shampoo once a month. Tight curls fall somewhere in between - shampoo or co-wash every few days to a week. A good rule of thumb: If your curls feel dry, try washing less frequently.
It's totally normal for curls to lose their bounce, group together or flatten out overnight. If your curls need a little love, it's all good. Here are two quick morning refresh routines: Steam refresh - At the end of your shower, flip your head upside down and let the steam of the shower reform your curls.
For this reason, many people with curly hair prefer to wash their hair in the morning to give it plenty of dry time. You should also take note of your hair's porosity.