3 Methods for Maintaining Your Curls at Bedtime

Whether you have perfected your wash and go for the ideal curl or mastered your braid out method for hair fluffed and coiled to the sky, if you have curly hair, you know all about the bedtime struggle. After a wonderful hair day, I mean the kind where your curls are frizz free, glistening, and soft to the touch; you go home and start your winding down process. Washing your face, brushing your teeth, changing into your pajamas and you get to that perfect head of curly hair. The issue is that if you try to go free and just sleep with no sort of protection, you risk waking up looking like a squirrel that just stuck it’s finger in an outlet or with a lopsided, decompressed braid out. If you tie down your hair too tightly, you will knock all the luster, shine, and volume out of your curls. While curly definitely requires more effort, it is absolutely possible to maintain your hair overnight.

Rehydrate

After a long day of work, school, the gym, or general life activities, the moisture in your curls has pretty much dried up. While your hair may still seem lively at the end of the day, it is nowhere near as moisturized as it was when you first headed out the door. When your coils become dry, it is that much more difficult to carry the style into the next day. Rehydration is an important first step when it comes to maintaining your hair at bedtime.

To rehydrate your hair, you can start with lightly spraying large sections of curls with a spray bottle of water. If your hair is more dry than usual, forego the the water spray bottle and use your favorite leave in conditioning spray.

If you are rehydrating a wash and go style that you are stretching for another day, don’t be shy with the water spray bottle. Re-wetting the hair and tying up your curls in our up-cycled t-shirt turban will breathe some life back into them while eliminating the frizz and soaking up any extra water.

Moisturize

Once you’ve rehydrated your curls, it is vital to seal in the moisture from the water with a light weight oil. To ensure that your curls aren’t weighed down or covered in extra grease, use a palm sized dollop of your favorite light hair oil. Depending on your hair type, that can be any oil from argan to coconut. Working from the scalp, gently massage the oil from the roots to the tips of your curls. The natural oils that our scalp creates have a hard time making it down the hair shaft to deliver hydration to your ends. Be sure to massage oil into the ends of your hair, sealing in the hydration from root to tip.

Set for the night

When it comes to preserving your curls overnight, you have several options. Depending on the length of your hair, the texture, and the type of curl pattern you have; each method will yield different results.

The Pineapple Method

Perfect if you have long, curly hair; the pineapple method is quick, simple and easy. Pulling your curls as high as you can on top of your head. Secure your curls on the top of your head using a medium to large sized PuffCuff or a hair tie. Your curls will stay in place and, when you take them down the next day, your curls will still be intact. You can tie up your edges with a satin scarf, but your pineapple of curls will hold up perfectly if you just sleep on a moisture retention silk pillow case for the night. Your curls will retain their moisture and structure thanks to the the natural proteins and fibers in silk as opposed to your typical moisture wicking satin or cotton pillow case.  

Mini Buns Method

The mini buns method is great for maintaining volume, fluff, and your curl pattern overnight. Start by gently separating your curls in medium sized sections. Using tangle free hair ties, twirl each section into small, mini buns. Make sure you are tucking in the ends of your hair to make sure you are protecting your curls from root to tip. After you’ve installed all of your mini buns, cover your head with a roomy silk bonnet as opposed to a scarf. The bonnet will protect your mini buns while avoiding curl compression that you’d deal with under a scarf. The next morning, simply undo each bun and fluff your curls using your fingertips.

Chunky Twist Method

Gently separate your hair into medium sized sections. Lightly twist  each medium portion of hair into chunky, thick tists. Seal and twist the ends of each twist. The next morning, gently unravel your twists and fluff your curls from the root to the tip.

Naturally curly hair can be just as beautiful at the end of the week as it was at the beginning. Choose the preservation method that works best for you and your curls for the best next day hair.