We’re always looking for a few extra Zzzs where we can get ‘em. Prepping hair the night before is a surefire way to make mornings run a little more smoothly. There are two methods that curly girls can depend on for a good hair day: the plopping method and the braiding method. Add one of these to your nighttime routine and you can justify hitting snooze at least one more time.
1. The Plopping Method
What you need: an old cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel. Just make sure not to use a terry cloth towel it will cause frizz.
Plopping is a method to help encourage curl formation and prevent frizz while drying, developed by the NaturallyCurly community years ago. By sleeping with your hair in a plop overnight, your curls will be held in place so they don’t dry all funky and weird if you move in your sleep.
The Night Before
1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Bonus points if you use a deep conditioner!
2. Apply your styling products as usual.
3. Tip your head forward so that all of your hair is hanging forward in front of you.
4. Place the towel or shirt directly below your hair. You can use the floor or a chair or your bed. Whatever height you prefer.
5. Slowly begin to drop your hair into the towel, making sure it stays in one place. It should fold almost like an accordion style.
6. Once all your hair is folded, it should be directly on the top of your head on the towel.
7. Take the edges of the towel and twirl them as tight as they can get moving towards each other.
8. Secure the edges in a tie or you can even use a ponytail holder to keep them tied together.
9. Have sweet dreams of defined, frizz-free curls!
You can watch a demonstration of plopping at the 0:35 second point of this video.
The Next Morning
1. Gently remove the towel.
2. Shake out your hair so your curls fall down.
3. Do not comb through hair, but use your fingers to separate any curls that may have clumped together or are too bunched up.
4. If hair is not completely dry, use a heat protectant spray and quickly blow dry with a diffuser, or diffuse your hair on the cool setting.
5. Add a drop of shine serum or coconut oil, if desired.
2. The Braiding Method
This method will have you waking up with looser, pretty-flowing waves.
The Night Before
1. Wash and conditioner hair as usual.
2. Use a wide tooth comb to remove any tangles.
3. Separate your hair into sections. The more sections you have, the tighter and smaller the waves will be. Apply a curl-smoothing cream to each section and braid.
The Next Morning
1. Gently undo each braid.
2. Do not comb through, but just use fingers to separate each braid section.
3. Shake your hair so that the braids become more free.
4. Apply a shine serum or an oil if desired.
Whichever method you choose, may you wake up with gorgeous curls!
