Keep Curls Overnight: How To Sleep With Curls And Not Ruin Them

By: | Last Updated: January 4, 2020

Hey curlpals! Have you ever had a really good hair day or styled your hair for the night and felt that your curls were looking so good that you didn’t wanna sleep on them because you didn’t want to wake up looking like a hot mess?

Well if you’re anything like me, it can be a whole lot of struggle to sleep with your curls and then wake up with them still looking good especially when you’ve got longer hair. Fear not, because the tips I’m about to share with you will show you how to protect your hair overnight and also how to maintain your next-day curls.

3 Ways How To Keep Curls In Overnight After Curling

1. How To Preserve Your Curls With A Pineapple Bun

So the best way to protect your hair overnight is to put it up in a sort of pineapple. This is basically just a loose, high ponytail on the top of your head.

All you really have to do is to flip your hair upside down, gather all of your hair to the top of your head and then wrap it one time with a very loose hair tie or scrunchie. I do not usually recommend the thinner ones because they tend to leave indents on the curls and increase my hair. I use this because it holds my hair in place without having to be too tight on them.

You want to be a bit gentle when you’re packing up your hair together because if you’ve got tighter curls on the bottom you don’t want to stretch them out too much. You should also avoid brushing your hair and breaking them or anything.

I usually sleep on a satin pillowcase to prevent frizzing while tossing and turning during sleep. Make sure to avoid using a cotton pillowcase and you’ll be fine. Not to worry if you don’t have one, a satin scarf or bonnet would do just fine too as I’ll be showing you in the next methods.

2. Maintaining Your Curls With A Bonnet

So instead of just wrapping up your hair with a tie, you could use a bonnet. I usually use a silk material bonnet and it helps to keep my curls in place all night and even if they do move around inside the bonnet, the material prevents them from getting messed up.

Basically, it’s about the same method described above but this time, after creating a bun with my hair tie, I gently wear my bonnet over it. You can go to bed with this on without having to worry about ruining your curls during sleep and then gently take it off again the next morning.

Get a bonnet that’s stretchable so that you can pull it loose to fit however much hair you have. This is my favorite method especially when I’m on a first-day curls. Although most people say this makes me look like a grandma, I still think it looks adorable.

3. How To Keep Curls Overnight With A Scarf

sleeping with a silk scarf in your hair – Curling Diva

This is what most gals use a lot but they don’t get the method right and so end up spoiling their curls. You want to get a huge scarf for this and as mentioned earlier, get one with a silk material. You can get this anywhere within your local store or even online.

Before you go to bed, wrap your hair in a lovely bun and tie it once with a loose scrunchie. What works best for me is to cover my entire hair with the scarf and tie it in a firm knot but not too tight so that it doesn’t cause me headache the next morning.

Check Out: 8 Beautiful Head Scarf Wrapping Styles To Try

I take two opposite corners of the scarf and bring them together diagonally. Then I take the longest side of the scarf, flip my hair upside down and put the scarf on the base of my hair ― more like on my neck. I tie this under my hair and at the bottom as well. Then I just tuck the ends in or use pins to make it stay in place. Using a satin scarf can help you fight against frizz a lot better too.

Tips To make Your Curls Last Multiple Days

So apart from the major methods I gave above, I would also love to share some other tricks that will keep your curls overnight and even till the third day without ruining them at all.

  • Add hold before you make your curls. This definitely works better than hairspray for me and its more touchable. I recommend you use Primer or Mousse products.
  • Curl your hair with a quarter inch smaller curling iron than you normally would. This is because your curls will definitely loosen up a bit with each night which is still lovely.
  • Allow your ringlets to cool! You might be tempted to mess with those awkward looking ringlets but it’s best not to break them apart until they’re cool to the touch.
  • Go light on the products you apply to your hair. Even though a mist of products will hold your curls, you’ll surely be in for a frizz and gunk the second day if you go overboard with the products.
  • Set your hair to sleep in a nice braid or a perfect bun to keep your curls.

How To Revive Curls After Sleeping

sleeping with curls

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is to gently pull off the hair tie to release the curls, then I use my fingers to rake through my curls and shake out whatever stiffness was created overnight. I also ensure that all areas are well checked. Then I spray the edges of my hair with a hair conditioner to re-activate whatever preservatives I applied the previous day.

After spraying the edges, I smooth down my hair. This helps a lot as you’ll soon discover it works like magic even to revive your hair curls. Then I grab my soap conditioner and lately I’ve been using Andalou Naturals Full Volume Lavender and Biotin Conditioner. I add just a little bit on your palms and apply it smoothly down the ends of my hair.

I also use texturizing spray for volume, but use the products you feel is best to address your hair’s second day needs. Fluff your hair and shake it off a bit and you’re all set for a fresh and crisp look, with your curls ready to go on their second day!

Image Credits: Deposit Photos

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