How To Sleep With Flexi Rods

Sometimes I think we women are a tad crazy in our pursuit of beauty. I was seriously considering this fact when I was being waxed the other day. I literally had to breathe through the pain as my skin, hair and its follicles were ripped out from very private places. But then I thought of the six weeks of silky smoothness and hair freedom and I just kept on clutching the towel and breathing deeply.

The same can be said for sleeping with a head full of curlers.

Have you figured out how to sleep with flexi rods in a way that’s comfortable and actually lets you sleep?

Seriously, is it really worth it?

And most of us will come back with a resounding, yes. Getting those lush beautiful curls is worth sleeping on them. But there are definite do’s and don’ts that will make it a success.

Before we proceed, do know that there are other curlers that you can sleep in. Click here if you’re looking for overnight hair curlers other than flexi rods!

Here are some helpful tips that I really hope will help you on your quest for the perfect set of curls that you can be proud of.

Tips and Tricks: How To Sleep With Flexi Rods Comfortably

Sleeping with flexi rods is possible. But if you’re having a hard time trying to make it work for you, follow these tips and tricks. Let me know in the comments below which of these actually helped you!

1. Roll close to the top of your head as much as possible.

When rolling your hair onto the Flexi rods, roll as many as you can on top of your head and as close together as possible. 

Try not to place too many of them on the sides of your head or near the nape of your neck. When fastening them, use the pin curl method or Bantu knots, whereby you roll the hair towards the root and bend the rod as close to the scalp as possible. 

READ: Easy Flexi Rod Hairstyles To Try

This video from Youtuber Pure Estrogen helps with her Sleep-Friendly Flexi Rod Method tutorial:


2. Do not curl the hair too tight at the nape of your neck. 

This could cause a great deal of pain when the hair is tugging and pulling while you are asleep. You might not even be able to fall asleep if this point is ignored.

3. Use a satin scarf, a head shawl or large head bonnet over your head before you go to bed. 

This will stop the hair from snagging and tugging too much while you roll over in your sleep. It will also prevent all your hard work from getting undone, irritating your face and prevent knots and tangles. 

Basically, you want to keep everything in place and this is dependent on how “pretty” or not you sleep.

Janae Mason entertains and teaches us a few things with her How To Maintain Rod Set + Night Time Routine video. She is adamant that a large satin head bonnet does not smoosh the curls and gives it the freedom to move without being squashed. When she places her hair in the bonnet, she hangs her head forward so that the curls are on the top and the front of her head. 

READ: Why Sleeping With A Scarf in your hair is a GOOD IDEA!

Check it out. It will put a smile on your dial as you learn about the large bonnet.

4. Take Chamomile tea or other relaxants

If you toss and turn when you sleep, chamomile tea before bedtime can help you to sleep more calmly. A relaxing bath with candles can also help you to chillax. Taking magnesium about an hour before you sleep encourages relaxation because it increases your GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid). Essentially, GABA helps our neurons not to get too overexcited and so controls our anxiety and fear.

5. Let’s talk about pillows!

If you really want your pillow not to mess things up, try this. Roll up a bath towel as tightly as you can. Secure the towel it with a nappy fastener so it won’t unroll. Place the towel up to the contour of your neck. It’s like sleeping half-way on the pillow and half-way on the towel. This helps so that your head is not buried in the pillow.

Another trick is to use only 5 of the 7/8” size rods. Secure them with a scarf and then a turban on top of the scarf. If you do this, the rods will lay flat and won’t move at all during the night.

CHECK OUT: How To Use Flexi Rods

If you have the budget, bless yourself by getting a really fluffy satin or silk pillow. This helps to ease the discomfort because there is friction between your head and the pillow. The silk will prevent (to some degree) the friction.

6. Put hair up in a High Ponytail 

wet hairstyles high ponytail – Curling Diva

Another method that could work for you is before you go to bed, place your hair in one of those high ponytails. Split the ponytail into two or three sections. Wrap a big Flexi rod around each section of hair. And drift off to la-la-land. When you wake up you will have messy but nice curls.

7. Sleep face down.

You can also try to sleep on your stomach instead of your back. This will also help to alleviate the discomfort.

8. Use a small cushion.

Something else you could consider is to sleep in a chair with one of those airplane cushions propping up your head. I know this seems a bit far fetched, but it might work. Maybe give it a try.

sleeping with flexi rods – Curling Diva

READ: How to sleep with curls and NOT ruin them

How To Maintain Your Curls

Another thing to think of is how do you maintain your curls once you have them. A great tutorial of How I Maintain Curls All Week can be viewed on a video (see below), courtesy from Youtuber allofdestiny. She suggests to sleep, shower or bath in a bonnet to protect the curls. If you ends do get frizzy, just place some product in your hands and scrunch up the ends.


When you take off your bonnet and your hair is flat (but the curls are still there), just add some volumizer to your hands and ‘puff’ it up by separating the curls until they are bouncy and full of volume. 

Don’t separate too many of the curls because you’ll have to do this the next day as well. Daye La Soul gives an in-depth look of how to maintain Flexi rod curls for 10 days. She uses a bonnet and a scarf in the evening. She calls it “the mushroom” instead of the well known “pineapple” method.


With all that being said, I just want to tell you I am very proud that you are willing to give up some of your sleep for your curls. You are amazing and your hair thanks you for all the effort and time you put into it. You are gorgeous and always remember that.

Image Credits: Deposit Photos

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