8 Ways To Preserve Your Curls While You Sleep

Given the choice, how would you want to start your day: with perfect hair or a full 8-hours of sleep? For straight or wavy hair, this is no problem; you can achieve both without much difficulty. 

Curly-haired people, on the other hand, are forced to consider pulling an all-nighter just to avoid having their locks flattened, crushed or frizzed up overnight. 

Now while we don’t have a one-size-fits-all fix for your flat, frizzy and lacklustre curl qualms, we can present eight tried and tested techniques for you to mix and match and discover your curl control sleep routine. Get ready to customise…

1. Wear your hair in a loose bun or “pineapple”

If you’re battling a bad case of frizz, apply a leave-in conditioner or hair oil and wrap your hair in a loose bun. Secure your hair with a silk scrunchie, like the Lady Jayne Luxe Scrunchies ($19.99 at Chemist Warehouse), to avoid any dents or kinks. 

The pineapple method refers to dry hair that has been flipped over and secured into a loose ponytail at the crown of the head. As a result, you look like, you guessed it, a pineapple. 

2. Sleep with a silk pillowcase 

Another frizz-taming hack that can really help curly hair types is sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase. The absorbency of cotton materials causes our hair to lose moisture and become dry. Silk, however, maintains moisture and shine in hair, while the almost slippery texture allows us to glide across the pillow without creating tangles.

bh loves: Shhh Silk Silk Pillowcase ($95 at Adore Beauty)

 3. Two-strand twist 

This method can be used with either wet or dry hair and is most effective on tighter curls. Start by dividing your hair into two sections, then wrap each section around the other from the roots, working the technique right down to the ends.

4. Sleeping position matters 

If you’re a back sleeper, you’ll be all too familiar with the impossible task of resurrecting that flat patch of hair on the back of your head each morning. To maintain the shape and volume of curls, we recommend switching to sleeping on your stomach or side.

5. T-shirt turbans 

If the pineapple or silk scrunchie method still leaves a kink or dent in your hair, try using a t-shirt to hold your curls in a loose bun and prevent them from flattening. Undo it in the morning, revive moisture with a spritz of water and smile as they bounce back into their original position. 

6. Braids

No matter how you do it – a long French braid or several mini braids – this technique will keep your curls in place. Depending on your curls’ size and shape, different braids will work best. A French braid stretches out tighter curls, whereas a loose braid holds the shape of a natural curl, and a mini braid leaves a tighter, crimped curl.

7. Leave in-conditioner

If your curls tend to lose their va-va-voom overnight, seek out an argan oil, shea butter or keratin-rich leave-in conditioner to lock in moisture, build shine and reduce frizz. 

bh loves: Glow Lab Leave-in Conditioner ($18 at Woolworths), SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Leave-In Conditioner ($24.99 at Nourished Life)

 8. The “plopping” method 

This popular curly hair method works on wet curls and is designed to dry them gently for a weightless and bouncy result. . The key is to apply product to hair first while it’s wet (most how-tos recommend gel) and then pile it onto the crown of your head before wrapping in a microfibre towel. Using this type of towel will speed up the drying process and leave your curls shiny and bouncy.

Main image credit: @fiahamelijnck

Do you have any tips for managing your curls while you sleep?