By Mariela
Updated: May 1, 2024
6 minutes
Having curly hair with a smooth texture, fluffy bounces, and enhanced volume is a dream for many women. This type of hairstyle suits most of the face shapes and adds to the elegance of your overall look. However, it is also the most difficult style to maintain.
So, whether you have naturally curly hair or curly it at night, you might end up with tangles instead of bouncy curls in the morning, right? If yes, let us learn how to sleep with curly hair and 9 tips to maintain the curls for a gorgeous hairstyle in the morning.
Table of Contents:
Why is Sleeping with Curly Hair Difficult?
You can find Hair Growth Products for Women here. Additionally, below are the 4 things that sleeping in the wrong way does to your hair.
1. It Flattens the Curls
When you sleep with your head on the pillow, the curls of one side loosen up while the other side remains bouncy if you are a side sleeper leading to an unsymmetrical appearance of the hair.
However, most of the curls become flat if you sleep on your back. So, no matter how you sleep, the curls will get flat. But worry no more as we will discuss how to deal with this without disturbing your sleep.
2. It Creates Frizz in the Hair
The rough surface of your bedsheet and pillow is in continuous contact with your hair. This creates friction between the surface and the curls in the hair. As a result, hair becomes frizzy and its texture worsens over time. Also, the ends of the hair become dry.
3. It Causes Tangles in the Hair
In addition to making the hair frizzy, sleeping with curls also makes it tangled. It happens because the hair from one side might go to the other side and there is some knotting of the hair strands. Consequently, you will have stubborn tangles in the morning.
Also, it is common in women who sleep immediately after showering without drying their hair.
4. You Need to Refresh Hair the Next Morning
Imagine spending 30 or even more minutes styling your hair at night so that you can get ready quickly in the morning and then waking up with a weird hairstyle. This is exactly what sleeping with fresh curls at night can do to you.
Therefore, you might have to refresh the curls or style them all over again in the morning.
How to Sleep with Curly Hair? 9 Tips
Let us discuss 9 top tips that we have tried and tested to ensure that you wake up with beautiful curls in the morning.
1. Use a Silk or Satin Pillowcase
Although linen and cotton are two of the most common materials our bedsheets and pillows are made of, sleeping on them damages the hair as their materials absorb the moisture from the hair and cause friction.
As changing the whole set might be difficult, it is important to use a silk or satin pillowcase. Silk is a smooth material that is gentle on the hair and prevents breaking, tangling, or formation of split ends in the hair.
Therefore, using a silk pillowcase will help you preserve the health of your hair and thus the curls. The benefits of silk pillowcases are mentioned in Silk Pillowcase: 10 Benefits for Hair, Skin, and Sleep.
2. Stop Applying a Deep Hair Conditioning Mask at Night
Most women use deep conditioning masks overnight to nourish their hair. But thick masks might be the cause of the change in the texture of your hair if you use them for the whole night.
It is because deep conditioning masks add more moisture than needed to the hair when they are over-used. So, avoid using such a mask overnight. Rather, applying them for 15 to 30 minutes in the evening a few hours before bed is enough.
3. Wear a Pineapple or Mini Pineapple Hairstyle at Night
The problem of hair flattening can be easily dealt with by trying the right hairstyles to sleep in. One of the best hairstyles for curly hair is pineapple hair. You can create a pineapple hairstyle by wearing a loose ponytail or scrunchie in the crown area of your head.
Then you can sleep as you like without destroying the colors. Additionally, you can also wear ponytails on both sides if your hair is too short to be in an overhead pineapple.
4. Cover the Hair with a Silk Wrap
If you have short hair, then covering it in a pre-made silk wrap will do the perfect job. You need no silk pillowcase in this case as the head wrap protects the curls and their texture.
Also, if you have long hair, you can consider a headscarf or satin bonnet to have your beauty sleep without loosening your curls.
5. Wear Curl Enhancing Hairstyle at Night
Instead of looking for ways to preserve the curls, how about creating the curls at night? Rollers can be uncomfortable to sleep in. So, try curl-enhancing or forming a hairstyle.
These hairstyles include a bun and a French braid. For this, take a shower an hour before sleeping, and do the hairstyle when your hair is somewhat damp. This is how you can save a lot of time in curling your hair at night and wake up with pretty waves.
6. Change the Way you Sleep
Sleeping on your back is the worst way to sleep if you have curly hair and you are not using any protective hairstyles. Therefore, if you do not want to put your hair in pineapple hair or a bun, simply change the way you sleep.
Instead of sleeping on the back, try sleeping on the side or even on your stomach. In this way, people with naturally curly hair can prevent tangles, split ends, and hair damage.
7. Protect Your Hair with a T-Shirt
Propping up your hair in a T-shirt before sleeping can be one of the best tips we discussed here today. For this, wash your hair before bed, apply a hair treatment on it, or do your curly hair girl nighttime routine, and let the products you applied absorb into the hair.
After that, grab an old T-shirt, wear it above your hair with the head in the neck hole of the shirt, hem on your back, and tie the sleeves. Using a T-shirt to prop up the hair can be a cheap alternative to silk pillowcases and headcovers.
8. Style and Curl the Hair in the Evening
Instead of styling your hair immediately before bed, do it in the evening. This will give the curls the time to settle before you head to bed. Well-settled curls rarely loosen up because of friction and a wrong sleeping position.
Also, if your hair is naturally curly, wash it in the evening, apply a lightweight leave-in conditioner or hair mousse, and scrunch the hair with your fingers to add definition to your natural hair.
Then you can wear a bonnet or headscarf and sleep peacefully.
9. Nourish Your Hair Before Bed
While it is recommended not to use thick conditioners at night, your hair still needs nourishment and hydration, right? Therefore, do not forget to treat your hair well before you sleep.
Some lightweight hair masks or conditioners are enough to hydrate the hair. In addition, you can use hair oil on the ends to protect them from friction and splitting. Furthermore, a curl cream works best for women with curly hair.
Conclusion
We have discussed the way sleeping with curly hair can affect the health of your hair and the hairstyle. In addition, we have talked about the top 9 tips to preserve your bouncy curls when you sleep at night.
These tips include using the right pillow material like soft silk, wearing curl-enhancing hairstyles like a braid, using overhead pineapple hairstyles to prevent flattening of the hair, propping up the hair in a T-shirt, and applying hair nourishment treatments in the late evening to hydrate the hair.
Also, we suggest you give Hair Stylers for Wavy Hair a read to look your best this summer.
