If you’ve curly hair, trying to sleep without ruining it can be an ongoing battle, and finding the best sleeping position to keep your curls intact can be challenging.
As if it’s not frustrating enough trying to maintain curly hair day-in-day-out, such as washing, scrunching, defining, and spraying, then comes the evening, and you have to ruin all your hard work in order to get a full night’s restful sleep.
If you have curly hair, you want to be able to show them off and not need to scrape them into a tight ponytail because it got messed up while you were sleeping.
So, what can you do to stop your lovely, luscious curls from being matted or flattened while you sleep?
Top 10 Proven Ways to Sleep With Curly Hair Without Ruining it
Throughout this guide, I will tell you all the possible ways to avoid messing up your curls during the hours you’re asleep. They are things that you can do without expensive products and only need a small change to your usual nightly sleep schedule, bonus!
1. The Two-Strand Twist
Starting with the simplest of solutions to sleeping with curly comes in the two-strand twist, and if you have already heard of it, I am sure you can guess exactly what it entails.
The two-strand twist works best if you have very tight curls and can do it with dry or damp hair.
Simply separate a section of your hair, divide it into two strands, and twist. You can tie the ends together with a small hair band.
To enhance your curls even further, finish the twist with a light spritz of your favorite styling product.
2. Messy Bun
Another easy and highly popular way of sleeping with curly hair is the messy bun. Simply flip your head upside down, bring your hair forward, and gather it all together, tying it loosely with a scrunchie. Try to keep it as loose as possible because it will crush your curls if it’s too tight.
Using a scrunchie and not an elastic hair band is essential, as these can pull out your hair and cause damage.
3. Pineapple
Okay, so you probably think this sounds odd, but don’t worry, no pineapples are needed for this curl damage prevention.
It means tying your curls loosely on the top of your head using a scrunchie. Of course, this result means you end up looking a bit like a pineapple, but who cares as long as your curls stay intact?
Putting your hair in the pineapple style helps them stay spring while you sleep, no matter how much you toss and turn.
Avoid tying your scrunchie too tight. Otherwise, you risk waking up with the dreaded kink!
4. Satin/Silk Pillowcase
So for this one, you will have to make a purchase, but it’s worth it in the long run, and not even just for those people with curly hair.
Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase provides a smooth service for your head to rest on so that your locks don’t get torn or tangled when you shuffle around in the night.
Also, because cotton is an absorbent material, it means that it actually extracts the natural oils from your hair while you sleep, which in turn dries out your hair and causes breakages.
5. Satin/Silk Bonnet
If you have a bit of OCD, don’t like the thought of having an odd pillowcase, and don’t want to slide around the bed with an entire satin bed set, then a satin bonnet might work for you instead.
Wearing a satin bonnet will have the same effects on your hair as the pillow, except it will also prevent you from getting split ends because your hair is encased through the night, meaning there is no friction during movement.
Another benefit of wearing a bonnet is that it keeps your hair off your face. This is beneficial for anyone suffering from blemishes on the skin caused by the oils in their hair.
6. French Braid
If you have the skills of being able to do French braids in your own hair, a skill I have always lacked, then braiding your hair before bed will not only enhance your curls but also prevent them from becoming a tangled nightmare while you’re asleep.
Once you’ve got your braids in, give them a light spray with a light hairspray to hold the curls in place when you release them the following morning.
7. Buff
A less well-known way to prevent your curls from being ruined while you’re asleep is called a buff, a long tube-like piece of cloth that goes over your head and slides down around your neck. Then, with your head upside down, pull the buff back over your hair and tie it together at the top using a hair band.
This method keeps your hair on top of your head throughout the night, which means you don’t have to lie on it. However, if you’re a wriggler in the night, these can be known to fall off, so they are best suited to those who fall into a still slumber.
8. Plopping
Plopping is a popular curl-preserving method that involves using a piece of material. This can be a t-shirt or a large piece of cloth.
Place the cloth onto a flat surface, and tipping your head upside down, place your hair in the center of it while slowly lowering your head down onto the material, allowing your curls to fold into a neat pile naturally.
Next, wrap the cloth around your head, holding your hair in one place.
If you want to enhance your curls even further, then try scrunching them with your favorite styling product before plopping.
9. Hair Pins
You’ll need a fair bit of time and a lot of patience to practice the art of hair pinning, but if you have both, it’s one of the best ways to keep your curls in their natural bounce instead of becoming wooly and matted.
Using hair pins entails taking each curl as it naturally falls, and winding it around the pin, right up to the root, before pinning it in place.
Ideally, this only works if you have large, chunky curls.
10. Headband
You can buy specific headbands for sleeping in. However, I have known people to use the cord from their dressing gown to practice this method.
The idea is to wrap your hair around the headband one curl at a time. This method works well on damp hair, but if you have long, thick locks, make sure your hair isn’t wet; otherwise, it won’t be able to dry out fully during the night.
To Wind Things Up
So some of the best prevention methods for keeping your curls intact. Hopefully, you’ll find at least one of these methods practical, meaning you no longer have to go to sleep stressed about what your hair will be like the following morning.
If your curly hair has been keeping you awake recently, find out how you can catch up on those lost hours of sleep and get yourself back into a regular pattern.
