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Ladies blessed with naturally curly hair know the struggle all too well–waking up to flat, dry, lifeless curls. Let’s get real: who honestly has an hour each morning to prep hair so that it looks its best?
Luckily, there are ways to prolong your curls overnight so that you actually wake up looking as gorgeous as you did when you went to bed. Here are 6 ideas to try this week:
Stephanie Johnson, a stylist, makeup artist, and photographer with HairFacePhoto.com, explains that preserving moisture is the key to preserving curls. “The curly girl’s biggest need in this world is moisture. Curly hair battles dryness–always. That’s because the bend of the cuticle (in the curl pattern) exposes the shaft of the hair to the elements.” Johnson says she advises her curly-haired clients to use product prior to going to bed. “I tell my curly girls to put a little bit of a leave in spray or some light oil like Rosarco Milk Leave-in Conditioning spray or Rosarco Oil on the hair–working up from the ends–and then to gather the hair at the top of the head (if long) and lightly ball it up with a bit of a twist (lightly),” Johnson says. “Take a light scrunchie or loose hair tie and put it around the bun. Some people call this a pineapple process–or creating a pineapple on the hair. Then wrap up your hair and bun in a silk scarf of cap.”
If you have naturally curly hair, Nick Penna, owner and lead stylist of SalonCapri in Boston has the following suggestion: sleep on a soft pillow and mist hair with water in the morning from a spray bottle. Then, reapply product to renew curls. Penna recommends Kérastase Fluidissime spray to prevent frizz and add shine or Kérastase Oleo-Curl cream to define curls.
Another popular idea that seems to work wonders? Loose braids. “The key is to keep it loose and without a lot of tension and manipulation that ends up disrupting the curl pattern,” Johnson says.
And, if you are currently sleeping on a cotton pillowcase, it’s time to make a change–for the good of both your hair and you skin. The best way to eliminate friction between your hair and pillowcase, which can result in frizz and a destroyed ‘do, is to switch to a satin pillowcase like Morning Glamour, which has the added benefit of reducing wrinkles, hair loss and breakage. “Cotton pillowcases absorb all those expensive products you put on and they pull at your hair,” says beauty and lifestyle expert Dawn McCarthy. “When traveling they truly help keep my hair looking good for the next day, so I can just touch up and go.”
For more beauty tips, check out 6 Drugstore face washes with incredible reviews and The one hair tool every woman should own.
