How to Sleep With Curly Hair

The night undoes more curls than the day does. Eight hours of turning on a pillow flattens one side, roughs up the surface and tangles the nape. None of it is inevitable. With two decisions made before bed, how to gather your hair and what to put between it and the pillow, most of a wash day survives until morning.

First, go to bed dry

Sleeping on wet or damp curls is the surest way to wake with flat, oddly bent hair. Wet hair is also at its weakest and stretches and breaks more easily under friction. If you wash in the evening, leave enough time to diffuse or air dry completely.

Step one: gather

Choose by length and pattern.

The pineapple

For: curly and coily hair, shoulder length or longer.

Tip your head forward, gather all your hair at the very top of your head and secure it loosely, wrapping the tie once or twice only. The curls spill forward like the leaves of a pineapple. You sleep on the sides and back of your head, where the hair is pulled smooth, and the curls sit above you untouched.

The multi-pineapple

For: short and layered hair that will not reach one ponytail.

Make two or three small, loose ponytails instead: one on top, one at the crown, one at the nape if needed. Small claw clips work as well as scrunchies.

The loose braid

For: wavy hair, and long hair that tangles.

One or two very loose braids keep waves from flattening and stop long hair knotting at the nape. Braid loosely and stop a few inches from the ends, or you will wake with braid ridges instead of waves.

Loose twists

For: coily hair and twist-outs.

Re-twisting the hair in six to ten large, loose twists preserves definition and stretches the hair gently, which reduces shrinkage and tangling.

Nothing at all

For: very short curls.

Hair under about four inches has little to flatten. A smooth pillowcase is enough.

Gather it loosely, cover it smoothly, and leave the styling for the morning.

Step two: cover

Gathering protects the shape. Covering protects the surface.

A bonnet

The most complete protection. It keeps curls contained and away from the pillow entirely. Lower it over a pineapple from front to back.

A satin or silk pillowcase

For those who cannot sleep in a bonnet, and a sensible backup for those who can. It reduces friction and absorbs less of your leave-in than cotton does.

A scarf

A large satin or silk scarf, folded into a triangle and tied at the front, holds a pineapple securely and suits people who find bonnets slip off.

Which combination?

Your hair	Gather	Cover
Wavy, any length	Loose braid, or nothing	Satin pillowcase
Curly, long	Pineapple	Bonnet or pillowcase
Curly, short	Multi-pineapple	Bonnet
Coily	Loose twists or pineapple	Bonnet, plus a satin pillowcase

In the morning

1. Remove the bonnet and take your hair down gently.
2. Shake out the roots with your fingertips, head tipped forward.
3. Leave it for five minutes. Curls that look flattened often drop back into place on their own.
4. Mist and reshape only the sections that need it. The full routine is in The Second-Day Refresh.

Common problems

• A dent from the tie. It was too tight, or wrapped too many times. Mist the dent and scrunch.
• A flat crown. Your pineapple was too low. Move it further forward.
• The bonnet comes off. Try a cap with a knit outer layer or an adjustable band, and keep a satin pillowcase underneath as insurance.
• Too warm. Polyester satin holds heat. Switch to silk, or to a pillowcase alone.
• A sore scalp. Everything is too tight. Loosen it; nothing here should pull.