How to Keep Curls In Overnight

Heat tools, daily washing, and being short on time have all contributed to the growing desire for hairstyling to last multiple days. Whether you curled your hair in the morning or want to create some heatless waves to make your life easier in the morning, overnight curl preserving is the way to go. The tried several methods and found out how to keep curls in overnight.

How to Keep Curls in Overnight? Step By Step

To begin, you will need freshly washed hair, hairspray or light-hold hair cream, an overnight scarf, and a plethora of bobby pins. Towel dry your hair.

The goal is to pin the curls in place while the hair is damp and for it to be dry in the morning when you take them out. If your hair is thicker, you may need it to be closer to dry when you start, and spritz the ends with water if it becomes too dry.

Next, take a 1/2” – 1” section of hair from the front of your head. You will want to work from front to back and from top to bottom. Begin rolling the end of the hair section into a circle continuing all the way to the crown. Set it flat against your scalp and pin it down with one or two bobby pins. Continue to do this to the rest of your head.

Once that is completed, place a cotton scarf or bandanna around your hair. This will absorb some excess moisture and prevent frizziness from friction while you sleep. It will also help to keep the bobby pins in place.

In the morning, remove the scarf. Unpin one test section of hair to make sure the hair is dry. If it passes, take out all the pins. This time, work from bottom to top and back to front. Finger comb or lightly brush out the strands to break up any piece-y sections.
Finally, apply some hairspray or styling cream to give your hair texture and help it to hold all day.

How Do I Keep My Curls In All Day?

If your hair has a tough time holding a curl, it may be due to your current hair care and styling steps. The following tips help give your curls a much longer life. Skip or use a very light amount of conditioner. Conditioner often makes the hair too slippery to hold a curl. Use a mousse as well on damp hair. People often use a smaller amount than is effective.

Use one to two handfuls depending on how long your hair is. The alcohol in mousse helps to reduce moisture, which increases hold. If you are using heat tools to curl your hair, clip the coils until they cool.

As you curl each section of hair, catch the coil in your hand and use a duckbill clip to keep it in place by clipping it against your head, much like a pin curl. Wait five or more minutes for the hair to sufficiently cool before letting it down.
This allows the hair to have a “memory” of the shape you are going for once it is released.

How Can I Make My Curls Last Longer? 9 Tips

1. Skip or use a small amount of conditioner. Conditioner can make the hair way too slick and slippery to hold a curl for long. Use the smallest amount you can get away with for better results.

2. Pincurl or apply mousse when hair is almost dry. This is what allows the pin curls to have a memory of the shape and hold it once it is dry. Mousse helps curls made with heat tools to keep their form.

3. Choose the correct sized sections to curl. If the sections are too big or small, they may fall out faster. Experiment to see what works best for your hair type and thickness. Aim for 1” sections of hair initially and go from there.

4. Keep curls pinned to your head. This could mean waiting for pin curls to thoroughly dry or curling wand curls to fully cool before unpinning them. For heat tool curls, catch the spiral of hair in your hand as it is released from the barrel and move it upwards toward your scalp to coil it into circles.

5. Leave your curls tighter than you would like at first. This way, gravity will loosen them to your desired amount instead of becoming more loose and wavy than you’d like.

6. Use a texture spray. Texturizing products don’t weigh your hair down as much as hairspray might. This means the curls don’t have to fight gravity as much.

7. Repin your curls before sleeping at night. This helps to keep their shape during the night. Follow the curl pattern to recoil the sections into pin curls and pin them to your head during the night.

8. Wrap a scarf or bandanna around the pinned curls. This protects the curls from unraveling. Without this, the curls may get knocked out by your head movements during sleep.

9. Refreshen in the morning. Use more texturizing spray and dry shampoo on the scalp if needed to keep the curls going strong for another day.

How Long Do Curls Last With a Curling Iron?

This answer varies drastically. Some curls fall out immediately, while others last for days. It depends on many factors. The curling iron temperature might be too low. The section sizes might be too big or small. The amount of hair products might be unsuitable. Style protective measure may not be taken. The list goes on and on.

A person’s hair type and texture are a factor as well. Naturally, curly hair will naturally hold a styled curl without as much effort as the same techniques on super straight hair. These different hair types may encounter different issues. For example, while naturally-curly hair may hold for longer, it may have more issue with frizziness.

Hair thickness makes a difference, as well. Fine hair tends to have a harder time holding a curl. This is because it has less body and bounce than thicker hair types. Fine hair also requires a lower heat setting to prevent damage and is easily weighed down by a large amount of hair products.

Another factor is hair damage. Hair that has been damaged by heat tools may not be able to handle more curling using heat tool methods. Switching to a heatless method like pin curls may be a better option altogether. To prevent this type of damage, always make sure to use a heat protectant before using a curling wand.

Is It Better to Get Your Hair Done Dirty or Clean?

As surprising as it sounds, it is often recommended to style dirty hair rather than clean. Without proper preparation, clean hair is a bit too squeaky clean to hold styles for long.

Additionally, the natural oils in your hair may protect the strands from the damage of heat tools if they are used. You may want to experiment with both methods to see which way you prefer better.

However, if your hair has a lot of old product in it from previous styling treatments, this may prevent you from getting the results you desire. In this case, start with clean hair and use style-extending tips.

It is perfectly fine to curl hair that hasn’t been washed for the last couple of days. If dirty roots are an issue, use a dry shampoo on your roots before or after you start.

Some people may find this to be the best scenario if they find their hair holds curls better when it is technically dirty.
Pin curls may work even better on dirty hair.

They have been around for nearly 100 years. At this time, people washed their hair much less frequently, yet this method brought them beautiful results. To fully embrace this older method, use a boar bristle brush to distribute your hair oils from roots to ends.

This way, you don’t end up with oily roots and dry ends, but an even amount throughout the strands that is naturally shiny and protective. This oil can also encourage the curls to keep their shape.

Do You Use Hairspray Before or After Curling?

Different people find success by using hairspray before, after, or both when curling their hair. Using hairspray before, during, and after heat tool curling can be a saving grace for hair that usually can’t retain a curl.

When you use hairspray before curling, make sure you don’t hold the hairspray too close to your hair. This prevents the curls from becoming crunchy and heavy. Also, make sure the hairspray has fully dried before beginning to curl.

You wouldn’t want to use hairspray before pin curling, though, because the hair is damp beforehand. Using hairspray on wet hair would lead to overly crunchy locks and not give you the flowing curls you desire. If you use hairspray with pin curls, use it as a finishing step.