Sleep styles for curlies (non-pineapple)

[Katia_k]

Curly folks, how do you style your hair for sleeping? I've been doing braids lately, because they're about the only things I've been able to sleep in without my neck dying, but they seem to flatten the back of my head really bad and take me from curly to wavy.

I know the pineapple's supposed to be best, but there's something about it that makes me hold my head in a really weird position when I sleep, and so my neck turns into a twisty tie.

I've tried doing a stickless bun thing, which works okay but doesn't prevent tangles, and an English braid, which prevents tangles but which leaves me with a flat back of my head. Are French braids better for preserving curls? Or are there other awesome styles that leave the curl pattern alone a bit more? Just looking for things to try so I don't destroy my curls quite so much. I know some is inevitable, but I'd like to minimize. It seems to survive best when I just let it free, but I'm trying to prevent breakage and my cat likes to step on it, so that's probably not an option.

[ephemeri]

Sounds like a satin or silk sleep cap might be the answer for you!

[Katia_k]

I use one, but just shoving it under the cap doesn't seem to be working all that well. I braid it currently and shove the braid inside the cap.

[Ghaliya]

I have yet found the answer to this. I can never preserve my curls .... i end up with poof 2nd day hair. Pineappling does NOT work for me....but nothing does...and I guess I've come to terms with this (lol). But like you, I've been just braiding it lately....at least if I can't keep the curl...I can protect my hair??? Haha

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Do you sleep on your back or your side?

[ExpectoPatronum]

I'm a curly who uses the pineapple method, but I have other suggestions.

A satin cap might work, but in my experience I just ended up with smooshed curls. Have you tried doing a bun but using a couple claw clips to hold it in place? You could also try draping your hair over your pillow. A lower ponytail might help too. The key is not to lay on your hair, so any style that helps prevent that should help.

Unfortunately, preserving curls overnight can be tricky. I hope you find something that works!

[Adelain]

Have you tried to do a loose pineapple? I usually sleep with a high and very loose ponytail which is confortable but keeps my hair contained. I put also a satin foulard over my pillow to prevent frizz. I'm a wavy but I think that it should work for curlies too 😊

[lapushka]

You can tie a satin scarf back to front in a "pinapple" way, so you don't have a tight elastic band constricting the hair.

[LadyCelestina]

You can lower your expectations for 2nd and 3,4,5... day hair :D I sleep in a braid and deal with whatever shape my hair took on in the morning with conditioner and ocassionally a bit of styling product.

[Simsy]

Preserving a curl while sleeping on it is really hard. Curls naturally relax between washes, and being tucked/pulled in and out of styles will stretch them out further. Might be easier to fill a spray bottle with some conditioner, water and whatever else you want; oils, lotions and such; and refresh the curls each morning with a light spray and retwist each section. Shouldn't need much, just a quick dampening to make the curls spring back up.

Unfortunately, I can't help with much in the way of details because my hair doesn't like being dampened if it's not getting washed. I just leave mine in braids for the most part. If I want curls, I wash it that day and air dry.

Otherwise, the giesha of Japan sleep on small wooden stands to preserve really elaborate hair styles; so it would probably work awesome for curls.

[Katia_k]

Do you sleep on your back or your side?

I sleep flat on my back, pretty much the worst position for preserving curls.


I'm a curly who uses the pineapple method, but I have other suggestions.

A satin cap might work, but in my experience I just ended up with smooshed curls. Have you tried doing a bun but using a couple claw clips to hold it in place? You could also try draping your hair over your pillow. A lower ponytail might help too. The key is not to lay on your hair, so any style that helps prevent that should help.

Unfortunately, preserving curls overnight can be tricky. I hope you find something that works!

A bun with claw clips might actually be a pretty good idea. My main issue with the pineapple is having something too far forward on my head, which makes me hold my head in super strange positions without meaning to. And I'm a light sleeper, so the smallest change takes me forever to get used to; it took me months to stop waking up in the middle of the night to zombishly paw my braid out of my hair before going immediately back to bed. But the slightly contained bun might be what I need.



Preserving a curl while sleeping on it is really hard. Curls naturally relax between washes, and being tucked/pulled in and out of styles will stretch them out further. Might be easier to fill a spray bottle with some conditioner, water and whatever else you want; oils, lotions and such; and refresh the curls each morning with a light spray and retwist each section. Shouldn't need much, just a quick dampening to make the curls spring back up.

Unfortunately, I can't help with much in the way of details because my hair doesn't like being dampened if it's not getting washed. I just leave mine in braids for the most part. If I want curls, I wash it that day and air dry.

Otherwise, the giesha of Japan sleep on small wooden stands to preserve really elaborate hair styles; so it would probably work awesome for curls.



I'll try more of the curl refresher stuff too, this is a good idea. My hair really likes being left free at night, and that preserves the best curls. But above-mentioned cat causes a ton of breakage every morning as he walks across my face and hair in an effort to inform me that it is time to be awake. So I've had to figure out some form of containment. So I'll just have to try to craft my perfect refresher spray and see if it helps.

Thanks all!

[EbonyCurls]

Oh man, as a 3B I don't even attempt to preserve curls past the first day. My only goal is to not wake up with knots. I brush my hair upside down put a hair tie around loosely and braid it upside down so it all stays in one direction. Then I slide the hair tie down the braid so that nothing is constricting the hair, and the braid just flops over my forehead until I go to bed and then it just flops down the back of the pillow so I never sleep on it. Kind of like a pineapple but in braid form. This is a great night do if you plan on doing an updo the next day as well since the hair stays all in an updo direction.

[Neecola]

I do the bun on top of my head held with small claw clips and it works great. A member here suggested it to me a few years ago and I've been doing it that way ever since. If you do it loosely, it somewhat preserves the curl.