Sleep protection is one of the most effective ways of protecting your curls and ensuring your washday results last longer. Most curlies tend to pineapple their hair on top of their head to protect curls from friction and tangles from moving around at night. However, what do you do if your hair is too short to pineapple? Fear not; help is at hand.
1. Buff it Up
If silk or satin scarves are too slippery and come off too easily, and a bonnet is too roomy, try a buff. Many curlies use these to protect their curls at night, and these can work just as well for shorter curls. You pull it down to your neck and then pull the edge of the buff up and over your hair. Tie it in a small knot at the top to contain your hair. This can stop curls from being flattened and helps to create volume overnight.
2. Medusa-clipping
You may end up looking like a snake-headed Gorgon, but Medusa-clipping can be great for protecting shorter curls overnight! Using small jaw clips, clip small sections of hair up onto the top of your head. As with mini-pineappling, you need to make sure you clip in places that won’t be uncomfortable when you lie down, preferably on top of the head if your hair can reach that length. This method gives great volume and is really effective for keeping those curls in place.
Check out FitKat Style’s tutorial for a looser, wavy texture.
3. Silk is a Curl’s Best Friend
One of the first things all curlies should do is invest in a silk or satin pillowcase (or two for when you need to wash it!”>. Not only do silk pillowcases reduce friction, but they also don’t draw the moisture out of your hair (or skin”> like cotton can. You know those creases you get on your face in the morning? Silk eliminates those, so you can imagine what a difference it makes to your hair too.
4. Scarves and Bonnets
Another silk accessory to invest in is a silk scarf. Not only will you be your most glamorous version of yourself going to bed, but your curls will be wrapped neatly in place.
You could try a silk or satin bonnet to protect your hair, but quite often, short hair does not fill the bonnet enough, which allows for a lot of movement at night and can lead to flattened or misshapen curls.
Watch this tutorial for guidance on how to wrap shorter curls in a silk scarf:
5. Mini-Pineapple
If you feel like you need to keep curls in place a bit more firmly, you can still pineapple – try mini-pineapples! Divide your hair into sections and create mini-pineapples around your head. Some people might find this uncomfortable to sleep on so you may wish to avoid a pineapple at the back of the head, for example. Invest in some cute small satin or silk scrunchies like these from Curly Girl Silks to avoid overnight tangles.
Sweet dreams!