How to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight

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Simple methods to get beautiful curls overnight without a curling iron
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Curling your hair with curling irons can damage your hair. Instead, try these safe, overnight methods. The curls are usually not as tight as a curling iron can produce, but you can make them quite noticeable with practice. The cocoon method gives the most extreme results, but can be difficult the first time you try it.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Leaving Hairstyles in Overnight

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  1. Wash and condition your hair, [1] then let dry until slightly damp, but not dripping.
    • If your hair is tangled, brush out the knots before you wash it.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    You can create waves by styling your hair and leaving it overnight. Looser hairstyles involving thick sections of hair will lead to a looser wave pattern, while medium-sized, tight sections create a more defined or tighter wave pattern. Here are a few options: [2]
    • Braid your hair into two braids for waves, or four braids for curls. For tighter curls, braid the last half of the braid around a ribbon. [3]
    • Make a bun on either side of your head, for light waves.
    • Make a ponytail at the top of your head. Place an elastic band around it, then a hair donut. Wrap thumb-sized sections of the ponytail around the donut until all of your hair forms a bun. Secure ends with hair clips.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Cover the hairdo with a small amount of hairspray for more defined curls. Spray lightly to avoid damaging your hair.
  4. In the morning, take out your hairdo carefully and let your curls fall down. If the curls are rigid, shake them gently apart with your hands.
    • Apply more hairspray to keep them in place for a longer period of time.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Curling with Elastic Bands

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Start by air- or towel-drying your freshly-shampooed hair until it's just damp. Then, add a fixative like gel or styling mousse. This will help your hair hold the style. [4]
    • If your hair is too wet, it may not dry overnight.
  2. Divide your hair into sections. The more sections you use, the curlier your hair will be—anywhere from 3 to 9 sections is probably a good start. Secure each ponytail with a hair elastic at the base.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Starting from the top of the ponytail, wrap your hair around the elastic. Keep going until you've wrapped the whole ponytail, then secure that with a second hair elastic.
    • Do this for each of the ponytails.
    • For the best results, apply hairspray to keep your curls in place.
  4. Go to sleep with this hair style and let it loose in the morning.
    • Make sure your hair is completely dry before you take it down. Otherwise, the curls won't hold.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Curling with the Cocoon Method

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  1. It's usually easiest to start at the back of your head, but you can start anywhere you find comfortable. [5]
    • If you have afro-textured hair, twist the hair for more exaggerated curls.
    • The cocoon method can be more difficult than the methods above. Give yourself plenty of time to learn it.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Place your index and middle finger against the lock of hair, about an inch from your scalp.
    • Try to keep your nails facing away from your hair.
    • If you're right-handed, use your left hand. If you're left-handed, use your right hand.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Wind until the ends of your hair are pointing straight upwards, then stop. You should now see a 'U' shape in your hair, almost like a loop without a top.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Twist the strand of hair above the U-shaped loop, curling it around the hair that you left between your U and your scalp. Do this until you have about an inch (2.5 cm) of hair left. [6]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Using the two fingers secured in the loop, grab the end of the hair. Pull it through the loop, withdrawing your fingers. Keep hold of the hair, and do not pull it out all the way.
    • The main loop is now filled with hair. On one end, there's a dangling end of hair. On the other, there is a smaller hair loop. These are the ends of your hair, which will end up mostly straight.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    Keep holding the end of your hair, near the main loop. Use your other hand to push the hair on the other side toward the loop to tighten the knot. Don't let the end of the hair slip out too far, or the knot will come undone.
    • Make sure your knot is secure, but still loose enough that you'll be able to undo it later.
  7. Repeat until as much hair as you like is tied up into knots. [7]
  8. Watermark wikiHow to Curl Your Hair Without Heat Overnight
    In the morning, just tug the little tail left sticking out of each knot.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Other Methods

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  1. Plop your hair . Check out this article for instructions on "plopping." All you need is a towel and a T-shirt for overnight curls. [8]
  2. Wear rollers . Wrap small sections of hair around each roller to make a tight curl. [9] Leave in overnight and remove in the morning. [10]
  3. Section your hair into four to eight sections, depending on its thickness. Lay a thin dress sock over the end of a section, and slowly wrap the hair around it. When all of the hair is wrapped around it, tie the sock into a knot. [11] Repeat for remaining sections and leave in overnight.
    • Do this with slightly damp hair for best results.
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What Products Should Somebody Use Before They Curl Their Hair?


Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I do loose curls overnight?
    Shun Pittman
    Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author
    Shun Pittman is a Master Cosmetologist, Author, Owner, and Founder of Corps d’Elite Salon and Corps d’Elite Beauty. With over 25 years of international experience, she is dedicated to and specializes in providing luxury salon services to all hair types and textures and every skin tone and shade. Her services include hair conditioning treatments, cutting, coloring, styling, extensions, and makeup application. Shun has experience working with, coaching, training, and mentoring beauty professionals from multiple companies including L'Oréal, Wella, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, Redken, Big Sexy Hair, and Toni & Guy. She is also a host for national and local media outlets and her work has been featured in The Washingtonian, The Cheddar Network, and WJLA Good Morning Washington's Beauty and Fashion Police segments. Shun is the author of “50 Things Your Hairdresser Wants YOU to Know (and a few things we don’t...)".
    Shun Pittman
    Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author
    Expert Answer
    The larger the section, the looser the wave pattern will be. The smaller the section, the tighter the curl pattern will be.
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    Not Helpful 6 Helpful 21
  • Question
    How do I sleep comfortably with braided hair?
    Rider K
    Community Answer
    Try not to have the braid stick out too much when you braid the hair, and try to not fall asleep lying right on the braid.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 18 Helpful 54
  • Question
    Are there any other ways I can curl my hair overnight?
    Community Answer
    Make a half-up ponytail and put it into a tight bun. Part the rest of your hair in the middle, and braid each side tightly. When you wake up, it should be curly.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Elastic bands
      • Hair gel
      • Water

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458934/
      2. ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/hair.html
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1NLp1v5XCbw
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjv1T64x0LI
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/6uPj2JueWaw?t=60
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/6uPj2JueWaw?t=95
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/430VzsRT8Zg
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c9smNIN-xXM
      9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ySHCKnK-LM4
      1. ↑ Shun Pittman. Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author. Expert Interview. 11 May 2021.
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tGzcvZGDes4

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      If you want to curl your hair without heat, leave your damp hair in a bun or braids overnight, then shake it out gently in the morning. Alternatively, you could mix 4 or 5 drops of water and hair gel together, wet a section of your hair with it, and wrap the hair around an elastic band. Repeat this until all of your hair is tied up, then wait until morning to let your curls loose. You could also try the cocoon method by winding a section of your hair around your fingers to create a loop, and pulling the end of your hair through it to make a knot. Once you've used all of your hair, remove the knots in the morning by tugging the tail of hair that's left sticking out. For more advice, including how to curl your hair overnight using a towel, keep reading!

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