How to Get Wavy Hair Overnight (Braid Method)

Co-authored by Ndeye Anta Niang

Last Updated: January 10, 2024 Fact Checked

Wavy hair is a fun, glamorous hairstyle for work or play, but creating waves with a curling iron is a time-consuming task. Thankfully, however, there’s another method to get flowing waves in a fraction of the time, and with none of the heat damage. By sleeping in braids overnight, you can wake up with the beautiful waves you want.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Hair

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1
Wash your hair, but skip the conditioner if your hair is fine and straight. You’ll want to have clean hair for your braids, so shampoo as you normally would. However, conditioner can make the hair too silky if it is fine and straight, and silky hair has a hard time holding a curl.
- If your hair is very coarse and tangled and you absolutely must use some conditioner, use sparingly. It will make a big difference in how well your waves hold.
2
Dry your hair by gently squeezing out the water. By carefully pressing out the water, you’ll avoid the frizz created from using a normal towel. Scrubbing or wrapping your hair with a towel can roughen the hair shaft and give you a head full of frizz. ^{[1]
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Research source}
- Wet hair is fragile hair, so be extra gentle whenever you’re working on it.
- If you can’t squeeze out all the water with your hands, invest in a microfiber towel or use a smooth cotton shirt to dry your hair. You can use these to press out the excess water while avoiding the rough texture of a normal towel. ^{[2]
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  Research source}
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3
Comb out your hair and spritz it with a sea salt spray. Use a wide-tooth comb, or just your fingers, to brush your hair out gently. ^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source} Once it’s combed to your satisfaction, grab a sea salt spray to add some texture to your damp hair. A sea salt spray can give your hair the same waves created by ocean water. ^{[4]
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Research source}
- Spray the sea salt evenly throughout your hair. The label on the spray will typically say to scrunch your hair afterwards, but the braids will do all the “scrunching” for you.
- You certainly don't need to run out and purchase a sea salt spray to get perfect waves. Any product that gives your hair some holding power, like mousse or a styling spray for wet hair, will work. You can also use curling cream. ^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ndeye Anta Niang
  Hair Stylist & Master Braider
  
  Expert Interview. 10 January 2020.} These products will also give your hair some added "grit" to help it hold waves.
- Adding some product may help to prevent frizz, but you can also skip the product completely, if you choose. Braiding wet hair can create gorgeous waves without any sort of spray or mousse, just experiment with your hair to see what works best!
- If your hair is really tangled after you wash it, apply a detangling product before you comb it out. ^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ndeye Anta Niang
  Hair Stylist & Master Braider
  
  Expert Interview. 10 January 2020.}
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4
Skip the water if you have afro-textured natural hair. Because your hair is naturally more dry, washing it regularly can strip away precious natural oils. ^{[7]
X
Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source} Additionally, getting afro-textured hair wet will make it form tighter curls than you want to create. Instead, you may want to create your braids using a moisturizer or oil on dry hair.
- If you want to start with clean hair, then you can shampoo and condition your hair and follow that up by blow drying your hair while it is in braids. This will create elongated waves when you undo the braids.