How to Curl Your Hair Overnight Without Heat

Curling your hair with a hot curling iron can damage your hair. Instead, try the safe overnight curling methods described below. Curls are usually not as tight as curling with a machine, but you can still create quite defined curls if you work hard. The cocoon curl method produces the best results, but if you’ve never tried it before, it can be a bit difficult.

Table of Contents

Keep your hair in place overnight

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Moisten hair. Wash your hair and use conditioner. ^{[1] X Research Source} Wait until hair is slightly damp but not dripping wet.

If your hair is tangled, you need to untangle it before washing it.

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Hair styling. Any wrap style will create curls when left on overnight. Loose hairstyles that wrap thicker sections of hair will create wavy curls, while tight hairstyles that wrap medium sections will create curls. You can choose from the following types: ^{[2] X Research Source}

Braid your hair into 2 braids for wavy hair or 4 braids for curls. For tight curls, you should braid the bottom half of the braid with a ribbon.
Braid the sides of your head for wavy curls.
Tie a ponytail on top of your head. Loop the elastic around the ponytail, then tie a donut-shaped hair tie outside. Wrap each thumb-sized section of ponytail around the ponytail until all of your hair forms a bun. Use hair clips to secure the ends of your hair.

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Spray hairspray. Spray a bit of hairspray on the bun for defined curls. Spray lightly to avoid damaging hair. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Leave the hair like this overnight, the next morning carefully remove the bun and let the curls down. If the curls seem stiff, you can gently shake them with your hands to separate them.

Spray more hairspray for longer hold.

Curl your hair with an elastic band

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Mix hair gel with water. Mix 4-5 drops each.

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Wet part of your hair. Divide your hair into 4 to 9 sections. Moisten your palms with the water-gel mixture and gently stroke a section of hair 3-4 times to wet it. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

The more sections your hair is divided into, the more curls it will have.

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Wrap your hair around the elastic band. Pull the section of hair through an elastic band. Wrap your hair in and out around the elastic, and so on all the way to the ends.

Using a headband may be more effective if you have thick hair.

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Repeat the above procedure with the rest of the hair. Continue wrapping each section of hair with a new elastic until all hair is wrapped. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For best results, spray hairspray to keep curls in place.

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Let your hair down the next morning. Leave your hair like that, go to sleep, and let your hair down in the morning.

Curling hair with the cocoon method

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Gather a small section of hair. It’s usually easiest to start at the back of your head, but you can start from anywhere that’s convenient. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If your hair has a curly texture like African hair, you should twist your hair to create more pronounced curls.
The cocoon curl method can be more difficult than the above methods. You need time to slowly practice to do it.

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Place two fingers close to the hair. Place the index and middle fingers close to the hair, about 2.5cm from the scalp.

Try to keep the nail on the outside of the hair.
If you’re right-handed, you’ll use your left hand; If you are left-handed, use your right hand.

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Wrap a short piece of hair around your finger. Wrap so that the ends of the hair are facing up, then stop. You should now have a ‘U’ shaped curl, almost a noose without the tip.

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Twist the hair above the U-ring. Twist the hair above the U-ring, wrapping it around the section of hair you left between the U-ring and your scalp. Twist until there is a section of hair about 2.5 cm left. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Pull the ponytail through the noose. Use the two fingers that are in the middle of the noose to grab the ends of your hair. Pull the ponytail through the loop and release two fingers. Hold it like that without pulling your hair all the way through.

The big noose is now full of hair. At one end of the loop will be the ponytail. At the other end there is a small ring of hair which is the ponytail and will be almost straight.

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Press down to tie the knot. Continue holding the ponytail near the large noose. Use your other hand to push the hair on the other side towards the loop to tie the knot. Don’t let the ends slide out too much, or the knot will come loose.

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Repeat the above procedure for the entire hair. Keep doing this until all the sections of hair that you want to tie are knotted. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Leave it like that overnight. When you wake up in the morning, you just need to pull the small ponytail sticking out of each knot.

Other methods

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Hair wrap. Read the article on how to “wrap your hair.” All you need is a towel and a t-shirt to create overnight curls. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Use a hair roller . Wrap small sections of hair around the rollers to create tight curls. ^{[10] X Research Source} Leave it like that overnight, wake up in the morning and remove it.

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Tie socks to your hair. Divide your hair into 4 or 8 sections, depending on how thick your hair is. Place a sock on the ends of your hair and slowly wrap your hair around the sock. Tie the socks into a knot when you have wrapped all the hair around the socks. ^{[11] X Research Source} Repeat the process with the rest of the hair and leave it overnight.

Do this method when your hair is slightly damp for best results.

Advice

Spray on foam before styling to keep curls in place longer.

Things you need

Rubberband
Hair gel
Water

Steps