I’m a curly-haired girly, and by now, I’d like to think that I have my hair routine down to a science, but I’m always open to trying new products and techniques. My current routine leaves me with curls that fit me and my style.
The other day I was out with my nana, and we stopped by the salon she usually goes to and got some products. While there, the owner and my nana started discussing products that would fit my curly hair and help enhance the curls and control frizz. I was then questioned about my hair routine. First, the owner asked if I knew what plopping was, which I did, and then asked if I had tried it before, which I had not. Finally, she told me I should see if it makes a difference in curl definition. It wasn’t a hair-wash day, so I tried it the next day.
I suggest looking up “plopping” on TikTok if you want to see a video, but you only need the products you usually use and a cotton t-shirt. While your hair is still pretty wet, lather in your products, such as hair gel, mousse, curl-enhancing cream, etc. Then lay the t-shirt out on a mostly flat surface like your bed. Gently pile your hair in the middle of the shirt and roll both ends of the shirt toward your head. Next, wrap the t-shirt around your hair and knot it. I did this so that the sleeves were knotted at my neck, but there are plenty of ways to roll and knot it. Just make sure your hair is in a pile and ends on the top of your head. You can either leave this until your hair is dry or sleep in it overnight.
Over the rest of spring break, I tried various ways to do the plopping method. Here are the ways I did it and how I felt about the results:
Just curl enhancer and left overnight:
I wasn’t sure how many products to use the first time I tried plopping, so I only used one product—curl enhancer (the Milkshake curl shaper)—and left my hair in the t-shirt overnight. I was a little unsure about my t-shirt placement because I felt like the top of my hair and the hair near the back of my neck would be completely flattened. However, when I took it off in the morning, it was definitely curly. The top of my hair was kind of flat, but I was able to correct that by scrunching the top of my head. The curls looked very nice. They were sectioned off well and curled up nicely.
All my products and left overnight:
This method worked the best for me. I used a mousse, my curl enhancer, and hair oil on mostly soaking wet hair before putting my hair up in the t-shirt. I slept with this in, and when I took it out, the curls looked like they usually did but a little more defined and less frizzy. Next, I tried to place my hair more toward the bottom of the shirt, so the top of my hair curled up a little better, and this method paid off. I still had to scrunch the top to regain some volume. I’ve tried this multiple times, and the results are relatively consistent.
All my products and left in for 30 minutes:
I didn’t have much time before I got dinner with my friends, so this allowed me to test the plopping method, but with a shorter time frame. I put all my products in my wet hair before tying the t-shirt around my head. I left it in for about 30 minutes. The curls did look nice when I took it out, but my hair was still fairly wet, so it did lose the tight curl shape and frizz up a little bit.
Ultimately, you need to find a method in terms of routine and products, as well as figure out which placement of your hair on the t-shirt that works best for your hair. Using all my products and leaving them overnight worked best for me, but it did take a couple of attempts to figure out where I needed to pile my hair on the t-shirt to get the desired result from the plopping method. However, it didn’t add that much time to my routine, and the result was pretty nice, so I will continue to use this method. I would say to give it a try if you’ve never done it before.