When I have a 9 AM lab, the last thing I feel like doing is making sure my hair is voluminous. But if I don’t, it’s the biggest thing on my mind. Can people see the halo of baby hair flyaways surrounding my hairline? The one strange patch of wavy hair trying to blend in with the rest of my straightened hair? Or worse, is my bun a messy bun or a bun that happens to be messy? To fix this constant battle of deciding whether or not to waste thirty minutes in the morning to style my hair, I’ve been on a hunt to find the best overnight curls technique. Here’s what I’ve found:
A little note: I have fine, frizz-prone hair with long layers, so your results may vary if you have a different hair type. To control this experiment as much as possible, I kept all these styles in for nine hours on clean hair, using the same pair of fuzzy socks and styling products (volumizing spray and hairspray).
- The Socks + Flexible Bendy Rods Combo: 5/10
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As soon as I saw the results people were getting with these flexible curling rods, I immediately ordered a pack of six for less than $6. The contrast between the dream I was sold and the result I got made me feel incredibly stupid when I woke up in the morning and saw my reflection in the mirror. While there was initially great volume, the curls were messy and the ends of my hair looked like tumbleweeds. By the time I finished my breakfast, most of the volume at the top of my head was gone and it looked like I had curled my hair three days ago.
As all the girls on TikTok recommended, I started with 80% dry hair, lightly spritzed my hair with styling products and tightly rolled up my hair with the rod-stuffed socks. As a back sleeper, I had no disruptions in my sleep and the style didn’t fall out. However, if you have layers like me, just know that getting all your hair into a tight roll is close to impossible. If you naturally have thick smooth hair with no layers, this method might work significantly better. I recommend liberally using some volumizing spray in the roots and hairspray as soon as you take the style out.
- Just the Socks: 7.5/10
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Because the previous method left me with barely any curls, I predicted that the rods were making the sock too thick. I took the rods out and used only the socks to roll my hair up. This time, I used three socks: the first one for the front pieces of my hair and then two Princess Leia-like buns. I immediately regretted this style because once I laid down, the side buns felt like earmuffs and I couldn’t turn my head in my sleep. The result was slightly better with more defined curls but I still have a stiff neck from how I slept.
The real magic happened when I decided to use just the socks on hair I had already curled with a straightener. After all, there’s nothing like using some scorching hot ceramic plates to get nice shiny curls. Refusing to sleep with the side buns again, I resorted back to the original method and rolled up my curled hair with two socks. To my pleasant surprise, I woke up the next morning with extremely bouncy voluminous hair. But let’s be realistic, the whole point of overnight curls is to have a heatless and time-efficient alternative which this method doesn’t provide.
- The bun method: 4/10
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This method seemed too good to be true. Mostly because it was. After watching a short TikTok, I was convinced that putting my hair up in a high ponytail and pin-curling my hair into the shape of a ballerina bun would be the solution to my dilemma. I worked with nearly dry hair, used some hair oil to prevent frizz and a no-crease spiral hair tie to make sure I wouldn’t have the dreaded ponytail dent. Once again, my layers got in the way and rather than getting a sleek bun like in the video, I ended up with a spiky sack of hair. For those that don’t have layers, I would imagine that this method would be the fastest and most comfortable method to sleep in. As for my results, I did get soft curls but if your desired look is a big bouncy blowout (like Matilda Djerf’s hair), this method will give you zero volume at the top and then tiny curls at the bottom.
While I so desperately wish that I found a comfortable overnight curl method that lets me wake up with big bouncy curls, this journey is proving to be a lot more difficult than I initially thought. These methods have been fun to try out every night but I can’t say that any of these methods will be a staple in my hair routine. If anything, I think these methods are great ways to preserve your already-styled hair overnight to extend the style for another day. Until I find a method that works, I’ll have to stay loyal to my CHI straightener from middle school and my Shark Flexstyle.