Your Night-Time Curly Hair Routine
You have your daytime curly hair routine covered – but what about nighttime? When it comes to curls and coils, overnight care and styling are essential for maintaining that beautiful hair texture. Why? Because, once you hit the pillow, tossing, turning and friction can crush even the most flawless ringlets, leaving you with lifeless curls (at best) and damaged strands (at worst).
So, let's uncover the perfect night routine for wavy, curly and coily hair types, featuring tips, hair products and techniques to protect your strands, prevent flat curls, and give you major hair definition...
Your Night-Time Wash Routine
If you prefer to wash your hair in the evening– or that's the time that fits your schedule – it's important you follow a shower routine that maximises moisture and curl shape. Let's take a look at the key steps for your shower routine...
1. Use a Gentle Cleanser or Moisturizing Shampoo
The cleanser you choose has a huge impact on the way your hair looks and feels, so make sure you're reaching for a richer formula that respects your curl pattern. If you're dealing with dry curls, you might prefer a co-wash. We love NutriCurls Cleansing Conditioner, a low-lathering cleanser which rinses away impurities, adds nourishment, and won't strip away your hair's natural oils. Anyone with high hair porosity will enjoy this luscious formula, as the gaps in the hair cuticle will drink up the nourishing blend of Jojoba Oil and Panthenol.
But if you prefer a rich lather, need a deep scalp clean or it's time for a 'reset shampoo' session, go for ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo. It's still creamy and gentle yet gives you extra cleansing power to remove even the smallest debris. That includes pollutants and dust particles which, unbeknownst to many, can cause hair breakage. Essential for boosting hair health, it's also a colour-friendly product, so if you're working a salon shade, it gets extra protection with this creamy formula.
Massage your chosen cleansing formula into wet hair, take the time to give your scalp a massage to boost blood flow, and then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. If you used a co-wash, you can now skip to step three.
2. Boost Nourishment with a Deep Conditioner
After using a shampoo, a creamy conditioner or hair mask is essential for restoring moisture. For stressed tresses, try ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner, which is packed with a skincare-inspired blend of AHA and Omega-9. This nourishing combo helps to repair the inner cortex of the hair cuticle, while smoothing the outer layer for curls that bounce like never before.
Need even more nourishment? Then go for the ULTIMATE REPAIR Mask. Packed with smart conditioning agents, the breakthrough treatment identifies and cares for the damaged areas of hair that need it most. It also leaves your hair six times easier to detangle when wet*, so you can work through knots with minimal friction – a must for waves, curls and coils.
Make sure you squeeze excess moisture out of your hair before you apply your mask or regular conditioner. This way, the nourishing ingredients won't be diluted, and your curls can soak up more of the goodness. If you have high hair porosity, wrap curls up in a warm towel while your mask is absorbing. Moisture can easily escape through porous strands, but this simple trick allows for maximum absorption – meaning softer, smoother, healthy curls.
3. Blot Dry and Detangle
Go gentle when drying curly hair types; grab a cotton T-shirt or microfiber towel and blot excess water away. A 'press and twist' motion will get curls prepped for styling without disrupting your natural curl pattern. Then, use your fingertips to delicately work through the biggest knots, before misting with ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. It really is a miracle, repairing hair damage in 90 seconds** while leaving hair 12x smoother***. Once the mist has been absorbed, use a detangling comb or wide-tooth comb to continue the detangling process. Work through knots section by section, so you reach every tangle without tearing or tugging at natural curls.
4. Protect and Dry with a Diffuser
This is important: hair should be completely dry before you go to bed. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging curls, which are extra sensitive when they're wet. But, before you blast hair strands with a hair dryer, layer a styling balm with a heat protectant. Our favourite combo for bouncy curls is NutriCurls Curlixir Balm plus ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In.
Use NutriCurls Curlixir Balm first (or, if you have wavy hair, NutriCurls Milky Waves spray will also work). Take a coin-size amount, flip your hair upside down, and hold your palms face up at the ends of your hair. Accordion curls into your hands by moving them up towards your scalp. Then, when you reach the roots of your hair, lightly press the balm or spray into strands. This technique is gentler than scrunching, leading to less frizz and breakage, and more definition. Lifeless curls are history with this easy application method.
Repeat the process, but this time with a drop or two of ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In (use more or less depending on hair thickness). The delicate cream shields strands against heat up to 230°C/450°F and protects against UV damage. Then, you're ready to diffuse hair dry. Divide damp hair into sections, attach the diffuser to your hair dryer, switch it on to a low heat setting, and gather curls in the prongs. Push up to the roots and hold until curls are dry.
Once every curl is dry, target any flyaways with a little more of your NutriCurls Curlixir Balm. Then, you're ready to move on to the next stage: styling your hair before bed.
Your Night-Time Styling Routine
1. Shield Hair with an Overnight Serum
Styling products and curly hair products aren't just for the AM. By caring for and styling your hair before bed, you pave the way for lower-maintenance mornings with minimal tweaking needed. So, before you do anything, apply ULTIMATE REPAIR Night Serum to the hair shaft as your perfect prep step. The lightweight lotion protects waves, curls and coils while you sleep, while nourishing your hair from root to tip.
Hair protection is essential at night-time. You might not realise it, but while you rest, your hair is put through the stress of friction from your pillow every time you move your head. And, while a silk pillowcase or a silk hair wrap can help, using ULTIMATE REPAIR Night Serum means your waves, curls or coils have the hard-working defence they need to truly prevent damaged hair.
So, smooth the serum through your hair to boost moisture and protect your curl type overnight. Because it's a super-light formula, you can layer it up without worrying about an oily scalp or weighed-down, flat curls. Even finer hair types can enjoy its smoothing, protective powers, while coarser curls will love the frizz-fighting dose of nourishment. Add extra product where locks tend to be drier.
2. Secure Curls with Protective Styling Methods
The Pineapple Method
Once you've layered in ULTIMATE REPAIR Night Serum, turn to protective styles to secure loose strands. A natural hair community favourite is the pineapple method. Designed to prevent lifeless curls and give hair a little extra body, it sees you secure strands high up on your head so your hair mimics the shape of – you guessed it – a pineapple.
To get this styling technique down, flip your hair upside down and gently gather curls at the top of your head. Secure with a silk scrunchie, making sure it's tight enough to hold your curls but loose enough to avoid pinching strands. This simple trick is not only going to keep curls tucked up, so they don't get crushed while you sleep, but it also lends extra volume to the root. It's the ideal hack for major curl body.
Pin Curling
If pineappling isn't for you, give pin curls a go. This is a great trick for curl types three and four, when you want to define ringlets and reduce frizz with zero heat. Start by taking a small section of hair, apply NutriCurls Curlixir Balm from root to tip, and then wind the full length of the section around your finger to create a loop. Gently slide it off your finger while maintaining the shape and secure it in place with a pin curl clip. Repeat these steps until every strand is looped and pinned up. If you feel any tension on your scalp, release the curl and redo it, changing the direction of the clip. And remember, smaller loops = tight curls, and larger loops = loose curls, so take your pick for your perfect look.
Bantu Knots
Bantu knots are another great protective styling option. You'll want semi-damp hair for this technique, so mist hair with water from a spray bottle before creating four to six even sections through your hair. If you have frizzy hair, a drop of oil will also help to smooth stray flyaways, so get some Oil Reflections Luminous Smoothing Oil in the palms of your hands as you style.
Next, create a two-strand twist through each section of hair. As you reach the end of each twist, start coiling the whole section so it also twists around the base. Hold it in place with pins or a silk scrunchie, making sure you don't tie it too tight. By the end, you'll have four to six Bantu knots that can be left in overnight. You can even work your knots the next day for a statement style that, once released, leaves curly hair strands looking flawlessly defined.
Lay Your Edges
Just before bed is the perfect time to style your edges, as your silk scarf (in the next step) is going to keep them laid down and flawless while you sleep. So, start by separating them from the rest of your hair with a fine-tooth comb, then reach for an edge control product (like a strong hold gel or putty) and gently run it through those fine baby hairs. Swoop your edges into a shape you love, then define them with the pointed end of your comb. Finally, mist the finished look with EIMI Mistify Me Light for extra hold overnight.
3. Wrap Your Style with a Silk Scarf
Whichever protective styling method you choose, finish by wrapping hair in a silk scarf. This healthy hair hack helps curls retain moisture while you sleep by locking in your ULTIMATE REPAIR Night Serum. It also prevents any extra friction from your pillow, in turn keeping breakage at bay. A silk pillowcase would also work, letting your hair glide as you sleep, rather than tugging on strands like cotton.
Repeat these styling steps nightly for a consistent routine that makes bad hair days history. You might even buy yourself some extra beauty sleep...
Your Quick Morning Refresh
When you wake up, it's time to release your protective style and check out those healthy curls. Gently remove your silk scarf and any hair ties, pins or rollers, making sure you don't pull on strands. Then, use fingers to gently loosen tresses so they fall into perfect corkscrew curls. Work a little NutriCurls Curlixir Balm through lengths, ends and flyaways, and you'll be ready to glow.
Looking for more tips to care for damaged tresses? Discover our complete collection of Hair Care Guides, featuring advice for every type and concern.
* Vs. non conditioning shampoo.
** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.
*** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue instrumental test vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
