Learn how to plop hair for perfect curls
Since we know you’re going to ask: What is plopping? The name may sound silly, but the anti-frizz hair technique for curly hair can work serious wonders. Fortunately, hair plopping is simple to learn. All you need is a piece of fabric and a little patience—and, of course, wavy or curly hair. The result: Bouncy, defined curls without any frizz. Here’s how it’s done.
How to Plop Hair
Step 1. Don’t worry about buying a specific scarf or towel to master the plop method. Look around the house for any soft, rectangular shaped fabric, like a stretchy, long-sleeved t-shirt, a jersey pillowcase (king size), or a large cotton handkerchief. The key is to use a soft material that won’t scratch the surface of your hair strands, which can create frizz. Since one of the advantages of hair plopping is that it helps with frizzy hair problems, that’s a no-go.
Step 2. Starting with clean, damp hair, apply your favorite curly hair styling product through the lengths of your hair. For defined curls, try Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Curl Nourish Butter Cream Leave-In Treatment or Garnier Fructis Curl Scrunch Gel. Then, lightly blot your curly hair with a microfiber or jersey cloth to remove excess water.
Step 3. Lay your piece of fabric on a flat surface, like your bed. (If you pick a long-sleeved tee, arrange it so the sleeves are facing you.) Next, bend over and slowly lower your hair onto the fabric, aiming the top of your head for the center. Your curls should spill onto the fabric, too.
Step 4. Once your crown makes contact, wrap the fabric around your scrunched hair. Fold the back of the material over your neck. Then gather each side, rolling it up once or twice to help the fabric fit more snugly around your hair.
Step 5. Now tie up the loose ends: Still holding each side (or sleeve), cross them behind your neck. Wrap them back around your forehead to make a final knot. Now that the fabric is secure, you can lift your head back up and tuck any hanging fabric back under the sides.
Step 6. Give your curls at least 20 minutes to set for best results. If you have more time, leave the t-shirt on overnight. By compressing the curls, the secured fabric can help them dry into curly hair that has gorgeous body and shape—without risking frizzy hair. Once you try hair plopping and see the result for yourself, you’ll never go back.
If you wash your hair at night and don’t feel like staying up to plop—but also don’t want to wake up to bedhead that’s mostly frizzy hair—try one of these overnight methods for drying curly hair.
