How to Get Cute Curls Overnight

Don't throw the health of your hair into the hands of hot hair tools.
... Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Hot rollers and curling irons might take up the most room in your hair styling arsenal, but you may not have time to fuss around with heated tools every morning. Therefore, take a gander at the generations of women before you -- they also dug the curly look, but they didn't have to go straight to the hot tongs to get it. An overnight wet-set or dry-set style can give you just as stunning a cascade of curls as any electric tool.

  • Hairbrush
  • Water-filled, plastic, spray bottle
  • 2-inch-wide by 5-inch-long fabric strips
  • Curl-setting lotion
  • Sponge rollers
  • Bobby pins
  • Headscarf or bandana

1 Rock the Retro Rag Curls

2 Dampen your hair using a water-filled

Dampen your hair using a water-filled, plastic spray bottle, or let freshly washed hair dry partially. Separate the hair into 2-inch-wide sections.

3 Brush the first section smooth

Brush the first section smooth. Place a fabric strip that measures 2 inches wide by 5 inches long against the hair tips.

4 Roll the section under or over

Roll the section under or over, encasing the fabric strip inside the curl. Roll all the way to the scalp.

5 Knot the fabric strip

Knot the fabric strip under the curl to hold the curl in place. Repeat this process until the entire head of hair is curled into 2-inch curls.

6 A Sassy Sponge-Curl Set

7 Dampen your hair

Dampen your hair using a water-filled spray bottle, and run a small handful of curl-setting lotion through the strands.

8 Separate the hair into 2-inch-wide sections

Separate the hair into 2-inch-wide sections. Take one section, brush it smooth, and wind it around the middle of a sponge roller.

9 Roll the section toward the scalp

Roll the section toward the scalp. Bend the ends of the sponge roller on itself to make it hold the curl securely.

10 Repeat the process throughout the entire head

Repeat the process throughout the entire head until all of the hair is curled around sponge rollers.

11 Primp With Pretty Pincurls

12 Dampen the hair

Dampen the hair using the water-filled spray bottle, and work a small handful of curl-setting lotion through the strands.

Separate the hair into 2-inch-wide sections. Brush each section smooth.

Grasp a 2-inch-wide front section of hair by the ends. Wind the ends around the outside of two fingers to make a roll. Roll the section under, toward the face, until you reach the scalp.

Twist the roll sideways so that it curls flat against the head. Slide a bobby pin over the flattened curl, then criss-cross a second bobby pin over the first.

Make 2-inch-wide rolls all over the front and top of the head, just like the first curl, and secure them with bobby pins.

Grasp a 2-inch-wide section at the back of the head and wind the ends around two fingers. Roll the section under, away from the top of the head, until you reach the scalp.

Twist the roll sideways so that it curls flat against the head. Slide a bobby pin over the flattened curl, then criss-cross a second bobby pin over the first.

Make 2-inch-wide rolls all over the back of the head, just like the first curl, and secure them with bobby pins.

Cover the curl set with a bandana or headscarf to cushion the pins.

  • Take out your curls in the morning and run your fingers through them to style them.
  • Larger sections make larger curls, and smaller sections form smaller curls.
  • Arrange your curls to follow the movement of the style you want, or just roll them all in a downward direction for the greatest versatility.
  • If your hair typically does not hold curl well, you can add curl-setting lotion to your hair before curling with rags.
  • 1 Milady Standard Cosmetology Textbook 2012; Milady
  • 2 Milady Standard Cosmetology Textbook 2008; Milady

A writer with a Bachelor of Science in English and secondary education, but also an interest in all things beautiful, Melissa J. Bell has handed out beauty and fashion advice since she could talk -- and for the last six years, write for online publications like Daily Glow and SheBudgets.

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