I went through a period of just “blah” hair for a few months last year. It wouldn’t hold a curl, it felt limp and lifeless and I just couldn’t figure out what was causing it. Fast forward a few months later, I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and just EXHAUSTED. On the nights I was lucky enough to get a shower AND wash my hair…there was no way I was drying it. Instead, I would just twist it into a top knot on top of my head, securing it with a teletie, and then in the morning, it only took about 5 minutes to finish drying it.

Through this lazy short cut, I started to realize that I was getting amazing volume at my roots with no product AND it was taking me less time! I’ve been implementing this drying technique for the last 4 months and I honestly think my hair is looking the best it has in a long time. Granted some of that could be due to the pregnancy hormones that make your hair nice and full, but it really is that root volume that I can definitely attribute to sleeping with it wet on top of my head.

I thought I would write down the actual steps I take with washing, drying, styling and preserving my hair and hopefully it could be helpful to another tired mama! I’ve been a once or twice a week hair washer for years now so hopefully this can help you go longer in between washes as well as keep your hair style looking fresh too.

Washing

As I said, I wash my hair once or twice a week, but its usually on about day 5 that it gets more than I can tolerate. I’ve gone longer but it just makes me feel gross. I like to use a clarifying shampoo to get my roots really clean and sometimes I’ll even do two (or three) washes and rinses to make sure I’m getting all the dirt, oil and product out. I’m not loyal to any particular brand of shampoo and I think its good to switch it up regularly. Currently, I’ve been using my husband’s Garnier Fructis 2 in 1 (yes, you read that right!) and I have been for months now. I love the smell and it makes my hair feel clean. I’ve used expensive brand names in the past (like Moroccan Oil, Aveda and Bumble and Bumble) but I don’t notice THAT much of a difference to continue to repurchase a pricey shampoo. I do think its a better use of spending your money on a good conditioner and I’ll link a few below here that I’ve used in the past and liked.

Drying

After wrapping my hair up in a towel out of the shower, I leave it wrapped for about 5 minutes or so, just long enough absorb the water so its not dripping anymore. Then I take a hair brush, starting at the ends of my hair and brushing out all the knots. I then flip my head over and pull all of my hair into one hand right at the very top of my head. Pretty much all the roots of your hair should be pulling in the upward direction, which is key to getting the volume. I then begin wrapping my hair around itself into a tight bun and then secure it with a teletie or another form of a creaseless hair tie. A scrunchie works well too, just make sure its strong enough to keep you hair nice and secure. From there, I jump in bed and SLEEEEEEP!

The next morning, I remove the hair tie and begin drying my hair with the dryer. Its just a little damp at this point so it doesn’t take me more than a few minutes to get it dry. Side note: I love my hair dryer and wrote a full review on it that you can read here. Its also currently on sale so….treat yo’ self! I focus on drying the roots in the opposite direction they fall so that means I’ll alternate between moving my hair over from side to side, blowing in an upwards motions and then even flipping my entire head over and drying it upside down. If my hair gets knotted during this time, I’ll just use my fingers to run through it and if I have a noticeable cowlick, I’ll using the round brush to help tame it.

Styling

I use a 1 1/4” hot tools curling iron to curl my hair but I’ve found the most important thing in a good curling iron is making sure you have one that gets really hot. I keep my at about 275 degrees when I’m curling it. When the iron has reached the full temperature, I brush through my hair with a hairbrush and the pull the top half of my hair into a loose bun with a hair tie. I separate the lower half of my hair into two sections, right and left, and begin taking medium size pieces and curling them away from my face. I start at the root, wrap the hair around and slowly release it to wrap up more hair until I have the entire piece twisted around the iron, leaving just the ends out. I hold it for about 10-12 seconds and then slowly release the hair, being careful to not pull the hair at all. Repeat that process until your entire head is fully curled.

I then let my hair cool for 10 minutes or so and typically do my makeup at this time. I then use a shaping hairspray and spray my entire head and then carefully running my fingers through it to give it a more relaxed look.

Preserving

I only curl my hair one time during each washing cycle and I find I can preserve it fairly well by always keeping a creaseless hair tie on my wrist and pulling it up anytime I’m home and when I sleep. I secure the same way I do when its wet after washing it, which is again just a twisted bun on top of my head. Even on day 5, I still tend to have good bend in my hair and great volume because of sleeping with it up. I don’t use a dry shampoo and very rarely will I add any additional hairspray. I’ll just run my fingers or a hairbrush through it if it starts to get too unruly looking and that seems to revive it nicely. Also, if my ends start to get too dry looking, I’ll add the tiniest drop of Moroccan Oil, rub it between my hands and apply it to my ends.

It did take me awhile to adjust to sleeping this way as it did both me for a while, but just like with anything else, you acclimate with time!

Now, go forth and conquer your lazy, product-less voluminous hair!

Blaire