Hair Plopping Technique 101: How to Plop Hair With a Shirt
Finally, roll the fabric up around your head like a turban, and tuck it in the back so it stays put. Your curls are then “accordioned" on top of your head, so they’re scrunched down as they dry, resulting in more defined texture without the dreaded crunch of using too much gel and finger scrunching.
It also allows the water in your hair to soak into the microfiber towel or T-shirt, avoiding damaging friction that traditional terry cloth towels can cause.
My halo of frizz and I before wash day
My damp hair plopped and rolled up into an old T-shirt
How long does hair plopping take?
You should leave your hair plopped for at least an hour, but I kept mine up for a little longer while I worked (the small wins of life in quarantine). Despite its resembling the Pillsbury Doughboy, I thought it looked kind of cute, and when I took it down, I could tell my curls had set in a more shapely texture than when I just let them air-dry.
What are the results of hair plopping?
After you take your hair down, it probably won’t be completely dry, and it’s up to you whether you want to diffuse it or let the air do its thing. If you have time, you can optimize results with a great diffuser (I recommend the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer). Or if you’re giving heat a break, just let your hair hang and go about your day.
I ended up going with the latter, and by the next day, a lot of the frizz I’ve been dealing with had returned.
The next day
Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.As I perused TikTok a bit more, it seemed that hair plopping might work best for looser curl patterns that aren’t as frizz-prone (2A to 3B)—but it’s still worth a try for tighter curls, too. My guess, though, is that the accordion effect really encourages wavy hair to texturize rather than fall flat, but I'm tempted to try this again with a diffuser in the future.
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Hair plopping works best when you’re armed with great in-shower products as well as styling formulas you love, so before you give it a go, shop my current must-haves for wash day, below.
Bread Beauty Supply Wash-Day Essentials Kit for Curly & Textured Hair
Pattern Leave-In Conditioner
Pattern Beauty Wide Tooth Comb
DevaTowel Anit-Frizz Microfiber Towel
Erin Parker is a commerce writer at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram at @erinhaveadream.
