Between chunky highlights, ditching basis, and now hair plopping, quarantine has led to a number of magnificence tendencies nobody noticed coming (sort of like my newfound puzzles habit). Should you would’ve advised me a yr in the past I’d spend nearly all of 2020 at dwelling, I’d’ve predicted my most luscious hair days but. With nowhere to go and loads of time for cleaning, deep-conditioning therapies, and hair masks, lockdown feels like a recipe for dream curls.
It seems my predictions had been fallacious although, as a result of getting by my tangles has confirmed more durable than ever these days. I don’t know whether or not it’s attributable to break up ends (like most, I haven’t had a haircut in a minute), however not too long ago I’ve struggled to detangle my hair regardless of how a lot conditioner I take advantage of, and due to extraordinarily cussed knots, I’ve been dropping extra hair within the detangling course of.
So after I heard curly ladies on TikTok had been raving about hair plopping—a styling method that ends in frizz-free, outlined, hydrated curls—I used to be in. I believed discovering a method to lower frizz may imply much less of a headache as soon as wash day rolled round once more.
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What’s hair plopping?
Hair plopping isn’t new—curly ladies on YouTube have been demonstrating the styling method for years, however its latest resurgence on TikTok has folks rediscovering the advantages of the #PlopLife.
Right here’s how plopping works: First you apply your common styling merchandise to freshly washed, nonetheless damp hair. Subsequent you lay a microfiber towel—not a conventional one; that is key to attenuate frizz—or an outdated T-shirt down on a flat floor. Then, and right here’s the place the title for the method is available in, you bend over and plop your hair down into the towel or T-shirt.
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Lastly, roll the material up round your head like a turban, and tuck it within the again so it stays put. Your curls are then “accordioned" on high of your head, in order that they’re scrunched down as they dry, leading to extra outlined texture with out the dreaded crunch of utilizing an excessive amount of gel and finger scrunching.
It additionally permits the water in your hair to soak into the microfiber towel or T-shirt, avoiding damaging friction that conventional terry fabric towels may cause.
How lengthy does hair plopping take?
You must go away your hair plopped for no less than an hour, however I stored mine up for a bit of longer whereas I labored (the small wins of life in quarantine). Regardless of its resembling the Pillsbury Doughboy, I believed it seemed sort of cute, and after I took it down, I might inform my curls had set in a extra shapely texture than after I simply allow them to air-dry.
What are the outcomes of hair plopping?
After you are taking your hair down, it most likely received’t be fully dry, and it’s as much as you whether or not you wish to diffuse it or let the air do its factor. When you’ve got time, you possibly can optimize outcomes with an incredible diffuser (I like to recommend the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer). Or should you’re giving warmth a break, simply let your hair grasp and go about your day.
I ended up going with the latter, and by the subsequent day, a variety of the frizz I’ve been coping with had returned.
As I perused TikTok a bit extra, it appeared that hair plopping may work greatest for looser curl patterns that aren’t as frizz-prone (2A to 3B)—nevertheless it’s nonetheless price a strive for tighter curls, too. My guess, although, is that the accordion impact actually encourages wavy hair to texturize reasonably than fall flat, however I'm tempted to do this once more with a diffuser sooner or later.
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Hair plopping works greatest while you’re armed with nice in-shower merchandise in addition to styling formulation you’re keen on, so earlier than you give it a go, store my present must-haves for wash day, under.
Bread Magnificence Provide Wash-Day Necessities Package for Curly & Textured Hair
$58Sephora
Sample Depart-In Conditioner
$25Pattern Magnificence
Sample Magnificence Large Tooth Comb
$15Pattern Magnificence
DevaTowel Anit-Frizz Microfiber Towel
$15DevaCurl
Erin Parker is a commerce author at Glamour. Comply with her on Instagram at @erinhaveadream.