If you’re blessed with a wavy, curly, or natural curl pattern, learning how to maintain your curls at night is essential to building a healthy hair routine. And not just because of the flattened mess you’ll have to deal with in the morning. Tossing and turning at night leads to breakage, frizz, and annoying tangles. Read on for the ultimate guide on how to sleep with curly hair and wake up with shiny, bouncy locks in the morning.

It is better to pull your hair up at night. When you put your curls on top, you are not literally lying on your curls, and the weight of your head will not beat the curls into your hair while you sleep. This also ensures that the curls have the same definition on all sides, even if you prefer to sleep on only one side. You can also sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase without having to do any extra hairstyles before bed.

When wearing curly hair in an updo to bed, make sure not to wrap or tie your hair too tightly – this can cause hair friction and headaches. Below are the protective hairstyles for sleeping with curly hair, along with our step-by-step guide.

Wrapping curly hair in a silk scarf is one of the best nighttime hairstyles a curly girl can style (and also the best way to sleep on curly hair without ruining it).