Freshly-Washed or Unwashed Hair

Lady with freshly washed hair — Photo: Shutterstock

Q: Is it better to curl your hair when it is freshly washed or will unwashed hair curl better? Or is it better to wait until a few hours or a day after shampooing before you curl your hair?

A: If you are planning a roller set (known as a wet set) you can easily curl your hair immediately following a shampooing and conditioning. In fact, a wet set works even better under those circumstances.

But if the kind of curls you want come from a curling iron or hot rollers, it is generally best to start with completely dry hair, and as any stylist will tell you, hair washed the day before will make a major difference in the ease of styling.

Freshly washed and conditioned hair, even once it is dry is very slippery and can be harder to style. If you wash the hair and dry it the night before at least, it can be a lot easier to work with the next day.

Of course, if you don't have time to wait a day or overnight, here's a tip. Take your freshly washed, fully dried hair and your favorite hair spray (aerosol works best). Lift the hair in small sections and lightly mist the hair, but don't touch it further until it dries fully again. Once the mist of hair spray is dry, use your brush and brush through the hair. This will give the hair the day-old features that make it easier to manage in thermal styling.

Just curl the hair as desired at this point.

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See also:

Is hair easier to style washed or unwashed?

Roller styling techniques

How to put hot rollers in your hair

How to style hair with a curling iron