Looking for a Heat Free Drying Technique ? Try Hair Plopping

In movies, the star steps out of the shower and rubs her hair vigorously to dry it, one follows a blast of extremely ho air from a hairdryer.  

In real life, curly hair should be plopped, patted and gently squeezed dry to avoid breaking up the curl and creating the dreaded frizz.

You should definately not be reaching for THAT hair dryer!

Watch our Hair Plopping Tutorial HERE

So... you know that CurlyEllie is Meat-Free but did you know that we also advocate Heat-Free styling as much as possible ?

Sometimes, using heat is unavoidable when you are in a rush, or have very wet hair and are stranded in the middle of Antartica with no heating.

There are many benefits to going heat free with your hair but the main benefit is that you are not damaging your hair with excessive heat which can be drying and  damaging to your hair strands.

Here, we will be discussing one of the numerous heat free hair drying techinques -     HAIR PLOPPING

This technique is a personal favourite of mine if I am driving to work or have some time on my hands in the morning.

What is Hair Plopping ?

Simply, it involves wrapping your damp (with stylers) hair on top of your head using our special hair towel. Then wait for it to dry.  

Benefits of Hair Plopping

• Heat Free
• Keeps curls from frizzing
• Amazing results
• Kind to Curls

I love the results on freshly cleansed and conditioned hair but if you are running out of time, simply wet your hair and start plopping

Discover hair washing and conditioning   

For the best results, preparation is key. Here are the basic steps.

• Firstly, always start with clean, tangle-free hair

1. Gently detangle from the ends to the roots with our Curly Comb to help the curls get more defined.
2. For fuller hair, work section by section, concentrating on each section.

•     Apply your stylers on damp/wet hair

1. Apply the Leave In Conditioner and/or our Hair Gel and comb through with our Curly Comb.
2. For fine hair especially, don't forget to scrunch, scrunch, scrunch.  

• Plop the hair and Bring on the Curls

1. Bend over at the waist, allowing your hair to fall into the middle of the Hair Towel.  
2. Wrap the towel around your hair very gently. keeping it snug.
3. Leave the towel on for anytime between 10 mins and 2 hours before removing the hair towel.

• Keep your hands off your curls and finish with our Serum

1. Leave your hair to air dry.
2. Until your hair is completely dry, it is  important to resist touching your hair or manipulate it to avoid a frizz explosion and lose the curls you have carefully defined.  
3. If you are in a hurry and can't resist the pull of a hair dryer, grab a diffuser attachment and dry you hair on a very low heat and low power setting. It should not take too long to be completely dry because you have already plopped your hair.
4. Once dry, just massage in a s small amount of the Styling serum to get rid of any flyaways, frizzy bits and give your hair the ultimate shine.  

FAQ  

Q: Is there a recommended amount of time for keeping on the towel when Plopping ?  

A: No. I would go with whatever time you have.

In general, the thicker and longer your hair the, longer you should plop and the better the definition. Some have even been known to sleep with or curl towel while plopping and most are great with just plopping for 14 – 22 minutes.

There is no right or wrong answer. It is really down to personal preference and how defined you like your curls.  

Q: Does plopping work on Kinky, Coily, Afro Hair  

A: If hair your hair is short, very curly or coily, you might see some shrinkage (when your hair looks shorter than it is because it has curled into tight curls).  

Q: Does plopping help with Curl Definition ?  

A:  Absolutely yes -  but it’s important to understand that the results just like your hair would be unique and different for everyone.

Go forth and enjoy the PLOP!