Dear curly-haired friends,

It’s been a little while since I last posted on the blog. Please forgive my absence—there’s always so much to do, and unfortunately, the blog had to take a back seat. But now I’m back! 🤗 Hello, everyone!

I’d like to dedicate today’s blog post to the topic of plopping.

Why "plopping," anyway? 

Plopping is a technique for people with curly hair that helps your curls retain their shape as they transition from wet to dry. You use this method after applying your styling products to wet hair, but before your curls are dry. When plopping, your curls are folded like an accordion, which helps them retain their shape even after they’re completely dry. 

Plopping for Natural Curls  

If you’re blessed with natural curls, you probably know this: when your curls are wet, they’re wonderfully curly, soft, and defined. But… once they’re dry, it’s a different story. The curls lose their definition and are more prone to frizz. How you treat your curls between the wet and dry states makes a small but significant difference, and that brings me to the plopping method—well, almost ☺️   

Plopping to enhance curls

Another use for the plopping method is to enhance “looser” curls. With hair that isn’t very tightly curled, the hair’s own weight and the added weight of styling products often cause it to flatten out, meaning it loses its curl shape. For this kind of “lightly curled hair,” plopping helps the curls retain their shape. But now I’m really getting to the actual method of plopping.

How does the plopping method work?

Step 1

After you get out of the shower, squeeze the water out of your curls with your hands and apply your leave-in conditioner and styling product (gel, lotion, mousse, smoothie). The order is: leave-in, oil, and then your styling product. This order is also known as the LOC method. ( You can find more about the LOC method here) ...Now it’s plopping time.

Step 2

Place a T-shirt (or microfiber cloth) in front of you, with the sleeves facing you.

Step 3

Lean forward so that your curls rest on your T-shirt and sit "on top" of your head, like a palm tree hairstyle.

Step 4

Now lift the hem of the T-shirt over your head toward your neck so that the neck opening rests on your forehead, and tie the T-shirt together behind your head using the sleeves. If you're wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt, you can also tie the sleeves together on your forehead.

Step 5

Leave the T-shirt turban on your head for 10–20 minutes, then blow-dry your hair using a diffuser attachment or let it air dry. If you wash your curly mane in the evening, you can also leave the turban on until the next morning. Experiment with the timing to find out what works best for your curly mane.

Why a T-shirt and not a terrycloth towel?

Conventional terry cloth towels absorb too much moisture, which curls really don’t like since they need that moisture so badly. Plus, the coarse texture of a towel causes frizz, which is exactly what we curly-haired folks want to avoid. The T-shirt fabric removes only excess product residue and moisture from the curls without completely “stripping” them.

Well, my dear curly-haired friends, that’s all from me for now. I wish you all the best!

Warm regards,

Rosa Maria