How to Plop Your Hair For the Best Curls of Your Life

Have you ever made it through a long wash day — hair masks, deep treatments, and all — only to examine your curly hair afterward and discover that, even after all that maintenance, your curls are still a little frizzy and undefined? Same. If you’re confused about why that happens, your answer might fall in the way you’re blow-drying after you step out of the shower. Enter: plopping your hair.

Plopping is a popular technique used by lots of people with curly hair, and it’s basically code for drying your coils with a cotton T-shirt as opposed to simply wrapping it up in a towel, as many of us have likely been accustomed to for as long as we can remember. The objective behind plopping curly hair is for the T-shirt to reduce frizz and absorb more water in a way that a towel can’t, thanks to its thinner and gentler fabric that causes less friction. The end result is bouncier, tighter curls. The best part? Plopping is as easy as it sounds, and works no matter if you have long or short hair.

There’s really not much to it, and there are tons of tutorials on the internet that can guide you through the entire process. To make it even easier, learn how to plop curly hair with a step-by-step guide here.

How to Plop Curly Hair With a T-Shirt: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Grab Your Hair Products and a Large T-Shirt

After you’ve finished shampooing, make sure your hair is still damp before adding products like leave-in conditioners, oils, or creams to your hair as you normally would. You don’t want to comb your products through your hair but rather use a scrunching method to work the product in, starting from your ends up.

Step 2: Position Your T-Shirt

Once your hair has product in it, lay your T-shirt out on your counter, chair, or wherever it’s convenient. The end with the sleeves should be the closest to you. Then, flip your hair over so that it points toward the center of the shirt. Your curls should be gathered at the crown of your head to help provide lift at the roots.

Step 3: Grab the Sleeves of the T-Shirt and Tie Them

Once you flip the shirt onto your head with the bottom of the fabric sitting at the nape of your neck, grab the sleeves and twist them. Then, tie the longer sleeves in a knot at the back of your head.

Step 4: Remove the T-Shirt When Hair Is Dry
How long it takes to plop your hair will vary depending on how thick your hair is. Still, you’ll be able to feel your hair getting dryer, and once it’s around 70 percent there, you can simply untie the sleeves of the T-shirt and gently shake out your curls. Allow your hair to air-dry to completion. One of the most common hair plopping mistakes is wearing the t-shirt overnight. This isn’t recommended because it can cause curls to dry out and the friction of the T-shirt can cause frizz while you sleep.

How to Plop Curly Hair With a T-Shirt: Video Tutorial

If you’re more of a visual learner, this video by YouTube creator Deborah Savage shows how to plop your hair two ways using a long and short-sleeved shirt.

Danielle Jackson was a former assistant editor for PS Beauty.

Ariel Baker is the associate editor for PS Beauty. Her areas of expertise include celebrity news, beauty trends, and product reviews. She has additional bylines with Essence and Forbes Vetted.