What Does Plopping My Curls Do?
What is Plopping?
When you plop, you wrap your hair in a specific way to draw some water out. An added bonus is that it keeps your hair out of your face, so there's no constant fussing or touching your hair, which could cause frizz. After plopping, you can air dry your hair or diffuse.
What Should You Use to Plop Your Curls?
To plop, you can use a purposely-designed product like The Hair Plop from MoonstoneSeven, a large cotton T-shirt (preferably one with long sleeves to make tying it easier), or a Tee-Owel T-Shirt Towel, available in multiple colours and able to be used for other purposes, not just plopping. However, The Hair Plop from MoonstoneSeven is foolproof for tying and is stretchy, allowing it to accommodate more hair and to fit any head. If you are new to plopping The Hair Plop is our top recommendation.
Absolutely steer clear of terry towels! When wet, your hair is in a fragile state. Terry towels, due to their rough surface, can cause frizz and hair breakage. If you want to use a towel for faster water absorption, we recommend a Microfiber Towel or even something like the Satin Microfiber Turban from Bounce Curl.
How to Plop Your Curls
Start with freshly washed hair and lay your towel or other plopping device on the floor or a convenient surface like the end of your bed or bathroom counter. Dangle your hair over the middle of the towel and press your head (on top of your hair) down onto the plop. Twist or fold over the sides of the plop and secure or tie them behind your head.
After that, clip, tuck, or tie the ends of your plop into the towel or t-shirt or wrap the arms of The Hair Plop around your head and tie them together.
Here's a video of how to plop your hair, courtesy of MoonstoneSeven:
Leave the plop on for as long or as little as you like. The longer you leave it on, the dryer your hair will become, however, so keep in mind that it may alter the way your curls form as they dry if you leave it on too long. The sweet spot seems to be about 15-20 minutes for most people. This ensures your hair is still damp and retains some movement while you finish styling.
That's all there is to plopping. Of course, you can try it in other ways: what matters is that your curls are safely tucked into your plop as they start the drying process. Make sure to keep the knot tight so the towel or Hair Plop stays on for as long as you need it to.
Plop on!
Photos and video courtesy of MoonstoneSeven.
