Pictured: @marissa_lanae

Being able to wash and style hair the night is a great skill to learn to make your morning go that much faster, as sometimes it can feel nearly impossible to have much success with any style other than a bun. When showering every morning for definition is not an option, you can still get your freshest, best curls with this step-by-step guide.

1. Start with a leave-in conditioner.

While styling wavy and curly hair overnight, use about twice the normal amount of leave-in then you normally would in the morning. I have found that my hair loses more moisture overnight and without the extra conditioner, hair tends to be frizzier the next day. My current favorite leave-in is SheaMoisture Superfruit Multi-Vitamin Leave-in or Rinse Out Conditioner because it is leaves my hair feeling super soft and moisturized without feeling flat or weighed down.

2. Apply your favorite medium hold styling gel.

I stress using only up to a medium hold as you do not want your hair to harden into the shape of your head against a pillow the night before (or your pineapple”>. This way, your curls will not instead be able to bounce back to their natural curl formation the next morning. My favorite product for doing this is Kinky Curly Curling Custard because it has enough hold to give me great wave and curl formation but at the same time, won’t cause any crunch.

3. Plop your hair for 30 minutes to an hour.

This allows the hair to dry a bit so you are not going to walk out the door with super wet hair. If you are short on time, now would be a good time to diffuse until your hair is about 50% dry to achieve close to the same results as you would with plopping for 30 minutes to an hour. However, personally, this tends to add more frizz whenever I choose this route since it draws more moisture out.

4. Place your hair into a pineapple.

I find this is the best hairstyle to wear overnight because it helps to not crush waves and curls by covering them with too much. Use a large scrunchie that will not cause a dent in your natural curl formation.

5. Sleep with a t-shirt over your pillowcase.

Your hair will still probably be slightly damp to the touch and so use a t-shirt over your pillowcase to help absorb some of the excess moisture without over-drying the hair or causing abrasion.

In the morning your hair may still have a few wet spots where you had your hair band around so to keep those areas from causing frizz it’s best to apply either a light cream or light hold gel in the morning. My current favorite to use in the morning is Alikay Naturals Wake Me Up Curl Refresher because I love that it adds volume to my hair the morning and helps keeps frizz to a minimum.

Finally…head out the door!

By cutting down the morning routine to only one step it makes being able to wear your hair naturally curly, even when you have to get up early, a much more manageable thing.

Read This is Why Your Hair Looks Frizzy After It Dries

This article has been updated.