Flexi Rods: How The Hair Tool Can Help Your Spiral Curls Overnight

It's morning and you're rushing to get ready for work. You have no idea what to do with your hair. So you opt for your "ol' faithful" hairstyle. And while you're not thrilled with it, it'll have to do for now.

How many times has this scenario played out in your morning routine? We know all too well the feeling of stepping into the day with not-so-great hair. It could almost ruin your mood if you let it. Research in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science shows that hair care lifts our mood. And — with so many stressors bound to come at us during the day — feeling good about our hair is one way to combat any negativity we'll have to manage.

One way to increase the chances you'll have an easier morning is to set your hair the night before. That way, you can avoid the morning rush and be in a better state of mind to start the day. Of course, the way you decide to set your hair will depend on your desired hairstyle. But if you're looking for a good spiral curl, try flexi rods. Here are some ways they help keep your curls overnight.

Because flexi rods are soft, straight, bendable rollers, they are meant to be easier to sleep on than traditional rollers. Once you wrap your hair around the rods, bend the ends in a crisscross shape, or you can leave them straight for a looser curl. Next, put a bonnet or hairnet over it to hold them in place, and voila! Your curls are set overnight, and your hair is taken care of for the morning.

But truthfully, we still may not set our hair the night before, especially if we're too tired to do so. According to James Clear in Atomic Habits, we should make bad habits hard to do and good habits easy to do. So if you want to get into the habit of setting your curls overnight because it makes mornings easier, try to make curling your hair as easy as possible when you don't feel like doing it. For instance, you can put your flexi rods right next to your toothbrush so it prompts you to curl your hair before bed. And if you experience a smoother morning routine as a result, it will reinforce your willingness to curl your hair the night before.

While we love a good curling iron or any treatment that helps us achieve better curls, those products wear on our hair with repeated use. In fact, a paper presented at the National Seminar on 'Fight Against Life Style Diseased: Role of Home Scientists' highlighted that even products sold as "natural" often contain "harmful chemicals." So it helps to be mindful about how we're treating our hair.

Flexi rods allow you to get spiral curls without having to succumb to damaging products. While you might still use a setting oil or cream to help create smoother curls, it is preferable to possibly overheating or overprocessing your hair. And you can make informed choices about what setting products you choose (Mongongo oil has been found to be a healthy option). Also, you don't have to wear flexi rods every night to reap their healthy benefits. Your curls may last several nights before you have to use them again — depending on what look you're going for.

While you can get a defined curl pattern with a curling iron, flexi rods create a defined curl with the high volume you get from roller sets. Whether your hair is longer or relatively shorter, you'll get a spiral curl when left overnight. If your hair is pin-straight, it may be helpful to use a setting cream to help the curls stay defined longer.

In the morning, you can simply tease out the curls or elongate them with your fingers to soften the definition. Alternatively, you may choose to leave the definition as is and just let the curls just be. Throughout the day, they will tend to fall in a natural, flattering way. If you want a messy bed-head look with less definition, you may opt to just sleep with a bonnet for several nights until you decide you want to use the rods again.