By technique · Sub-chapter 03
Plop to compress the cast, seal to lock the shape. Two steps that most people skip and most stylists never explain.
167 how-to's · Updated 29 April 2026 · Avg. 5 min per piece · Edited by Nelly · Beauty & Style Director
Editor's note
The finish is where curly hair routines succeed or collapse. Washing and conditioning handle the chemistry. Plopping and sealing handle the physics — water weight distribution, cast formation, and cuticle closure. People skip these steps because they look optional. They're not.
Plopping
Plopping is a drying technique, not a styling one. Lay a cotton t-shirt or microfibre towel flat on a surface. Flip your hair onto the centre of the cloth, then wrap the ends up and tie the cloth at the nape of your neck so the hair stays compressed in the crown. Duration: 10 to 20 minutes. Fine wavy hair at 10; thick coily hair at 20. The cloth removes water without disturbing the curl pattern the way a towel-scrunch does.
Sealing
Sealing is what you do at the end of drying, not at the beginning of product application. Switch your diffuser to the cool setting for the final two to three minutes of drying — the hair should be at least 90% dry before this step. The alternative is a brief cold-water rinse at the end of conditioning. Both work. The cool diffuse end-step is more accessible and can be layered onto any routine without restructuring wash day.
Other techniques
Everything we've published on curly finishing
- Plopping — duration, cloth, and placement
- How to scrunch out the cast without losing curl
- The cold-water rinse — when and how to use it
- Why your curl clumps fall apart overnight
- T-shirt plopping vs microfibre — the real answer
- What a good gel cast looks like — and how to get it