hairlove, i wear my hair in a braided bun with a drawstring ponytail. i have a step-by-step in my picture trail albums. i use a mixture of World of Curls curl activator and alcohol free gel (Fantasia IC right now) all over my hair. the activator moisturizes. the gel keeps it in place.
after i comb it, i smooth my edges with a boar bristle brush. i then put it up in a ponytail. i braid the loose hair and roll it up into a tight bun. i cover that with a baggie and cut off stocking. then i put the ponytail on with two scrunchies. that is my style.
i take the ponytail off nightly and wrap my hair in a scarf. in the morning, i remove the scarf and put more of the activator/gel mix on the edges and resmooth. then i put the ponytail back on and go.
if i wash my hair before work, it's usually still damp when i get home. so i'll take the baggie and stocking off, unbraid the ponytail and let it air dry. i then rebraid and put the baggie and stocking back on and wrap my hair for bed.
as you can see, my ends rarely see the light of day. lol! this has been working for me for a couple of years now though.