What does your nighttime regimen look like? For most beauty enthusiasts, getting the expert recommended seven to nine hours of sleep is a must, but If your twelve-step nighttime beauty routine starts off with makeup removal, includes a double cleanse, and various serums, but ends with throwing your hair up in a tight top knot, we hate to break it you, but you should definitely reconsider. Keep reading to discover our top tips to protecting your hair while you sleep.
The term nighttime beauty is typically used in reference to skincare. Because of this, we often forget that our hair also uses this time to restore itself while we sleep. The truth of the matter is that simple steps like occasionally incorporating a repairing overnight hair mask into your regime can work wonders on your hair. We also highly recommend avoiding sleeping with your hair tied up and resting your head on your pillow before your hair is completely dry after a shower to prevent breakage.
To help protect your locks while you sleep, we’ve rounded up a few insider hair tips to keep in mind before calling it a night (yes, we take our beauty sleep very, very seriously). From splurging on silk pillowcases to removing your clip-in hair extensions at night, here are 10 ways to protect your hair while you sleep.
1. Avoid sleeping with your hair tied up
Sleeping with your hair up in a messy bun or high ponytail may seem harmless, but the tension from having your hair up for several hours can put a strain on your scalp and lead to eventual hair damage. We get that you want your hair away from your face while you’re asleep, so instead, ditch the tight updo and go with a loose classic three-strand braid, a fishtail braid, or even a Dutch braid. Having your hair in a braid overnight will save your ends from excessive breakage that occurs when your hair rubs against your pillow. Plus, there are many styling advantages that come with having your hair braided overnight so you can actually wake up with gorgeous, heatless waves.
2. Dry your hair before calling it a night
There are a lot of time-saving advantages that come with washing your hair at night. But keep in mind, hair is at its most vulnerable state when its wet, so it’s super important to dry your hair completely to prevent tugging and severe breakage while you sleep. If you prefer to wash your hair at night, we recommend giving yourself an extra hour or two to allow your hair to air dry or invest in a great hair dryer to avoid frizz. Don't forget to apply a heat protectant treatment or primer to the ends to speed up blow drying time and combat damage.
3. Splurge on a silk pillowcase
Thinking of investing in a silk pillowcase? Well, although making the trade up from cotton pillowcases to high-quality silk ones is a bit of an investment, your hair will thank you. Silk is a gentler fabric compared to cotton. The smaller fibres of silk pillows prevent your ends from excessive damage and pulling, especially if you toss and turn overnight.
4. Wrap your hair in a satin head scarf
Take your beauty sleep to the next level by sleeping with a chic satin head scarf. Just like the silk pillowcase, the scarf will help protect your ends and maintain your hairstyle. That’s right! Whether it’s on day one or day two hair, wearing a satin scarf while you sleep will help preserve those precious curls or braids, and prevent that inevitable "just woke up" frizz. A silky bonnet or turban will work just as well.
5. Apply an overnight treatment
As hair lovers, we know how important it is to incorporate masks and treatments into our weekly hair care routines. But let’s face it, sometimes the 15 to 30-minute masks don’t cut it. Take advantage of the downtime while you sleep and apply a hair mask before bed, leaving it on as an intensive overnight treatment to repair and hydrate your hair. Depending on your hair type, we recommend doing this once or twice a month. Finding the right treatment for your hair can be a daunting task as there are various options available on the market. While you’re searching for the right one, you can never go wrong with masking your hair overnight with coconut oil.
6. Wear a fabric scrunchie
Just like your products and tools, your hair will only look as good as the accessories you use. Instead of reaching for small hair elastics, use fabric hair scrunchies— you know, the same ones you used back in the 90’s — to tie or braid your hair. Scrunchies are less harmful to your ends and securely hold your style without pulling out individual hairs like traditional hair ties do.
7. Brush your hair before bed
There’s an old beauty myth that suggests you should brush your hair 100 times a day to promote shine and length. Although we haven’t tried to prove this myth to be true, brushing your hair gently from bottom to top with a paddle brush before bed will ensure you’ll go to bed tangle-free. If shine is what your heart desires, brush your hair with a boar bristle brush as this type of brush is known for its ability to evenly distribute natural oils from the scalp through the hair.
8. Massage your scalp
As silly as this sounds, even as hair enthusiasts, we often ignore the health of our scalp. The strength, shine and length of hair starts with a healthy scalp. To give your scalp an extra dose of TLC, we recommend ending your nighttime beauty regime with a two-minute head or scalp massage. How? Leave your hair down and with your fingers, gently massage your roots as if you’re shampooing your hair—better yet, ask your S.O. to do it for you! Massaging your scalp regularly stimulates blood circulation. You know what they say: happy scalp, healthy hair.
9. Apply dry shampoo
As mentioned above, hair is at its most vulnerable state when it's wet. Excessive shampooing can strip your hair of its natural oils, which can lead to dry and brittle ends. To clean and protect your hair without water and shampoo, apply dry shampoo onto your roots at night. By doing this, the dry shampoo will absorb the natural oils and sweat your hair and scalp produces while you’re asleep.
10. Remove your hair extensions before going to bed
Whether you own the classic collection or the seamless collection, removing your Luxy Hair extensions before bed is a must! Although clip-in extensions cause absolutely no harm to your hair throughout the day, wearing them to bed may cause excessive tangling, which can be damaging to both your hair and extensions.
By taking a few extra measures each night and incorporating hair care into your nighttime beauty regimen, you can ensure that your hair is protected overnight so it can stay long, strong, and flyaway-free!
Written by: Alyysa Tria
