Sleeping Beauty - How to get gorgeous hair overnight
Transform your hair while sleeping
Growing long and beautiful hair like Rapunzel takes time, money and effort. Really? Is it that complicated? There are some very simple (and even free) tricks to getting healthier and more beautiful hair without spending a lot of money, all while you sleep. With the following tips, you can easily prevent split ends and hair breakage and get beautiful hair overnight.
Never sleep with wet hair!
First things first (and at zero costs): Never ever sleep with wet hair! This is probably the worst thing you can do with your hair and your scalp (and it's not great for your pillow either if it gets damp). Wet hair is ultra-sensitive because when wet, it is prone to damage and breakage. A wet scalp can be a breeding ground for bacteria and healthy hair can only grow from a healthy scalp. Therefore, always dry your hair well before going to bed.
Brush out any product residue before going to bed
Brush out styling product residue and apply a nourishing leave-in oil, serum or spray.
If you use styling products such as hairspray, gel or similar, always gently brush out the residue of these products. Since the products are meant to keep your hair in place and make it stiff, your hair can easily break if you lie on it or turn around in your sleep. Even though I don't use any of these styling products myself, I always detangle my hair before I go to bed, mainly because I always put my hair in a hair-protecting hairstyle for sleeping. In the morning, I wake up with fewer knots in my hair if I detangle it before going to sleep. This makes it easier to brush my hair in the morning. It will be much easier to detangle and brush the hair with out ripping and pulling it.
Oiling the ends and lenghts of your hair/applying leave-in products
Before I put my hair into a protective sleeping hairstyle, I apply some nourishing hair oil or another leave-in product to my lengths and ends. This allows the oil to soak into the hair overnight and work its magic, as well as protecting the hair overnight. I make sure that I really only oil the lengths and ends so that my scalp doesn't become greasy too quickly and the hair follicles do not become clogged.
Hair-protecting hairstyles for sleeping
Plastic clips and silk scrunchies are perfect tools to get your hair into a nice loose (!) hair-protecting sleeping hairstyle.
While sleeping we turn around, therefore our hair rubs against the pillow, gets strained and tangled. A hair-protecting sleeping hairstyle will protect your hair from too much friction that causes breakage and split ends. A loose (!) bun on the top of your head or a loose (!) braid prevents your hair from getting too tangled and rubbing against the pillow. Make sure that your hair-protecting sleeping hairstyle is not too tight. It is important that tying the hair up does not cause any tension on the scalp. This leads to hair loss in the long term. Plastic hair clips or scrunchies made of silk are ideal for hair-protecting hairstyles. Hair ties, especially those with metal pieces, are very bad for the hair: the sharp metal damages the hair and makes it brittle. Silk scrunchies, on the other hand, are gentle on the hair. If you sleep with a hair-protecting hairstyle, your hair is easier to comb the next morning, which - again - protects your hair and prevents breakage.
Silk bonnets for sleeping
Silk is gentle to the hair and protects it from friction.
A good alternative to hair-protecting hairstyles - but not everyone's cup of tea - are silk sleep bonnets. They protect your hair all around. Personally, I could never sleep with a bonnet, because it would slip off my head overnight and I would be too warm. That's why I prefer a silk pillowcase.
Silk (or satin) pillows
Silk pillows are gentle on your hair while you sleep. Silk fibers are less absorbent and smoother than cotton. Thanks to the finer texture of silk, there is less friction on the hair. The hair fibers are less roughened and there is less hair breakage. The skin also benefits from silk pillows, as silky pillows prevent wrinkles for stomach and side sleepers.
Wash pillows regularly
You should wash your bed linen anyway every two to three weeks, but at least once a month. However, as the pillow comes into direct contact with the skin and the night care and hair care product residues (such as hair oils) get onto the pillowcase, I wash my pillowcase more often, usually once a week. This keeps my hair looking good for longer, makes it less greasy and I have to wash it less often, which also protects my hair.
With these simple measures, you can keep your hair beautiful while you sleep. Your hair will thank you with shine and less frizz!