So you've mastered your hair routine for the daytime; you have your wash routine, products and styling down pat. The next thing you might be thinking about is, how should I be maintaining it as I sleep?
Should I tie my hair up when I sleep?
We get this question a lot, and really, this answer lies in the details. If you have longer hair, it can be annoying to sleep with it loose on your pillow and sometimes it can lead to more tangles when you wake up. Don't worry, you can wear it up in various ways, just making sure that there is very little tension when you do! When we sleep, there can be friction created between our hair and our pillowcase (even when you don't move a lot in the night). The standard cotton pillowcase actually makes this worse as the hair can't easily slip over it. Depending on your hair, this friction can create frizz, weaken the hair fibre, and sometimes even cause breakage. Below, we're going to talk about 5 options for overnight haircare, that won't just protect your hair, but also make your day time hair routine easier!
1. Silk pillowcase for hair
The easiest way to protect your hair while sleeping in our opinion, is the silk or satin pillowcase. It involves a one time purchase, and zero hair styling/wrapping skills, although its also great in partnership with the other options below! Silk is a fibre created by silkworms (unfortunately not cruelty free unless it is specifically peace silk), that is smooth and can be tightly woven to create a fabric that has lots of slip. Satin is simply a weaving technique that creates a smooth, glossy surface, also with lots of slip! Either one of these are amazing for use in hair - whether it's a scrunchy, scarf or pillowcase, since it won't cause any friction on the hair strand.
Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase is especially great for anyone that struggles to maintain their style for multiple days, is prone to unwanted frizz, or has fragile hair. If you are going to tie up your hair, we HIGHLY recommend investing in a silk or satin pillowcase!
This is our favourite vegan "silk" pillowcase, it's well made, from plant cellulose, so good for silk worms, and our planet. We love that.
2. Satin hair scarf
Wrapping your hair up in a silk or satin scarf can also offer the same benefits as the above pillowcase, and can be a very cost effective as many used clothing stores have these on hand! You can wrap the scarf all the way around your head, either loose, braided or in the pineapple. This is great if you want more protection of your hairline or edges, as it shouldn't rub your hair, even if you do move at night. Some people find that the scarf may shift of fall off, if you move around while you're sleeping, we recommend the silk pillowcase.
3. Braiding hair at night
For those with wavy or straight hair patterns, braiding can be a great way to keep your hair pulled back without compromising its integrity. The key here is that the tension is spread out and not concentrated in one area of the scalp. One loose braid with a scrunchie on the end is perfect, and when paired with the proper pillowcase, your hair will be perfectly protected! Since this isn't for styling purposes, don't worry if it's messy with stray hairs.
Bonus, add a spritz of sea salt spray and wake up to beachy waves!
4. Ponytails and the Pineapple for curls
Another option is a ponytail, or pineapple for the curly folks! Ponytails can be loose and low or piled on top of the head, ideally with a scrunchie (and silk or satin is the best option!). Again, similar to the braids, we want it to not feel tight on the head, regardless of where it sits. For curly hair, the pineapple is an amazing way to preserve your style overnight and ensure that you keep your gorgeous volume. Simply flip your head upside down, loosely gather your curls on the top of your head and secure gently with a scrunchie. When you sleep, all the hair should stay on the top of your hair, making sure your volume and curls are not disturbed. The hair on the sides of your head might be slightly less curly the next day, but they will be underneath your curls when they come down, or can be refreshed with a little water in the morning.
5. Bonnets for curly hair
Bonnets are an amazing tool for anyone with curls, tight waves and coils of any length! This gives you all the benefits of a silk/satin pillowcase, scarf and the pineapple! Make sure that what you're using fits your head (and your hair), doesn't feel restrictive, and is silk or satin lined. When you're putting it on, you want to flip your hair upside down so that it's piled on top of your head, Casey Voss, Innersense Artist shows us how in this video!
We love that all these techniques are super accessible, and that you can show your hair some love, even when you're fast asleep! What is your favourite method?? Comment below with your success stories!
