Putting Your Hair To Bed

Unless you sleep like Lily Munster, you likely move around a lot while sleeping, and the friction that your rubbing against your pillow puts a lot of wear and tear on your hair.  There are some steps you can take to prevent this, and no matter how short your hair might be right now, it's not too soon to start protecting your hair at night.  Remember that whatever hair you have now will be one, two or three years old if you're planning on growing it long.  Proper care now will help your hair to be healthier down the road.


Pillowcases can be hard on hair.  To minimize friction, I suggest silk pillowcases, satin silk pillowcases or if your budget does not allow, then a regular satin pillowcase will do just fine.  Satin pillowcases are not terribly expensive and are much worth the price.


Also, bedtime is a very good time to apply oil to your hair.  What I like to do is to put a few drops of jojoba oil on my detangled hair from the ears down.  Then I brush with a boar bristle brush to evenly distribute the oil.  Also, sometimes I like to do a deep oiling.  That entails using a large amount of the oil of your choice.  I usually use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or coconut oil for deep oil soaks. 


Some people use satin sleep caps.  Personally, I move around to much to ever be able to keep a sleep cap on, and frankly I don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing one, but for those of you who have a lot of damage, or whose hair is fragile, it's a good idea.


How you wear your hair to bed can also help to reduce wear.  When my hair is too short to bun, I like to use double braids or a single braid as a bedtime hairstyle.

At the length my hair is now, my favourite bedtime 'do is a bun placed right on top of my head and held with a satin scrunchie.  This style is extremely comfortable, as well as being functional and secure. Also, when I take my hair out of the bun in the morning, I have a bit of extra volume, and also, I have no tangles!


So think about protecting your hair at nigh time.  It takes almost no time at all, but the rewards can be great.

Here is a photo of my hair deeply oiled and in my sleep bun.