Do you often wake up and feel like you’re having “a bad hair day”? Well, that could be because you aren’t following a proper nighttime hair care routine. Just how we follow nighttime skin care routines to wake up with more nourished skin, in the same way, our hair too requires proper care and treatment.
Here are some tips you could follow or add to have an ideal nighttime hair care routine:
Overnight hair oiling:
Overnight oiling is usually for hair that requires more intensive hair care, like for those who have very dry and coarse hair or the hair is excessively frizzy, as hair goes through lot of wear and tear over the years. It can help to strengthen the hair shaft. Massage few drops of warm castor oil or black seed oil on your scalp before bedtime. Wash it off in the morning.
Detangle and tie your hair into a braid not a bun:
Detangling your hair with a wide-tooth comb before you sleep ensures that your hair doesn’t get tangled or create friction among the hair strands, as it can cause your hair to get pulled or break off. Now the way you choose to tie your hair is also essential, as ponytails or buns can cause your hair roots to be pulled and get strained, in turn creating hair damage. Therefore, tying your hair into a loose braid, after combing it out and detangling it, will help keep the hair to have less or no tangles when you wake up, while it can also protect the hair from friction and damage.
Hair care serums:
Hair serums are hair products that coat the hair shafts and protect the hair from hair damage and make your hair look shinier and healthier in appearance. For those whose hair does not require overnight oiling, you can use this method as an alternative. Hair serums concentrate more on the hair strands and tips, as compared to the scalp (when you oil your hair).
Overnight Hair masks:
Hair masks are used to condition the hair and promote better hair texture and shine. Using hair masks will provide hydration and nourishment to the hair follicles and promote overall hair health and make the hair stronger and prevent hair fall. Overnight hair masks can be very beneficial to all kinds of hair especially for those with dry, damaged and frizzy hair, as it can help infuse the hair shafts with moisture, reduce hair breakage and frizziness and help add shine to the hair. READ MORE – OVERNIGHT HAIR MASKS TO STOP HAIR FALL AND GROW THICKER HAIR
Avoid sleeping with wet hair:
This is something you should never do! It can be the worst thing for your hair, as wet hair can cause hair breakage and bacterial growth on the scalp, as the warm scalp becomes a breeding ground for the bacteria to grow. This is because hair is at its weakest while it is wet. Therefore, sleeping with wet hair can lead to hair fall, as when we sleep there could be friction between the hair strands. Hair is very fragile when it is wet making it easier for it to break or fall out.
Use hair treatments:
- Overnight Rice Hair Spray:
Make fermented rice water using any of these methods – 5 best ways to make rice water and apply for hair growth and glowing skin
Pour the 1/2 cup of fermented rice water into a spray bottle and add in 1 tbsp. of castor oil. Shake the bottle really well and spray it on your scalp. Massage it in and sleep on it. Rinse off it in the morning.
- Scalp massage before going to bed:
For this, you can choose to apply few drops of oil on your scalp or just simply massage your scalp with your fingertips using circular motions for 4 to 5 minutes. This treatment will help stimulate sufficient blood flow to the scalp, in turn stimulating the hair follicles towards better hair growth and paves the way towards hair repair and rejuvenation for when we sleep.
Use the right pillowcase:
Using the right pillowcase when we sleep is also very essential step towards proper hair care. Satin or silk pillowcases are more preferred as opposed to cotton fabric pillowcases as it is rougher on the hair and can cause friction and hair breakage, as we move our heads when we sleep. Satin or silk are smoother fabrics and can be better for protecting your hair health.
Tip: If you do not have a satin or silk pillowcase, you can also loosely tie your hair into a satin or silk bandana, to avoid your hair from shifting while you sleep.