If you were to ask me the single most important hair tip I wished anyone with long-ish hair knew, I would say it’s how you prep it to go to bed. The fact that we sleep on our hair every single night, for hours (hopefully), creates unnecessary friction, tangling and weakening of the hair cuticles. DO you find the hair at the very bottom of your nape always tangles so easily, or the hair at the crown of your head is always more rough or frizzy? These areas are compromised because of the way we sleep on our hair. If you think about it, we sleep and move our head around throughout the night, causing our hair to rub up against itself and the material of our pillows, plus add in some perspiration to further weaken the structure of our hair, night after night? Its a recipe for disaster. Especially if you’re prone to tossing and turning. I began taking notice of these shares issues amongst many female clients and friends, and realized exactly what was going on. The hair at our nape is already more finer and fragile hair similar to our front hairline, and the hair in our crown area is exposed to the most sun and light and constantly rubbed up if not against our pillow, then a car seat, couch or even an office chair. See below for what you can do to enhance your night’s sleep all while protecting your hair and your blowout.

1. French Hair pins for the win. I cannot live without these, anyone that knows me or follows me is using these babies to put their hair up at night without causing any creases or breakage to the hair. Gathering your hair up in a loose bun using French hair pins (the V-shape type of bobby pins that don’t close) is a demarcation-free method of keeping hair up in place. The key is to make the bun high enough on top of your head to not feel it when laying down. Start by twisting all your hair through to the ends, then wrap that around itself into a bun and sticking the hair pins all around to hold it in place. You can use as many as you need, but typically wont need more than 3-4 once you get the hang of it.

2. Silk pillow cases are an absolute game changer as they don’t pull and absorb moisture from your hair and your face. Unlike regular pillow cases, the smooth silk fibers don’t cause damage to your hair through creating friction and roughening up your hair’s cuticles. They also maintain better temperature control that helps prevent sweating from your head or neck that can ruin your hairstyle. You can find well priced and easy to wash satin pillow cases by My Kitsch here. I currently use the pink ones.

3. Temperature check. Sleeping in cooler temperatures is not only good for quality sleep but prevents excess sweating that can exacerbate hair tangling if your hair is left down. Even when up, you can greatly benefit from preventing any perspiration to protect your style and hair. There you have it. Three tips that can prolong your hair styles, protect your hair and even help you sleep better! Do hope you give them a try and see what a major difference these habits can add up to over time. To always having deep, restful, quality sleep,

Shab