If your hair is frizzy when you wake up, it might be crying out for some moisture. Before you go to bed, scrunch a leave-in conditioner into the ends of your hair (not the roots). The extra moisture should help to tame the frizz and keep your hair looking silky and smooth.
Pick a Braid, any Braid
Braid your hair before going to sleep. This old trick works every time and is one of the best ways to wear your hair when sleeping. It not only protects your hair – stopping it from tangling and breaking – but also gives you gorgeous beachy waves the next day and cuts down on frizz.
It is best to sleep with your hair down if your hair length is short. This also lets the air flow freely through your hair, which makes you sleep more comfortably. On the other hand, if you have long hair, it is recommended to tie your hair loosely to prevent knots and breakage.
When your hair is wet, it's more fragile and prone to breakage, says Jasmine Burnside, a hairstylist in New York City. "Going to bed with wet or damp hair will most likely lead to more friction on the strands, ultimately leading to potential damage." That's why she says it's something that she advises against.
When to wash. Rossi generally tells his patients they should wash their hair once or twice per week. But if you've had chemical treatments that can make your hair drier — such as bleach, perms or relaxers — you might want to wash it less than once weekly to avoid breaking or brittle hair or split ends, he said.
What length of hair is considered long? If your strands reach past your shoulders, it's considered long. You can opt for a mid-back length cut or grow it out to your tailbone for extralong hair.
The friction caused by tossing and turning on a pillow for eight hours a night can be one reason for frizziness in the morning. Swap cotton for a silk pillowcase, to reduce friction. These can be better for your facial skin, too.
Give yourself a scalp massage.
Not only does a quick rubdown help you wind down after a long day, it also boosts hair health. By gently rubbing your scalp with your fingertips before bed, you'll distribute natural oils, leaving you with shinier strands in the morning.
“Humidity in the air changes the way that the protein bundles are configured and can break them down,” says O'Conner. “And when the cuticle gets open or roughed up, it allows moisture into the hair shaft and can cause swelling.” Once the moisture is in the hair shaft, your hair will likely become frizzy or flat.
How often should you shower? While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.
For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
The day after washing, that natural oil (called sebum) that we washed away starts to come back adding softness to our tresses. Sebum also helps to balance the pH levels of your scalp preventing your hair from dryness and breakage.
Don't Brush Wet Hair with a Regular Brush
The best time to brush your hair is when it is almost or completely dry. But if you have tangles after washing it or after a swim, you can use a wide-tooth comb on your wet hair to restore order but make sure it has smooth tooth ends so you don't irritate your scalp.
Hair that's wet and filled with moisture is more fragile than hair that's dry, which can result in snapping when brushed. As such, it's recommended to brush hair in a dry state (guide-to-detangling-curls). This may mean allowing your hair to air-dry post-shower before beginning to comb through hair strands.
*Wearing socks in bed increases blood flow to the feet and heat loss through the skin, which helps lower core body temperature. As a result, a person can fall asleep faster. *Wearing socks to bed improves blood flow to your feet. *It improves cracked heels.
High ponytails are the worst offenders for causing hair breakage and stress, especially if they're pulled tightly. If you need to have your hair up regularly and can't get away with a few 'down days', try to switch between high ponytails and low, loose styles.
Sleeping in braids can help prevent tangles and knots, which can cause breakage and split ends. Braids can also help distribute the natural oils produced by the scalp evenly along the length of the hair, which can help keep hair moisturized and less prone to breakage.
Protective Hairstyle #1: The Loose Plait
A really easy way to manage your hair overnight is with a loose plait. If you sleep on your back, this protective sleep hairstyle will sit flat against your back, but you can always do a side plait or two side plaits if you're worried about it being annoying.