Three Reasons to Protect Your Hair While Sleeping

Protecting your natural hair is a ‘round the clock mission, especially if your goal is to retain length. That includes while you’re sleeping. Even healthy hair can easily be damaged if left loose while you’re sleeping. We’ll discuss how to protect your tresses each night. First, though, let’s consider three important reasons you should.
To Protect Your Hair from Moisture Vampires
Your luxurious cotton pillowcase may feel like heaven against your skin, but it’s a nightmare for your curls. The thirsty, absorbent fabric acts as a vampire, sucking vital moisture from your tresses. As your hair dries out, it becomes vulnerable to damage.
To Minimize Friction
You likely make some movement while sleeping. When you move, any loose hair rubs against the fabric of the pillow, creating friction. That friction can be quite damaging to hair. The hair tangles and gets caught in the fibers of the pillow, breaking off.
To Protect Your Fragile Ends
Your ends are the oldest part of your hair. Just as our bodies weaken with age, so does the hair. Therefore, your ends are more prone to damage than the part of your hair closer to your scalp. Leaving fragile ends unprotected while sleeping results in further damage and breakage.
How to Protect Your Hair While Sleeping
Moisture is the key to healthy, more pliable hair. Give your hair a boost of moisture by working a moisturizing cream or lotion, like Afrikoko Silky Hair Lotion, to prep it for your night time routine. Protect weaker ends by securing them in large braids or twists. If your hair is longer, you might want to use the pineapple method to create a high ponytail. Just make sure that the ponytail isn’t too tight.
Once your hair is styled for bed, it’s time to tie it up with a satin or silk scarf. This will protect your edges, which also tend to be more fragile. Lastly, slip on a silk or satin bonnet. If you don’t like wearing a bonnet to bed, you can opt for a satin pillowcase instead or try our MYHoneyChild MicroFiber Towel to lay on your pillow to protect your tresses at night . If you’re a wild sleeper and frequently wake to find that your scarf has slipped off during the night, consider using a satin pillowcase in addition to your bonnet.
It’s tempting to slip into bed at the end of a long day without protecting your hair first. But going to sleep without protecting your tresses is a recipe for dry, damaged hair. Thirsty cotton and other fibers sap essential moisture from the hair. Loose hair rubs against the pillowcase. The resulting friction causes fragile ends to tangle and break.
Protecting your hair by moisturizing it at night; securing it in a protective style; tying the hair up with a satin or silk scarf; and then wearing a satin bonnet or sleeping on a satin pillowcase will reduce friction and minimize nighttime damage.