The verdict is in: Sleeping with your hair back is an incredibly effective way to minimize frizz and knots. If you have breakage-prone or easily tangled strands, developing the habit of sleeping with your hair in a bun, ponytail, or braid is one of the easiest stylist-approved tricks you can try.
Tangling. Hairs can easily tangle when you toss and turn at night. Brush your hair before bed to remove knots and gently twist your hair up on top of your head and wrap it with a silk scarf to prevent new tangles from forming. Covering your hair in this way can also help you avoid breakage and prevent split ends.
Use a scrunchie or tie made of silk or satin, instead. If you have unruly hair, style in a loose braid tied with a silk scrunchie before bed. Not only will the silk scrunchie prevent friction and subsequent breakage from affecting your strands, but it also likely won't create ridges in your hair after it's removed.
According to Francesca J. Fusco, a New York City-based dermatologist who specializes in hair loss, regularly wearing your hair tight in the same style — night after night — could ultimately lead to a level of hair loss, beginning at the hair line, known as traction alopecia.
If you prefer to dry your hair while sleeping, a hair towel can eliminate all the friction to ensure that you do not wake up with brittle and frizzy strands.
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.
Avoid Tight Hairstyles Or Don't Tie Your Hair At All
It's best to leave your hair untied at night. If you're using an overnight product in your hair, first comb it with a wide-tooth comb and tie it in a loose braid. Remember not to use metal or rubber hair ties. Instead, go for a soft, silk scrunchie or headwrap.
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.
Use a silk scarf or cloth and tie it like a hairband to make sure your hair does not touch the pillowcase. Once you wake up, flip your hair upside down, gently separate the hair and flip it back up. Resist the urge to brush your hair, as it causes more friction and frizz,” recommends Sabanayagam.
Less Hair Damage and Frizz
The benefits of sleeping on a silk pillowcase are most pronounced for hair, experts say, because the smooth surface reduces friction and thus breakage.
Instead of using small hair elastics, especially ones with metal plating, use fabric scrunchies or silk scrunchies to tie your hair when sleeping. Scrunchies are way less harmful to your hair and will hold your braid without pulling out any individual hairs like your normal hair elastics would do.
Going to sleep earlier might seem obvious, but there's a science to why 10 pm (or earlier) is the best for optimal sleep and hair growth. Around 10 pm, your body starts to produce melatonin as a way of winding you down and getting you prepped for rest.
Scrunchies are better for your hair. Unlike hair ties, scrunchies don't cause hair breakage. The layer of fabric between the elastic band and your hair serves as a soft barrier to protect your precious locks from direct friction! Scrunchies also don't have to be wound as tightly around your hair.
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.
There isn't a sleeping position that promotes or prevents hair loss. Unfortunately, there isn't a sleeping position for hair growth, either. If you're a side-sleeper, stomach-sleeper or prefer to sleep on your back, you can literally rest assured in the position you like best.
Avoid sleeping with your hair tied up
Sleeping with your hair up in a messy bun or high ponytail may seem harmless, but the tension from having your hair up for several hours can put a strain on your scalp and lead to eventual hair damage.