Make Sure You Have All The Right Products
Having all of the right products and items with you is great for quick hair prep and convenience, but it’s also great for properly styling your hair.
Night time routines should leave your hair moisturized, sealed, and most importantly–completely set and dried in the morning. We all know how it feels to wake up in the morning and feel that sudden wave of disappointment when we realize our twist are still wet.
9 times out of 10, mistakes like those happen because we are using the wrong products. Heavier creams and oils* are fine for styling during the day time because our hair can air dry. However, your hair doesn’t have the same opportunity to dry when you sleep because it is covered up.
So this doesn’t happen, use lighter products on your hair for quicker drying time. If you are unable to do that, try blow drying or sitting under a hooded dried for a few minutes before bed. If that doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to blow dry your hair (on cool) again in the morning.
Have a light oil or sheen on deck so you can add shine to your hair while unraveling/unwrapping it.
Determine Your Protective Method
We often hear about basic hair bonnets, but there are mini different ways to protect your hair for sleep. There’s the bonnet, satin head wrap, satin pillow, pineapple method, wide headband*, turban, and many other methods.
The way you cover your hair at night solely depends on how you styled your hair and what you used to style it. For an example, if you want to maintain your natural curls, you might put your hair into a high ponytail, cover everything but the ends of your ponytail with a scarf–that is the pineapple method.
Or if the look you’re going for requires sleek and slick edges, a thick head band over your edges and a bonnet over the rest of your hair may work for you.
If you’re using styling tools like rollers, perm rods*, flexi rods*, or pins, the cover you use should be very loose so it does not cause any unnecessary tension or disturb your styling. I personally ditch covering my hair when using tools, and opt for my large satin pillows.
Whichever you choose, make sure it not only preserves your style, protects your hair, and allows your hair and scalp to breathe to prevent sweaty, wet, or damp hair in the morning.