Hair is a symbol of beauty!
In fact, many believe the most noticeable part of a woman’s beauty is her hair. Hair enhances your appearance and sets the tone for your entire look.
A bad hair day can make for a bad day all-around and nobody wants to go through that.
From hot styling tools to highlights, your hair can become quite damaged during the daytime. Another reason behind a bad hair day can be the bedtime mistakes you made that wreaked havoc on your hair.
Just like a good bedtime skin ritual is important for your skin health, you also need to take care of your hair before going to bed to keep it in good condition.
Many people are prone to making bedtime hair mistakes without even knowing the harm it is causing to their hair. Avoiding these mistakes can improve your hair’s health and, in turn, its beauty.
Here are 10 bedtime mistakes that are ruining your hair.
1. Sleeping with Wet Hair
Many of us prefer to wash our hair at the end of the day as it saves a lot of time in the morning. Washing your hair in the evening is not bad, but going to bed with wet hair is something that you should avoid at any cost.
Hitting the sheets with wet hair can be very bad for your hair strands, as wet hair is more fragile than dry hair. This can lead to more hair loss or breakage.
Moreover, wet hair can dampen the pillow and sleeping on a warm, damp pillowcase can cause a fungal infection or even lead to dandruff.
If you wash your hair before bed, use a blow-dryer to at least dry your hair to some extent. You can also comb your hair with an absorbent hair brush that is made with microfiber bristles to remove some water from your hair.
2. Taking a Hot Shower
After a tiring day, a hot shower sounds very welcoming. But hot water can be very damaging to your hair.
The heat from the hot shower can strip away your hair’s natural oil (sebum) and damage the roots. Without sebum, hair becomes dry and brittle, which in turn leads to breakage and hair loss.
If you need to take a shower, enjoy it with lukewarm water. For the final rinse, always use normal or cold water to help seal moisture into your hair. By using this simple trick, you can make your hair appear shiny and healthy.
Also, after your shower, pat dry your hair with a soft towel. Avoid rubbing your hair rigorously. Allow your hair to dry naturally, whenever possible.
Interestingly, research has proved that taking cold showers is beneficial for your health.
3. Using a Cotton Pillowcase
The material of the pillowcase upon which you rest your head can have a huge impact on your hair’s health.
For instance, sleeping on a cotton pillowcase can snag and tangle your locks while you toss or turn in your sleep. In fact, people who have dry or fragile hair should ditch any rough, cotton pillowcases.
For hair health, experts recommend using a silk or satin pillowcase.These materials cause less static or friction on the hair, which means less trauma and less detangling in the morning.
Moreover, satin or silk will help your hair hold onto its natural oils, which is very important for people who have dry or curly hair.
4. Using the Same Pillowcase for Months
Proper hygiene is important for keeping your hair healthy. If you are not changing your pillowcases often enough, you are making a big mistake.
Both pillowcases and bedsheets can easily accumulate oil, dirt, and bacteria over time. Sleeping on the dirty fabric can lead to clogged hair follicles and ultimately hair loss.
Experts recommend washing or changing your pillowcases and bedsheets once or twice a week, especially if your hair is oily in nature.
If possible use a pillowcase made of pure long strand mulberry silk as it helps to gives depth and even greater softness and smoothness to your hair.
5. Playing with Your Hair
It is common to find people heading to bed even if they are not sleepy. Watching television or using a smartphone in bed while playing with one’s hair is also very common.
You must avoid playing with your hair, as it can cause great damage to your hair strands. Continuous pulling and playing with your hair creates stress on the strands, which in turn leads to hair breakage and loss.
Keep your hands busy and your hair tied in a braid so that you do not feel like playing with your hair.
Moreover, you need to keep your stress level under control. People under stress often tend to play with their hair or bite their nails unconsciously.
6. Brushing Your Hair Rigorously
Brushing or combing your hair is important, as it helps distribute the natural oil produced by your scalp through your hair. This stimulates the hair follicles and promotes hair growth. As a bonus, brushing your hair is relaxing and can help you sleep better.
But brushing your hair harshly or running a brush through wet hair can put unnecessary stress on your strands and damage your hair. Also, aggressive brushing causes excessive friction and makes your hair weak and brittle.
It is recommended to use a wide-tooth comb before bedtime, which will not pull on your hair.
7. Wearing Tight Hairstyles
If you have a habit of sleeping with your hair tied in a tight ponytail, again you are making a big mistake. Keep tight hairstyles like ponytails, knots, and buns for the daytime.
Putting your hair up in a tight ponytail and going to bed can cause great damage to your hair. Tight hairstyles put excessive tension on the hair follicles, which can lead to hair breakage and even hair loss.
If you cannot leave your hair down while sleeping, try sleeping in braids. Braids will even create pretty waves in your hair the next morning.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that damaging hairstyles like tight ponytails, braids, knots, and buns can cause damage to the hair follicle from prolonged or repeated tension on the hair root. This can lead to the development of traction alopecia and gradual hair loss.
8. Leaving Your Long Hair Down
Similar to wearing tight hairstyles while you sleep, leaving long hair down is bad for your hair’s health. The oil and styling products in your hair can have damaging effects on your skin.
It is recommended to tie long hair up before bedtime. Pull your tresses back into a loose ponytail or a light braid.
Moreover, leaving long hair loose when you sleep can make your pillowcase dirty quickly and you will have to change it on a daily basis.
9. Wrapping Your Wet Hair in a Towel
Wrapping wet hair in a towel after a shower or bath is something that most of us do. However, going to bed with your hair wrapped in a towel can be extremely harmful to the health of your hair.
When wet, your hair is more susceptible to stretching and breakage. Moreover, if the towel is wrapped tightly, it causes tension on the hair follicles, which can cause unnecessary hair breakage and hair loss.
Sleeping with wet hair can also increase the risk of fungal infections or dandruff.
After washing your hair, pat it dry with a soft towel and allow it to air-dry before heading to bed.
10. Not Oiling Your Dry Hair
Many people who have dry hair do not take advantage of overnight hair treatments. If you have dry, brittle hair, try an oil massage before going to bed. This is an easy way to add some much-needed moisture to your dry strands. In fact, oiling your hair regularly can help you to get thicker hair naturally.
Take some lukewarm oil and saturate your whole head, right from the root to the ends. Also, massage your scalp to improve blood circulation.
Then, sleep with a shower cap on to let the product seep in and to keep it from getting all over your pillow. Next morning, shampoo your hair as usual.
As a bonus, oiling your hair at night is very relaxing and can help you sleep better.
A 2015 study published in the International Journal of Trichology reports that applying oil on a regular basis can enhance lubrication of the shaft and help prevent hair breakage.