What to do with your natural hair at night can vary depending on what style you are going for the next day. How to care for natural hair at night does not have to be difficult though. Simply incorporate a hair care routine in with your usual nighttime routine. As you do so, it will become almost habitual.
Here is how to care for natural hair at night:
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1. Try to keep it detangled
Since we tend to move around a lot when sleeping, this can cause noticeably tangled or even matted hair once you wake up. With the various spiral shaped strands throughout natural hair, they can easily intertwine with each other. A good tip in how to care for natural hair at night is to keep it sectioned and detangled. This can be as simple as two braids, or chunky twists. By doing so will save you the headache of even more tangles the next day. Keeping your hair detangled at night also makes it easier and less time consuming come wash day when you fully detangle using a Denman brush or wide tooth comb.
2. Grab a satin scarf or pillowcase
Putting on a satin scarf or bonnet before bed has become routine for many of us. Nonetheless, it still provides multiple benefits for natural hair. Pillowcases are typically made of a cotton fabric. Cotton is a wicking fabric, meaning it helps to absorb moisture. This is why a lot of active wear may be made from cotton. For our hair, it too absorbs the moisture from our strands.
Since our natural hair already has a natural proneness to dryness, this can lead to excessively dry hair and breakage. A satin scarf / bonnet helps to preserve moisture in your natural hair overnight. The soft, silky fabric additionally helps to lessen frizz, making it a good choice of fabric to preserve your hairstyles overnight.
3. Moisturize!
Perhaps one of the most important essentials in how to care for natural hair at night, is to moisturize your strands. Incorporate moisturizing your hair with your usual nighttime routine and you will notice your natural hair flourish. It can be as simple as spritzing your hair with water, adding a leave-in, and then twisting / braiding the section. Overtime, this improves the manageability of your hair creating healthier strands and better moisture retention.
As moisturizing your hair becomes routine, you will notice less tangles, and consistent healthy growth. Hydration is key to healthy hair. If we go days without adding some form of moisture to our natural hair, it can result in breakage, matted hair, or dry brittle ends. This is also a good time to massage a stimulating oil onto the scalp and edges areas occasionally, to further aid in hair growth.
Click here to check out other ways to keep your natural hair moisturized for days:
4. Low Manipulation Pays Off
Low manipulation or protective styles can really benefit the health and growth of your natural hair. Massaging the scalp with stimulating oils while in these protective styles can even further help to promote growth and is another one the more beneficial tips in how to care for natural hair at night. Low manipulation can also be as simple as twisting your hair one night and leaving them in those twists for the week, still adding moisture at night. This will aid in preventing breakage at the ends and rest of hair.
5. How to Care for Natural Hair at Night: Styling
If you plan on wearing your hair in a particular style the next day, what you do to your hair at night can help in preserving or making the style. To preserve your twist and braid-outs at night, there are different ways to do so. Putting your hair in a pineapple / puff and sleeping on a satin pillowcase is one way. For wash and go’s, chunky twists are a good way to preserve your style overnight and still keep the curl pattern intact.
What is your night time or day time hair care routine?
