How to Keep Your Hair Straight Overnight

Having unruly, frizzy hair upon waking, particularly after visiting the salon, is certainly not a pleasant experience, especially when you have to head to the office. If you want to avoid those early morning struggles with the blow dryer and comb, you need to learn how to keep your hair straight overnight. It might seem quite impossible when you think about it but it’s quite doable. Let’s learn how in this post.

Why You Wake Up with Messed-Up Hair

Imagine spending hours in the salon getting your hair done or straightening it at home with a blow dryer then waking to messed, frizzy hair. Nearly every person with long hair has gone through this multiple times. Maybe you are dealing with it right now! To understand how to keep hair straight overnight, you first need to know the root cause of messy hair after sleep.

Hair can get messed up overnight when you are fast asleep for several reasons, such as:

Pillow Friction

Your soft and fluffy pillow is the number one culprit for your hair getting all messy and frizzy as you sleep. As you move your head around during sleep, your hair rubs against the pillowcase which ends up creating tangles and frizz.

Pillowcase Material

The material of your pillowcases also plays a huge role in the state of your hair when you wake up. Generally, cotton pillowcases generate more friction and tend to cause more damage than softer and more uniform materials like silk.

Sleeping with Wet Hair

If you like to leave your hair with moisture when you go to sleep, then you are more likely to end up with messed-up hair every morning. Damp hair causes more tangles and knots overnight and is also more likely to pick up foreign objects that cause even more damage.

Type of Hair/Hairstyle

Some hair types and hairstyles are naturally more susceptible to damage or tangling overnight. These include buns, tight braids, ponytails, and loose dyed hair that was not keratin treated before coloring.

Tight Hairstyles

You are going to wake up with messy frizzy hair if you have a habit of tying your hair tightly when you go to sleep as it easily tangles up and breaks as you turn in your sleep.

Ways to Protect Any Hair Overnight and Keep It Straight

There’s still hope if you find yourself waking up with tangled, unruly hair, even after going to the hair salon. The following strategies can help you protect your hair overnight so you have less work blowing it straight in the mornings:

Get Yourself A Silk Pillowcase

Replacing your cotton pillowcases with high quality silk ones can be the difference between waking up with straight hair and waking up with messy hair. As I mentioned earlier, silk is better because it has a smooth surface that reduces friction between your hair and the pillow.

Getting new pillowcases alone can significantly reduce the likelihood of messing your hair as you sleep by eliminating tangles and friction. Look for good quality silk pillowcases with a high momme count of between 19 to 25 momme for the best results.

Dry Your Hair Completely Before Bed

As discussed earlier, wet hair is more likely to bend, get tangled and frizzy as you sleep. One of the ways to make sure your hair stays straight overnight is to ensure it is completely dry before you retire to bed. This is even more important if you shower and wash your hair before bed.

You can use a blow dryer on a low or high heat setting to air dry your hair thoroughly before you sleep. To make your hair straighter, make sure you use a round brush to smooth out every hair strand as you dry it with your blow dryer.

Avoiding Tight Hairstyles

Sleeping with your hair down is recommended if you want to maintain its straightness overnight. Tight hairstyles or wrapping your hair too firmly can create kinks, creases and waves which can be quite hard to smooth out when you are in a hurry in the mornings. If you need to tie when you sleep, it’s better to use a loose and low ponytail at the nape of your neck with a soft hair tie after you have straightened your hair for the night.

Applying Dry Shampoo

Make it a habit to apply dry shampoo before retiring to bed as it helps absorb excess oil from your scalp and hair. Excessive oil can weigh down your hair strands thus causing them to appear flat and greasy when you wake up.

As for the technique, apply the dry shampoo on the roots using your fingers to gently work it in. Use a moderate amount of dry shampoo as too much can leave residue which makes hair look dull over time. You can also apply a little hair oil for better results but keep it minimal.

Overnight treatment

You can use a leave-in conditioner, a smoothing serum or any straightening treatment of your choice on your hair before you go to bed to help nourish it so it maintains its shape. Any product that uses argan oil, silicone, or keratin is great for this treatment as it helps smooth your hair cuticle and locks in more moisture. You can also use a straightening mask or full keratin treatment to achieve better results.

All in all, maintaining straight hair overnight comes down to how you prepare it, routine hair care and the quality of pillowcases you use. If you are struggling with frizzy, messy hair every morning, contact a professional hair stylist today for frizz free hair.