After following proper washday, weekly, and monthly routines, you may wonder why there has to be another ‘routine’ again. A night-time hair care routine should not scare you; you just need it to protect your hair daily so you can get maximum benefits from every other ‘routine’ you’ve been carrying out.
Night-time hair care routine involves all the steps taken to nourish, protect, and maintain the health of your hair while you sleep. The nighttime routine is often overlooked, and a lot of people do not realize just how important it is. Just as our skin requires attention before bedtime, so does our hair. Neglecting this practice can damage hair, breakage, and dullness. In this article, you will learn about the Importance of a night-time routine, and how to do it yourself.
Importance Of Night-time Hair Care Routine
Before we learn about how to go about a nighttime hair care routine, these are some of the benefits it can give to your hair:
Prevents Dryness and Breakage
Following a proper nighttime routine will help protect your hair from dryness, which causes breakage. It also helps secure moisture in your hair and reduce friction, thereby promoting healthy, shiny hair.
Preserves Hairstyles
The way you handle your hair before bed goes a long way toward determining how long your hairstyle can last. Handling your hair roughly will ruin it faster than ever. But by observing a good nighttime routine, your hairstyle can be sure to stay in place for longer periods of time, just the way you want it.
Promotes hair growth
Healthy and fast hair growth happens as a result of a combination of different factors. A nighttime routine involves activities that, when carried out consistently, help to promote hair health and growth, making it easier for you to achieve your desired hair length.
Minimizes Heat/Chemical Damage
A nighttime hair care routine keeps your hairstyles intact, preventing constant re-styling, which may involve heat or harsh chemicals. These harsh chemicals and excessive heat can cause serious damage to the hair and scalp.
Prevents Frizz, Split ends and Tangles
Split ends, tangles, and frizz can be prevented by investing some time in taking care of your hair just before going to bed. You can then have smoother, shinier hair, and an easier detangling process.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Night-time Hair Care Routine
A night-time routine is not complicated, it only involves simple hair care practices that protects your hair at night. You may not carry out every single one of them (depending on your hairstyle and other factors), but you should learn them and know just when to do anyone of them. These practices are listed below:
Gently Detangling
Before hitting the sack, take a few minutes to gently detangle your hair. Use a wide-tooth comb or a specialized detangling brush to remove knots and tangles. Starting from the ends and working your way up to the roots will minimize breakage and damage. Going to bed with tangled-up hair can cause further tangling and breakage.
Of course, detangling is not compulsory as a nighttime routine. If you have a hairstyle on already, you sure don’t have to detangle your hair. The rule here is this: never go to bed with tangled and messy hair.
Moisturizing
This is one thing you should always do before going to bed (except if your hairstyle does not permit it). Your hair loves moisture and thrives when it is well hydrated. And since the temperature is always cool at night, it becomes the best time to moisturize your hair without any worry about it drying out fast.
To moisturize, use water in a spray bottle or apply a leave-in conditioner focusing on the mid-lengths and ends, where the hair is often drier. Then, seal with any hair oil to help keep the moisture in.
Protective Styling
After detangling and moisturizing, consider styling your hair in a protective style, such as chunky braids or twists. This helps prevent tangling, friction, and shrinkage, reducing the risk of breakage while you sleep. In protective Styling, opt for loose styles to avoid putting tension on the hair follicles.
Use of Silk/Satin Pillowcase or Headwraps
Rubbing your hair against cotton or woolen bed covers can cause friction, dryness and hair breakage. Make sure to cover your hair while sleeping, and not with just any material – make use of silk/satin bonnets or head wraps. If you are not comfortable with covering your hair to bed, you can invest in a satin/silk pillowcase instead.
Satin/silk materials are recommended because they are gentle on the hair, thereby reducing friction, and also helps to prevent moisture loss from hair.
Avoiding Tight Hair Accessories
Remove tight hair ties or hairbands before bedtime to prevent them from pulling or snagging your hair while you sleep. Instead, use scrunchies or silk hair ties that are gentle on the hair and won’t leave creases or kinks.
Scalp Care
Remember to pay attention to your scalp as well. Massaging your scalp with a nourishing oil or serum can promote blood circulation and stimulate hair growth. You can massage with your fingers or a scalp massager, paying special attention to your edges and other needing areas.
Incorporating a night-time hair care routine into your daily regimen is essential for maintaining the health and appearance of your hair. One thing you can be assured of is the fact that these routines gets simpler and easier by the day, and when followed consistently, you can protect your hair from damage, promote growth, and wake up to beautiful, manageable hair every morning.
