By
Lauren Valenti, Dr.Oz The Good Life
Beauty sleep
does wonders for the skin, but until now, we hadn't considered the
overnight benefits it could offer our hair. Before bed, we slather on
moisturizer, spot-treat zits, and pat on eye cream to banish bags — so why shouldn't we take similar measures to care for our strands? After all, waking up to a good hair day
is the equivalent of getting that extra shot of espresso for free.
Here, find the quick and easy ways you can get healthier, better-looking
hair overnight.
[post_ads_2]1. Apply an overnight hair treatment.
Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector
($28) will totally change how you fight everyday damage. It smoothes
and adds shine to hair as you sleep with a potent amino acid blend,
time-released conditioners, and antioxidants. It can be used on damp or dry hair, is totally pillow-safe, and thanks to its ultra-light, lubricious formula, won't weight hair down. At night (or
even throughout the day) apply it from root-to-tip, then use a
flat-bristle brush for even application. You can also finger comb it if
it's more convenient (or that brush is just too far away from your
nightstand to grab).
2. Don't sleep with your hair back if it's wet.
Damp's OK, but don't even think about turning in with a dripping ponytail.
"When
you tie wet hair back, it stretches up to a third of its length,"
explains Tim Rogers, hairstylist and creative director of Living Proof.
"When you anchor the hair like that, it can cause tension breakage. If
it's wet at the nape or the ends, make sure to towel dry and extract as
much moisture as possible. "
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And
as much as we laugh at the thought of scrunchies, Rogers maintains a
velour one is the way to go when tying it back at night. (Just be sure
to keep 'em around for bedtime use, only.)
3. Use a silk pillowcase.
The smoothness means less abrasion on the hair. Translation: No damage!
"The
more friction you engage in as you move around at night, the more your
hair can get roughed up," says Living Proof's resident hair scientist
Eric Spengler. "Additionally, if you perspire, it won't give you the wrong kind of bedhead with those kinks."
4. Keep brushing to a minimum.
Remember when your mom told you to brush 100 times
before bed? You can permanently nix that idea. Excessive brush strokes
cause breakage, especially for fragile hair, and basically ruin your
strands.
"Brush it
enough so that there are no tangles — aka the minimum amount of times to
achieve the look you're seeking," Rogers advises.
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When
it comes to choosing a before-bed brush, don't use anything made of
metal. Rogers swears by a boar bristle paddle brush like Mason Pearson's Handy Bristle Brush ($230).
5. Sleep with your hair in braids.
Plaits will not only give you even texture and soft waves, but they will also keep your hair from harmful tangling.
"Pippi
Longstocking had the right idea — she was a fox," Rogers says. "If you
braid your hair with Night Cap Overnight Perfector into braids, it will
have a nice wave pat when you wake up. It's essentially a pre-style. You
take it down in the morning, and you're ready to go."
