Skip to main content

Your hair can benefit from being wrapped overnight – here’s how

Waking up is hard enough already, and bedhead only makes things more difficult. As restorative as sleep is for our minds and body, sleeping without hair protection can lead to a frizzy, tangled, or limp mane. It can also lead to breakage, which is a nightmare for long locks and pixie cuts alike. Whipping it back into shape adds time and stress to your morning routine. Who needs that?

Wrapping hair in a scarf overnight can help alleviate many bed head woes. Though Melissa LaPerriere, founder of Salon Nové, says hair wrapping is coming back in style, some of her clients still consider it to be an old-school solution.

Related Videos

“We think about the 1950s, and that sort of thing,” LaPerriere says, but it’s a benefit to modern women too, regardless of hair type, texture, volume, or length. Read on as LaPerriere breaks down the benefits of hair wrapping and how to best wrap your hair for overnight protection.

Reduces dryness

LaPerriere lives in Colorado where the air is exceptionally dry, which can wreak havoc on hair even when indoors at night. It can be quite impossible to achieve that all-natural hair shine in the midst of conditions such as these. While you need to be more cognizant of your hair’s moisture in a dry climate, poor nighttime hair care can dry out your locks in the most humid climates. Cotton pillowcases, which many people use, certainly don’t help.

“Overnight as we sleep, our scalp produces oils that are very important to the hair,” she says. “Those cotton pillowcases make the ends drier.” Cotton absorbs this helpful moisture, whereas covering your hair with a silk wrap provides a protective layer, holding the moisture in.

Keeps style in place

Just as we might be recycling outfits a little more these days, we are also getting more mileage out of our hairdos. If your hair is especially time-consuming to style, save time by wrapping your hair to keep things in place.

woman-brushing-hair

Protects against breakage

Coloring or treating your hair gives great versatility, allowing you to rock a curly, pin-straight, or mohawked ‘do. The downside? The chemicals make your hair more susceptible to breakage. A silk or satin wrap can reduce friction with pillowcases and banish breakage, leaving your hair looking fuller and healthier.

Fights tangles

People with longer hair in particular know just how pesky and painful tangles can be. Dealing with them can literally feel like you are pulling your hair out, which is obviously harmful to your locks.

LaPerriere suggests braiding hair and wrapping it to reduce the knots that build up in our hair as we toss and turn throughout the night. “It can make life so much easier,” she says.

Nighttime ritual

The conversations around self-care increased in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as we took notice of the benefits of a little pampering. Having a short ritual like wrapping your hair that makes you look and feel better can be a way to show yourself a little extra, well-deserved love.

“How can we do those little things?” LaPerriere comments. “It’s a self-care ritual that can help nourish our hair back to life.”

How to wrap hair in a scarf

This all sounds great, but you may be wondering, what is the best way to protect your head while you sleep. There are a handful of simple wraps to try as you discover what works best for your hair and lifestyle.

First, LaPerriere recommends a silk or satin scarf, noting that satin is her go-to because it’s eco-friendlier. These fabrics are also smoother and less prone to friction than their cotton and polyester counterparts. She typically works pomegranate oil into her hair for its replenishing benefits before wrapping it in a scarf.

“You may want to choose a wrap that sits more on top of the head or down by the nape,” she says. “That is a personal preference, and it’s a little trial-and-error. Find that routine that feels really good for your sleep habits.”

The best wraps to purchase

Though they are not as eco-friendly as satin, silk wraps are popular for good reason. Silk prevents breakage and can control frizz and flyaways (that often occur as a result of under-hydration). Additionally, silk doesn’t absorb moisture, so all the hydration stays in your hair and not on the pillowcase. The material is gentle on your hair and isn’t bulky or uncomfortable to sleep in. Your hairstyle, length, and texture will determine what type of silk wrap is best for you, whether it’s a scarf, wrap, or bonnet.

High-quality satin or plastic shower caps are an excellent investment for low-maintenance hair care. If you don’t plan to wash your hair in the shower, wrap it up in a reusable shower cap and keep it protected throughout your whole routine, whether it’s getting ready for the day or powering down at the end.

While silk caps work to keep moisture in, waterproof satin or polyester caps keep moisture and other dirt out. They are especially great for the summer when the humidity is high. Protecting your hair from this excess moisture in the air is great for maintaining your blowout or other freshly styled ‘do.

Whatever your reasons, an overnight hair cover is worth the investment. If you want to see how much healthier and happier your hair can be, and how much easier it can be to style, spend few nights with your hair wrapped to see the results for yourself. Give yourself and your hair a break from heat styling and treat yourself and your hair. You both deserve it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tools to take care of your nails
White painted nails with a coffee and leaves in the background.

Your nails tell you how healthy your body is. You want to make sure to clip your fingernails and toenails to prevent issues with ingrown nails or bacteria getting underneath your nails. When it comes to your toenails, it is easy to forget to cut them. It is also easy to get fungi within your nail, which can be just as painful as an ingrown toenail. Some items can help you take care of your nails and accomplish your manicure goals. Some items can help you get rid of the ingrown toenail that can be painful for you to walk on.

You are a busy person, and it is hard to take care of yourself. It is even for you to have time to clip your fingernails and toenails. You want to dedicate a day that focuses on you. You want to dedicate a day to wearing face masks, pedicures, manicures, and bubble baths. You could be someone who suffers from an ingrown toenail. Do you know that there are tools for you to get rid of that ingrown toenail? You can get the items to remove your ingrown toenail and no longer have to deal with the constant pain anymore.

Read more
Beauty items for your eyebrows
black beauty brands

Many people have their idea of beauty when comes to hair. Some people prefer facial hair, bushy eyebrows, and thin eyebrows. You are one of the people who prefer not to have the few thick strands of hair on your chin. You might feel a bit uncomfortable seeing a unibrow slowly forming. You tried everything to get rid of your random thick chin hairs and shape your eyebrows. You tried hair removal cream, you tried wax strips, and you even tried an electric razor. None of these three items worked out for you. That is why tweezers are for you.

The five items listed above are the five types of tweezers. You have sensitive skin that makes it hard to find the perfect thing to reshape your eyebrows or remove hair from your face. The hair remover cream leaves a burn on your face, and it did not remove the hair. You tried wax strips, but it just left your skin with a sting. That is why tweezers are guaranteed to pluck away those stubborn hairs. You can have control how your eyebrow looks and reshape it whatever style seems to fit you. The tweezers are perfect for people with sensitive skin.

Read more
Why you need to use sunscreen in the winter, too
A woman applying lotion to her face outside in the winter.

While summer still feels like it's ages away, you still need to think about protecting your skin from the sun. Even though the days are shorter, you shouldn't be slacking on the SPF.

According to the Skin Cancer Society,  "snow reflects up to 80% of the sun’s UV light" making it even more dangerous than the sunlight you are exposed to in the summer. So if you plan on participating in any winter sports, you need to be even more careful.

Read more