How to protect your hair while you sleep

The short answer: don't sleep with wet hair, use a silk or satin pillowcase and tie your hair in a loose braid or soft plaits. That alone noticeably cuts down on breakage and tangling through the night.

Why hair gets damaged while you sleep

While you sleep, your head moves and your hair rubs against the pillow a few hundred times. Cotton, which we love for bedsheets, absorbs moisture and creates friction, so your hair comes out in the morning dry, tangled and with split ends. The longer and drier your hair, the more it shows.

The habits that protect it

• A silk or satin pillowcase. The smooth surface lets your hair glide rather than snag. This is the biggest difference for the smallest effort.
• Dry hair before bed. Wet hair is weaker and breaks easily. Don't go to sleep with wet hair.
• A loose braid, not a tight one. It keeps your hair together without pulling at the root. Tight elastics leave marks and snap the strands.
• A gentle brush before bed. Work from the ends up so it doesn't tangle overnight.

For long and colored hair

Long hair and colored hair need this care the most, because overnight damage settles into the split ends and fades the color faster. A satin pillowcase and a weekly hydrating mask work together to keep your hair elastic.

What doesn't help

Expensive overnight products won't solve the problem if your hair rubs against cotton all night. The habit matters more than the product. Start with the pillowcase and the loose braid, and you will see the difference within a few weeks. For hair that is already damaged, a trim that removes the split ends begins the recovery, because the damage isn't repaired, it is cut off.