How to take care of your hair at night?

Let’s face it: there’s nothing nicer than waking up with messy hair, gray with a dull and dry appearance. Yes, but here you go, the movements you make at night, any heat-related perspiration (outdoors or under the duvet), the friction of your head against the pillow… All these factors mean that, without knowing it and wanting it, you weaken your hair during the night.

To avoid this and keep beautiful hair, follow the 5 tips of Olivier Lebrun, studio hairdresser at the head of the Olab Paris salon*

Brush your hair before going to sleep

“The first good reflex to take before going to bed is to brush your hair“, assures Olivier Lebrun. Why? Because this gesture makes it possible to remove all the small impurities often invisible to the naked eye (particles of dust, pollution, etc.) which cling to the hair during the day.

Adopting the reflex of brushing your hair before sleeping, especially when you have long hair, helps to oxygenate the scalp and cleanse the hair fiber. The hair will be less sensitized and more able to resist night attacks, such as the many frictions against the pillowcase which weaken the scales of the hair when we change position during the night.

A small precision however: for brushing to remain beneficial, it must be carried out with maximum gentleness. The ideal is to make small delicate movements without ever pulling, always starting with the tips and then gradually going up.

Tie your hair in a soft braid

“Going to sleep with your hair tied up is a good idea to minimize friction against the pillowcase“, says our expert. But beware, not all hairstyles are created equal. First warning: if you have spent the day with a ponytail, a bun or any other tight hairstyle, you must undo your hairstyle and to brush his hair before slipping under the sheets, to allow the scalp and hair to breathe well.

Then, if you decide to lie down with your hair tied up to protect it from friction, the best hairstyle to do is the braid. “But a night braid is not a daytime braid”, specifies Olivier Lebrun. “In the night version, the braid should not be too tight and should remain as flexible as possible.“So there’s no question of tying up your hair, because that could do more harm than good. The way you tie your braid is also very important: goodbye rubber bands that break the ends and leave nasty marks, we ideally opt for silk scrunchies, a material much more respectful of the hair fiber.

Opt for a silk pillowcase

Cotton household linen unfortunately tends to promote hair friction. The hair gets tangled, damaged and sometimes even ends up breaking. By opting for a silk pillowcase, a material that limits the multiplication of friction, the transfer of static electricity and the wear of the hair, we put all the chances on our side to avoid this kind of inconvenience and keep a hair soft and shiny when you wake up.

Do not go to bed with wet hair

The first concern when you go to bed with wet hair? The creases that are imprinted on the hair and which can be difficult to remove in the early morning. They can also encourage the use of heating devices to give the hair a nice movement, but these tools are particularly aggressive for the hair fiber in the long term.

Another problem: “when you sleep with a wet scalp, the humidity can promote the proliferation of bacteria responsible for dandruff”, adds Olivier Lebrun. It is therefore better dry your hair before falling into the arms of Morpheus, especially when you have a sensitive and fragile scalp by nature.

Night hair care

“The night is the ideal time to leave hair care on for a long time. : hours that you could not necessarily devote to your hair during the day”, points out the hairdresser. Surfing on this opportunity, many brands now offer night masks for hair, which repair the fiber in depth while we sleep.Some come with a disposable cap to avoid any mess on the pillow.

Also very fashionable: the oil bath, a particularly beneficial ritual for regenerating very dry hair. Once a week or every two weeks depending on the needs of the hair, brush a mixture of vegetable oils on its lengths (never on the scalp!), before rolling it all up in a bathing cap and then leaving it on. All night long. To preserve your bed linen, we think of placing a clean towel over your cushions. The next morning, the hair must be washed, and especially well rinsed to avoid oil residues.

* 5 bis, rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris