Sleep is a basic human need; a good night's sleep allows you to recharge your strength for the next day's endeavors. Having adequate sleep helps your body to rejuvenate, including your hair. When you sleep at night, your body reduces stress levels, and your hair cells regenerate, making your hair appear healthy-looking. Thus, you must not skip sleeping if you want to maintain your hair's pristine condition.
However, sleeping at night can make your hair lose its moisture. How does it happen, and what can you do to prevent moisture loss in the future? Read more about the importance of hair moisture and how to retain it for good.
Why Oh Why: The Importance of Moisture on Hair Health
Why is it important to keep your locks moisturized? Check out the reasons why moisture matters for hair growth.
1. It strengthens your hair strands.
Though moisture has nothing to do with your hair's growth rate, it is still essential in preventing strand breakage. When your strands lose water, they become dry and brittle, making them more fragile to damage.
2. It keeps your hair smooth, soft, and flexible.
Moisture coats your hair cuticles to protect them against abrasions and physical tension, resulting in smoother strands. It also softens your hair shaft, making it more flexible for hairstyling.
3. It brings out your mane's luster.
Having a well-moisturized hair means having bump-free hair cuticles. This smooth texture makes it easier for light to be reflected. As a result, your hair looks more lustrous, which gives your hair a radiant glow.
4. It retains your hair's quality for hair regrowth.
Are you aiming to grow a Rapunzel-like mane? It's possible as long as you can protect your locks against impairment. One effective way to mitigate hair damage is to keep your hair moisturized so that they can grow longer and healthier.
Moisture Loss During Sleeping Time: Why Is My Hair Dry At Night?
Seeing your strands on your pillow when you wake up in the morning is not something to be surprised. Every day, a human loses an average of 125 strands a day because your hair loses its moisture whenever you sleep.
What triggers your hair's moisture loss during the sleeping time? Learn more about its causes.
1. Your cotton sheets absorb your hair's moisture.
Having cotton sheets may seem more comfortable for sleeping. However, it can pose a severe threat to water retention. The cottony cloth can absorb your hair's moisture, leaving it dry and frizzy. Its texture can also be abrasive for your hair and cause hair cuticle damage.
2. You don't moisturize your hair with a conditioner before sleeping.
Leaving your hair unconditioned the whole day puts your tresses at risk of hair damage. If you do not moisturize your locks with a conditioner, your hair will use up all of its stored moisture to survive the whole day. By the time you go to bed, your mane will have inadequate humidity to protect your hair against abrasions and breakage when you sleep.
3. You leave hairspray on your hair overnight.
Women must never leave their makeup on before sleeping. It same goes for the products that you apply on your locks, such as hairsprays. These are cosmetic products used for grooming and hairstyling. Though they can keep your hair in place the whole day, these products have a drying effect. Worse, sleeping without rinsing hairspray would leave your hair dry and frizzy the next day. Plus, many chemicals from hairsprays can harm your tresses.
4. You sleep despite being dehydrated.
The human body is composed of 75% water, and when your body is on the brink of dehydration, it's a serious peril to hair growth. It automatically allocates water to the most vital organs and physiological activities, thereby excluding the less important ones. During the process, your hair may not receive sufficient enough water to keep your locks hydrated. Thus, ensure that you drink at least eight glasses of water to quench your thirst.
5. You skip brushing your beautiful locks.
Brushing your hair is actually an important hair care habit. It does not only keep your hair well-groomed, but it will also keep your hair moisturized. Stroking your hair with a comb or hairbrush helps evenly distribute the natural oils from roots to tips. As a result, your strands are smoothly coated with a protective layer for moisture retention.
6. You sleep even though your hair's still wet.
Women often wash their hair just before going to bed. If you're one of them, you must stop immediately. There are many reasons why this nighttime habit can ruin your hair health.
First, it can cause dandruff problems. Studies show that sleeping with wet hair can attract bacteria and fungi, which will invade your scalp. Second, it can make your hair dry. Your pillow's fabric may absorb not only the water from your tresses, but also strip your hair's natural oils, causing moisture loss. Lastly, your dehydrated hair may get damaged from the friction during sleeping, leading to hair shedding.
7. Letting your hair down during nap time puts moisture at risk.
Sleeping with your hair down may seem more comfortable, but it can also turn your mane upside down. Loose hair is prone to strand breakage because of your pillow's coarse texture. Your sheets also get to absorb your long hair's natural moisture, leaving it dry and rough the next morning.
8. You blow-dry your hair too much before sleeping.
Drying your wet hair with a blow-dryer just before going to sleep is a great idea to prevent hair damage. However, too much blow-drying may do the other way around. The heat can dry out your hair's natural moisture, making it even drier and more fragile to damage.
How To Prevent Moisture Loss While You're Fast Asleep
Losing your moisture can make your tresses dull and brittle. Therefore, you need to ditch some nighttime habits that will put your hair into shambles.
1. Switch to silky pillowcases.
Cotton fabric may give you a warm fuzzy feeling, but it can also make your hair frizzy. Therefore, opt to use silk as your pillow and bedsheet fabric to avoid roughening the cuticle of your edges.
2. Brush your hair before going to dreamland.
Brushing your hair allows your scalp's sebum to coat and moisturize your strands. The stroking sensation will also stimulate proper blood circulation, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to keep your hair follicles healthy. As a result, your tresses will grow thicker, longer, and more robust simultaneously. Thus, never skip this hair care habit at night to keep moisture loss at bay.
3. Drink enough water every day.
It's not enough to gulp a glass of water before you snooze. It is vital to drink sufficient water daily because it can replenish your hair cells, helping grow thicker and healthier strands. Drinking water will also hydrate your follicles to survive day and night. Therefore, it would be best for you to keep track of your daily water intake to ensure your hair's hydration.
4. Cleanse your hair thoroughly to get rid of the slathered styling products.
A long day at work is no excuse to enjoy a warm bath. Therefore, always rinse your hair thoroughly to remove any styling product that you apply on your hair, may it be a pomade, gel, or hairspray. The chemicals present in these products have intense drying effects and can harm your locks in the long run.
5. Never skip on slathering hair conditioner on your locks.
Applying hair conditioner helps maintain your hair's quality for regrowth. In fact, it protects your tresses against external perpetrators that can cause moisture loss, such as heat and pollution. Hair conditioners also prevent your hair from getting dry after blow-drying, so that you don't have to worry about losing your hair's moisture night.
6. Treat yourself with a hair mask at least once a week.
Hair masks are conditioning treatments that deeply moisturize your hair with essential constituents. Ingredients such as coconut oil, natural honey, plain yogurt, and dairy milk are just some of your sources with powerful moisturizing properties. You do not only get to re-hydrate your tresses, but you also let your hair absorb all the necessary nutrients for healthy hair growth and regrowth.
Achieve Your Hair's 'Sleeping Beauty.' Moisturize Your Hair.
Even when you're doing nothing during bedtime, hair damage can still get out of hand. Therefore, it is a must to moisturize your hair adequately. By keeping your hair well-conditioned, you'll be able to seal your hair's cuticles and coat your strands with a protective layer. These will prevent strand breakage and hair loss, ensuring that your hair's beauty remains unscathed.
Keep Your Locks Hydrated.
Having dehydrated locks can trigger hair loss problems. Thus, moisture retention is a top-priority for hair restoration and maintenance. Therefore, choose the best hair growth products that will get the job done for you. If you don't want to lose your hair, use the best shampoo and conditioner to moisturize and keep your hair on point.