There are two kinds of people: those who shower at night and those who shower in the morning.  Personally, I love to shower in the morning, but I just can’t get in the habit of waking up early enough to do so.  I’ve been sleeping on wet hair several nights a week for most of my life.  The question is, is that a bad idea?  Many internet question boards are dedicated to the drama of whether or not your should sleep with wet hair.

There’s an old-wive’s tale floating around that sleeping on wet hair will make you sick.  Let me be the one to tell you that this is a myth: there’s nothing about wet hair that can harm you in that way.  If you slept with wet hair above the snow line in the Canadian Rockies in February, I can see you catching hypothermia.  But otherwise, it’s not a concern!

So, is there anything wrong with going to bed right after a shower?  After all, wet hair is more delicate than dry.  But basically, you’re facing  a toss-up between two potential types of damage: breakage from too much blow-drying, or breakage from tossing and turning on wet hair.  The middle path would be, if you’re showering at night, to allow yourself enough time for hair to air-dry.  But if that doesn’t happen, it’s really ok to do whatever you feel most comfortable doing; if a wet pillow doesn’t bug you, then go for it.  Try wrapping your hair in a soft microfiber towel to absorb as much water as possible.  If you really need to blow-dry, make sure to use protective products to prevent damage from too much heat.  It might be smart to switch off between wet and dry nights.

The best thing you can do when sleeping with wet hair is, again, to put it up in a braid or a loose bun.  Use a soft scrunchie instead of a thin, tight elastic that will cause unnecessary breakage.  Your hair may be slightly damp when you wake up in the morning, but that gives you a chance to style it properly, so it’s not such a bad thing.  It might be smart to change your pillowcase more often than usual, since moisture can attract dust and mold.

If you have some time, try putting your wet hair up on spongy rollers; you’ll wake up with bouncy curls.

Do you sleep with things on your Head?

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I’ve tried going to bed with wet hair and dry hair, up hair and loose hair, covered and not.  I’m sure most of you have as well, in your quest to figure out the best way to keep things from getting too out of hand overnight.  This next series of posts is going to discuss a few of the options, and why one or another might work best for your needs.

Gotta include a couple of fun facts first.  Obviously, the original purpose of a nightcap was to keep a person warm in a poorly heated house.  Think about it: you can keep everything but your head under the covers.   (more…)

A good lather and rinse (followed by conditioner!) is all most people need to keep their hair clean.  Unless you have unusual hair circumstances, everyday oil and dirt buildup aren’t all that hard to deal with; by now I’m sure most of you have a routine down pat.  But every now and then something weird happens to you (or one of your kids or students!), and you’ll find yourself frantically Googling for advice.  This post will cover some basics of dirty-hair emergency management.  If you have any questions or icky hair scenarios, comment and I’ll see what I can find to help.  Be prepared!

The basic toolkit for dealing with unusual substances includes: (more…)