Tears, tangles, frizzing, matting and more! All of the things you never want when trying to maintain your beauty sleep. Whether they’re clip ins or permanents, your hair extensions need some extra TLC at night-time to make sure they stay in tip-top shape! Browse our top protective hairstyles for natural hair and extensions and ensure you wake up with smooth and healthy locks every morning.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Haircare Night Routine
Before we talk about protective hairstyles in more in detail, let’s discuss your haircare night routine, and how to sleep with hair extensions!
How To Prep Your Hair For A Protective Hairstyle
First of all, never sleep with wet hair. For your night care routine, you want to make sure your hair is dry, sleeping with wet hair extensions can lead to many problems for your scalp, such as fungal infections, skin irritation and itchiness, dryness, and dandruff.
Now, let’s talk about your bed: have you ever thought of investing in a new pillowcase? Silk and satin pillowcases have a smooth texture that prevents hair breakage caused by friction. Sleeping on a silk pillowcase can also help prevent wrinkles and the build-up of dust mites, fungus, mould, and a whole lot of other common allergens.
Not everyone feels comfortable in sleeping with something covering their head, but if you’re not bothered by the idea or simply would like to try it, a silk or satin sleep cap could be that extra measure that completely changes your hair game whilst you get your beauty sleep. If your hair goes from wavy to curly, a sleeping satin cap will help you minimise frizz too.
When it comes to clip in extensions, there’s a whole different rulebook. Some of you may be wondering: can you sleep with clip in hair extensions? We strongly advise you not to, as clip ins are not designed to be slept in. They are prone to causing major tangling and matting of the hair which can easily be avoided by removing them before you sleep.
Check out our blog Sleeping With Hair Extensions: Do’s and Don’ts for a more in-depth look at how you can protect and nourish your locks while you slumber.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: The Classic Plait
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This is the most basic braid you could imagine, obtained by intertwining three separate strands of hair and tied at the end with a hair tie or, in some cases, a ribbon.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Two French Braids
Despite its name, the origins of the French braid are uncertain and have been widely disputed and discussed over the years – Greeks and Africans are often credited as the first cultures to use this braiding technique, with the earliest evidence coming from Algeria and it dates back to almost 6000 years ago. In Greek art, this style of braid is featured on kouros statues. Similar to the classic plait, the French braid starts closer to your scalp and goes down adding pieces of hair to its body on its way to the nape of your neck.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Two Dutch Braids
Similar to the French braid and often referred to as “reverse French braid”, the Dutch braid crosses its sections underneath each other instead of over one other to sit on top of the hair. Together with the French braid, the Dutch braid is one of the most popular and trendy traditional hairstyles, many also know it as the “Boxer braid”.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: The Crown Braid
During Medieval times, hair was just as important as your dress code. Back then fashion wasn’t just a caprice, but a whole presentation of oneself in terms of social status, financial situation and respectability. Given the prejudice about certain hairstyles being associated with heretics and witchcraft and the general hygienic situation of the time, braided up-dos were between the preferred option for many women. This is how the crown braid came to be! Nowadays, the crown braid is an elegant protective hairstyle to keep your locks safe whilst making you look fresh and youthful.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: The Low Ponytail
Probably the easiest, most effortless style of them all. A low ponytail is a simple hairstyle to keep your locks all in one place, although this doesn’t offer much protection to your ends unless you tuck them in with a second hair tie.
Protective Hairstyle For Sleeping: Pigtails
Pigtails follow the same concepts of a ponytail but multiplied by two. Hair is usually parted in the middle and pigtails can be worn high on your head or low on the nape of your neck but for sleeping, low is always best.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Fishtail Braid
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The fishtail braid resembles a French braid in its smoothly woven appearance – however, it only divides the hair in two sections instead of three. It can be incorporated in any of the styles above (think fishtail pigtails, fishtail crown braid, fishtail messy bun…) and it’s been a timeless classic since ancient Greece.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Twisted Rope Braid
This is the ideal protective hairstyle for long hair, as it allows you to have control not only on your ends, but along the whole length of your tresses. On top of that, it will leave you with soft, textured, wavy hair in the morning. What's not to love?
To create a twisted rope braid, all you need to do is first separate your hair in two sections - then grab one section of hair and twist. Repeat the process with the other section: once you're done, grab your two sections and twist them together - forming a flattering rope of hair.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Braided Bun
The braided bun is a versatile and elegant hairstyle that involves braiding your hair and then wrapping it into a bun. To create a braided bun, start by brushing or combing your hair to remove any tangles or knots. This will make the braiding process smoother and prevent unnecessary tension on your hair. Decide where you want the parting of your hair to be, whether down the middle, to the side, or brushed back entirely.
Once your hair is in a ponytail, divide the hair into three equal sections and begin braiding. Cross the right section over the middle, then the left section over the new middle section, continuing this process until you reach the end of the ponytail. Secure the end with a small hair elastic.
Take the braid and wrap it around the base of the ponytail to form a bun. Tuck the ends of the braid under the bun and secure them with bobby pins to keep everything in place. For added security, you can add extra bobby pins or use a silk headscarf.
Protective Hairstyles For Sleeping: Bubble Braids
Depending on your hair type, you may want to slightly dampen your hair or apply a leave-in conditioner for extra moisture. For a simple look, part your hair down the middle and create two sections. Take one section of hair and secure it into a ponytail using a hair tie. If you’re doing two bubble braids, do the same on the other side. A few inches down from the first hair tie, place another hair tie around the ponytail. Gently pull the hair between the two hair ties to create a "bubble."
Repeat this step, spacing the hair ties evenly down the length of the ponytail. Continue adding hair ties and creating bubbles until you reach the end of your hair. Secure the end of the braid with a final hair tie. If you’re doing multiple bubble braids, repeat the process on each section. Once you’ve created all the bubbles, gently tug at the sections to make the bubbles fuller and more defined, adding volume and texture to the style.
Conclusion:
There you have it! Protective hairstyles not only protect your hair as you sleep but also create a gorgeous hairdo as you wake. Simply take out the style in the morning, comb your tresses, and voilà! Your hair is ready to go wherever you take it. If you’re looking to create waves or curls but don’t fancy putting in the effort the next day with a curling iron or heated rollers, our Heatless Hair blog is sure to give you some inspiration on how you can achieve Rapunzel-worthy locks with curling ribbons, DIY hair hacks and more!
Is there a certain hairstyle that caught your eye? Remember to tag us on Instagram at @CliphairLimited, we’d love to see which one you’ve opted for! Indulge in a luxurious satin pillowcase, embrace your chosen protective style, and drift off to sleep knowing you're investing in the future of your magnificent mane.
