June 23, 2024

Don’t Sleep with Wet Curls, Do This Instead | Night Wash Routine

Did you know that going to sleep with wet curly hair can be detrimental to your scalp and hair? I’m sharing how to wash your curls at night and protect your curls while you sleep without damaging your hair in the long run.

Even if you’re not someone who sleeps with wet hair but your curls are getting ruined at night, this will still be beneficial to see how I protect my curls at night so that I don’t have to do anything to them in the morning.

Harmful effects of sleeping with wet hair + styling routine

Unfortunately, issues can develop over time if you consistently sleep with your hair wet, especially when covered up. The following effects can occur.

Scalp conditions

Fungal infections, dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, folliculitis (bumps), and irritation.
There are naturally occurring fungi and yeast on our scalp. Overgrowth of this fungus is what leads to seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff.
A warm, damp scalp for long periods of time creates the perfect environment for the growth of fungus and bacteria.
Our bed sheets and pillowcases can also harbor fungal growth.

Hair breakage

Our hair is weakest when it’s wet.
Tension and friction while it wet can cause it to break.
Wearing it up in a scrunchie, clip, or other accessory while wet can cause breakage.

Frizz & misshaped curls

Friction against our hair while it wet disturbs the curls and causes frizz.
Our curl shape sets in the position it’s in when it’s wet. Sleeping on wet hair can cause bends in the hair and wonky curls that just have to be re-wetted in the morning, which is also not healthy for the hair.

Scalp buildup and flat roots

Wrapping hair in a towel or other covering presses your hair products into your scalp which can cause buildup.
Pressure against the scalp flattens the roots and reduces volume.

Now, you may be thinking “I sleep with wet hair all the time, and I’m fine.” Yes, you likely will be fine but it’s something that can happen over time, especially if you are predisposed to any of these conditions. I just want you to understand the risks so you can decide if that risk is worth it for your routine.

Nighttime Curly Hair Routine

When washing and styling at night, I recommend starting at a time when you will have time to diffuse or air dry before you need to go to bed.

For this routine, I’m testing out the new Redken Acidic Bonding Curls line. I shampooed and conditioned, then applied the leave-in treatment. I styled with the curl cream and gel, and did my usual brush styling routine.

How to dry curls fast before bed

Once you’re done styling, you need to get your hair dry as quickly as possible so you can go to bed.

To speed up dry time, I highly recommend microplopping which is just where you scrunch your hair with a hair towel or t-shirt after styling. This absorbs the excess water and product to speed up the dry time. If you get frizz, just add another light glaze of gel afterward. Then go straight to diffusing or air drying.

Bounce Curl Volume Root Clips
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I recommend diffusing, but if you must air dry, I put in some root clips to elevate the hair away from the scalp so it can get airflow. I prefer diffusing because it’s fast and prevents frizz and elongation. It sets the gel cast and the curl shape right away. Even just diffusing for a few minutes or doing half diffusing and half air drying can help.

I’m using the Curlsmith Defrizzion hair dryer and XXL diffuser which can dry my hair in under 15 minutes without using high heat that will damage fragile curls. This is due to the super large diffuser head size.

There are several factors that impact your dry time:

Density of your hair. Thick hair will dry slowly, thin hair dries fast.
Porosity of your hair. Low porosity & healthy hair will take longer to dry than high porosity & damaged hair.
Climate. High humidity will take longer to dry compared to dry climates.
Heaviness of the products you used. Products rich in oils and butters will take longer to dry than lightweight products.
How much water you used while styling. Soaking wet styling takes longer to dry compared to damp styling.
Quality of your hair dryer and design of your diffuser. Look for long prongs with holes in them to reach the roots.

Don’t scrunch out the crunch

Once your hair is dried, leave the gel cast in. This protects your curls from frizz and becoming misshaped during the drying process. The main reason I’m able to do this is because I used a gel that actually had some hold. If your gel is not giving you a gel cast or your hair frizzes as soon as that cast is broken, then your gel is not strong enough hold. You may have also not applied enough or used too much water, diluting your gel.

How to protect curls while you sleep

Now your curls should be completely dry before bed. Your curls need some sort of protection from the friction while you sleep so you don’t ruin all that work from your wash day and cause damage.

Silk/satin pillowcase only
- Reduces frizz, breakage, and tangles
- Curls may still be disturbed from sleeping on them, sweat against your neck, etc.
Silk/satin pillowcase + scrunchie or other accessory
- Reduces frizz, breakage, and tangles
- Keeps your hair off your neck
- Curls may become stretched or dented
Silk/satin pillowcase + hair covering (bonnet, scarf, buff)
- Reduces frizz, breakage, and tangles
- Keeps curls off your neck
- Curls won’t be misshaped or stretched (if put on properly)
Hair covering (bonnet, scarf, buff) only
- Reduces frizz, breakage, and tangles
- Keeps curls off your neck
- Curls won’t be misshaped or stretched
- May fall off and no backup is in place

How to sleep with wet curls, if you must

If you MUST sleep with wet hair or if your hair is not all the way dry, then the best way to do that is to lay your curls out over your silk or satin pillowcase. This will allow the air to reach your roots and air dry your hair quicker while you sleep. Yes, you may roll around on them but that is better than stuffing them into a covering or wrapping them in a towel where they can’t get air.

The only other alternative could be a hair net where the air can get through, but you’re still likely going to get misshaped curls.

Turn on a fan if possible while you sleep. Change your pillowcase the next morning and let your pillow dry out to prevent mold.

How to touchup curls the next morning

When I wake up, I just take my bonnet off and let my curls settle before I assess my results. Ideally, there will still be some of that cast there that we can scrunch and shake out.

Hopefully you got your hair fully dry before bed, but if you happen to feel any dampness after scrunching out the cast then you can diffuse for a minute. This is not ideal and could mean your products are too heavy or you’re using too much water as we discussed.

If I’m happy with my results, will leave my hair as is.

If I need to touch up some frizz, I can use just a bit of gel or just a small amount of water.

You should NOT have to rewet your hair and completely restyle. This puts stress on our hair over time and is time-consuming.

If you’re going to bed with wet hair and then having to fix it the next morning, that defeats the purpose and is not saving you time overall. You might as well take the time to diffuse before bed even if it’s just part of the way.

What if it’s not working?

If drying your hair full before bed is just not working out, then reconsider your wash day schedule. Perhaps it will make more sense for you to only wash and style on the weekends when you have time to diffuse or fully air dry.

If your curls don’t last through the week, then refresh or wear loose hairstyles to “hide” the frizz.

Maybe it would be more beneficial for you to wash and style in the morning, and then air dry or diffuse.

Yes, you may need to get up earlier, but if you’re not spending time washing before bed then you could be going to sleep earlier. Regardless, you have to spend the time somewhere.

Final thoughts on Redken Acidic Bonding line

Overall all the products were just “ok.” With the shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment that all have bond repair, I didn’t notice any significant differences in my curls compared to a normal wash day routine. I am going to keep testing though! The stylers also did not wow me, especially considering the price. The curl cream was fine and moisturizing. The gel had a great texture but did not give me the hold I was hoping for. If you like medium or light hold gels though, it may be fine.

Stay tuned and I’ll share an update once I test them more.

Below is a screenshot of my Curly Hair Tracker & Planer where I logged my results.

You can snag the Curly Hair Tracker for yourself below, and begin tracking your wash days so you can plan out the best routine to fit in your schedule.