When they wake up, some people spend more time detangling their hair than drinking their coffee. The lengths are twisted together, the ends form a real bag of knots and each brush stroke pulls on the scalp. The scene repeats itself morning after morning, especially when the hair is long, curly or already a little sensitized. The cause is not always a “bad nature” of hair, but rather movements that occur silently during sleep. Discover these few reflexes which are often enough to change everything.
When the fiber becomes fragile while sleeping
To understand why hair gets tangled during sleep, you have to look at the cuticle, this layer of scales that protects the fiber. When hair is damaged by heating appliances, repeated bleaching or excessively purifying shampoos, these scales lift. They then attach to neighboring strands, a bit like Velcro, especially under the effect of friction during the night.
Sleeping with wet hair
Wet hair aggravates the phenomenon. When they are not completely dry at bedtime, their scales are more open, the fiber is weakened and the strands tend to grab together while the head moves on the pillow. Sleeping with wet hair is almost like scheduling knots for the next morning. The strands then end up drying in random shapes, difficult to untangle.
Sleeping with your hair down
Leaving your hair completely free further accentuates the problem, especially when you have long or very mobile hair. With each change of position, the lengths slip, twist, roll up on themselves and get stuck under the shoulder or in the neck. To limit tangles in your hair at night, experts recommend loose hairstyles like a loose ponytail, a high pineapple bun, lightweight braids, or wearing a satin bonnet, which reduces friction and is particularly suitable for curly or frizzy hair.
Not taking enough care of your hair
A dry fiber tangles much more than a soft, nourished fiber. The lack of conditioner, masks or leave-in treatments makes hair rough and sticky, especially on the lengths and ends. Regularly applying a detangling conditioner, then a leave-in treatment, helps smooth the cuticle. In the evening, a few drops of light oil on the ends are enough to nourish without weighing it down. When the lengths are already very damaged, brutal brushing to get rid of the knots further accentuates the damage.
Not brushing your hair before bed
Last reflex often forgotten: remove dead hair before going to bed. After several days without washing, the hair that has naturally fallen out remains stuck in the mass and ends up forming nests of knots throughout the night. To prepare the hair, it is better to run a wide-toothed comb or simply your fingers through the lengths, then adopt a protective hairstyle and a soft material to sleep against.
Not caring for your bed linen
Another trap: keep your traditional cotton pillowcase. Cotton absorbs the fiber’s natural moisture and creates a lot of friction, which increases chafing, frizz, breakage and, inevitably, tangling. Instead, you can opt for silk or satin pillowcases, materials that are gentler on the fiber.