Protective hairstyles have long been the go-to solution for women looking to retain hair length. They’re normally worn long-term and can take quite some time to do and undo. For those that prefer to wear their hair out, a protective hairstyle to sleep in is more their jam. These short-term protective styles offer similar benefits to the longer-term ones. The only difference is you get to wear your hair out more often.
With hair more exposed if you style it free every day, adopting a protective hairstyle just to sleep in is the way to go.
Choosing one should be easy.
What to consider when choosing a protective hairstyle to sleep in
What is the best hairstyle to sleep in? More specifically, what is the most protective hairstyle for sleeping in?
Here are the boxes to tick when considering a protective style to sleep in.
Easy Hairstyle
You should be able to do this overnight protective style quick and easy. A style that takes a few minutes to do and maybe even less time to take down tops the list because you don’t want to be styling your hair for an hour or more only to take it down in the morning.
Practical Hairstyle
Beyond being easy to do, protective hairstyles for sleeping in should be easy to wear and practical to sleep in. You should be able to wrap your done hair in a satin or silk bonnet without much hustle. At the very least, lying down should be comfortable and not cause scalp irritation from tightly styled hair or cause constant shifting at night due to hair being held stiff.
Keeps Hair Hydrated.
The protective hairstyle to sleep in should keep your hair strands bundled together for moisture retention or covered. The best hairstyle to sleep in shouldn’t dry hair out but help keep moisture in so that hair is manageable in the morning and not break.
Protects Hair Ends
The ends of your hair should be tucked in to avoid breakage. Leaving your ends out as you sleep could expose them to a lot of friction leading to immediate breakage. Another outcome would be your ends getting dry and brittle over time before eventually breaking off. Either way, protecting your ends is something not to ignore when choosing a protective hairstyle to sleep in.
Prevents Hair Breakage
Just like your ends, the rest of your hair is also prone to breakage if not tended to accordingly. A style that leaves your hair free won’t work in favor of length retention but will instead cause your hair to dry out. You could also wake up to tangled, matted hair if you toss and turn during sleep. Again, it’s advisable to choose protective hairstyles for sleeping that keep your hair strands together to increase the resistance and strength of your hair.
Low Manipulation Hairstyle
I don’t imagine a style where you need to part your hair a gazillion times and make intricate braids will do as a protective hairstyle for bed. If it’s a style that requires a lot of manipulation to get done, then it beats the purpose of having a short-term protective style. Nighttime protective hairstyles should also be gentle on your hair and scalp. They shouldn’t stress your hair with too much brushing, pulling, or heat.
Look Good
Simple as a protective hairstyle to sleep in should be, cute hairstyles for bed shouldn’t be sidelined. It’s possible to make your hair with ease and still style it for a really appealing look.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at some protective styles to sleep in.
Protective Styles To Sleep In
A high Bun
Just gather your hair high up on your head, put it in a scrunchie or small hairband, then roll and tuck your hair in. This is by far the easiest protective hairstyle to do and the best hairstyle to sleep in if you have medium-length or longer hair. It checks all the boxes mentioned above and works as a protective hairstyle for curly hair as well as straight hair. You could also opt for this style if you have braids.
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Chunky flat twists
Two to six flat twists would take a few minutes to do. It’s a versatile style that can look elegant, all while keeping your ends tucked in. Flat twist the hair straight back, with a side parting, or any other way. A twist out in the morning is also a possibility for someone who uses flat twists as it leaves defined curls from being twisted overnight. Learning how to do flat twists probably requires a bit more effort than any other style on the list. Still, they’re relatively easy to do. This is also a viable protective style for people with short hair.
Large plaits
This style will keep your hair stretched and tangle-free provided you detangle your hair before plaiting. You could do one loose plait then tuck the braided hair from under for moisture retention. This would lend a similar look to hair in a bun only there’s no bun. Plaits can be nice or messy looking depending on how you do them.
Large Two-strand Twists
This is an amazing go-to protective hairstyle to sleep in as it’s really easy to undo and also has the added advantage of giving your curls definition for a twist out. I liken them to plaits because plaits have three strands for “twisting” into a braid while these twists have two strands to achieve a generally similar look. Depending on how loose you do two-strand twists or plaits, they could look like locs.
Large Hair Lines or Cornrows
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Similar to the chunky flat twits, big cornrows keep your hair stretched and bundled together to protect your ends. It takes a bit more skill to do them but they are a neat option of hairstyles to protect your hair while sleeping.
Protective Styles For Short Hair
The styles we went over work best for medium-length to long hair. Using these styles for short hair would make it necessary to part the hair in smaller sections, which would take a longer time to do. I don’t recommend these for short-term use on short hair.
Use Perm Rods or Flexi Rods
These aren’t protective hairstyles per se, but they do tick a lot of the boxes on our checklist. Ends are tucked in, hair is bundled together, and wrapping your hair in perm rods or flexi rods is pretty easy to do. You might need to use a styling mousse or a conditioner when opting to do this for more defined curls.
Wear stylish Bonnets or Wrap Scarfs Creatively
Finding cute hairstyles for bed for those who spot short hair can be a challenge. They can consider protective styles for short hair in the form of a bonnet or scarf if they have no other way to style hair overnight. Satin and silk bonnets with appealing colors present a versatile option that keeps hair from drying out. A Silk or satin scarf can be wrapped in any number of ways and offers a lot of versatility in your look for bedtime. Hair bonnets and hair scarves are recommended for any hair length, especially if you’re not using the right pillowcase for your hair. A satin pillowcase is also a good addition for all lengths of hair especially if your hair is prone to drying and you don’t want your hair wrapped.
My guess is you now have a clear idea of a protective hairstyle for bed you’d like to try. Pick the best hairstyle to sleep in for you or try a few over time to see which ones work best.