Taking care of your hair is so important, especially if you want it to stay healthy and strong. Perming your hair comes with many benefits, but it’s also good to be aware of things that could potentially harm your hair after the perming process.
This article will guide you through the do’s and don’ts and will most importantly answer the question of if it’s safe to sleep on permed hair.
Is it Safe to Sleep on Permed Hair?
Ultimately yes, you can sleep with your hair down if you just got it permed. However, there’s a chance you’ll wake up with looser curls, or in other words, have a bad case of bed head. If this happens, you can always apply products in the morning to give your hair a bit of a boost.
Some people won’t have problems with their curls when they wake up, because it really depends on the strength of your hair.
Don’ts
Sleeping with permed hair is probably one of the lesser worries. There are other things that you can avoid first before you have to worry about sleeping on your permed hair, such as washing your hair immediately after your perm.
It’s smart to wait at least two days before washing your hair so that the chemicals can really set in. Another thing to avoid would be dying your hair two weeks prior to and after the treatment. Again, too much at once will cause your hair to weaken.
Also, avoid combing or brushing your hair for at least 48 hours, because you don’t want to pull on the treatment and loosen up the new curls.
An Alternative
If you decide that you don’t want to risk sleeping with your fresh perm, then you can consider sleeping with your hair wrapped in either a scarf or pillowcase that is made of silk. Using this option will minimize the amount of frizz and the amount of friction.
If you are wondering how to wrap your hair in a scarf or pillowcase, then there are plenty of tutorials on the internet that can give you step-by-step instructions. You should be able to find someone who has similar hair to you because the process will be different for people with thicker hair vs. someone with super thin hair.
Try and stay away from a tutorial of someone who has completely different hair than you.
Products to Use if Your Hair Turns Out Messy in the Morning
First off, it’s important to keep in mind that the perming process uses chemicals to make your hair stay in the style you wanted, so putting a lot of products in a couple of days after could be more harmful than helpful.
There are a variety of shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, and leave-in treatments that you can apply to your hair.
Talk to your stylist to see what products will work best on your hair because it’ll depend on the condition of your hair – such as dryness or thickness.
Suggested Products
The brand Ouidad has specialized products for curly hair such as an Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil Shampoo and a Curl Quencher Moisturizing Conditioner that is perfect for re-hydrating your curls.
Products from Ouidad are known to work great for post-perms. If you deal with weaker hair, then you can try using an Argan Oil Hair Mask Treatment by Nature’s Potent. This product is great for strengthening hair and will allow you to manage your curls a lot easier.
When it comes down to it, there are countless products to choose from, and often times it comes with some trial and error. You might find a product that works right away and you might not – just be patient with the process.
Reminders
Oftentimes when someone does something new to their hair, it’s common to not want to mess it up, but remember perms are known to stay in place, so feel free to play around with your new curls.
You can treat your perm the same way that you would treat your hair if it was your normal hair. Soon you’ll be able to find a routine that works best for you and also styles that make you feel like your most beautiful self.