Life

9 Tricks That’ll Help You Wake Up With Great Hair

by Lynsey Macdonald

How many times have woken up, after hitting the snooze button one too many times, only to realize you have to skip breakfast in favor of detangling your locks? Although those who rock a pixie cut may face slightly less of a challenge in the morning, even short hair can require some taming before running out the door. But the thought of waking up even earlier to perfect your locks sounds torturous. It’s times like these when you need to instil a few tricks to help you wake up with great hair. Because, let’s be honest, you’d rather have an extra five minutes in bed or more time for a wake-me-up coffee, than a battle with your straightener.

Taking the time in the evening to prepare your hair for for the next day, however, can have more than just a time management benefit. Your hair goes through a lot on a day to day basis, from constant exposure to the elements, to over use of heating tools like straighteners, curling irons and blow dryers, so it’s important to give it a bit of TLC every now and then. To help keep your hair healthy and cut down your morning beauty routine, here are nine hair styling tricks that will help you wake up with fabulous locks.

1Rock The Pineapple To Bed

If you find your natural curls are failing to hit the mark in the morning without some serious damage control, you might want to try Naturally Curly’s pineappling technique. It will ensure that only the underneath of the back of your hair will be disturbed while you sleep. Before you go to bed, create a high ponytail, and loosely tie a hair tie or scrunchie around the base. Tying a silk scarf around your hair is also recommended. In the morning, you’ll be left with gorgeous, bouncy, volumized curls.

2Braid Your Hair Before Bed

The last time you tried this trick, butterfly clips were still on trend. But, as with all things ‘90s, it’s making a comeback. Braiding you hair is still a really effective way to wake up with great hair, as it gives you gorgeous waves without the use of a curling iron.

3Spray On Some Dry Shampoo

While dry shampoo can be a lifesaver on a busy morning, InStyle noted that spraying a little onto your roots the night before can prevent the grease buildup that forces you to take a shower in the morning. Spritz some dry shampoo, like Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (Sephora, $22), into your hair before bed, and you’re good to go.

4Sleep On A Silk Pillowcase

Bustle notes that sleeping on a silk pillowcase retains your hair’s moisture, which can prevent hair breakage and that God-awful frizz. Unlike a cotton pillowcase, your hair can slide around easily if you move around a lot in your sleep, keeping split ends to a minimum.

5Use Argan Oil

In addition to your new silk pillowcase, you might want to invest in argan oil. This little miracle worker has been getting a lot of praise in the beauty world for it’s ability to minimizes breakage, which in turn smooths and strengthens your hair. Again, this will help to minimise breakages in your sleep, and help you wake up with sleek looking locks. So add a little argan, like Josie Maran Argan Oil (Sephora, $48), before bed and you’ll wake up with amazing results.

6Wash With A Straightening Shampoo

If you like your locks sleek and straight, give a straightening shampoo a try. A product like this Smooth Intense Shampoo from L'Oréal ($5) can help smooth your hair the night before, meaning when you get up the following day, you can simply run your straighteners through the ends to perfect your look.

7Try A Two-Day Style

Some hairstyles can last two full days, giving you more bang for the work. Why not try throwing your hair in a bun or a fishtail braid for a day, then sleeping with it in? The following morning, let your hair down and you have amazing, wavy, second day hair.

8Regularly Use A Hair Mask

To inject a much-needed moisture boost into your hair, be sure to regularly use a hair mask, like Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask from Briogeo (Sephora, $26). For best results, you should sleep in your hair mask on. Simply throw on a shower cap, rinse out in the morning, and say hello beautiful, rehydrated hair.

9Don’t Sleep With Wet Hair

It’s tempting to get out of the shower and fall into bed after a long day. But doing so can create unwanted frizz and flatness. For better results in the morning, dry your hair before hitting the hay.

Images: Phillipe Put, David D, betsssssy, Maegan Tintari/Flickr; Courtesy of curly_kinky_sue, kaileeseward/Instagram