Nearly half of your life is spent in bed, therefore it is equally important to look after your hair at night as it is during the day – so let’s talk about protective hairstyles. Haircare can seem too time-consuming for some clients, but even the busiest clients have time to protect their hair during sleep. Common culprits of hair damage, like frequent heat usage, are well known, but a lot of damage happens when your clients aren’t doing anything at all – throughout the night. “It’s common that people move around a lot in their sleep, but this can result in knotted hair, especially around the crown of the head, contributing to breakage and dry, coarse ends,” explains Barry Maddocks, UK creative director of Haringtons and Salon Stylist of the Year. So, to upgrade your client’s haircare regime in one easy, manageable step, here are our experts' recommendations for protective hairstyles
Protective hairstyles
Loose plait
“Braids are an old age trick dating back to Victorian times, loosely putting your hair into braids before going to sleep is a great way to protect your hair from tangling and breaking whilst also giving you a beautiful lose beachy wave,” explains Alex Hojka, at Samuel Chapman Salon.
Satin or silk
Anne Veck, director of Anne Veck and Sustainable Salon of the Year, highly recommends using satin or silk head scarves, bonnets or pillowcases. “Satin and silk are great, as they will keep your hair frizz-free and full of volume while you sleep. Scarves keep hairstyles intact, smooth, and ready for morning styling.” 
“Silk will help prevent friction & frizz as well as stopping your pillowcase from absorbing healthy moisture, reducing breakage and tangles,” adds Lisa Carter, stylist and owner of The Crowning Stylist.
Tik Tok taught me
If your clients want to reduce heat damage and save time in the morning, Anna Stubbs, hairdresser, recommends the dressing gown curls trend on Tik Tok. “I recommend using the brand Curl Halo for heatless curls when you wake up. Literally, wrap your hair around the curl halo and wake up to beautiful bouncy curls and some extra time in bed.” https://www.tiktok.com/@curlhalo/video/7062723076840049925
The updo
“For fine hair that needs an extra boost in volume, the loose high bun using a scrunchie amplifies lift at the roots giving gorgeous volume while protecting your hair,” adds Alex Hojka. 
Better with serum
Barry Maddocks suggests combining any of these styles with a serum. He recommends the Kerastase Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum to replenish the hair as they sleep, whilst Anna Stubbs suggests the Aveda Botanical Repair Overnight Leave-In Serum. 
Hair threading
“A wig can be a great option if you’d rather give your hair a complete break. Finally, threading your hair can be a great method to help protect your ends. You take sections of your hair (preferably mildly damp and detangled) and then wrap it from root to tip with some thread until it’s completely dry.” 
The no-no’s to know
Anne Veck also highlights the issue of sleeping with wet hair. “Our hair is so much more susceptible to breakage when wet, so tossing too much during sleep can lead to damaged and tangled hair.” Marina Hodgkins, owner of Fringe Benefits Gloucester, advises: “Wear these protective styles loosely, tension at the scalp can result in Traction Alopecia if you wear your hair up regularly.”
What about the daytime?
Clients will also benefit from using protective hairstyles during the day: “A very loose top knot wrapped in a silk scarf not only looks super chic, but it’s also a great time-saver,” says Barry For clients with afro and textured hair, “depending on the hairstyle and how well it is taken care of, protective hairstyles can last between two weeks to 1 month, otherwise excess tension at the scalp may contribute to hair loss”, adds Anne Veck. All of your clients should know about protective hairstyles, so which one will you be recommending? Next up: the top tips to keep your clients hair-drated.