How To Sleep With Keratin-Treated Hair (Do’s and Don’ts)

So, you just made your keratin hair, and you’re worried you’ll mess it up while you sleep?

lady showing How To Sleep With Keratin-Treated Hair

Not to worry. Literally, everyone with keratin-treated hair has felt this way. After all, what’s the whole point of keratin treatment if

So, come along as I share valuable tips and resources you’ll need to maintain your keratin-treated hair while you sleep.

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8 Tips for Sleeping After a Keratin Treated Hair

Some battle-tested tips will guide you while sleeping, and I’ll share 8 of them with you!

A lady with glossy straight hair under title how to sleep with keratin-treated hair

1. Keeping your hair straight

After a Keratin treatment would help keep your hair straight when sleeping for the next three days.

You may be tempted to use aids such as ponytail holders, hair wraps, sleep caps, or a sleeping braid or bun to keep your hair smarter as you sleep.

But if you do this, you will wake up to frizzy hair with creases and crinkles in several areas.

In some cases, it might be challenging to fix these creases depending on the extent of the frizz and the state of the Brazilian hair treatment at that time.

2. Keeping your hair from moisture

This might be difficult to follow if you are used to washing your hair daily.

After a keratin hair treatment, washing or rinsing your hair is the last thing you want to do.

If, in any case, you need to apply some moisture to your hair, you should not go to bed with your hair wet.

You will always need to keep your hair straight after the keratin treatment; going to your bed with your hair wet will not give you that.

3. Adopting the right sleeping posture

The best sleeping posture if you want to protect your keratin-treated hair is to sleep on the back.

lady with long hair lying down under title how to sleep with keratin-treated hair

Sleeping on the back allows you to pull all of your hair on your shoulders. To prevent the possibility of rolling over your sides while you’re fast asleep, you can support the sides of your body with pillows.

4. Maintaining cool temperature

As I already mentioned, one factor that can disrupt the outcome of keratin hair treatments is moisture.

Keeping dry hair is vital in the next couple of days after a Brazilian keratin treatment (1). This is why you should avoid anything that could get you sweaty while you sleep.

Using an air conditioner, fan, or even an open window can be helpful in this case.

Also, your hair styling tools should be regulated to medium heat. This might include your hair straighteners (e.g., straightening iron).

Check our list of the best hair straightener for keratin treatment.

5. Keeping your hair as free as possible

Hair bands (such as rubber bands), hair ties, and hair clips can disrupt the great work the keratin is doing on your hair within the first few days of treatment.

The truth is, these hair accessories can affect how your hair strands turn out at the end of the entire process as they can create unwanted indentations.

As such, you should allow your hair strands to be as free as possible so as not to interfere with the work the keratin treatment is doing.

lady with long black hair

However, if you want an ear-shaped curl, you can leave your hair behind your ears.

6. Selecting a silk pillowcase

Sleeping with a silk pillowcase will offer more advantages to your smooth hair shaft than your regular cotton pillowcase.

While there’s nothing wrong with cotton pillowcases, a silk pillowcase offers less friction, making it ideal for your keratin-treated hair during this period.

lady sleeping on satin sheets under title how to sleep with keratin-treated hair

A satin pillowcase is also suitable for use after having keratin hair treatments. A silk pillowcase or a satin pillowcase offers a gentle and smooth resting place for your hair.

7. Keeping your hands off

After having a Brazilian hair treatment, we often find it natural to run our hands over our hair and have a feel of that silky hair. But, this can cause more damage to the hair.

Remember that you don’t have the option of washing your hair for the periods that keratin hair treatments take to settle fully.

As such, keeping your hand off your hair as much as possible will help prevent oils and other particles that can give your hair a gloomy look from getting to your hair.

8. Brushing as soon as you wake up

There’s one more thing that you must do when you wake up if you want to maximize the tips I shared above for sleeping after keratin hair treatments.

As soon as you wake up, it would be best if you fixed possible creases and waves using your brush. This is because even if you follow all of the tips for sleeping after a keratin treatment, there’s still some possibility you might wake up with a few minor creases.

This isn’t a challenge as you’ll be able to straighten them out easily with a brush. However, you shouldn’t apply any hair products before brushing.

You can watch this video to learn more about how to care for your keratin-treated hair:

Why You Should Watch How You Sleep After a Keratin Hair Treatment

You should sleep with extra care if you’ve just got a keratin treatment. This is so you don’t tamper with the hair straightening and smoothening process.

The Keratin treatment is specifically for smoothening and straightening your hair strands, and it takes some days for the keratin solution to work its way into your hair follicles.

Sometimes you might need to take special care for as long as the next 72 hours when sleeping so as not to disrupt the straightening process.

What Does a Keratin Treatment Do?

Keratin treatment helps to work keratin (a natural protein in hair, skin, and nails) and other chemical solutions such as formaldehyde into the hair follicles (2).

This process helps to straighten and smoothen the hair strands.

To get this done, the hair bonds are first broken for the chemical solution to be well absorbed into the hair follicles, after which a process of resealing begins.

If all these go down successfully, your hair will be less frizzled, straighter, and smoother.

You could also get shiny hair with highly reduced split ends after undergoing keratin hair treatments.

long silky hair under title how to sleep with keratin-treated hair

Things to Avoid

There are some chemical solutions that you should avoid during the couple of days that it takes for your keratin treatment to complete its work.

Some chemicals can strip off the keratin from your hair while it is still trying to bind to your hair follicles (3).

These chemicals include shampoos formulated with sulfate compounds, salt water, and chlorinated water.

According to research published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, sulfate-containing shampoos function as “detergents with good cleansing ability,” making them capable of stripping off the keratin you just applied to your hair (4).

You can ask your hair stylist for sulfate-free shampoo recommendations.

If you want to apply water to your hair after the first 3-day period following your keratin treatment, ensure that you only use fresh water.

Top 5 Bedding Products to Help You Maintain Your Keratin-Treated Hair While Sleeping

I recommend using silk or satin pillowcases after a Keratin Treatment if you want to maintain smooth, straight, and shiny hair. Here are the top five satin and silk pillowcases you can pick from.

1. MYK Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

This silk pillow cover is 100% made from mulberry silk, one of the most robust and durable silk varieties.

It is designed with a cotton underside and is available in nine different colors.

MYK Silk Pure Natural Mulberry Silk Pillowcase, 19 Momme with Both Sides Silk for Hair & Skin, Oeko-TEX, 600 TC, Curly Essential, Zipper Clousure, Queen, Undyed Ivory White

2. Slip Silk Pillowcase

With a Slip silk pillowcase, you can make the most of your eight hours of sleep without worrying about your keratin-treated hair getting creasy. It is available in a dozen colors.

Slip Silk Queen Pillowcase, White (20

3. Lunya Silk Pillowcase

Lunya is reputable for producing high-quality and washable silk fabric. Their pillowcase is an ideal choice for maintaining your keratin-treated hair.

4. Bedsure Satin Pillowcase

With the use of Bedsure Satin Pillowcase, your hair can look freshly blow-dried after waking up. It is made entirely of polyester satin.

Bedsure Satin Pillowcases Standard Set of 2 - Black Silk Pillow Cases for Hair and Skin 20x26 inches, Satin Pillow Covers 2 Pack with Envelope Closure

5. Brooklinen Silk Pillowcase

Brooklinen Silk Pillowcase is 100% made of mulberry silk and is an ideal choice if you prefer a pillowcase with a luxurious touch.

Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Pillowcase (Standard, Blush)

FAQs

What should I do if my hair still creases up in the morning?

If you wake up to discover your hair has creased over the night, you should brush it immediately. If you follow all the tips for sleeping, the creases should be minimal.

How long after a keratin complex treatment can I relax my hair?

You can relax your hair as early as three days after the keratin treatment depending on what kind of product was used for the treatment.

What can I do if my scalp feels sweaty after waking up?

It would be best to try using a fan or air conditioner to cool the room temperature.

Conclusion

With the tips I’ve shared above, you wouldn’t need to worry about maintaining your keratin-treated hair.

However, you can talk to your hair stylist for professional advice about post keratin treatment measures, e.g., the interval for hair washing and recommendations of shampoos that are suitable for your hair type.

This will help increase the lifespan of your treatment for as long as you want.

lady with long silky hair

Resources

  • 1. Gavazzoni Dias MF. Hair cosmetics: An overview. International Journal of Trichology. 2015;7(1):2. doi:10.4103/0974-7753.153450
  • 2. Bragulla HH, Homberger DG. Structure and functions of keratin proteins in simple, stratified, keratinized and cornified epithelia. Journal of anatomy. 2009;214(4):516-559. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01066.x
  • 3. Paus R, Cotsarelis G. The Biology of Hair Follicles. Epstein FH, ed. New England Journal of Medicine. 1999;341(7):491-497. doi:10.1056/nejm199908123410706
  • 4. Rathi S, D′Souza P. Shampoo and conditioners: What a dermatologist should know? Indian Journal of Dermatology. 2015;60(3):248. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.156355

Last update on 2022-12-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API