In the universe of healthy hair, there are a number of rules that crop up time and time again: always use a heat protector, try to avoid the damaging effect of the sun and UV rays, find a hair mask that suits your type and texture, and never restyle hair that’s already been heat-styled. A sizeable list. 

However, according to Queer Eye presenter, founder of JVN Hair and professional hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness, there’s a crucial step we’re missing: what happens when we sleep. According to a recent YouTube video by Van Ness, sleeping with loose hair can cause damage through heat and friction – something to avoid if you’re trying to keep your hair as healthy as possible.

“This is me sleeping every night with my hair down. There’s a pillow, there’s my body and you’re just like… [insert the gently snoring sounds of JVN mimicking sleeping]. You’re literally just rubbing your hair all between your shoulders and the pillowcase for eight hours a night on your 98.6°C personalised flat iron [straightener].

“You’re just going like this,” Van Ness says, rubbing their palms together back and forth to mimic the movement of the body on the hair during sleep. “All night, every night. That’s a third of your life that this hair, which is really similar to fabric, is just getting rubbed to death.”

But what to do instead? According to Van Ness, the goal should be to try and keep the ends of your hair as far away from your back and pillowcase while you sleep.

“When we sleep, no matter what your hair is like, we’re going to gather it on top of our head, do a very loose top knot – do not slick it back tight because that can create breakage around your hairline. I like to use a silk scrunchie. 

“If you’re someone who has [type] 3 or 4 or any family of textured hair, you’re probably going to be using a silk wrap or potentially a silk bonnet to cover up your hair while you sleep. Gorgeous. We just want to keep the ends away from our body heat. Taking care of your hair at night – that’s going to bring the best out of your hair.”

Looking for a silk scrunchie, silk pillowcase or silk scarf to tie your hair up at night with? Thought so.

Main image: Getty