If your ethnicity is African or African-American, you are sure to have black hair that is naturally dry. You would notice that your hair needs to be moisturized daily to avoid frizz and brittleness. African hair is naturally dense and thick. You should choose the shampoo and conditioner that is specifically formulated for black hair and keep it moisturized. But what about during the night? Is there any special care that you need to do for your black hair? The answer would be “yes.” Black hair, when not taken care of during the night, could become very frizzy and almost impossible to style hair in the morning. Read on to find out how to take care of it at night.


Don’t use cotton pillowcases. The fabric of the pillowcase you’re sleeping on has an effect on your black hair. Cotton absorbs water, thus your black hair rubs on the cotton fabric and rids it of moisture. Use silk or satin fabric pillowcases or if you still want to use cotton pillowcases, you may do so but use a satin lining over it so your hair would touch only the lining rather than the cotton fabric.


Apply hair moisturizer before going to bed. Applying hair moisturizer during the day keeps your black hair hydrated but during the night, when the temperature usually drops, applying moisturizer to your hair is a must. Before going to bed, liberally apply moisturizer on your hair and wrap a satin scarf or bonnet around it to seal in the moisture. Remember not to use cotton bonnet as it would defeat its purpose. Don’t tie the scarf too tightly as well. One good product you could use as an overnight moisturizer is Shea Moisture Coconut Conditioning milk. This product is natural and water based as well. One of the problems leave-on moisturizer has on hair is the oil content of the product. Since Shea coconut conditioning milk is natural, it doesn’t have high oil content.
Never sleep with hair accessories on. The idea that you should hold your black hair in place while you sleep by using hair accessories or hair clips is not recommended. Sleeping with hair accessories only adds breakage to your hair. Remove everything from headbands to hair clips.
Moisturize the ends of your braids. If you’re sporting braided black hair, you don’t need to unbraid it when you sleep or you’ll have the longest time braiding the strands back when you wake up. What you could do is apply moisturizer more on the ends and lightly spray on some conditioner on your scalp. After the application, wrap your braids with a satin bonnet starting from the back of your neck going up.
Untangle weave or extensions. Before heading to bed, be sure to untangle your weave or hair extensions carefully. Weaves and extensions last longer when they are handled the right way. You should spray conditioner on your scalp to prevent brittleness on your natural hair.



Remember that the properties of black hair are quite different from other types of hair so never attempt to use products or procedures that are not specifically for black hair. Taking care of it takes only small steps to keep it from drying out so now you’ll always have soft black hair everyday starting from the time you wake in the morning. Good luck!