If you plan on wearing your lace front wig for more than a day at a time, you’re probably wondering if you can sleep in it! I did the research, and here’s what I found.
You can sleep with your lace front wig on, although it’s not ideal for your natural hair as your scalp needs to breathe. That said, if you choose to sleep with your wig on, ensure that you’re protecting it from any friction-related damage by covering your wig with a silk scarf or satin bonnet and sleeping on a silk pillowcase.
With most things wig-related, taking precautions is essential to ensure that your wig remains in good shape and lasts for as long as possible. Let’s get right into how you can take the right steps to keep your wig in good condition even while you sleep!
Taking Care Of Your Lace Front Wig While You Sleep
When it comes to human hair lace front wigs, friction is a real problem for two primary reasons: The wig hair does not contain enough moisture to allow smooth transitioning, and there isn’t enough protein in the wig hair strands to prevent damage when rubbed together. To avoid this, sleep on a silk pillowcase and cover your wig with a satin bonnet.
When you sleep with your lace front wig on, the main concern is to protect the wig hair from unnecessary friction. Because the wig hair is not connected to your scalp, it is not receiving the moisture it requires to keep it strong enough to withstand excessive friction.
This means that extra care needs to be taken in order to ensure that there is no breakage of the lace front wig hair while you sleep. Here are a few ways that you can protect your wig hair while you sleep:
1. Use A Silk Pillow Case.
Silk is one of the best materials to use when it comes to hair care. Besides its smoothness that prevents friction, silk is hypoallergenic and is breathable. The material in itself allows the hair to breathe and does not strip it of its moisture as other materials, like cotton and polyester, tend to do.
Using a pillowcase that is not breathable and is ultra-absorbent, like cotton, will result in major moisture loss in your wig hair, encouraging friction. This type of reaction results in a higher level of breakage of your lace front wig hair. Also, because it is wig hair, it is unable to regenerate itself, meaning that you will have to replace your lace front wig sooner than you think.
This is why silk is the best option when it comes to pillowcases. Many would suggest a satin pillowcase, which is a worthy alternative. The only difference is that satin is man-made and is not breathable, like its silk counterpart, meaning that although the smoothness allows for less friction, the wig hair is still drained of its moisture.
2. Braid Your Wig Hair.
Remembering that friction of your wig hair when you sleep is what we are trying to avoid, it makes sense why using protective styling measures could aid you in this pursuit. When you sleep with your wig hair open and flowing, it makes more room for friction which means breakage.
To avoid this, braiding it always a great solution. You can simply make two braids along the sides of your head, or more if you have the time. This will restrict the movement of your wig hair when you sleep resulting in less friction.
How you braid your hair is completely up to you, just remember: you don’t want to overcomplicate your wig preparation process in the morning, so keeping your braids simple might be the best idea!
3. Use A Silk Scarf Or Bonnet To Cover Your Hair.
If you are anything like me, sleeping in one position throughout the night very rarely happens. I usually end up with my head where my feet should be or with my body laying horizontally across the bed! This means that a silk pillowcase, by itself, is just not enough to protect my lace front wig hair.
This is why investing in a silk scarf or a silk bonnet to cover your wig hair is probably the best solution. Most women would choose either a silk pillowcase, or a silk hair covering, but I find that having both works great.
It is really hard to predict how you would sleep and that might mean that using one method to protect your hair might not be enough. In my opinion, a combination of all three of these steps will ensure that your lace front wig hair is properly protected as you sleep. Remember, it is better to be overprepared than not prepare at all!
Want to learn more about lace front wigs and how to keep them lasting as long as possible? Check out our article here.
Caring For Your Lace Front Wig
If you have a human hair lace front wig, reading the above about the negative effects that friction can have on your hair can be a bit scary. Investing in a good lace front wig is a really good idea, but can also be quite costly.
To take care of your lace front wig, ensure that it is clean and tangle-free by washing your wig every 7-14 days using a wig-friendly sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Always detangle your wig before you wash it to protect the hair bundles. To wash your wig, submerge it in cold water with a tablespoon of shampoo and let it soak for 5 minutes.
This is why seeing the effects that friction can have on your human hair lace front wig can be a little disappointing. With that being said, let’s take a look at steps you can take to keep your lace front wig looking and feeling its best:
Moisturize Your Wig Regularly.
Regularly using a deep conditioning treatment helps to ensure that your wig hair has sufficient moisture and has an attractive shine. This treatment is usually left on for around 10 – 20 minutes after washing your human hair lace front wig, but can be left on for longer.
It has similar effects to that of conditioner to the hair, except on a larger scale. Moisture can be restored to human hair wigs, even though the hair has been removed from the direct source of moisture.
Use A Protein Treatment To Keep Your Hair Strong.
Although the strength of the human hair used on your wig cannot be restored, it can be maintained. This is where your protein treatment comes in. Protein is what makes human hair stronger and seals the bonds to make it more durable and less prone to breakage.
Using a protein treatment regularly will help you maintain the strength of your human hair lace front wig and help you avoid any damage. This too should either be sulfate-free or wig friendly to avoid chemical damage to your human hair wig.
Alternating between deep conditioning and a protein treatment whenever you wash your human hair lace front wig will ensure that the human hair remains strong and moisturized, and is less prone to damage and breakage caused by friction.
Detangle Regularly.
It is so important to brush your lace front wig every evening before you head to bed, especially if you plan on sleeping with it on. Going to bed with even the smallest of tangles can lead to you waking up with huge knots, or even worse, matted hair!
Invest In A Wig Stand.
Getting yourself a wig stand for your wig is probably one of the best investments I can recommend! This provides you with a place where you can safely leave your wig when you are not wearing it.
It is also ideal for leaving your wig to dry once you have washed it, and it prevents your hair from getting dirty or knotty while it dries. It is also ideal for styling and gives you the perfect space to do whatever it is you need to do to your wig without the hassle!
INSIDER TIP: Always store your wig away from sunlight, as this can cause some wear and tear to your wig over time.
