[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Slugging anything other than a baseball sounds unpleasant, no? I mean, on one hand you’re hitting something, and on the other, you’re putting slimy slugs on it? Sounds...gross. But, before you close the tab, know that hair slugging (and facial slugging) has nothing to do with either of those things. Slugging, whether referring to your face or hair, is simply adding a protective cover over a nourishing
hair treatment to seal in all the goodness.
With facial slugging, that means adding
petroleum jelly to your face at the end of your nightly skin care routine to seal in the nourishment. (Perhaps the resulting ‘slimeyness’ is the inspiration for the strange name?)
Obviously, we’re not going to put petroleum jelly on our hair. So the question is, how does slugging apply to hair?
What is hair slugging (and why does it include a sock)?
Just like with facial slugging, hair slugging is all about sealing in nourishing treatments so they can continue to work for hours.
But, of course, for hair slugging, we switch out the facial treatments for hair masks and other hair treatments. Then, we switch out the protective petroleum jelly for a… sock?
Essentially, the idea is, after you’ve applied your chosen hair treatment, you gently tie your hair into a pony tail, then tuck it into a tube sock with a
scrunchy on top to hold it all in place throughout the night.
If that sounds strange to you, well, you’re in good company. While a sock certainly puts a barrier between your hair and everything else, many experts are arguing against wrapping your hair inside a sock. For more on better protection for your hair, read to the end where we discuss a more luxurious option with beneficial uses that go beyond slugging.
Benefits of hair slugging
As with many new trends, there’s not a lot of evidence for or against the benefits of hair slugging, except before and afters on social media. However, women in many different cultures have long made use of headcoverings when they sleep to protect their hair from friction, so we’re pretty confident the practice will pay off. Add an
effective hair treatment to that, sealed in for your slumber, and it’s easy to imagine how this could help nourish your hair with minimal effort.
Whether hair slugging takes these age-old customs to the next level or not remains a question to be answered, but proponents make a variety of claims for the practice, including:
- Taming frizz
- Moisturizing dry hair
- Protecting against split ends
While there’s little proof hair slugging guarantees any of this, it does make sense. Sealing in nourishing treatments over night seems like a solid plan. The only way to know if it works for you is to give it a try.
How to do hair slugging
Wash your hair
To make way for your nourishing hair treatment, it’s important to wash away the oils and dirt that have accumulated with a gentle
shampoo and conditioner. Remember, avoid sulfates and parabens and other, unnatural additives. Keep it natural and gentle for best results.
Treat your hair
Once you’ve cleaned your hair, grab a
hair mask or other
natural hair treatment and apply it according to the directions on the package.
Cover it with a sock (or something else)
Now, as mentioned, we get to the divisive part. To properly slug your hair, you need to cover it with something, and a sock is the ‘traditional’ method. However, there are other options, which we’ll cover below. Whatever you end up choosing, gather up your hair and cover it.
Sleep
Now, let your chosen treatment work while you get some well-deserved rest. Of course, you don’t need to sleep. Even letting that treatment sit for a couple hours on a Saturday morning while you're making breakfast, vacuuming or watching early morning cartoons will help supercharge the treatment!
Rinse your hair
Some hair treatments may not need this final step. But, unless it’s a leave-in treatment, you’ll need to rinse the product from your hair before styling it in the morning.
Why we prefer to not wear socks on our head
Slugging is great, but unless you wear silk socks, we’d pass on covering your hair with a sock.
That’s because the problem is socks are usually made of a cotton terry, which is terrible for pulling at our hair and causing friction. Add in rolling around all night and the results could include split ends, broken hair shafts and, of course, that infamous frizzy hair.
But, do you know what doesn’t cause friction for your hair? Silk!
So, if you decide to give slugging a try, we recommend investing in a silk bonnet or microfiber hair towel. Not only will it help give your hair a healthier ‘slug’, but using it nightly will decrease friction on your hair. That’s an investment that’s well worth it![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Top Hair Treatments" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161326" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1658603368580{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/sunaroma-argan-oil-anti-breakage-leave-in-conditioner"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161323" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1658602583360{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/sheamoisture-raw-shea-butter-deep-treatment-hair-mask-for-damaged-hair"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="161322" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1658602837619{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/andalou-naturals-color-care-1000-roses-deep-conditioning-hair-mask"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_text_separator title="Keep Loving Your Locks" border_width="2"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_basic_grid post_type="custom" element_width="12" gap="0" item="133170" grid_id="vc_gid:1658603344871-8b9dcfc9-8cb7-10" custom_query="post_type=post&post_status=publish&posts_per_page=3&p=45758"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_basic_grid post_type="custom" element_width="12" gap="0" item="133170" grid_id="vc_gid:1658603344872-aab2bdd5-e043-4" custom_query="post_type=post&post_status=publish&posts_per_page=3&p=111561"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_basic_grid post_type="custom" element_width="12" gap="0" item="133170" grid_id="vc_gid:1658603344873-63959fd1-ca53-10" custom_query="post_type=post&post_status=publish&posts_per_page=3&p=132198"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_basic_grid post_type="custom" element_width="12" gap="0" item="133170" grid_id="vc_gid:1658603344873-40e70a50-6666-8" custom_query="post_type=post&post_status=publish&posts_per_page=3&p=153955"][/vc_column][/vc_row]
