Hair Slugging. It’s A Thing
Even though hair slugging has taken TikTok and the rest of social media by storm, the newest haircare trend isn’t actually that new. While the name hair slugging is fairly new, the concept of hair slugging has been around for centuries. But we’ll get back to that in a bit.
First There was Slugging for Skin
Before hair slugging became the trend to try, skincare aficionados were raving about the effects of skin slugging. Like many fun beauty trends, modern skin slugging originated in South Korea, for another K-Beauty movement amplified by social media. In slugging, you basically slather what’s known as an occlusive moisturizer – which means that it traps water to add a boost to even dry skin. In skin slugging, petroleum jelly aka Vaseline is the skin softener of choice. But hair slugging is something else entirely.
Hair Slugging Has Been Around for Centuries
While the term slugging is new, the concept is actually pretty old. Asian women and women of color have been using different forms of deep oil overnight hair treatments for hundreds of years. In traditional hair slugging, you might coat your hair with a rich oil or intensive conditioner and then wrap it overnight. The idea being that the heat penetrates the outer layer or cuticle of the hair. By wrapping your hair, you also allow the hair cuticles and pores on your scalp to heat up and open, thereby improving the absorption of oil or conditioner.
Why Slugging Your Hair with Not Your Mother's Sleep On It: Overnight Hydrating Serum is much better than gooey oil.
While we really love the idea of hair slugging, it’s not the easiest treatment to perfect. Here’s why. If you work heavy oil into your hair, it will probably end up on your pillowcase at some point which is impossible to fully wash out. And then there’s the issue of some strands of your hair working out of your headwrap and onto your face, probably clogging your pores. Sleeping with your hair deeply oiled and wrapped could cause you to be really hot and sweaty – not quite the glowy look you might be craving. And let’s not even begin to discuss what a nightmare it can be to wash out oil from your hair. That’s a hard pass.
Ready to try slugging your hair? We broke down the steps for you using Not Your Mother's Sleep on It: Overnight Hydrating Serum.
4 Steps to Perfectly Slugged Hair
Step 1. After washing your hair, be sure to gently pat it dry. Avoid towel-drying hair to avoid causing any additional cuticle breakage or frizz.
Step 2. Depending on how thick your hair is and your hair texture, you’ll need between one to four pumps of NYM Sleep On It: Overnight Hydrating Serum. If your hair is extra thick, you can add another pump or two.
Step 3. With the hydrating serum in the palms of your hands, start to work the product from mid-lengths to the ends of your hair. Try to avoid the roots of your hair when applying.
Step 4. Wake up to beautiful hair, no rinsing necessary. Not Your Mother’s lightweight leave-in serum cream is formulated with squalene and mushroom extract to help provide intense hydration that lasts up to 48 hours. Like almost all NYM products, our leave-in serum is sulfate-free, paraben-free, dye-free, alcohol-free, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
One last thing
Our hydrating serum tackles frizz but won’t leave your hair limp or listless. If your hair is extra frizzy, or the weather is incredibly humid, feel free to use NYM Sleep On It: Overnight Hydrating Serum at night and one of our other great styling products or Smooth Moves Hair Shine Serum to tame frizz during the day.
