Skin Slugging But For Your HAIR?

by BR Amelia

Back in August last year the term 'skin slugging' was one to be looked at with a raised eyebrow, as it tended to make one's mind turn to the thought of applying slugs to our skin in order to show it some love. Turns out the term was nothing like the reality, as I discovered in this article where we learned that skin slugging actually meant applying an occlusive to your skin before you went to bed in order to get an extra dose of hydration, while working to repair the skin's barrier.

In all honesty I thought this would be a trend that would come and go, but it seems slugging is taking on the new mantle, previously held by digitally manipulated brows, of the trend that plans to evolve. The latest slugging technique to be doing the rounds? Hair slugging.

Much like skin slugging, hair slugging involves encasing your strands in a hydrating product, like an overnight mask or oil, then wrapping it up for a few hours or overnight, before washing it out. The point of it, as you may well have guessed, is to give your hair a hit of hydration.

Is it for everyone though? While skin slugging was pretty skin-friendly, unless you had super oily or acne-prone skin, hair slugging is more for those who belong to the club of having thick and/or very dry and/or damaged hair. The reason being that if your hair is already decently hydrated and/or is thin in texture, adding a great dose of moisture to it is only going to create a lank, heavy look. One I imagine most of us who struggle to get any oomph in their hair would like to avoid.

If you do fall into the category of having very dry/thick/damaged hair that can handle oodles of hydration, the key to hair slugging is simple: add moisture into the lengths of your hair, avoiding the scalp, then wrap it up in a cotton or silk cloth - you can even tuck your hair into a sock - and let it sit for a few hours or sleep with it overnight. The next morning, simply wash your hair and condition as you usually would, and your hair should feel softer, be less frizzy, and look in better condition. Alternatively, if you're not in the mood to wash your hair, you can do a light slug, which involves popping a smaller amount of product on your hair, leaving it covered for a few hours or overnight, then taking off the cloth, styling your hair as you usually would, before going about your day.

As for how often you can slug your hair, once a week should suffice, or as when required.

One last tip? Do take the part about wrapping your hair in some sort of cloth seriously. It's easy-ish enough to deal with oily hair but dealing with oily bedding is a pain in the rear! 

So, are you a hair slugger? Were you already but didn't know it? Or is hair slugging for you a direct route to a greasy, lank mop? Get chatting below!