If you've been on Beauty TikTok lately, then you're probably familiar with the magic of hair slugging, a hair beauty trend that has become popular with millions of users. It's perfect for those of you who have dry, brittle hair or just want to treat your strands. If you want to learn more about hair slugging, then you've come to the right place. In today's article, we will introduce you to everything about hair slugging.
Just like the popular facial skin slugging, a trend called "hair slugging" has recently emerged on social media. Hair slugging originated as a Korean skincare trend in 2021, although it is often known as hair oil. The practice, which has been around for centuries in South Asia, begins with wetting the hair with petroleum jelly or any moisture-promoting product ( like oil, conditioner, etc.) and then wrapping the hair in a sock or towel.
In fact, the notion of hair slugging has been present in many cultures for many years, especially in black and Asian cultures. The primary purpose of slugging is to hydrate, which makes it well-suited for dry or damaged hair.
Hair slugging refers to the application of oil or conditioner liberally to the hair and covering it tightly with a sock or towel overnight. This helps the product penetrate the scalp skin and hair cuticle, leaving the hair shiny and smooth.
How often you should slug your hair depends specifically on your hair type, density, texture, etc., and is usually once a week. This is because doing it too many times a week can lead to over-moisturizing your hair.
While hair slugging is good for all hair types, textures, and lengths, you need correspondingly to adjust the type of product and frequency of use. For finer textured hair, it is best to use a lighter oil, such as grapeseed oil, as this will not loosen the hair. While medium to thicker textures can use thicker oils like castor oil or coconut oil more frequently.
There is no evidence to suggest that hair slugging can promote hair growth. But if you want to get rid of dryness and make your hair look shiny, silky, and smooth, then you can give hair slugging a try.
After learning what hair slugging is, do you want to know what benefits it has? Here, we are going to tell you the benefits of hair slugging, so let's take a look.
One of the benefits of hair slugging is adding shine to your hair. It can make a difference to dry hair. Because hair oils are used during hair slugging, leaving the oils in the hair overnight also allows more time for the oils to saturate and absorb, which will eliminate frizz, add shine to the hair, and keep it soft and smooth.
Hair slugging contributes to preventing split ends. With a concerted effort to nourish and lock moisture in the hair and prevent friction, hair health can be improved. Split ends are caused by moisture loss, and the oils and serums used in the hair slugging process help lock in moisture, which can help prevent future split ends and keep hair healthy.
Firstly, you need to think about whether your hair care products contain ingredients that cause dry hair. Because the hair slugging process involves wrapping the hair overnight, if the hair care product contains ingredients that dry the hair out, the end result may be the opposite of what is expected.
Secondly, slugging your hair often strips it of its natural oils and causes excessive wetness, which makes it look extra frizzy and gives us the appearance of pretending to be dry, but this is actually a symptom of excess moisture. Therefore, do not overdo hair slugging, just once a week.
Finally, be sure to wash your hair after performing hair slugging. This is because hair care products can create buildup on your scalp and hair, and they can make your hair look extra greasy if not cleaned out in time.
After learning what hair slugging is and what its benefits are, do you want to know how to do hair slugging? Below, we will show you the exact steps of hair slugging.
First, use a mild purifying shampoo to cleanse your hair. If you don't have a deep cleansing shampoo, you can use a product containing apple cider vinegar instead. This allows products such as oils or conditioners to penetrate more deeply and work more effectively.
Next, let your hair air dry to 85%. If you are in a particular hurry, you can use a hair dryer to blow dry your hair.
After that, apply the oil from the ends of your hair towards the roots, as the ends are usually dry. You need to make sure that each strand is coated with oil or other hair care products.
After applying the oil, wrap your hair with a sock or towel and spend the whole night. This is because it allows hair care products to be absorbed better.
The next morning, wash your hair as usual in order to remove excess hair care products and avoid product buildup.
After reading this article, do you have a better understanding of hair slugging? If you are interested in it, give it a try quickly.