Banish Your Cringy Bedhead Forever Just By Doing This

Girlfriends, that flat spot in the crown area isn’t a good look.

By
Published June 27, 2024
Aerial of woman with dark, tousled, hair lying down with eyes closed on white bedding
Stocksy

In between shampoos, it’s normal to wake up to a hideous flat area in your crown. It’s embarrassingly easy for everyone except yourself to see this bedeviling condition if you don’t catch — and repair — it before leaving the house. This eyesore is stubborn and something we can all identify with, no? It’s way past time to adopt no-fail, low-cost techniques to reset hair and banish cringy bedhead.

Morning Bedhead Hacks

Bristle Brush Tip

Stylist Sheila Gall of Social Butterfly Beauty in San Jose, California, explains that hair grows in a circle around your head. At the crown, it’s a tight circle and easily splits where flattening happens. When sleeping, hair reverts to this natural pattern and oil on the scalp adds to the flatness.

Her clients are hungry for tips to combat bedhead. “I literally get asked this question every day,” she says. The award-winning, non-toxic beauty approaches it a few different ways because hair texture, cowlick pattern and head shape vary.

One easy trick she teaches her clients is to take a small bristle brush and brush out just that little area: First, identify where the flat area begins and needs “lifting.” Next, place the brush onto the scalp with bristles firmly down and brush hard straight down a couple of inches. Then, stop, lift your brush and watch that dreadful flat spot vanish, promises Gall, winner of Best in Silicon Valley five years in a row. Psst: If you want it fuller, she suggests backcombing the hair underneath before gently combing the top of it with the bristle brush.

Velcro Roller Tip

Celebrity colorist Sharon Dorram, owner of Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger in New York City, explains that the catch-all term bedhead is when hair splits in the crown, usually parting in a natural cowlick. She points out the condition is worse for those who sleep on their backs.

Dorram offers this simple morning hack to “reset” your blow dry from the previous day: Using a spray bottle, spritz the area lightly with warm water, then blow dry and throw in a large Velcro roller under the flat area. To neutralize any oils, add a pinch of fine body or baby powder to the root of the area before going about your morning makeup routine. Carefully unroll the Velcro roller and lightly brush to reveal volume rather than a flat, nasty part at the crown of your head.

Overnight Bedhead Hacks

Ponytail Tip

With 24 years in the industry, master stylist and expert hair colorist Andy Cooper, aka The Big Gay Viking, offers pre-bedtime tips to keep bedhead at bay, starting with pulling long hair up into a high, loose ponytail.

“Use a scrunchie or loose hair tie and collect all your hair as high on the top of your head as you can,” he says. This ensures hair won't split and go flat at the crown through the night, so you can keep your bouncy blowout for days between styling.

Satin Tip

Cooper’s second suggestion is to invest in a satin bonnet or satin pillowcase. “A lot of issues are caused by sweating through the night and sleeping on cotton sheets.” Satin and silk will absorb oil and sweat, leaving your hair silky, shiny and more manageable.

Braid or Bun Tip

McKendry Fiorentino, master stylist at Bella Bethesda Salon in Maryland, reiterates that a key element in the battle against bedhead is nighttime hair care. “Try styling your hair in loose braids or a loose bun before bedtime,” she suggests. Not only will this lessen the likelihood of waking to a flat crown, Fiorentino says it’ll also prevent tangles and give you effortless beach waves when you release your hair in the morning.

Hair Wrap or Scarf Tip

If your hair is short or you’re too tired for braiding or whipping it up into a bun, Fiorentino says a reliable hair wrap or scarf is your secret overnight weapon. Simply wrap your hair in a silk or satin scarf before going to bed and wake to smoother, more manageable tresses. She promises your style from the day before will be in better shape — plus the chances of splitting in the crown are reduced.

Do YOU ever suffer from bedhead? What do you do about it? Let us know in the comments below.

Kathryn Streeter is a freelance writer living in Washington, D.C. whose work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, Islands, The Week and elsewhere. Learn more at KathrynStreeter.com.