The Reason You Should Never Sleep With Your Hair In A Ponytail

It's hard to keep up with all the beauty rules. Between taking off makeup before you go to sleep, exfoliating your face once a week, using silk pillowcases instead of cotton, and flossing twice a day, it's confusing, tiring and, most of the time, completely overwhelming. But some rules are more important than others, and what you do with your hair when you go to bed is one of them. No matter your hair type or length, you should never sleep with your hair in a ponytail.

"If someone wore their hair tightly pulled back every night for years, traction alopecia could occur along the hairline," Francesca J. Fusco, a New York City-based dermatologist who specializes in hair loss, explained to Allure. Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss caused by constant pulling. If you regularly go to sleep with your hair in a ponytail, it's likely this pulling occurs to the same hairs, and according to the British Association of Dermatologists, this has the potential to lead to the development of bald patches.

Hairstyles that most commonly cause traction alopecia are tight ponytails, tight buns, tight braids, and weaves or hair extensions — basically, any style that puts pressure on the root of the hair. "The risk of traction alopecia is further increased if these hairstyles are combined with various chemicals used on the hair," states the British Association of Dermatologists. This means you need to be extra careful to avoid hair ties and accessories if you've had your hair chemically straightened or bleached, no matter how tired you are when curling up in bed.

In terms of fixing any damage or minor baldness that may have already been caused by sleeping with a ponytail, it's completely curable. In most cases, hair can regrow if the tight hairstyles are stopped — however, it will take time, so you'll need to be patient. In the meantime, keep your hair down and rest easy knowing you're not making things worse by continuing to sleep in a ponytail.