While it may not have the most glamorous a name, hair slugging has reared its head on TikTok in 2022, brining the hydration and gloss with it. A technique for those with dry and curlier hair, hair slugging involves oils, moisturiser and a fastening fabric to lock in moisture. Following along? For those looking to aid in hydrating their hair or wanting to learn more about hair slugging, read on to learn more about the technique.
What is hair slugging?
In simplest terms, hair slugging involves adding a rich, hydrating treatment – an oil or a mask – to hair in the evening in an effort to lock in moisture. This is followed by wrapping the hair in something protective during sleep, with some TikTok users employing a fluffy sock or silk turban for this part of the task. While the slugging element of the task has gained popularity on apps in the last few months, this is a ritual that has been around in various forms and in different cultures for centuries.
An example of this is hair oiling, an Ayurvedic rural whereby you massage the scalp and hair with an oil, likely infused with a botanical ingredient known for strengthening and conditioning the hair. Look towards vitamin C as this helps protect the hair, or the antioxidant Indian gooseberry to help strengthen and repair. Oil is used as a deep conditioning treatment, left overnight and then shampoo and conditioned as normal the next day.
What does hair slugging do to hair?
When looking to hair slug, it’s first integral to understand the results you are hoping to achieve. Slugging is known for its deep hydration of the hair, leaving it moisturised and silky in appearance and in touch. However, this does depend on the type of hair you have, which leads us to our next point.
@rizoscurlshair Have you tried #hairslugging 🐌? Comment down below if you would try this ! #curlyhair #hairtok #naturalhair #slugging #rizoscurlshair ♬ Toxic x Pony - ALTÉGO
What type of hair will benefit from the method?
As with skin types, we all have varying types of hair and this will impact on the treatments we use, the products we apply and how we style our hair on the daily. For hair slugging, curlier hair will feel the benefits of the treatment with greater immediacy as curlier hair is drier and deep hydration methods provide more benefits. Alongside this, those with thick, brittle or dry hair will also benefit from glacier oils and hair masks more frequently than not.
If you have fine hair, applying a lightweight oil to the ends of your hair once a week is a better route to take.
@parknamee Honestly I was pretty impressed after brushing it out 😲 #hairslugging #slugging #sluggingmethod #hairdamage #overnighthair ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show
How do I hair slug?
With the above in mind – and while it sounds self explanatory – the following steps are a foolproof way to successfully complete hair slugging as part of your beauty routine.
- Apply a thick moisturising oil from the roots to the ends of your hair.
- Then, follow with a hair mask on top of the oil.
- Place your hair in a protective apparatus, whether this be a silk turban or fluffy sock, as is the go-to choice for TikTokkers.
- Secure with a srunchie or hair tie.
- Once awake the following morning, rinse out the mask and hair oil with your regular hair routine.
These are just a few of our favourite hair oils and masks for you to include in your hair slugging regime.
Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil
Living Proof Curl Moisturising Shine Oil
Aveda Nutriplenish Hair Oil
Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturising Mask
Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Mask
Malin+Goetz Scalp Mask
