Whether you’re feeling low-maintenance, lazy or just plain exhausted at the end of the day, it’s not unusual to be tempted to cut corners with your nightly beauty routine. You may have heard that sleeping with wet hair or going to bed with makeup on is bad for your hair and skin. But, is there any truth to it? In this blog post, we’ll answer these questions:

• Is sleeping with wet hair bad?
• Is going to bed with makeup on bad for your skin?
• How can I make my hair dry faster?
• What are some quick ways to remove makeup before bed?

Going to Bed With Wet Hair

Sleeping with wet hair may seem harmless, but it could actually have a negative effect on both your skin and hair. Hair is actually more fragile when wet, so it's more vulnerable to damage and the friction between your pillowcase and your strands could contribute to cuticle damage and frizz.

Because wet hair is also longer and more elastic versus dry hair, coiling up wet hair in a tight bun or ponytail overnight could lead to possible breakage as your strands shrink when they dry. Going to bed with wet hair also has the ability to trap moisture between your pillow and warm skin as you sleep, which creates a potential breeding ground for bacteria, fungus and other microbes that could possibly lead to dandruff or other scalp conditions.

“That bacteria—along with any lingering hair product—can hang out on your pillowcase and easily transfer to your face and contribute to acne or irritation,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger.

Speed Up Your Hair Styling Routine

One easy way to avoid going to bed with wet hair is to dry your hair faster. Start by applying a hair-styling product to damp hair that helps reduce blow-dry time. We recommend Surface Blowout Primer, a mist that works to protect all hair types from heat damage, reduces overall blow-dry time and encourage shiny, voluminous hair.

For a faster blowout, consider upgrading your blow dryer to a professional-grade model such as the Usmooth Revolution Hair Dryer. This hair dryer features ceramic infrared heat, which speeds up styling time by drying your hair from the inside out. The result is a smoother blowout in less time than conventional hair dryers, which means you get to bed with a dry head sooner!

If going to bed with wet hair is a habit you’re not sure you can break right now, you can still help reduce damage to your strands with ColorProof's sulfate-free hair products. Start with ColorProof CrazySmooth Anti-Frizz Shampoo, which moisturizes strands with shea butter. Then follow it up with ColorProof CrazySmooth Anti-Frizz Conditioner, which helps defrizz and detangle hair with abyssinian oil. Finally, apply ColorProof PlushLocks Leave-In Smooth, which cuts down on frizz, helps reduce breakage and reduces blow-try time, too.

Going to Bed With Makeup On

“Cleansing your face before you go to sleep is one of the most effective ways to prevent clogged pores that lead to breakouts,” Dr. Joel Schlessinger says. When you leave makeup on your skin overnight, its ingredients—which might include oils, silicones and waxes—can dwell in your pores, contributing to clogs that can cause blackheads and breakouts. “Sleeping with mascara on can also be harmful to your eyes,” Dr. Schlessinger says. “Eye makeup can flake into your eyes and cause irritation, or build up around the delicate follicles and oil glands in your eyelids and lead to inflammation or infection.”

Easy Makeup Removal Tips

Here’s a thought: The easier you can make your makeup removal routine, the less likely you may be to skip it at the end of a long day. Try these three tips for quick and easy nighttime makeup removal.

Tip #1: Try keeping the jane iredale Magic Mitt in your bathroom for quick, efficient makeup removal. The washcloth-like mitt doesn’t require a cleanser, so you can just wet the cleansing cloth with plain water to use. It’s fabricated with specially knitted microfibers that are designed to effectively dissolve the oils in makeup—even mascara—as you gently massage your face. Once you're done, rinse the mitt thoroughly and leave it hanging to dry so it’ll be ready and waiting for your next quick wash.

Watch this video to learn how to remove makeup with the jane iredale Magic Mitt.

Tip #2: For evenings when you’re pressed for time, consider simplifying your nighttime routine with a multitasking cleanser that tackles makeup removal, acne prevention and exfoliating in one step. LovelySkin Clarifying Gel Cleanser contains glycolic acid, salicylic acid and afaLUXE™, a dermatologist-developed molecule, to improve your skin’s moisture balance, gentle exfoliate and prevent breakouts by refining your pores and clearing blackheads.

Tip #3: For those nights when you’re already cozily tucked into bed and realize you forgot to wash your face, keep a pack of no-rinse face-cleansing wipes tucked in your nightstand. Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 Micellar Cleansing Wipes with Vitamin E help remove makeup, dirt and other impurities and while also soothing skin with vitamin E. After a quick swipe, you’ll be drifting off to dreamland in seconds flat.

What other questions do you have for Dr. Schlessinger and the LovelySkin experts? Tell us in the comments below!