The term “slugging” entered the world of beauty mid-pandemic, taking over our TikTok and Instagram feeds. It’s the process of layering a moisturising agent onto your face overnight in hopes of waking up in the morning with fresh, dewy skin. The efficacy of the technique has gotten mixed reviews, with some beauty influencers swearing by it while others have been unimpressed by their results. Regardless of the outcome, the term has had extreme staying power in the beauty community, and now a new variation of “slugging” has cropped up on the scene, so naturally, we need to know all about it.

The latest infatuation in the slugging craze is hair slugging, which entails drenching your hair in natural oils before going to bed and letting the concoction work its magic overnight. Most people who have implemented the technique in their beauty routine will add the extra step of wrapping their hair up with a cloth before hitting the pillow for optimal results (apparently, a tube sock will also work well for this step). By wrapping it up this way, you guard the strands of your hair while you rest, giving it a healthy and hydrated look when you wake up.

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Experts in hair care report that slugging is an effective way of improving the long-term quality of your hair, as its moisturising properties protect it from breakage and increase your hair’s natural shine. It’s also a reliable method for improving dry or damaged hair, but we should note that this technique only comes highly recommended for people with medium to thick locks rather than fine strands.

If you decide it’s for you, start with an exfoliated, clean scalp so that the natural oils can work their way into your skin. Then apply a generous amount of oils to damp or dry hair in a gentle massaging motion. The type of oil you use in this step will impact your results, and if you’re unfamiliar with the benefits of each oil, then opt for a custom mixture from a brand that specifies what each one gives, like Vatika. The haircare brand offers a special service in the UAE where you can create your own hair oil mixture to address your different goals, from repair and restoration to volumization. Whatever your objective may be, be sure to wash your hair the following day to prevent it from getting greasy. Adding this to your beauty ritual once a week will do the trick, but you can increase this amount if you’re working with dry or damaged hair. For best results, visit Vatika to create a custom hair oil, here. Happy slugging!