In the past few months, a new Tiktok trend has emerged: the morning shed. It involves going to bed with as many beauty hacks you can fit on your head and face as possible. In the morning, influencers film themselves shedding the layers they donned the night before. I’ve seen many different versions of the morning shed; the most common ones feature mouth tape, overnight masks, and heatless hair curlers. I tried a couple of these to see if the morning shed was worth the effort. As someone who prioritizes a comfortable sleep above all else, my answer is no. Here’s the few things I’ve tried and my opinions on them, ultimately leading to my belief that the morning shed is not for me.
I’ll admit it – I’m a mouth breather in my sleep, and I snore a ton. It’s due to some nasal issues I had when I was a child. My quality of sleep gets affected sometimes and I tried a couple different solutions, one being nasal strips. Those didn’t really help, so I hopped on the bandwagon of using mouth tape to sleep. After a week of consistent use, it hasn’t been effective. The main reason is that I always wake up in the morning with it anywhere but my mouth. I’ve found it on my hand, chin, hair, and blankets. Once I woke up at 3am and it was still on, but that was the furthest it made it. I didn’t mind the feeling of it besides the faint feeling (and slight taste) of adhesive, and the fear of suffocating in my sleep. The strips I bought were pretty cheap, so a better brand might make them stay. I honestly think I rip them off during my sleep, given three out of seven times I’ve woken up with it wrapped around my finger. It might still work for you even if it doesn’t for me.
Next up is the overnight face mask. I tried this once, and this one’s okay. The only thing I don’t like is the sticky feeling on my face. I also slept differently to avoid dirtying my pillow, which made me take longer to fall asleep. The mask worked and my skin felt dewy and moisturized, but I would probably skip the overnight in the future. You could get the same results during a skincare night.
Lastly, I tried overnight curls two ways: with a purchased tool and with a robe tie and some scrunchies. While I hated paying for such a simple thing, it does turn out much better when I use it compared to the robe tie. I’ve done this on multiple occasions and it comes out the best when your hair is damp (not wet) from the shower. Once you get past the odd sensation while sleeping, it’ll take your curling game to the next level. As someone whose hair struggles to hold a curl from a curling iron, this held for almost two days.
While I like some aspects of the morning shed, it’s definitely not for me. I prefer sleeping without a lot going on by my face and couldn’t imagine doing it every night. It is probably great for skin and hair care, but some of these things can be done while awake. It ultimately comes down to you and your preferences for sleep. For now, I think it’s just a trend, but it definitely influenced many people, like myself, to try a new thing!