Sleeping in braids, good or bad thing?

[MissPetite2010]

Hi, was wondering if anyone had good results, or possibly better growth results with sleeping in braids at night? I hear pros and cons about it, but was wondering if you guys have experienced better results with it. I've heard it helps with hair growth, because of hair breakage, when tossing and turning at night. Anyway, any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance... :)

[bubbalouey]

Hey, yes it helps me A LOT. My hair is SOOOOOO knotty and is super hard to brush if I forget to braid it before I fall asleep. If I brush it and then plait it before I go to bed, all I do in the morning is take out my braid and either brush through with my fingers or a brush. I usually do this in the car on the way to work! hahahah saves me so much time and effort! and I don't have to go through all the pain of brushing out all those knots!!
Moderator note: Link removed. No soliciting.

[MissPetite2010]

Hey, yes it helps me A LOT. My hair is SOOOOOO knotty and is super hard to brush if I forget to braid it before I fall asleep. If I brush it and then plait it before I go to bed, all I do in the morning is take out my braid and either brush through with my fingers or a brush. I usually do this in the car on the way to work! hahahah saves me so much time and effort! and I don't have to go through all the pain of brushing out all those knots!!
Moderator note: Link removed. No soliciting.



Cool, I'll check it out. Thanks a bunch :)

[Larki]

I started braiding my hair at night shortly after I found LHC, and I haven't noticed a significant difference in my hair's amount of tangles, but my hair never tangled more than once in a blue moon anyway. However, it does help keep me from pulling on my hair or laying on it, which is nice. I get tired of the constant braid waves, though.

[Aderyn]

Yes. Huge difference. I toss and turn a lot when I sleep. The best thing I've done for my hair has been to secure it at night when I'm sleeping, whether that be a braid and/or a bun. I used to wear it down all of the time, and wearing it down didn't result in tangles anywhere near the amount of tangles I get when I leave it unsecured at night. Doesn't help with the rate of growth, but helps with retaining the length.

YMMV, though. Some people find just flipping their hair over the side of the bed or sleeping with satin/silk pillowcases and sheets to be more effective. Or a sleep cap.

[MadeiraD]

I braid mine and it really reduces tangling

[KittyBird]

My hair tangles something crazy when it's braided, so sleep braids actually do more damage than good for me. All the tiny little hairs that stick out of the braid knot together, and the entire thing ends up being a matted mess. I prefer a sleep cap, or simply wearing it loose and tossing it over my pillow. I don't move much in my sleep, so it actually stays there.

[Johannah]

It worked great for my until I reached waist length. I had less tangles, but now I have more. Not sure why. I quit a couple of days ago and now I sleep with my hair loose. It's easier to detangle in the morning!

[maybeinthemtns]

For me, I found it reduced tangling, which reduced how much hair I lost combing it out in the morning.

This isn't exactly what you asked, but by far the best thing I have done for my hair while sleeping was get a satin pillowcase! The difference was amazing. I didn't really think it would do all that much, but it made a big difference as far as tangles went, and in how many strands of hair I lost in the night, and I also think in the health of my hair generally since it reduced the stress it went through, although that one is a bit harder to demonstrate and might be my imagination. But satin/silk/slippery pillowcases are great. The braids help, too, but the pillowcase made a bigger difference, in my estimation.

[rohirrrims]

I have actually had my fiance end up pulling chunks of hair out when untangling knots before I started sleeping in braids! So I have very tangly hair and I have no idea why I never thought about this before, I always slept on loose curled hair full of hairspray and would wake up with so many knots then just hope they'd come out in the shower... oh I was so daft!
Now I braid every night, usually a french braid or two french braids to keep my layers contained, usually I will oil these with coconut oil. I never have tangles anymore and never have to battle with my hair in the shower. So for me yes it has helped so much, and technically with growth as I'm not having breakage due to overtangled knots!

[farmlass]

Definitely cuts down on tangles for me, I braid before bed, then in the morning just unbraid, quick run through with my fingers and throw it in a bun. Agree with Larki though, get a bit fed up with the braid waves all the time, but as I rarely wear it down it doesn't really matter. Last night I wore it loose in bed, the ends were just all matted together :( Nasty, serves me right for being to tired and lazy to braid last night!

[Rosa Harris]

braids are great just dont tie the ends with rubber bands. I braid in satin ribbon then wrap it around the ends a few inches up and pull the end of the ribbon through the loop.

[queenovnight]

Better than sleeping with it loose? Definitely.
Improvement in hair growth? Not so much.

I use to sleep in braids, but I've found that my hair is in better condition when I sleep with it in a bun secured with hair sticks. Less knotting and breakage. With braids, I'd still get tangling. - If you do go with braids, I would go with Rosa Harris method! Great idea with the ribbon.

[Earelia]

I usually don't sleep with braids unless I'm trying to get some waves. My hair is really fine and straight and especially if I fall asleep with wet conditioned hair it doesn't really tangle. I don't even brush my hair that often. I feel pretty lucky haha. And also I hate the feeling of sleeping on braids and buns.

[MINAKO]

I prefer to throw it in a bun as well. It's reducing tanges to a minimum and smoothes out my texture the most. With a braid theres still to much friction going on for my hair.

[florenonite]

Braids definitely work well for me, though I don't really like having braid waves all the time. Buns tend to be uncomfortable, and if I wear it loose I risk DF rolling onto it.

[PrincessPhoebe]

Braids have definitely helped cut down on tangles (and therefore hopefully breakage) for me, although I'd prefer to have it loose if I could. I use the fold over elastic type of hair tie which stays put all night but doesn't give me any damage. I also tried bun on top of head but that gave me a really sore scalp.

[mary*rose]

Braids definitely cut down on the tangles for me, but there's no terrible mess of tangles when I forget/am too lazy to braid. In fact, I leave my hair out of braids to dry after I've washed it, because I get some very unhappy hair when I try combing it wet. Ugh.

Everyone's right about the braid waves thing, though. I'm pretty sure my hair is straight...I just can't tell anymore x) Unfortunately, though, I can never leave those pretty little waves down because my hair will throw a temper tantrum...

Buns don't do it for me, though. I can't stand the feeling of that big lump in the back of my head when I'm laying down.

[neko_kawaii]

My hair loves to tangle and a sleep braid is a good solution for me. I tried sleeping with a top knot and liked it at first but then I discovered that my scalp was more likely to hurt during the day, so the braid came back to give my scalp a rest during the night so I can comfortably wear a bun during the day. A few months ago I came across some inexpensive silk and made a sleep cap and have been using that since. Most of my splits are in the range where I secure a braid even though I use fluffy ties. I have to say it is nice not to wake up with a braid lump poking me in the back a few time a night. Not sure if I'm sleeping better because of the cap or because my little one is waking up crying less, but I've definitely been sleeping better.

[jacqueline101]

I love my sleep braids. They keep my hair confined as well as help the tangles. I also like the waves it creates.

[Madora]

For decades I used twin braids at night. However, once I joined LHC I decided to try a braided bun on top of my head. The difference in detangling time was great! Double braids usually meant about 4 minutes of combing out. Braided bun means about 2 minutes or less with hardly any detangling. I love it!

[knhess]

Twin braids are the BEST way for me to wear my hair to sleep. For some reason my sleep cap only stays on when I have my hair in twin braids. If I have my hair in a bun or loose in the sleeping cap, it always seems to fall off. Braiding definitely reduces my tangles in general.

[Anje]

It's not great for me, so I go the sleep bonnet option instead.

1) I tend to sleep lying on top of the braid.
2) It tends to wrap around my neck.
3) The cat thinks it's great fun to try to shred the tassel. :lol:

None of those problems has to do with damage (well, other than the cat) or tangles, but hair loose in the bonnet does the trick for me with both anyway.

[VJG]

I sleep in a single braid to avoid endless morning detangling. I haven't noticed damage from the braid itself. Usually I lightly oil the tassle before bed as well.

[Paranda Belle]

Single braid for sleeping. If I'm around the house having a lazy morning I usually put it up in a braided nautilus witholut taking the braid out

[velorutionista]

I usually sleep in a french/dutch braid to prevent tangles...I'd love to sleep with it bunned as that's super comfy for me, but my layers crawl out of any bun I've tried long before morning (though, have to admit, it just occurred to me I've never tried a braided bun for sleeping!). If I leave it loose, the cat pounces on my hair all night, so that's not happening!

[Lindseyh]

I sleep with mine braided. A single braid if its dry and pigtail braids if its wet. The twin braids give me more surface area and it dries better. I get about the same amount of tangling either way but its uncomfortable for me to sleep with it loose.

[ashke50]

I always wear a single plait for sleeping (wet or dry), and usually throw it up over the pillow to avoid lying on it. By morning the plait looks a little bit fluffy on the outside, but the rest of the hair is still smooth, and I have very few tangles. Fortunately I like the look of braidwaves, so I don't mind that I rarely see my hair without them.

I tried a bun a couple of times but couldn't find a way to make it comfortable, it ended up pulling on my head or being a lump to lie on. Loose is a no go, I end up trapped every time I or my husband roll over and keep breaking off hairs, eating hair, strangling myself and getting too hot. I don't fancy a sleep cap, don't like wearing hats (even soft silky ones) to sleep in. I do have a silk pillowcase, although I'm not sure how much difference it makes.

[meteor]

If I don't contain hair at night, it will be tangle-city in the morning, as I have wavy, thick hair. I'd rather spend 1 minute before bed braiding it than an hour in the morning detangling it.
I usually do just one braid (more than one takes time, and I'm lazy), tie it off with a silk ribbon and wrap it in silk scarf or sleep in a silk sleep cap.


It's not great for me, so I go the sleep bonnet option instead.

1) I tend to sleep lying on top of the braid.
2) It tends to wrap around my neck.

Anje, what helps me is placing that braid above my pillow. This way, I can roll as much as I want, and the braid is staying put above me without touching me at all.

[maybeinthemtns]

For you guys that sleep with buns on top of your head - doesn't it hurt your scalp? Even when I do loose buns on top of my head, it hurts taking the bun down. Anytime my hair changes direction after going one way for a while (does that even make sense?) it hurts. Does that go away once your head gets used to it? Or does that not happen to you guys?

[meteor]

Maybeinthemtns, my scalp hurt like hell when I tried sleeping with a bun, as hair pins would feel uncomfortable and, more importantly, my hair felt super-heavy, so I don't sleep with updos. I hope somebody else can give tips on how to sleep with buns comfortably.

[neko_kawaii]

Maybeinthemtns, my scalp hurt like hell when I tried sleeping with a bun, as hair pins would feel uncomfortable and, more importantly, my hair felt super-heavy, so I don't sleep with updos. I hope somebody else can give tips on how to sleep with buns comfortably.

I think its just a scalp thing. If your scalp is easily fatigued, sleeping in buns isn't going to work well for you. I love my sleep cap!

[wildtohold]

I really like the sleep braid. It's cooler, too, I don't have that mass of heavy hair around my neck. I don't know if it contributes to growth/reduces breakage, though. I think at the end of the day, comfort is a really important factor for sleep, and good sleep has to help your hair, since it's good for your overall health.

[Imalath]

I have slept in both braids and updos over the years for various reasons with various levels of success. Sometimes when it feels like the friction of hair ties is damaging the area around the tassel, I will quit braiding and move to an updo for a while. I have never seen noticeable damage in pictures, so it's probably all in my head. :p

In the winter I stick mainly to loose updoes at night, because I slept in an unheated bedroom and wore a heavy cap at night for warmth. I was happier with all my hair tucked up under the cap than have the same part of my braids rub against the edges night after night. When weather is warmer, I prefer twin braids--my scalp gets to breathe without all my hair piled on it, while the back of my neck remains uncovered. I find it very easy either way to undo my hair, quickly finger-comb it, and put it back up every morning. It's the least stressful part of my morning routine :)

My current motto is that if I wear my hair in an updo during the day (required for work), I wear it down (in pigtails) at night. I'm hoping this prevents too much damage from wearing my hair in the same spot in the same way so often.

[hypersensitive]

Sleeping in braids is mandatory. Ive slept in braids since I've had hair past BSL simply because hair gets everywhere and super tangled if I do not have it contained in a braid. A ponytail does not do the job. Wearing a braid to bed had tremendously improved the condition of my hair. If I don't sleep in braids, I would have so much more breakage and splits. It is one of the main reasons why my hair is this long and still so healthy and strong.

[GoldenSilk]

I can't sleep in loose hair - gets all over the place, I sweat all over it, and the tangles in the morning are awful.

I have to sleep in a satin cap, with pigtail braids, loosely bunned together with a scrunchie to keep them from falling out of the cap, all on top of a silk scarf laid on top of my pillowcase. :rolleyes: It sounds like overkill, but it's the only thing that makes detangling bearable. I know, because every once in a while, I skimp, and I'm always sorry. :( I still get tangling even with this setup, but I'm not sure what else I can do.

A tight cinnabun with spin pins will keep almost all the tangles away, but it makes my scalp hurt badly.

[spirals]

Eh, my hair tangles even in braids. I guess it's not as bad as sleeping with it loose, though.

[Katlette]

Mine tangles if it's loose and buns always come undone. A single braid means it doesn't need brushing in the morning and seems to keep my hair cleaner for longer. Maybe because it keeps me cooler and I don't sweat on my hair then?

I used to use standard elastics. When I realised the amount of breakage (taper starts exactly where elastic goes), I switched to silk and velvet ribbons. They will occasionally come off in the night, but I figure that's still better than nothing.

[RingletedManiac]

My hair is curly and as a result, I always have it braided, so I sleep in a braid, as well. I've never had problems with this, though. And like I said, I've done this for my whole life.

[MissBubble]

I have tried various ways and braids was not for me. I worried about the damage made by the elastic, although I did not witness any, by it made my hair frizz and I believe it caused damage to all those hairs that stick out of the braid.
Plus I don t like the look of braid waves the following day since they make my already thin and fine hair appear even less.
I prefer a bun, I don t use any elastic to secure it and I make it at different parts of the head every night. Sometimes I wear a cap over it, sometimes not.