Best protective style for bedtime?

[curiouskitty]

Hello, beauties!

So my hair is just about at APL at the moment, and freshly trimmed. I've realized over the years that this is the length at which my hair starts drying out and splitting like crazy (my hair is naturally frizzy/curly/porous, and doesn't take to constant friction very well). I have it in a loose side braid during the day to protect it from the elements - however, I can't seem to find the right protective style to wear to bed that doesn't come loose in my sleep/ turns into a tangled disaster by morning. For the moment, I don't have a silk pillowcase with me (I'm living at my boyfriend's, and completely forgot to bring it here with me); however, I do oil the ends of my hair and gently detangle before bed.

How do you guys wear your hair to bed? Are there other steps that you take to minimize pillow friction/dryness?

xxx

[skeletonous]

I would pick up a silk sleep cap (you can usually find it in the ethnic hair section in most stores for like $4). Sometimes the silk is on the outside (as with mine), so just flip it inside out and wear it to bed :) you could just put it over your loose hair or loosely braid it (no hair tie) and then put it on.

[curiouskitty]

I have to say I've never thought of that yet! Thanks. I shall take a look in my local drugstore. During this dry and harsh season, it seems there's nothing much I can really do to stop my hair from tattering itself up :(

[skeletonous]

I have to say I've never thought of that yet! Thanks. I shall take a look in my local drugstore. During this dry and harsh season, it seems there's nothing much I can really do to stop my hair from tattering itself up :(

No problem! Good luck! :)

[Springs10808]

I usually wear a doobie wrap to bed after a wash. On non-wash nights, I've been twisting it up at the nape of my neck and putting it in an octopus clip. It tends to stay pretty well in the clip for me and not tangle. The only thing it really does is create a wave in the spot where I twisted it, but I kind of like the way that looks.

[luvlonghair75]

I just bought a Bodico slumber cap. It feels smooth like satin but it doesn't say on the package what it's made of. Paid $2 for it. Going to try it out tonight! Kids think I look silly with it on... LOL! :D

[Caraid♫]

for me, the only thing I'm comfortable with is hair twisted into a bun directly on top of my head (so I don't roll over it in my sleep) held with a big claw clip. It stays in place and I feel my hair is more protected than a braid that I'd probably be rolling over in the night :)

[Swan Maiden]

I co sleep with my toddler so i have to keep my hair up. Lately, i feel the high bun has been pulling too much and a braid allows more friction. So i purchased a silk sleep cap on Etsy, inspired because Sarahlabrynthmade a good point about letting the follicles rest at night instead of being up day and night.

[Lady melissa]

i have a sleepcap from the local drugstore and it works - but it's some kind of synthetic slippery fabric and i lose it often during the night. I don't mind wearing it, and most of the time i sleep alone till the middle of the night when my SO comes back from his café, but it's not the most sexy thing in the world....i feel kinda frumpy, like an old lady....

[Wosie]

I am trying different approaches to this problem at the moment... I don't usually have much tangles as is, but as it's getting longer I want to make sure it'll continue like this. I either do twin braids or a 'spidermom's sleep braid' (that is to say that I lie down and start a braid at the top of my head and tie it off with a satin scrunchie (always using colourful satin scrunchies :D) and sleep that way.
I try to always sleep on a silk pillowcase too--it really works in making my hair smoother!

[tigereye]

In the winter, I let my hair fall over the end of the bed, above my pillow. It's long enough that it stays there by itself and most of the friction only happens at the nape of my neck, where I toss and turn on my satin pillow. In the summer, I braid it up high, and let the braid fall over the end of the bed. It doesn't stay so well, over the end as it does when left to itsown devices, so I get more friction from a braid, but since I toss a lot more in summer when I'm too hot, a braid keeps it better contained. A bun does tend to cause more friction for me than either a braid or loose, but thatis more likely because I can never get the bus high enough.
In all reality, a silk cap is likely your best option if you don't have your pillowcase

[Agnes Hannah]

Loose braid with oiled ends and left untied covered with a silk sleepcap and a silk pillow case for added protection. I'm at waist and my hair is very fine so I think that this has helped me get to waist.

[curiouskitty]

Thank you everyone! As many of you have suggested, I've purchased a satin sleeping cap yesterday, and tried it out.

What can I say? Success!

As always, I oiled my ends with coconut oil, and braided my hair (this time without the elastic at the end) and stuffed it in my sleeping cap and went to bed. For the first time in a while, I woke up this morning with silky smooth, untangled hair - it didn't dry out at all. And the best part was: the cap only cost three bucks. I'm very happy. :happydance:

[GlassWidow]

I feel like I'm getting a lot of breakage at the nape of my neck by putting my hair up to sleep. I have a satin pillowcase, and I might try a satin sleep cap, except I hate having things on my head at night. Those of you who have been there before - what do you think about pig-tails for sleep? I feel like the friction damage would be less if I had more than one place where the hair was secured...does that even make sense??

[Vivalagina]

Glad the satin cap is working. I'e been using a silk cap I got off esty for a while now and it has made a big difference in my ends.

[curiouskitty]

I know what you mean about the friction and the nape breakage. I used to wear my hair in pigtails to bed, but stopped because I didn't like the frizzy 'crimped' look I'd have the next morning (of course, this is only because I don't have a lot of hair, thus thinner braids, thus 'crimping'). Friction-wise though, I can see it doing less damage if the hair is parted to either side instead of all gathered to one side. Pigtails + sleep cap sounds like a good way to go.

[Madora]

I feel like I'm getting a lot of breakage at the nape of my neck by putting my hair up to sleep. I have a satin pillowcase, and I might try a satin sleep cap, except I hate having things on my head at night. Those of you who have been there before - what do you think about pig-tails for sleep? I feel like the friction damage would be less if I had more than one place where the hair was secured...does that even make sense??

GlassWidow, I wore dual braids for years until I switched to an inverted single braid bun, like this:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/32414Singlebraidbuntop.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/32414Singlebraidbuntop.jpg.html)

I found that the inverted single braid bun made detangling a breeze (I can detangle my knee length hair in less than 3 minutes, whereas it took 5 minutes to detangle when I wore dual braids).

[thefreakingmoon]

Right now I sleep with my hair in a bun, and I'm not too happy with the amount of tangles I still end up with... looks like I'll be looking into a satin sleep cap, since so many of you seem to have good results!

[GlassWidow]

Thank you kindly, Madora, for the response! May I just say, I have always been in awe of your hair. I will have to play around to see what I can make work with mine.

[Olympias7]

I usually sleep in a simple braid. Buns and updos seem to cause breakage if I sleep in them. I do not think I would like a cap so braids look like my best bet. I should try two instead of one..

[DreamSheep]

I'm also a fan of wearing two braids :) Sometimes I attach a sock to the end to protect the ends, but usually I can't be bothered :p

If you are worried about the crimping effect, you can also do rope braids, which will give a curlier look.

[almorin]

I also have found that a bun on top of my head works best for me. There is very little pulling on the hair, and I don’t have a knobby mound of hair between me and my pillow. Sleeping caps always come off of my head during the night.

[JellyBene]

I've found a satin sleep cap to be the best. You can get them at Walmart in the ethnic hair section.

[LarissaLuna]

I wear a high bun with a silk scarf around it.

[EmelieAnna]

I tend to wear my very layered hair in a french braid, with oil at the ends and on the braid itself so I cover all the ends at my shortest layers as well. The bun on the head as protection really doesn't work for me because I wear my hair up a lot, and I don't want to put on unnessecary strain at that exact place on my hair since it would cause more damage. The satin cap does sound intriguing, though. I really think I have to consider it. Although I'm not sure I would feel comfortable wearing it at night. How does it feel to sleep with? I imagine it must feel a little claustrophobic.

[MicheleZ]

I use a silk sleep cap - they even have long ones for people with very long hair - see the "long" sleep cap at the bottom of the page.

http://www.prettyanntoinets.com/sleep-caps/

[Lavendersugar]

Mine is almost APL and I pull it up into a high loose ponytail on the very top of my head. I use one of those small cloth scrunchies. I have straight hair with an oily scalp, this method lets me wakeup with less oil and volume. I do not get any odd crimp from it.
Also, have a satin pillowcase. Can't afford silk right now.

I would burn up at night with anything on my head. I run hot all the time.

[gwenalyn]

Mine is almost APL and I pull it up into a high loose ponytail on the very top of my head. I use one of those small cloth scrunchies. I have straight hair with an oily scalp, this method lets me wakeup with less oil and volume. I do not get any odd crimp from it.
Also, have a satin pillowcase. Can't afford silk right now.

I would burn up at night with anything on my head. I run hot all the time.

I do the same thing, and if the hair is very oily (i.e. with a pre-poo oiling) then I put it in a messy top-knot that WON'T come out.

[Nivine]

I wear it down and get in bed. that's all
But when it's oiled as pre-washing, I wrap it around my head and wear a plastic bag or shower cap and wrap a satin scarf around it.

[Cristina84]

i put it in a kind of bun and i use a satin pillow!

[MINAKO]

i make a high cinnabun, not too tight, and tie a silk scarf over it. i cant do the sleeping cap thing as i have a hard time falling asleep with anything near my face. but the scarf thing works well enough for me. i also havesilk pillow cases but dont use them religously.

[MINAKO]

GlassWidow, I wore dual braids for years until I switched to an inverted single braid bun, like this:

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/32414Singlebraidbuntop.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/32414Singlebraidbuntop.jpg.html)


I found that the inverted single braid bun made detangling a breeze (I can detangle my knee length hair in less than 3 minutes, whereas it took 5 minutes to detangle when I wore dual braids).


you go to bed looking like a an empress Madora! Now thats what i call classy and ladylike. :o

[bonbon58]

i tried the bun on top of head thing, but it hurts and pulls. maybe it's too loose??
a braid is the most comfortable :o i sleep on my side so it's not a problem

[MINAKO]

i tried the bun on top of head thing, but it hurts and pulls. maybe it's too loose??
a braid is the most comfortable :o i sleep on my side so it's not a problem

try it a tiny bit tighter and also try to use a toy of a wider size, like a fork, to distribute the tension. i usually dont feel it when iput my head on the pillow.

[yahirwaO.o]

i tried the bun on top of head thing, but it hurts and pulls. maybe it's too loose??
a braid is the most comfortable :o i sleep on my side so it's not a problem

I have the same issue, I cant stand anything high on my head without having a bit sore, heard it went away after a while, adjusting the level of tightness and so on.... after almost 5 years with somehow long hair, my scalps just complains and just dont like it. LOL

...and yeah a braid is the most comfortable and safe, but I have learned to just pull my hair over my pillow and no more problems there.

[Calypso]

I'm impressed by all of you who can sleep so comfortably in buns! I can, but they annoy me when I roll over. I find braids much more comfortable, and usually go for either one or two simple english braids. I sometimes experiment with new braids before bed, so I can try them out before wearing them outside!

[MsVenus]

I always wear satin bonnet over either a braid or a top knot

[meteor]

I tend to coil my braid above my head on the pillow. The longer the braid is, the less it moves as I toss and turn.

[endlessly]

The style that works best for me and also results in tons of gorgeous waves the next day, is several smaller braids all tied together in one larger braid. I section my hair into 6 medium-sized sections (my hair is ridiculously thick), do a 3-strand braid on each section, then braid it all together. As much as I would love to be able to only do one long braid, it always ends up getting caught around me at night, so my 6 braids help to shorten up the length quite a bit so I don't sit on my braid anymore!

I've tried wrapping my hair in scarves, sleep caps, you name it - but, they almost always come loose and they're honestly more of a hassle than they're worth. Ideally, I'd love to be able to sleep with my hair loose since that is the most comfortable, but the tangles just are not worth it - plus, I have 2 cats that insist on sleeping by my head every night and I don't want to deal with them chewing on my loose hair.

Since my hair is pretty coarse, the mini-braids hold very well until morning and I just use a non-metal hair tie to tie off the braid. In all, it takes me about 10 minutes to put up. And, just for an idea of the waves I can get, my profile picture is the morning after sleeping with them in.

[Diana_Prince]

I’ve had a satin pillow pillowcase for years but as my hair has gotten longer, it doesn’t help as much. Although I’ve been spoiled and can’t (or refuse? lol) cotton pillowcases. I used to wear pin curls at night so I know a satin scarf or sleep cap slides right off my head. So, tonight I’m trying something different. Milkmaid braids! I feel silly but as long as they stay in with my tossing& turning, are comfortable to sleep in and take care of my morning tangles....*fingers crossed*!

[Groovy Granny]

I use a satin pillowcase, apply Biosilk Lite Serum on the ends, and then make 2 braids.

Stay all night, is moisturized and gives me soft waves the next day.

I don't move much; the braids stay nestled in my neck and hang in front when I do turn on my side.

Come Summertime I may have to consider bunning them if it gets to be too hot :hmm:

My scalp gets painful with top knots ...I'll see how it goes!

[vpatt]

Are there more instructions for spidermom's sleep braid?