Does braiding damage hair?

[kysgrl]

I have been braiding my hair at night and every other day to prevent damage (and strangulation while I sleep) But Im not so sure its actually helping anymore. Can braiding hair cause damage? Its just one single braid down the back. Not too tight not too loose.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

If your braid is loose in the bed as you sleep it will be getting friction from rubbing on the bedclothes. Have you tried putting it in a silky/satiny sleeping cap ?

[kysgrl]

If your braid is loose in the bed as you sleep it will be getting friction from rubbing on the bedclothes. Have you tried putting it in a silky/satiny sleeping cap ?

I have tried but it doesnt stay on well and leads to poor sleep quality for me. I was wearing it loose when I slept but I *thought* I would have less damage braiding it (and sleep less hot too)

[7thOfTheDamned]

Braiding for sleep is definitely less damaging for me personally, and the sleep cap thing never worked for me. But I have seen people have damage from braiding in the same place and the same way too frequently. I try to change up where my braid starts - sometimes off to the left, sometimes off to the right, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Sometimes I do two braids instead of just one. Try some different things and see if that lessens the amount of damage you're seeing.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

You could try a silk pillowcase or even silk sheets as well. Or a pineapple bun - a bun right on top of your head so that the majority of your hair isn't really touching your pillow at all.

[squirrrel]

Mmmmm... Or how about two braids and milkmaid it? That would have similar effect to pineapple bun I would imagine...

[Shibe]

Braiding definitely still left my hair open to damage. Now I clip it up or use a parandi along with a satin pillow cover.

[Stiria]

It seems to be very individual. I have been braiding my hair at night for years, and have noticed no damage from it. I use a satin parandi to tie it off, as I don't want to use an elastic every night.

[meteor]

I have been braiding my hair at night and every other day to prevent damage (and strangulation while I sleep) But Im not so sure its actually helping anymore. Can braiding hair cause damage? Its just one single braid down the back. Not too tight not too loose.

I guess it depends on how you braid and what exactly you do with that braid.
If you let it loose during daytime activities, there is all that friction from chairs, clothing, etc to be concerned about.
But if you just pin or coil your braid over your head and pillow at night, I don't see any problem. The braid keeps it contained and hopefully tangle-free and the coiling it above your head keeps you from rolling over it.
If you can't keep a sleep cap on at night, consider silk/satin pillowcases or just wrap your braid in a silk scarf. :)

[Nadine <3]

I have been braiding my hair at night for roughly two years now and for the first year I was getting damaged ends so I switched out the hair ties I was using. I was using the tiny silicone ones and they where hard on my ends, so I switched to the little terry cloth ties generally used on toddlers and my ends have been MUCH happier since.

[meteor]

^ Great point about the hair ties! They need to be non-damaging: pantyhose rings, silk ribbons, scrunchies... are all fine. Avoid those super-tight silicone ties or ties with metal.
Personally, I don't even tie off my braids when I sleep with my hair braided or when I pin braids up in an updo. Sure, they'll unravel a bit at night, but I don't mind. :)

[Raventresses]

I've found lately that no matter what I do with my hair at night, by morning it's a disaster. Half the hair gets pulled out from my constant tossing and turning and then forms little tangles. There's definitely more breakage lately, but i's directly tied to my poor sleep habits. I used to sleep like a rock and my hair was never an issue.

[brickworld13]

I have worse problems with hair in the winter than in summer. All those fuzzy warm blankets cuz lots of tangles and lint.

[Sharysa]

It depends a LOT on your hair-type. I LOVE braids because my hair is way too heavy and thick for buns to be practical, and I got to hip length in about three years by braiding my hair.

I don't get the friction problem that a lot of people get with braids, especially not with a single braid--it's so heavy that it mostly stays put during the day. XD

[Hairkay]

Braids in bed are find for me as long as I put a satiny hair cap on. I've tried having two plaits/braids for a long time and the centre part got some hairs broken off from the friction on the cotton case pillow hence the night cap now.

[Anje]

For me, tying off braids can be damaging. Lately, I'm actually having more luck with those colorful disposable "poly" elastics than anything else. The silicone ones eat my hair alive, and even my beloved terry ones seem determined to kink some of the hairs badly. Parandas can be a great work-around for this, though then your hair tends to be even longer, heavier, and swingier.

Braids require babysitting, compared to buns. They're better than loose hair in terms of not getting into things, but they still can sneak under bag straps, between backs and chairs, into the paws of playful cats or children, into your cooking... I've even seen a horror story around here about a braid getting half-eaten by a goat while still attached to its owner!

[Doreen]

I think you have to gauge how much you toss and turn in the night. Personally, I don't experience much noticeable damage from the one English braid but that is mostly because I fall asleep and wake up in basically the same positions. You just need to see what works best with the way you sleep and position it from there!

[Hairkay]

I think you have to gauge how much you toss and turn in the night. Personally, I don't experience much noticeable damage from the one English braid but that is mostly because I fall asleep and wake up in basically the same positions. You just need to see what works best with the way you sleep and position it from there!

I'm a tosser, turner and a kicker (have had a few embarrassing times when I fell out of bed) who sometimes puts covers over my head so just having satin pillows won't work for me. Fortunately for me kinky curly hair will stay braided or mostly braided in bed without hair ties/bands. Without braids, and night cap, There'd be a massive amount of hair breakage each night.

[swearnsue]

No matter how you wear your hair at night, you HAVE to have a satin pillowcase. Just my opinion of course. They are easy to hand wash and dry quickly. Some of my best ones I bought second hand for 1$ each!

[Hairkay]

No matter how you wear your hair at night, you HAVE to have a satin pillowcase. Just my opinion of course. They are easy to hand wash and dry quickly. Some of my best ones I bought second hand for 1$ each!

No hand washing for me, allergies and I need to keep as much natural fibres near to my skin as possible due to skin problems and the allergies. Silk is just too expensive to ruin with hair oil and creams that I need to use.

[QMacrocarpa]

I think my ends have been happier since I stopped tying off my sleep braid (and all my other braids, for that matter). I know not all hair-types will stay (mostly) braided without an elastic, but if yours does, it's worth a try.

[Anje]

No matter how you wear your hair at night, you HAVE to have a satin pillowcase. Just my opinion of course. They are easy to hand wash and dry quickly. Some of my best ones I bought second hand for 1$ each!

Not for me. My hair rarely is ON the pillowcase to begin with. When I slept with it braided, it was most likely squashed somewhere under my body, or trying to wrap around my neck if I was turning a lot. Heck, I'll only give it a 75% chance that I'll fall asleep using the pillow at all.

Sleep bonnet was the obvious answer, in my case. Took a week or two to not wake up to discover that I had thrown it across the room, but it keeps the odds of strangulation by braid to a minimum.

[Shibe]

I need a good sleep bonnet myself. I tried to hand sew one and really messed up the band, so I would wake up with it off my head!

[cathair]

For me, tying off braids can be damaging. Lately, I'm actually having more luck with those colorful disposable "poly" elastics than anything else. The silicone ones eat my hair alive, and even my beloved terry ones seem determined to kink some of the hairs badly. Parandas can be a great work-around for this, though then your hair tends to be even longer, heavier, and swingier.

Braids require babysitting, compared to buns. They're better than loose hair in terms of not getting into things, but they still can sneak under bag straps, between backs and chairs, into the paws of playful cats or children, into your cooking... I've even seen a horror story around here about a braid getting half-eaten by a goat while still attached to its owner!

LOL that happened to be when I was about 12, well, with a ponytail. Got a photo of the goat eating it! I thought it was really funny at the time and let it carry on. How times change...

I've been sleeping with my hair braided. It does helps with not tangling. Don't tie it off with anything, that causes me load of white dots and splits. My hair stays braided on it's own fine, even in the day when I am up and about.

I am suspicious that it is causing breakage much higher up after doing this for a while now. Probably from tossing and turning so much. Mixing in with the hairs around my face that never get much longer, like fluffy layers. I know I should wear a sleep cap with it, which would probably help with this. But mine are not comfortable enough and I am having enough trouble sleeping without that problem. Braiding seems like the lesser or two evils compared to tangles at the moment. Don't think I could sleep with it down any more.

[sarah.j.xx]

I've been noticing some damage on my ends from wearing my hair braided to bed, but I'm planning on buying a satin pillowcase to help prevent the damage. Maybe that could help you too. :)

[redtuss]

A tip for us who can't get the stupid cap to stay on the head - put it over the ends of your brad and secure with a scrunchie, it actually stays put! (or at least it does for me) and your ends are protected :D

[redtuss]

LOL that happened to be when I was about 12, well, with a ponytail. Got a photo of the goat eating it! I thought it was really funny at the time and let it carry on. How times change...

I've been sleeping with my hair braided. It does helps with not tangling. Don't tie it off with anything, that causes me load of white dots and splits. My hair stays braided on it's own fine, even in the day when I am up and about.

I am suspicious that it is causing breakage much higher up after doing this for a while now. Probably from tossing and turning so much. Mixing in with the hairs around my face that never get much longer, like fluffy layers. I know I should wear a sleep cap with it, which would probably help with this. But mine are not comfortable enough and I am having enough trouble sleeping without that problem. Braiding seems like the lesser or two evils compared to tangles at the moment. Don't think I could sleep with it down any more.

Lol at the goat-story! XD Must've been priceless!

I just wanted to say that I am very jealous that you don't need to tie off your braid... that sounds wonderful! If I don't tie them off it unbraids itself in seconds, well.. maybe minutes!

[endlessly]

Technically, anything you do to your hair will cause some form of damage unfortunately. I've found that when I used to sleep with my hair loose, I had a tremendous amount of damage mostly as a result of trying to detangle the following morning whereas with braiding, I don't have the same knots and tangles. However, depending on your bed sheets, pajamas, blankets, pillow cases - really anything - you can cause unwanted friction which will give that frayed look to your braid and result in some damage. While I know that I'm probably causing some damage by braiding, it's just so much easier versus wearing it loose.

Some helpful tips: frequently change your braid type or where it's positioned (don't wear the same braid style every single day), sleep on silky pillow cases or use a silky scarf/sleep cap on your hair at night to help eliminate friction, you can also put some oil in your hair before braiding to help it stay together overnight plus get a hair treatment all at the same time - if you use only a small amount, you don't have to worry about it transferring to your sheets during the night, etc.

Another one that most might not take into consideration is to be conscientious of where your braid is during the night. If you sleep on your back and your braid is beneath you, every time you move around, you're going to rough up the braid. If you can, pull the braid up in such a way to avoid any excess friction.

However, even with all the tips you receive, keep one thing in mind: whether or not you're actually going to be able to sleep. It's really easy to offer advice, but it just might not be comfortable enough for you to sleep that way and if that's the case, just try a few different things to see what works best for you. Personally, I braid my hair into 6 medium sized braids, then braid it all together and that's the only way I can sleep. One large braid gets caught around me all night and it's far from comfortable!

Best of luck!

[Remi]

Like some others have said, a silk sleeping cap!

[brickworld13]

Endlessly, I like your suggestions. They are great. Oil and/or damp braiding does keep braids together better, BUT I have noticed that oiled hair has a tendency to pick up more lint. More lint ultimately causes tangles for me.

[gwenalyn]

As you might have gleaned from the variety of responses, it is very individual. My hair tangles more after being braided, so I sleep in a loose top-knot or ponytail on top of my head. The hair tie usually comes out sometime in the middle of the night but it doesn't seem to matter much.

I never experimented much with different kinds of hair ties, but it makes sense that different hair ties cause more or less damage. When I experimented, briefly, with sleep braids, I also used the little rubber ones Nadine mentioned and I also got more damage, but at the time I didn't have much of a choice because my hair was shorter and more layered and nothing else would hold.

However, I quite like the aesthetics of braids, and I like braiding, and I think they are very practical (i.e., when you have to wear a helmet), so during the day I often wear braids anyway and just bite the damage bullet. After all, one of my main hair goals is to be able to do a nice side braid.