Sleeping with my hair up?

[LadyMantis]

So I know you're supposed to wear your hair up as much as possible to prevent split ends. But does this also apply when you're sleeping? If so, I have NO idea how I will keep my hair up in a gentle manner while I sleep because my hair is thick.

[Aderyn]

Oftentimes, yes. For most people, sleeping with loose hair leads to lots and lots of tangles. Try draping your hair over one edge of the bed (if long enough), in a braid (or two braids), in a sleep cap, or in a bun seem to be the most common choices. I prefer to wear my hair in a bun, secured with a Ficcare (or a vertical flexi-8/fork) or in just a braid.

[Monkshood]

I've found a single braid to be most comfortable. I just throw it above my head over the pillow and I'm good to know. I don't do it to prevent damage as much as to not wake up with a rat's nest on my head.

[hananabread]

Many people use spin pins and put their hair in a high bun above their head, and others put their hair in a braid. There are probably many other ideas that may work for you that can be found on LHC. My understanding is that wearing hair contained while you sleep will prevent damage from detangling in the morning. Silk pillow cases or sleep caps will help your hair retain moisture and will also help with friction if you move while you sleep.

Sorry if this is redundant information. I took too long to reply, and others have responded. I do not know how to delete my post.

[PalomaSincera]

I have a relevant question too.

Can I sleep in a pony tail? My hair is CBL.

[Aderyn]

Many people use spin pins and put their hair in a high bun above their head, and others put their hair in a braid. There are probably many other ideas that may work for you that can be found on LHC. My understanding is that wearing hair contained while you sleep will prevent damage from detangling in the morning. Silk pillow cases or sleep caps will help your hair retain moisture and will also help with friction if you move while you sleep.

Sorry if this is redundant information. I took too long to reply, and others have responded. I do not know how to delete my post.

No need to delete your post, it's full of really great information and definitely not redundant!

[Larki]

I have a relevant question too.

Can I sleep in a pony tail? My hair is CBL.

I'd avoid ponytails, personally, because it might cause breakage - although, maybe not if you use a thick, soft scrunchie so there isn't a ton of pressure on a small part of your hair all night, rubbing around on your pillow.

[Remi]

I used to sleep with a braid, but now I have longer hair I put on a silk sleeping cap and leave it loose inside. It doesn't tangle at all.

[neko_kawaii]

One thing I found while experimenting with what to do with my hair while sleeping was that my scalp ached in buns much more during the day if I also bunned at night. Now I use a sleep cap.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Sleeping caps are just the best because you can have your hair down and give your follicles a rest during the night and your hair is confined and so protected from tangles and damage while you sleep. Also you don't have to try sleeping on a bump or a lump caused by a bun or ponytail.

[Remi]

Yes! This exactly :)
Sleeping caps are just the best because you can have your hair down and give your follicles a rest during the night and your hair is confined and so protected from tangles and damage while you sleep. Also you don't have to try sleeping on a bump or a lump caused by a bun or ponytail.

[Monkshood]

I would probably try a sleep cap if I didn't have a live-in boyfriend. I feel undesirable enough with the Turbie Twist...!

[LadyMantis]

I've found a single braid to be most comfortable. I just throw it above my head over the pillow and I'm good to know. I don't do it to prevent damage as much as to not wake up with a rat's nest on my head.

To me, that sounds like an awesome solution, but my hair isn't long enough to braid and throw it above my head over the pillow yet! lol. Maybe I should just try a braid?

[Monkshood]

Sure. I do that with mine because at this length it has a tendency to wrap itself around my neck or get trapped under me... but I've always just slept with a braid since my hair has been long enough to be braided. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase, but to be honest, I don't think it has made a difference for my hair. It sure feels nicer than cotton, though!

[nowxisxforever]

Your mileage may vary; I can't really sleep with my hair 'down' (around my body) unless it's braided, and even then it's uncomfortable because I'll roll over on it.

I don't put it up, either, though - I toss it over the top of my pillows. I've been doing this since it was about waist length, and it stays relatively un-knotted and easy to comb in the morning.

I'd suggest wearing yours in pigtails if you're a back sleeper, or one braid if you're a side sleeper, if you can't toss it over your pillow. It helps. :)

[Aderyn]

I can handle wearing a normal bun to bed, mainly because I sleep on my side so I never have to deal with the bun lump preventing me from sleeping.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I would probably try a sleep cap if I didn't have a live-in boyfriend. I feel undesirable enough with the Turbie Twist...!

I have one of those (a live-in boyfriend). He thinks my sleeping cap is really cute. I did hesitate for a while before letting him see me wearing it, but when he did see it he was just fine about it.

[neko_kawaii]

I have one of those (a live-in boyfriend). He thinks my sleeping cap is really cute. I did hesitate for a while before letting him see me wearing it, but when he did see it he was just fine about it.

My husband calls it my "You are going to sleep now?!" hat, because I put it on before I go to sleep, and sometimes I go to sleep very early. (He also goes to sleep very early sometimes, only he doesn't provide any signals, just quietly disappears to the bedroom and we assume he is reading until I go back there for some reason and discover he has a pillow over his head.)

And after all, we want a partner who will still appreciate us when we are old and wrinkly and complaining about our sciatica. If putting a poof on my head makes me undesirable, I'm in trouble.

[Magalo]

I do a loose english braid. It was the first LHC step I took: protecting my hair while I sleep. :) If I sleep on my back, I just put it on the side I braided it so I don't feel it. I tried a bun, but it gives me horrible headaches!

[Nannanej]

I do a cinnabun right on top of my head and secure it with four small claw clips. I try to place it so that when I'm on my back, it just barely rests on the pillow without getting in the way. I also try to get it as wide/flat as I can so the weight is distributed evenly and it doesn't pull. I find this method really comfortable, and it works pretty much no matter which position I'm sleeping in, which is good, because I tend to switch a lot between different ones..

[Agnes Hannah]

A loose side English plait for me, unsecured and put into my silk sleep cap. Feels good, no stray hairs to attack me in the middle of the night and no snarls or tangles in the morning. Everyone is different and have different methods of securing their hair or not. Whatever works for you, which may change over the course of time. When I first began to grow out, I used to flick mine over my pillow, but that no longer works for me.

[Nadine <3]

I just wear mine in a french braid. I tried the whole sleep cap thing(I have 4 different ones that I tried for a full week each) and I honestly found them to be so uncomfortable. I had troubles fall asleep in them and when I'd wake up they'd be off my head, usually on the floor. A few times my boyfriend actually watched me sit up in my sleep, remove the cap, fold it, and then put it on the night stand. All while sleeping! So those don't work for me. I do love my silk pillow cases though!

[Anje]

My husband calls it my "You are going to sleep now?!" hat, because I put it on before I go to sleep, and sometimes I go to sleep very early. (He also goes to sleep very early sometimes, only he doesn't provide any signals, just quietly disappears to the bedroom and we assume he is reading until I go back there for some reason and discover he has a pillow over his head.)

And after all, we want a partner who will still appreciate us when we are old and wrinkly and complaining about our sciatica. If putting a poof on my head makes me undesirable, I'm in trouble.
Heh, all of this. My sleep bonnet may be stupid-looking and unflattering, but loving you when you aren't at your best is what partners are for, right? Besides, if I didn't wear the sleep bonnet, he'd see me get up in the morning with my hair tangled and every which-way; hardly an improvement!

[sarahthegemini]

I just wear mine in a peacock -french twist hybrid secured with a claw clip. I've tried sleep caps but always thought the tie was causing too much friction. They didn't really do much for me, and now I'm living with my bf, they are a definite no-no. I'm not ready to look like a 50 year old!

[LeMimi13]

Where can you get a sleeping cap?

[Larki]

Where can you get a sleeping cap?

I got mine from https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdorabellaBaby?ref=search_shop_redirect
It's expensive but it's worth it IMO because I don't think I'll ever need another one. I've had mine since September and it's still in perfect condition, the elastic hasn't worn out or anything. It helps my hair be frizz-free SO MUCH. I love it. I also have a matching eye mask which, in addition to blocking out light, keeps the sleep cap on my head no matter what position I sleep in (I move a lot in my sleep)

[Anje]

Where can you get a sleeping cap?
I've gotten a couple over the years, at Walmart and Walgreens. They tend to be in the "ethnic haircare" area, and the ones I've gotten are cheap polyester satin. But they're slippery and I like them much more than sleeping on a polyester satin pillowcase. (Also, my hair never stays on a pillowcase anyway, and it defeats the purpose when I discover the next morning that I've been sleeping on top of my braid on flannel sheets.)

[Shepherdess]

I usually just wear my hair in an English braid and sleeping cap. :)

I think it might be a satin cap, which I got for cheap at Wal-Mart. I would like to get a silk one someday.

[Monkshood]

My husband calls it my "You are going to sleep now?!" hat, because I put it on before I go to sleep, and sometimes I go to sleep very early. (He also goes to sleep very early sometimes, only he doesn't provide any signals, just quietly disappears to the bedroom and we assume he is reading until I go back there for some reason and discover he has a pillow over his head.)

And after all, we want a partner who will still appreciate us when we are old and wrinkly and complaining about our sciatica. If putting a poof on my head makes me undesirable, I'm in trouble.

Just to be clear: my boyfriend wouldn't really care and if I wanted to wear a sleep cap, I would wear one regardless of what he thinks. No, I'm the one with the hangup. At worst he might shake his head and say I look stupid, but hey, I feel the same way about his eye mask.

[Zebra Fish]

A braid on top of my head. Lay on the pillow, toss the hair over it and braid that way (ok, I finish it in front of my face, coz my arms are not long enough :p). After, leave the braid over the pillow and you are allowed to turn during the night - it will mostly stay there. Actually, recently I caught myself that sometimes when I turn during the night, I unknowingly check if it needs to be put over the pillow again :o

[mamaherrera]

I just wear mine in a french braid. I tried the whole sleep cap thing(I have 4 different ones that I tried for a full week each) and I honestly found them to be so uncomfortable. I had troubles fall asleep in them and when I'd wake up they'd be off my head, usually on the floor. A few times my boyfriend actually watched me sit up in my sleep, remove the cap, fold it, and then put it on the night stand. All while sleeping! So those don't work for me. I do love my silk pillow cases though!

That made me laugh. Sounds just like me. Those darn sleep caps!!
Now I have one, that I like, but it doesn't work with loose hair because it's so big, that it falls off. but I can't find the darn thing!!

[Anje]

I just wear mine in a french braid. I tried the whole sleep cap thing(I have 4 different ones that I tried for a full week each) and I honestly found them to be so uncomfortable. I had troubles fall asleep in them and when I'd wake up they'd be off my head, usually on the floor. A few times my boyfriend actually watched me sit up in my sleep, remove the cap, fold it, and then put it on the night stand. All while sleeping! So those don't work for me. I do love my silk pillow cases though!
You're much more sedate than I am! When I first started trying to wear one, I would apparently rip it off in the night and fling it across the room. XD I think it took 2 weeks before I stopped doing that regularly.

[longsword]

I usually wear my hair in a single braid. Well last night I tried a sleep cap. One of the cheap ones. The band that goes around the head was so tight I had to take it off . I felt blood rushing back to my scalp. Freedom!
I will have to try securing it to a loose bun or something.

[Lauraes]

I've flung a claw clip out of my hair in the middle of the night. :p I saw that some people clip a bun on top of their head and sleep that way, but I found it way too uncomfortable.
What I do now (and it'll probably stay this way) is I put my hair in a satin sleep cap and use a satin pillowcase to add extra softness and in case the cap falls off, which it sometimes does because I have a small head, lol. Sometimes I leave my hair loose in the cap, or braid/bun it. Just depends on what I feel like doing that day. Before I got the sleep cap or pillowcase, an english braid would prevent tangles pretty well on the length, although the hair on my head would still get fuzzy and slightly knotted. When I first got the sleep cap, I hated how it felt, but after a few days, it barely bothered me anymore.

ETA: I noticed that some people refuse to wear sleep caps because they make you look old. Mine is zebra print, as is my satin pillowcase, and probably makes me look 12! Just thought that was funny.

[starfire]

The sleeping caps sound cute, but do your heads get too warm with them on?

[gthlvrmx]

Yes wearing your up also applies when you are sleeping. If you can, try making a small loose braid on top of your head and secure them with spin pins. Hairsticks might break in your sleep and might be uncomfortable when you turn. Or maybe you can do twin braids and sleep with that.

[Vivalagina]

I loooove my silk sleep bonnet from adorabellababy on etsy. It took a while for me to adjust and find the right tension on the elastic tie (it's adjustable) but now it's perfect and my hair looks so much better in the morning. Plus my head stays cool because the silk is breathable.

[cat11]

I personally use a sleep cap and I vary whats inside- sometimes loose, sometimes a single loose english braid tied with a scrunchie. Sometimes twin braids tied off with nothing (being in the cap keeps them together enough just to prevent tangles, and since they aren't tied and can move if I need to I think theres' less friction/pulling damage possiblility than with tight braids, or from hair ties onthe ends repeatedly...

if I have forgotten my sleep cap somewhere I sleep with it in a bun on the top of my head

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I loooove my silk sleep bonnet from adorabellababy on etsy. It took a while for me to adjust and find the right tension on the elastic tie (it's adjustable) but now it's perfect and my hair looks so much better in the morning. Plus my head stays cool because the silk is breathable.

I love mine too! I look about 50 wearing it. Oh, wait, I AM 50!:p

[Pat Wright]

My husband calls it my "You are going to sleep now?!" hat, because I put it on before I go to sleep, and sometimes I go to sleep very early. (He also goes to sleep very early sometimes, only he doesn't provide any signals, just quietly disappears to the bedroom and we assume he is reading until I go back there for some reason and discover he has a pillow over his head.)

And after all, we want a partner who will still appreciate us when we are old and wrinkly and complaining about our sciatica. If putting a poof on my head makes me undesirable, I'm in trouble.

Well Said!

[lapushka]

I wear it up 24/7, except at night. I sleep with it loose (contained under my head as I sleep).