Sleeping in a Paranda?

[Kaelbu]

Normally, I leave my hair loose when I go to bed, as most sleep styles just aren't comfortable to me.

However, I just slept in a (cheap, homemade, acrylic yarn) paranda braid last night. I'd just made it and braided it into my hair to test it out late at night. Because I liked it and didn't want to take it out yet, I let it help me skip a wash with my shower. Then, it was time to sleep...

It was super comfy! My hair stayed together, didn't rub all over my pillow and tangle, and I was able to throw it in a lazy wrap bun in the morning without messing with it. It's still in there now, actually!

I've only done it this once, so now is the time to ask whether there's anything inherently damaging about wearing a yarn paranda to bed? More damaging than leaving it loose, that is? I probably won't do it every night, but thought it was an encouraging way to stretch my washes (from every 2nd to every 3rd day to start). If it helps prevent a little damage, that would be great, too!

[meteor]

Sounds great! :thumbsup: What's great about a paranda is that the tying off is gentler than with elastics.

The biggest risks I can imagine with a paranda would be:
1) Weight - Does it feel heavy at all? Does it ever pull on your follicles? Depending on how you sleep, it might pull... If so, I'd use a silky ribbon instead (weave it into the braid like a "paranda" and tie it off at the end)
2) Material - How smooth is it? Traditional yarn is a bit rough, not as silky as hair, so rubbing against hair on the pillow (especially if you are a restless sleeper) can cause some frizz and maybe roughing up the cuticle and potentially some mechanical damage? If so, I'd use a thin silky scarf or ribbon instead of a full yarn paranda.

[Kaelbu]

Thanks for the response! It's actually really lightweight, and doesn't feel any heavier than my hair normally does.

The mechanical damage was my main concern. I may need to go find something more slippery, because the yarn is quite a bit more rough than my hair.

[Anje]

Sounds fine to me. I've made and slept in a little half-length paranda which I just add in closer to my ends so I can braid past them. That cuts a ton of weight, too. My parandas are just acrylic, but I condition them if they feel less than silky.