Temporary substitute for a sleeping cap?

[w0nderland]

Hello!

This is probably going to be a bit of a silly question, and I have tried to do a little searching but I can't find much so I wanted your advice.

My hair is nearly APL, so not long at all really but my ends are being horrendously brittle and tangling like crazy so my plan was to put some leave in conditioner, bun it for the rest of today, leave it in overnight and probably leave it in until after work tomorrow (I don't know if this is at all practical, or if there is a more effective way, please educate me if there is :') ) so basically 24 hours, partly because other than tonight I won't be able to wash my hair until after work. so it's either 1 hour leave in or 24.

so my question is what can I use overnight to stop my conditioner going everywhere and messing up my sheets, is there a style i can put it in to sleep that will help at all? or should I just wash it out after an hour or two?

Sorry if it's a really obvious question!

Thank you :)

[Anje]

Well, leave in conditioner, you can leave in, but I wouldn't use a ton of it and I personally don't think it does much for my hair.

If you want to deep condition, just do that.

I like SMTs for ends that need moisturized, enough that there's a link in my sig. No need to leave that in for ages, either. Most of your benefits are within the first half hour and beyond that it's just diminishing returns. So leave it in for 20-40 minutes, then rinse it out. Leaving your hair damp for 24 hours is unlikely to accomplish anything good.

Oh, clarify your hair before you start. Buildup can contribute to awful ends, and it's good to deep condition afterward anyway.

[w0nderland]

Well, leave in conditioner, you can leave in, but I wouldn't use a ton of it and I personally don't think it does much for my hair.

If you want to deep condition, just do that.

I like SMTs for ends that need moisturized, enough that there's a link in my sig. No need to leave that in for ages, either. Most of your benefits are within the first half hour and beyond that it's just diminishing returns. So leave it in for 20-40 minutes, then rinse it out. Leaving your hair damp for 24 hours is unlikely to accomplish anything good.

Oh, clarify your hair before you start. Buildup can contribute to awful ends, and it's good to deep condition afterward anyway.

Oh my mistake it is a deep conditioner.
I had a look at the link (Thank you!) I need to invest in some aloe gel then I will definitely be giving it a go, this is just an attempt at somewhat fixing the issue with what I have.
I think I have head and shoulders 2-in-1 so I'll give that a go first.

Thank you for all the help! :)

[Anje]

Uh, 2-in-1 isn't even conditioner. It's shampoo with some extra silicones. Get yourself a bottle of Suave or something.

Edit: Almost everyone with long hair needs separate shampoo and conditioner. This is probably contributing to why your ends are feeling dry. You need shampoo to clean your scalp (and except when clarifying, it shouldn't really go lower on your hair than the nape of your neck). Conditioner will moisturize the length, and most people prefer to only use it from about the ears down. These don't need to be fancy -- I seriously use the grocery store Suave Naturals most of the time, which run under $2 each for the big family-size bottles.

[meteor]

How about covering your pillowcase with a couple towels and covering your bun with a plastic cap? If your hair doesn't fit into a plastic shower cap, standard grocery bags work fine.

But personally, I'm not a fan of overnight wet treatments - sure, they always add more softness from hair staying wet for so long, but I don't think keeping hair water-logged for so long is beneficial for it, and keeping scalp wet can be an issue for sensitive scalps or scalps prone to SD, for example. Also, it's very hard to get a good night's sleep that way IMHO. :flower:

If you want to do an overnight treatment, why not go for an overnight oil soak (using a towel over a pillowcase to protect it)? Oils aren't as drippy and bothersome at night as conditioners over wet hair and oils do normally need more time to penetrate. And there is research that shows that it can be pretty beneficial for hair as a pre-wash overnight treatment: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf

And these 2 posts talk about the effect of time on conditioning and how most ingredients don't really need a lot of time to penetrate or adhere: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-effect-of-time-and.html and http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/01/deep-conditioning-part-ii.html

[w0nderland]

Uh, 2-in-1 isn't even conditioner. It's shampoo with some extra silicones. Get yourself a bottle of Suave or something.

Edit: Almost everyone with long hair needs separate shampoo and conditioner. This is probably contributing to why your ends are feeling dry. You need shampoo to clean your scalp (and except when clarifying, it shouldn't really go lower on your hair than the nape of your neck). Conditioner will moisturize the length, and most people prefer to only use it from about the ears down. These don't need to be fancy -- I seriously use the grocery store Suave Naturals most of the time, which run under $2 each for the big family-size bottles.

I don't use head and shoulders. I was saying that for the clarifying as I've heard it can be used. I use separate shampoo and conditioner. I have a deep conditioner that I was going to use because my ends are dry, most likely from friction or in need of a trim but I wanted to give it a try first

[w0nderland]

How about covering your pillowcase with a couple towels and covering your bun with a plastic cap? If your hair doesn't fit into a plastic shower cap, standard grocery bags work fine.

But personally, I'm not a fan of overnight wet treatments - sure, they always add more softness from hair staying wet for so long, but I don't think keeping hair water-logged for so long is beneficial for it, and keeping scalp wet can be an issue for sensitive scalps or scalps prone to SD, for example. Also, it's very hard to get a good night's sleep that way IMHO. :flower:

If you want to do an overnight treatment, why not go for an overnight oil soak (using a towel over a pillowcase to protect it)? Oils aren't as drippy and bothersome at night as conditioners over wet hair and oils do normally need more time to penetrate. And there is research that shows that it can be pretty beneficial for hair as a pre-wash overnight treatment: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf

And these 2 posts talk about the effect of time on conditioning and how most ingredients don't really need a lot of time to penetrate or adhere: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-effect-of-time-and.html and http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/01/deep-conditioning-part-ii.html

Hello!

That's very helpful thanks, I was considering putting an old top over my pillow case or something like that, the plastic wrap is a good shout!
I'll definitely look into oil soaks, I've been meaning to start getting some oils for ages I just never have the time and I'll check out that link, thanks!

[gthlvrmx]

I don't use head and shoulders. I was saying that for the clarifying as I've heard it can be used. I use separate shampoo and conditioner. I have a deep conditioner that I was going to use because my ends are dry, most likely from friction or in need of a trim but I wanted to give it a try first

For clarifying, you might be better off using a clarifying shampoo, which is a shampoo specifically made to strip off all product residue and build up and maybe some other things. Usually the bottle will say "Clarifying shampoo" when it's a clarifier. Clarifying shampoos are a bit different from regular shampoos (and at times can be a bit harsh, really good at cleaning your hair), which is why you don't use them every day.

[Whirled_peas]

A tee shirt tied tightly.