What do you do with your hair when you sleep?

[Hypnoteyes]

I used to put my hair in a pony and leave it at that, but I fear that is contributing to minor breakage and wisps around the nape of the neck. What do you all prefer to do with your when off to bed? Have you any sources that say leaving it down and loose is best?

[Frankenstein]

I put mine in a braid or bun and wear a satin bonnet over that. Leaving it down and loose is probably okay but would be best to use a silk or satin pillowcase to reduce friction.

[Decoy24601]

I sleep mostly on my back, so buns are out of the question for me, especially since top-knots hurt my scalp way too much. I'll either sleep with my hair loose (hanging off the back of the bed) or in a braid piled behind my pillow. I've been doing the latter almost every night for a couple months. I secure the braid with a hair tie (the kind that doesn't have any metal).

I don't have a satin pillowcase or sheets either (I honestly don't think it's that necessary, but YMMV). So far, braiding my hair at night has been enough for me.

[neko_kawaii]

I get scalp fatigue if I bun more than during daylight hours. For sleep I mostly toss it into a silk cap but when I oil overnight I braid it.

[Deborah]

Most of the folks on this list advise that it is best to not sleep in a pony tail. Whatever you use to hold the pony tail in place can cause hair breakage, and a pony tail puts a lot of pressure on the hairline. I sleep in a loose braid on a silk pillow case. I used to sleep with it down loose, but I get less tangles with the loose braid, so I think it is better for my hair.

[Tosca]

I leave it loose and flip the length over my pillow.

[Creaky_Girl]

I always sleep with mine in a braid - and always have done since I was small. I get far too many tangles sleeping with it any other way - I toss and turn a lot, and it would drive me insane!

The only downside to this is that occasionally I get dreams I am being strangled - I usually wake up to discover I've managed to wrap my plait round my neck and then lay on the end!

[Selzdaze]

I wear mine loose if damp, otherwise it never dries. Otherwise I try to wear two plaits down either side so that they aren't lumpy under my head. Sometimes I loosely wrap the length of my ponytail with fabric covered bands, so that it is all covered.

[Agnieszka]

Super soft velvet scrunchie on top of my head and on silk pillow. Always!

Coconut oil soak before morning wash.

[momschicklets]

I leave it loose and flip the length over my pillow.

This is exactly what I do

[rmani]

Braid. I find I move too much to leave it in a bun. My face is always oily so leaving it down contributes to this problem :o

[triumphator!]

I sleep in a damp french braid every night. It's pretty comfy, but always looks a mess when I wake up. Dutch braids are too poofy and make my neck uncomfortable.

[vampyyri]

English braid that looks pretty rough the next morning because I'm a restless sleeper, which is why I can't leave it down.

[irodaryne]

Currently two pigtail braids because my french braid is short enough that when I sleep on my back it bothers my neck. When my french brad gets longer I'll probably switch to that.

[HairPlease]

I recently purchased a silk sleeping cap - greatest hair idea I've ever had. I stuff it all up loose in there on top of my head. I wake up tangle free with plenty of body.

[Groovy Granny]

I use a satin pillow case and do a low loose ponytail that I flip over the pillow.
The ties are the soft, damage free type that slide easily down my ponytail if it needs adjusting.
I got a great deal on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BM4SLZ8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and use a new one each month when it starts to twist and I find a hair in it.

[Anje]

I have it either loose or braided in a satin sleep bonnet. Occasionally (like if I've got a headache), I'll just wear it braided, but then I often end up sleeping on it, or getting attacked by a cat.

[sarahthegemini]

I just take my hair down in the evening and sleep with it loose.

[Ellethwyn]

I wear it in a loose side braid and use a silk pillowcase.

[H o n є y ❤]

I apply conditioner to it, twist it up and then put on a satin scarf or bonnet.

[meteor]

I take the stick/fork out of my braided bun and just cover it with a silky scarf and place the bun above my head, so I can roll around. The bun gets undone overnight but the braid mostly stays in and I can even easily re-bun it in the morning.
But if I were sleeping on my back, I'd sleep with a side braid or 2 side braids.

I think if you feel the need to ponytail your hair to bed, I'd try to use a silky ribbon/scarf or a satin scrunchy, something soft... and I'd wrap the pony in a silky scarf to keep the length from bunching up and tangling.
If you sleep with hair loose and it's long, I'd try to make sure the length is laying/hanging undisturbed and either coiled or straight, to prevent tangling - maybe hanging down over the pillow or placed on silky material placed in the groove between mattress and headboard.
I think there are many hair-friendly and comfortable ways... :)

[Hypnoteyes]

Thank you for that link!

[Hypnoteyes]

Thank you everyone! It looks like a braid is the happiest compromise for me. I did read up on a satin pillow case...can't hurt either. I enjoyed reading all of these! Thank you each and everyone! xxxx

[maborosi]

I put it in a sleep cap.

But the weirdest thing has been happening to me lately. I've been having weird dreams where I pull my hair out of an updo, or if I have it tied up in a scarf, I 'll take it down to show it off...and I'll wake up in the morning to find that I've tossed my sleeping cap across the room.

I might need to figure something else out. Hm

[Doreen]

I also let it fall over the back of the pillow/bed. There's a small gap between the bed and the wall.

[wispe]

I most often go between a single french/dutch braid, a loose topknot, or loose and flipped over my pillow. (I'm a restless sleeper though, so loose is a mess)
When I pincurl overnight I either cover up with a scarf or sleep on my front to avoid frizzing my hair.

[Floh]

I wear a silk bonnet.

[BlueSky]

I wear an english braid and use a silky pillow case.

[Hairkay]

I generally keep my hair plaited/braided so there's mostly no change to be made for bed. I'll just put a satin bonnet over it.

[genlilliana]

I use satin pillowcases which help...I either bun loosely or pineapple my hair on top of my head with a satin scrunchie. My hair is so thick and heavy that I had to make my own scrunchies - super easy and super helpful. Between the pillowcase and the hair up I can say that my hair quality has improved greatly.

[RottenMango]

I sleep with it in a loose bun.