I Love my Slumber Net

[cathair]

I've been using a slumber net for a week and a half now and I thought I would post about it because it's going really well :)

I don't really get on with sleep caps very well, especially in summer. I always wake up with the band falling down into my eyes, which gives me a headache or migraine for the rest of the day.

I had been putting my hair into a side braid pulled to my left, but it had been causing breakage on the right side of my head. Quite a lot of it.

It was necessary because if I do nothing and leave my hair down, I end up with one dreadlock in the morning. Especially with my thin ends. I am not a good sleeper. I toss and turn all night, my fitness band often tells me 97% of people sleep better than me :/

I've become more determined not to break any hair higher up now I have started trimming it. So I finally got round to trying a slumber net:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4382/36370562950_9e98cc17da_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/XpWDey)20170824_022106 (https://flic.kr/p/XpWDey) by Cat Hair (https://www.flickr.com/photos/132137951@N03/), on Flickr

I think their original purpose was to put over rollers when you are sleeping. For those short curly hair styles older ladies often sported in the past. They're quite big, very soft and very stretchy.

To put it on, I've been leaning my head forward so my face is parallel with the floor. Making a vague bun with no pins, and lying it on the back of my head. Then putting the net on like a swimming cap like this:

http://blogoscoped.com/files/speedo-swim-cap.gif

and letting the bun fall apart underneath.

Results have been good!

Pros



Hair is smoother
Very few tangles, no dreadlocks
No hair has got tangled in the net
Nearly all of it stays under the net
It's not hot or sweaty
Doesn't mark my forehead
Does't give me headaches
Feeling of still wearing something on my head when I take it off goes much quicker than a sleep cap
It only fallen off once on the second day
They're so cheap. If one gets a bit manky or wears out, I wouldn't think twice about replacing it
It's low effort. Even lower effort my side braid was, so hopefully I won't get lazy about it


Cons



It's fugly. But fortunately my cat doesn't seem to mind!
They will catch on nails when putting them on, if nails aren't completely smooth
They probably will stretch a lot over time


There's another brand that make slumber nets with a chin strap, they were going to be my next port of call if this one didn't stay on. They have an interesting section on their website about why they believe hairnets work:


Discomfort factors – restricted air flow
Hairnets that overly encase the head (such as cap style), or are worn in conjunction with other headwear (double-layering) are directly interfering with the body’s natural thermoregulation. Heat build-up, moisture and irritation are the result and this encourages the wearer to touch and fidget, inflating the chance of dislodging otherwise stable hair.

http://www.lionhaircare.co.uk/hair-science

It's actually about hairnet use in food hygiene situations, but it might give an explanation why sleep caps are harder to keep on.

Might not work for you, or for everyone, but I'm so pleased with this solution so far after ages of struggling. So I thought I should share :)

[embee]

Oh my, I've not seen one of those in forever! Yes, they were to go over rollers. Very good idea, to use it as a slumber net. Are these available at local shops or do you need to go to a Sally's?

[julee]

Thanks so much for posting this! I found it very interesting, because I work in a restaurant and have struggled with wearing a fabric skull cap in the past (too hot, doesn't stay on properly, makes my updo messier etc) Also since my hair has grown a bit it does tangle more at night. A satin pillowcase used to be good enough but not anymore and hairsticks fall out so I may just try this.

[cathair]

Oh my, I've not seen one of those in forever! Yes, they were to go over rollers. Very good idea, to use it as a slumber net. Are these available at local shops or do you need to go to a Sally's?

I don't think I have seen them since I was tiny and raiding my Gran's dress either :) I got mine from ebay, they were very cheap there. I've seen them on the boots.com website and I imagine Sally's would probably sell them too.


Thanks so much for posting this! I found it very interesting, because I work in a restaurant and have struggled with wearing a fabric skull cap in the past (too hot, doesn't stay on properly, makes my updo messier etc) Also since my hair has grown a bit it does tangle more at night. A satin pillowcase used to be good enough but not anymore and hairsticks fall out so I may just try this.

Happy to help, I hope if you try it that it works out well for you :) That farbic skull cap doesn't sound like too much fun, I can imagine that being tricky to wear.

[Arctic]

Good to hear they work for you! It's really difficult to wrap my head around HOW a deinty, gossamer-like web can be so helpful but I believe you that it is! Hopefully you will see a speedy regrowth now that the breakage will stop!

[Stray_mind]

Ooh. Cool. I'll definitely get one when i Need some protection for my hair :)

[cathair]

Good to hear they work for you! It's really difficult to wrap my head around HOW a deinty, gossamer-like web can be so helpful but I believe you that it is! Hopefully you will see a speedy regrowth now that the breakage will stop!

I know what you mean :) it's probably why it's the last thing I've tried, because I couldn't really see what it would do either. I think it's just because it stops hair moving about so much. I'm not lying on it, rolling over it, getting it caught under my arms or scrubbing it into a fuzzy birds nest when I turn over. Even a braid would end up completely shredded by the morning, I guess because I must have been lying on it.

[MusicalSpoons]

Wow, that's very cool! I may have to try one - my scalp hair has to be loose otherwise it ends up getting greasy very quickly, and more so on the side on which I mainly lay. That's pretty awesome that such a delicate structure actually works! And hooray for you finding something that works :D

[Sarahlabyrinth]

How great that it works so well for you, and worth giving a try. My local pharmacy sells these.

[Long Covid Hair]

It's amazing how it stays on all night, and my hair is much glossier the next morning.

[luxurioushair]

Satin is always #1, my opinion

[cathair]

I've moved on to silk satin these days, but the nets were good for those tighter budget days :)