What is the most suitable braid to wear to sleep?

[Whisperiing]

I've been doing a neither too tight nor too loose braid from the nape of my neck downwards. I've been quite encouraged by the results (fewer splits, not as dry, etc.).

Are there any braid styles I could learn that would be quite good for wearing to sleep? My hair is in between APL and BSL, by the way.

These are the main things I'm looking out for:

- Nice waves (I already have fairly wavy hair, though)
- Prevents my hair from drying out
- Comfortable to wear
- Doesn't take too long to do once you've gotten a hold of it

Thanks for reading this! :)

[spidermom]

I liked making a loose-ish ponytail right on top of my head, then braiding the length if I wasn't too tired. My hair is too short for that now, of course.

[AZDesertRose]

I like spidermom's suggestion of starting with a fairly loose ponytail on top of your head (topknots look ridiculous on me, but if I'm going to bed, no one's going to see me so I don't care :laugh: ) and then braiding the length.

A rope braid would make for nice waves, and they're not actually that difficult. Basically, you split the hair to be braided in half, twist each half one direction (as in, either to the right/clockwise or to the left/counter- [anti-] clockwise, whichever is more comfortable for you) and then wrap the twisted halves around each other in the opposite direction of the twist (that is, if you twisted to the right, wrap to the left [or vice versa]). The longer your hair gets, the easier it is (IMO) to twist a little bit at a time and wrap the twists until you need to twist more length. You do want the twists to be fairly tight but not uncomfortably so.

Here's (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImcPuruQMAw) torrinpaige's video showing how to rope braid, and there are other video tutorials, I'm sure.

[Dark40]

I like to part my hair down the middle, and plait my hair in 2 braids to just sleep in.

[lapushka]

I would do a very loose English braid; you do not want to braid tightly. So I think you've been doing fine. Between APL & BSL is still quite short for braiding, especially if you have iii hair, if you have ii or i hair, that is slightly different.

I don't think there's more you can do, except maybe oil the braid tassel or use a bit of leave-in on it (tiiiiny bits go a long way).

[AZDesertRose]

Also, I would say the most suitable braid (or whatever hairstyle) for sleep is whatever does what you want it to do, whether that's just keep it out of your way so you/partner (if any) don't roll over on it in the night and/or protects your hair from damage and/or is comfortable and/or gives you the result you want in the morning.

TL;DR, if it works, go with it. :flower:

[lithostoic]

I like two French rope braids. One on each side. I loop the ends through the hair-tie halfway so they match the braidwaves.

[Simsy]

I use a straight English braid. I used to favour a French braid before things got a bit long. Back when I was still too short for ponies and right through to longer than you are now, I used to do French pigtails braids, one behind each ear. I find Dutch braids hard to sleep on so rarely use them.

For nice waves, French or Dutch will work well, English will give you some but not many. Rope braids are a good option if your hair likes them, mine tends to shred out of a rope braid if I try sleeping on it. If you want something a bit different and have the patience, try braiding upside down and into a top knot; you should get pretty waves all the way down the length and you don't run the risk of rolling onto the braid. If you moisturise the hair before you put it up, either with oil or leave-in conditioner, it should be fairly happy.

As for comfortable, that's a bit harder. I sleep on my side so French braids are reasonably comfortable for me. But I'm also a roller who has slept in braids for years so I'm used to working around the plait section. If you aren't used to it, they can get a little annoying at first. You can try braiding loosely at first, and ease yourself into it.

[mira-chan]

I do a plain braid and fold ends up a couple times before tying them so the ends are protected and don't get stuck under me. That's not as much of an issue at shorter lengths.

Sleeping position does affect sleep styles. I'm a side sleeper so one braid work. It's not as comfortable for back sleepers where two braids, something really high (pony then braid) or a side braid would be better.

[meteor]

Personally, I do a simple English braid and coil it around my head and cover it in silky material overnight to prevent frizz from friction.

When my hair was shorter, I used to do multiple English braids for tighter waves, but I don't do that anymore, since it takes so long.

For nice lose waves, you might want to look into rope braids and figure-8 bandanna waves (https://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/bandana-waves/).

And if you want to avoid straight ends (which can often happen to braid tassels), you could try a paranda, adding small curlers on ends or this twirly bun by torrinpaige (you can start the bun with English or rope braids): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrccwkQUOhQ

[Anje]

After quite a few incidents of finding myself sleeping with my braid underneath me, I ended up wearing a sleep bonnet. With or without a braid, that reduced tangles a lot over a slept-on cat-toy braid, and I didn't have to secure the ends.

For waves, I think a quick french braid is better than an english braid, because it gives waves higher up your head. Whether you can whip one of those out in a couple minutes while getting ready for bed is pretty individual, though, and takes some practice. (There are also some length restrictions. I found that once my hair got to fingertip, french braids got harder in regard to preventing them from tangling at the tips while braiding. Which isn't to say that it's a non-starter, just that a previously simple braid suddenly takes a bit of extra effort.)

[meteor]

For waves, I think a quick french braid is better than an english braid, because it gives waves higher up your head. Whether you can whip one of those out in a couple minutes while getting ready for bed is pretty individual, though, and takes some practice. (There are also some length restrictions. I found that once my hair got to fingertip, french braids got harder in regard to preventing them from tangling at the tips while braiding. Which isn't to say that it's a non-starter, just that a previously simple braid suddenly takes a bit of extra effort.)

Very true. :agree: Sectioned on-scalp braiding gets harder with extra length... which is where Luana braids (https://rapunzelsresource.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/luana-side.jpg) (smaller English going into larger English braids) come in handy. The sectioning is way easier with these and the braiding does start high up, so the waves will be similar to Dutch braidwaves. Doing multiple English braids (from scalp, using smaller braids closer to face and larger braids in the back) can help, as well.

[Anje]

Very true. :agree: Sectioned on-scalp braiding gets harder with extra length... which is where Luana braids (https://rapunzelsresource.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/luana-side.jpg) (smaller English going into larger English braids) come in handy. The sectioning is way easier with these and the braiding does start high up, so the waves will be similar to Dutch braidwaves. Doing multiple English braids (from scalp, using smaller braids closer to face and larger braids in the back) can help, as well.
I haven't seen the term "Luana braids" before, but I've done this sort of thing, usually just braiding the top half and then the rest together. But I don't have the thickness you do, so double braids solely for the sake of braidwaves were never a thing for me.

Similarly, a "gather the top, then gather at the nape" ponytail method was always my go-to for growing out. It works sooner than waiting till you can get all your hair into one ponytail, and is good for growing-out bangs.

[Whisperiing]

Very true. :agree: Sectioned on-scalp braiding gets harder with extra length... which is where Luana braids (https://rapunzelsresource.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/luana-side.jpg) (smaller English going into larger English braids) come in handy. The sectioning is way easier with these and the braiding does start high up, so the waves will be similar to Dutch braidwaves. Doing multiple English braids (from scalp, using smaller braids closer to face and larger braids in the back) can help, as well.

Wow, I've never heard of these before! They look pretty interesting. Maybe I'll try them tonight!

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! It's really nice to learn more.

[MirKing]

I find a side fishtail braid gives me a slight wave without tangling like an English braid causes if I sleep on it.

[Shorty89]

I find a side fishtail braid gives me a slight wave without tangling like an English braid causes if I sleep on it.

That surprises me. I have to be careful taking out fishtail braids because I find that the make my hair tangle easily. I have the same issue with accent rope braids

[AZDesertRose]

That surprises me. I have to be careful taking out fishtail braids because I find that the make my hair tangle easily. I have the same issue with accent rope braids

I'd guess that's a YMMV thing; I have the same problem with fishtail braids tangling my hair pretty easily, so that's part of why I don't really like them and have never learned to fashion them.

But what tangles one person's hair might protect another's, depending on texture (wave pattern or lack thereof), or fineness/coarseness, or slip or any of a number of other factors.

[meteor]

^ :agree: Yeah, I also experience tangling from fishtail braids. I think it's because the sectioning keeps going on and on with every new pass of the fishtail/herringbone braid (every time I transfer a tiny bit of hair from one side to the other it could be considered a new "section" of sorts, even though it's not on-scalp sectioning).
I can run into some tangles with classic rope braids, as well, and more so when I twist each strand before twisting them together (2-strand twists don't require the twisting of individual strands beforehand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ifoTyHoA4), so they are easier for me than rope braids) - and I think it's that twisting that causes tangles for me sometimes.

English braids or 5-strand simple braids are safest for me in terms of preventing tangles, especially when it's just one snug braid instead of multiple smaller braids.

[AZDesertRose]

^ :agree: Yeah, I also experience tangling from fishtail braids. I think it's because the sectioning keeps going on and on with every new pass of the fishtail/herringbone braid (every time I transfer a tiny bit of hair from one side to the other it could be considered a new "section" of sorts, even though it's not on-scalp sectioning).
I can run into some tangles with classic rope braids, as well, and more so when I twist each strand before twisting them together (2-strand twists don't require the twisting of individual strands beforehand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ifoTyHoA4), so they are easier for me than rope braids) - and I think it's that twisting that causes tangles for me sometimes.

English braids or 5-strand simple braids are safest for me in terms of preventing tangles, especially when it's just one snug braid instead of multiple smaller braids.

That might be the problem with fishtail braids.

I also just don't like the way they look (personal aesthetic choice, not a judgment on anyone else! If we all liked the exact same things, the world would be incredibly boring! :flower: ), so that's the other part of why I never bothered to learn to do them.

But last August, I had to have my appendix out, and as is often the case with appendectomy surgery, it was emergent and thus not something I could plan around, so I wound up having to go to my trusted hairstylist (and I'm so lucky to know one of those) and ask her to wash my hair for me because I couldn't do it myself between pain and restrictions around getting the incision sites wet. She fishtail-braided my hair as the last thing she did, and it did keep my hair out of the way for several days (at which point the incisions were healed enough that I could shower! :happydance: ), but it was pretty tangled when I took it down (which might have been both the style itself and the fact that I'd left it braided, sleeping and waking, for two or three days :whistle: ).

[Kikyou]

For me, english, french or dutch. No ropes or fishtails, as these shred much more and I feel like my ends get a lot of friction from the pillow then

[TheCurlyMermaid]

I love Dutch & French braids, but I don't know how to do them. So I usually settle for two english braids done up into heidi braids (so the ends get minimum friction through the night) and then tying a satin scarf around my head. When I can get someone else to do Dutch/French braids, I do! I just love how they look.

[T0n1c]

Any thoughts on braids vs buns for sleeping?
French braids work great but I am still learning to do them, so they take more work than I am generally willing to put in before bed.
I have been doing a topknot with a satin scrunchie, and it works well. Wondering if there is a benefit to braids instead?
Low, nape of neck braids don't work as may hair escapes during the night, and I am a...rowdy sleeper, so even on a satin pillowcase my hair is moving a lot. Top braids (flip head upside down, braid, swing it around like a goof) work as well. I guess if nothing else, I should be switching between a top braid and bun, just to change where the stress is on a nightly basis...