Does sleeping on french braids cause breakage?

[rchorr]

I'm sure this has been debated A LOT! However, there is a reason to ask again.

I've been complaining for a long time (just ask some of my friends here! LOL!) about how pathetically thin my hair is.

Ok, I've recently had scalp surgery (you're welcome to see the thread about trichilemmal tumors), and was complaining to my ENT that I didn't him shaving my head AT ALL because my hair was thin. He told me that I had a LOT of hair ... at scalp length.

So, I'm now wondering if I have been breaking off my hair unknowingly because I sleep with it french braided (instead of an english braid).

Opinions?

RCHORR'

[StephanieB]

I don't know if sleeping on your French braided hair is causing breakage, but if something is - try sleeping with a silk scarf on your head.

Real silk - nothing else is as slippery-soft on fragile hair AND as breathable.

Doing this will also protect a bun or other hairdos overnight from movements your head will make in sleep.

After I had had my hair and scalp chemically burned off (see my blog), once I was unbandaged and hair began to grow again - the doctors told me to use 100% silk scarves and NOTHING ELSE... not even many-times-washed and softened cotton. They said that this would be the kindest (the silk) to both my tender scalp growning new skin AND my sprouting soft hairs.

Since a lawsuit was involved and the case not yet gone to trail at that point - not only would my health insurance not pay for silk scarves, but I was also broke at that time because of the costs associated with the... incident... AND my hospitalization making me unable to work.

My family bought me a few 100% silk scarves, and put the word out to extended family, neighbors, & friends. The story hit the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time, and a collection was taken up on my behalf. It turned out that I was gifted with hundreds of silk scarves and a dozen human-hair wigs custom-made for me. 18 months later, I donated about 2/3 of my silk scarves to local Fox Chase Cancer Center to the women who'd lost their hair to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

I still have what may be the largest single silk scarf collection in the country, and the wigs. I still use the slik scarves for many things - not only just to cover my hair for sleep sometimes.

Try it. :D
Buying one silk scarf won't cost all that much, and if you choose a neutral color, or one that goes with much in your wardrobe - even if your hair doesn't like it, you can wear it many different ways.

[Isilme]

I think sleeping with the braid between your back and the bed can cause problems, it certainly does for my bf who has fine curly hair. My hair doesn't like being rubbed on either. I guess what you mean by french braid is the french part and then the rest down your back.
I always sleep in a braid, but I pull my hair up in the position of a high pony and then braid from there and let it rest above my head.

[maskedrose]

I was also worried about breakage when braiding at night, so now, in addition to using a silk pillow case, I also take a long, narrow silk scarf and loop it through my braid at the nape and then wrap it down the length, tying it off at the below the end of my braid. It has quite a few benefits, among which are less breakage, no need for a hair band, and smoooth strands in the morning.

[Pierre]

Do you braid it for sleep, or do you sleep braided because you wear the same braid for more than one day? I wear the same braids for several days, generally one Dutch braid on each side. If you braid for sleep, you could try that, or braid upside down or at the top of your head.

I don't have a silk scarf, but I do have a Buff which is dedicated to wrapping my hair at night.

[atlantaz3]

I don't think the braid broke my hair - but my neck didn't like sleeping on the french braid bumps and I woke up with a "crik"! (southern term for stiff neck) I've tried several braids the last being dianalya (sorry if I spelled the name wrong) braid. Loved the braid - didn't like sleeping on it though. The two braid didn't work for me either. Any of the braids I woke up with bits and pieces all out of the braid, so I don't think it protected my hair. Thinking about the silk scarf idea.

[rchorr]

I don't know if sleeping on your French braided hair is causing breakage, but if something is - try sleeping with a silk scarf on your head.

Real silk - nothing else is as slippery-soft on fragile hair AND as breathable.

Doing this will also protect a bun or other hairdos overnight from movements your head will make in sleep.

After I had had my hair and scalp chemically burned off (see my blog), once I was unbandaged and hair began to grow again - the doctors told me to use 100% silk scarves and NOTHING ELSE... not even many-times-washed and softened cotton. They said that this would be the kindest (the silk) to both my tender scalp growning new skin AND my sprouting soft hairs.

Since a lawsuit was involved and the case not yet gone to trail at that point - not only would my health insurance not pay for silk scarves, but I was also broke at that time because of the costs associated with the... incident... AND my hospitalization making me unable to work.

My family bought me a few 100% silk scarves, and put the word out to extended family, neighbors, & friends. The story hit the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time, and a collection was taken up on my behalf. It turned out that I was gifted with hundreds of silk scarves and a dozen human-hair wigs custom-made for me. 18 months later, I donated about 2/3 of my silk scarves to local Fox Chase Cancer Center to the women who'd lost their hair to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

I still have what may be the largest single silk scarf collection in the country, and the wigs. I still use the slik scarves for many things - not only just to cover my hair for sleep sometimes.

Try it. :D
Buying one silk scarf won't cost all that much, and if you choose a neutral color, or one that goes with much in your wardrobe - even if your hair doesn't like it, you can wear it many different ways.

OMG! Wow! Good for your husband!!!!! I hope that woman is NOT still doing hair.

Thank you SO much for writing!. I thought the little cuts on my head from surgery hurt (and they did ... I'm NOT standing in line for a face lift anytime soon, thank you!), but I can't even imagine what YOU went through! I'm so glad that you made it through to the other side! ;^)

I don't think I have any silk scarves, but I'll have to see if I can afford at least 1. Do they ever put scarves on the clearance rack? LOL!

Thanks again. And keep that inner strength up!

RCHORR'