How do you wear your hair for bed?

[technowitch]

Everyone,


How do you wear your hair for bed?


I never had hair problems when I was a kid - frizz, greasiness, split ends, dryness - but, now, I have adopted all these issues on my baby fine hair, which is great considering I'm trying to grow it long.


I started sleeping in hair bonnets to protect my hair, so it isn't free to flop all over the place. However, I'm having the dilemma of trying to figure out how to arrange it before I slide the bonnet over it. There are two main methods I've been alternating between: curling it gently at the back of my head or flipping my hair over and piling it in a bun on top. When I curl it at the back of my head, I basically just brush my hair normal, leaving my part as is, gather my hair and gently twist it, lay it at the back of my head, and slide the bonnet over it. When I do the bun on top method, I flip my head upside down, brush all my hair to the front, and basically the same thing... I twist it gently into a bun-type thing on the top of my head and slide the bonnet over it.


I've tried super loose half-ponytail bun things, too, inside the bonnet, but I started avoiding those because, no matter how loose it was, it felt like it was tugging on my scalp. I definitely don't do the braid thing. If I do that, my hair will end up looking like it was pressed inside a laminator. But, even with the current methods I'm alternating between, both are pretty meh as far as trying to keep my hair from becoming greasier or fuzzier between washes (to a reasonable extent).


Anyway, I would love to hear what you all do! Thank you!

[Tinyponies]

Hi technowitch,

Protecting your hair at night is definitely a great thing to do, IMO worth experimenting and you’ll find something that works for your hair and your scalp.

There are quite a few threads on the topic of “how do you wear your hair for bed?”, here are three as an example of places you might find more ideas:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=142735

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=64934

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=135248

Sounds like you’re on the right track with coiling your hair into your bonnet.

The way you mention your frizz, fuzz and dryness comes across like you might not have fully discovered / made friends with your texture yet? That might also be something to look into.

All the best!

[technowitch]

@Tinyponies: Hi! Thank you for your response! I'll scroll through these. I think you're definitely right about the texture thing. I'm constantly struggling with trying to make my hair look as happy as it feels. If you have any recommendations on ways I can research that, I would greatly appreciate it! When I try researching my hair problems, I get advice aimed at thick, high porosity hair, or stuff that I've tried that most definitely does not work for me. So, I'm not sure if I'm a mutant or using the wrong keywords. :confused:

[Tinyponies]

You’re most welcome :)

Working on a hair typing picture might be a good start. This can take a couple of tries and sometimes people do another one later in their journey once they’re getting a handle on things. The main guide from the index to important resources section is here:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252

I’m thinking that once you have a rough idea of what you’ve been blessed with, you could join the related threads and then use those groups to suss out common challenges and, importantly, normalise your hair type for yourself by seeing pictures of others with similar hair types so you won’t feel like a freak. This can help considerably to end the common programming that so many of us have grown up with that there must be an ongoing battle between us and our natural hair.

I’m sticking with very general ideas because I don’t want to derail your original thread idea too far :heart:

PS I just found a couple of your pics from other posts and have to say your hair looks beautiful and a lot like my f, ii, 1c/2a hair. It’s a very naughty and changeable hair type to have, and the frizz and flyaways are constant :lol:

There’s a bunch of threads for this kind of type too, you’ll find more I’m sure. But here’s one to get you rolling (and get you some fellow freaky friends):

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=54163

Hope that helps!

Edit: hair in a silk cap works for me but it’s lately got to the length that I can leave my hairfork bun in when I go to bed and it’s less annoying than it all escaping from my loose cap in the night. I also think the cap has helped the ends from drying out and I prefer to wear a silk scarf tied over my bun most days to protect my many, many whispy bits.

[Ylva]

I sleep with my hair loose. I always have. I'm picky about comfort, and for now, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I lay it behind my head, usually so that it hangs off from the "bed" (although I currently sleep on a very flat mattress on the floor and that's not subject to change), and I use a silk satin pillowcase.

[manticore]

I feel you lol. I tried a bonnet, but my hair just loves to make a jailbreak in the middle of the night. Maybe I have the wrong kind? But I also don’t like the feeling of wearing something on my head when I sleep.

occasionally I’ll put it in a braid. But I’m undecided as to whether this helps or whether it just causes braid shredding. it does keep it more contained at least

In the end I mostly just let my hair loose to roam about at night. I think it desires freedom. I do have satin pillowcase, so I use that. sometimes.

my hair is relatively coarse and tough tho. I get away with a lot.

[maplesyrupgirl]

I sleep with my hair in a french braid and have a satin pillowcase. If I sleep with my hair any other way it gets tangled and more greasy than when it's in a braid.

[RunOnCaffeine]

I try to sleep with mine in a scrunchie on top of my head but sometimes I leave it loose or put it in a low pony with scrunchie.

[Wendyclaire]

Sleep with it piled on my head with a scrunchie. I can’t have it loose or I roll over on it and get all tangled up!

[Groovy Granny]

I do twin English braids and sleep on a satin pillowcase.

My scalp is too sensitive for overnight buns and I can't wear them high any time.

A bonnet is too hot and slides right off; to wear it more snugly = :headache

Good luck ~ everyone eventually find their own routines :cheer:

[pisinoe]

Loose or I can’t sleep at all. Though when it’s WL+ I’ll try to do a loose braid.

[Reservechic]

I just put my satin bonnet on top my head and that's it. Before, I found out about wearing a satin bonnet to bed, I'd just wear my hair in a pulled back ponytail or sometimes wear my hair completely down on a my cotton pillowcase. I've honestly never really done anything special to my hair at night, as I grew up just going the simple route with my hair, until I started wearing my hair in its naturally textured state and I learned that wearing a satin bonnet on ones head at night was a must or sleeping in satin pillowcases instead was another option to go with instead. I have honestly gone with both options, but, I currently only wear a satin bonnet over my head at the current time. Oh, and I'm currently burning my hair, so I really don't have any need to do anything special to my hair, at night, except put my satin bonnet on at night, and just take fien my fpbun in the morning as needed, apply more styling product, and then put my hair back into a bun, and go. Right now, it's super hot and humid where I live at, and ding anything extra to my hair at night isn't in the cards for me period, as I be sweating like crazy overnight anyways.

[Nox_Inber]

I sleep with my hair loose or in a loose braid starting near my neck. I've tried covering my hair with something while I sleep but my hair didn't seem to like it, plus I prefer the comfort of not having anything on my head. I already have a hard time sleeping so comfort is very important for me.

[windflowers_mel]

My satin sleep cap always falls off. I either sleep with it loose or a loose single english braid. Though right now I've got it in a single rope braid.

[AutobotsAttack]

I have very delicate, Afro textured hair, and there’s no absolute way I would have hair this long if I didn’t sleep in my bonnet every single night. Period.

[AuntyMiki]

Down and over my pillow where the kittens try to kill it and pull it under the bed. Yeah, I know. I'm working on it.

[Liz_H]

I put my hair in a cute little CPAP bun and sleep on a silk pillow case.


AuntyMiki, I had a cat who loved to groom my hair if it was dirty or wet. Licking my dirty hair was OK, just after a shower not so much!


Down and over my pillow where the kittens try to kill it and pull it under the bed. Yeah, I know. I'm working on it.

[leafygreens18]

I've been wearing a stick bun to bed more and more often. I hate to have my hair in a braid and wearing it down is not only damaging but it's becoming increasingly uncomfortable to do so. You'll find what works for you I'm sure of it!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I just slip my fork out of my bun and slip on my sleep cap - done! Detangling happens next morning before the bun of the day is made.

[GeoJ]

I’ve tried a loose braid, a silk satin bonnet (homemade), bunning on top of my head, and loose (draped over the bed above my head). The loose braid always became a mess for me because I roll around a lot in my sleep. The bonnet did a good job protecting my hair, but my scalp always got too hot and sweaty in it. The bun on top of my head also did a good job protecting my hair, but over time it made my scalp sore. Keeping it loose over the bed isn’t the most protective option, but it is better than the braid was and it keeps my scalp happier, so it has been my choice for years (& I was doing that years ago when I grew my hair to its longest ever).

I should note that my hair doesn’t seem to damage easily (at least so far in my life), but I do have a very fussy scalp.

[embee]

Either a single braid or a single-stick topknot. Oddly, the topknot is more comfortable.

[lithostoic]

I use a scrunchie to make a ponytail at the top-back of my head. I don't brush it at all just gather it with my hands. Then I use an additional scrunchie to secure a loose bun.

[Complexity]

Most of the time I just leave it in the bun it was in, stick and all. Sometimes I'll throw it in an English braid to one side. Once in a while I'll leave it loose which seems like a good idea at the time, but I always regret having to deal with it the next day.

[hannabiss]

Right now my hair is too short (for me) to do anything at night. But once I reach APL I'll be Dutch braiding it in the morning and at night. I'm growing out a side shave that's making my hair difficult. But I'm trying to be patient.

[Dutchbraids]

I usually wear a braid, and then use a thick, stretchy headband to keep the short, escape-y bits from getting into my face. I use a pin or two to keep it from moving.
If I want my hair to look really nice in the morning I Dutch braid it, and then spray the outside with a little water to get it to shape up a bit. I still use a headband though. My face can get very oily, and any hair bits that touch it need to be washed in the morning.

[Hexana]

I make a very loose ponytail with an invisibobble on top of my head (hair is to short to braid), and put the hair over the top of the pillow. I also use a satin pillow case.

[Bacs]

I put mine in a single braid, as long as I’m not so tired I fall asleep with it still in a bun.