protective styles dont work on my thin fragile hair, help!

[enshallah]

hiya

I have extremely thin caucasian hair. when i put my hair up in a braid or bun to 'protect' it while sleeping, it hurts my head and feels like my strands are hanging on by a thread. I want to do everything i can to maintain length retention and everyone says put it up put it up, but if you have fragile hair, maybe just leave it down? To prevent breakage and weakening. I feel like im sabotaging my hair trying to protect it at night.

Unless in the wind of course as i can logically see how that would result in damage.

Lucy

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Hello welcome :)

It sounds like your hairdo is pulling on some of your strands more than others. This happens a lot to me, I just find the sweet spot through trial and error by loosening the bun around. Another thing you can do if your hair isn't too long is a ponytail on top of your head with a gentle tie like invisibobble or a scrunchy or you could consider using a silk cap. I've heard some people don't even tie their hair in, they just let it loose inside the cap

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Another thing I've noticed when doing buns on top of my head to sleep is that they don't have to be too far to the front as when I lay down it falls back. So try to do it a little further towards the back so it's not pulling on the hairs from the front, but not so far back that you'd lay on top of the bun. Or you could just do a simple braid, I don't like it as much just because it gives me some frizz

[Ylva]

Hey Lucy (the OP, not the other Lucy above :D)!

I, for one, sleep with my hair loose. Buns always end up pulling on my scalp, and braids are heavier than individual hairs so that results in more rubbing damage for me.

You can still make an effort to protect your hair while sleeping by having a silk or silk satin pillowcase, or by wearing a sleeping cap like Lucy mentioned above. (Satin in itself is a weave, not a material, so 'silk satin' is that slippery fabric that isn't silk.)

[draysmir]

Hello! I should have read this thread first before responding to your other one. :p

I suspect protective styling at night is only helpful for some people. I would try leaving your hair lose, but above your head when you sleep so you don't end up rolling on it. Or get a silk cap like others mentioned. I personally have a silk pillowcase, and usually wear my hair lose, occasionally braided. :)

[lapushka]

I also sleep with my hair down, well I "fold" it underneath my head, sleep on my right side and barely move throughout the night, so my hair is very safe.

If you do "styles" at night, make sure they are loose, so a loose braid, nothing as tight as you would do during the day! OMG, really: no!

[Cg]

My experience with hair similar to yours is that we need a lot of length before buns and braids don't pull. I don't think it will do your hair any harm to wear it down a lot of the time, especially at night, until it's quite a bit longer. As long as you avoid friction and tension, you should be fine. Most of my long-hair episodes I left my hair down all the time even at knee.

[Wendyclaire]

Protective styles don’t work for everyone. They’re more for getting your hair out of the way then protective. My scalp can’t take the pressure and I hate the way I look with my hair up anyway. I toss and turn at night so I put my hair up with a scrunchie and it usually stays all night. I wear it in a low pony when busy, cooking, cleaning, etc

[0xalis]

For daytime protective hairstyles I recommend a well constructed claw clip, or sticks/forks, instead of elastics (including scrunchies!) for your hair type.
It's fine to sleep with it loose! Satin can be very helpful but isn't even the end all be all, it helps most if you toss and turn in your sleep.

[Sora Rose]

I personally leave my hair loose at night and never wear anything on my head. I just toss my hair above my pillow (generally on the right side for no particular reason) and sleep. I never noticed any damage and there's no pulling.

It takes practise to keep individual hairs from pulling when you bun your hair. I can sometimes redo my buns three or four times if I notice something pulling somewhere, but I don't have this problem very often anymore. Usually helps to loosen it all around before securing it.

[Feral_]

I do various things with my hair for sleeping:
1. Leave it loose and pile it up above my pillow
2. Scrunchie pony tail on top, plait it, then wrap the plait around itself into a bun (sorry not good as describing!)
3. Put a Buff (neck gaiter) on around my neck. Brush hair forward with head down then pull Buff up to stuff the hair in and tie the top open ‘corners’ together to enclose it. This is my Marge Simpson look lol but so much volume the next morning! :D

[Clollii]

You should try a silk cap! I sleep with my hair loose inside a sleep cap an it is always free of tangles when I wake up. I too hate protective styles because I feel they are just causing more breakages.

[Wendyclaire]

You should try a silk cap! I sleep with my hair loose inside a sleep cap an it is always free of tangles when I wake up. I too hate protective styles because I feel they are just causing more breakages.
Phew! Silk anything makes me so hot and uncomfortable! Can’t tolerate a silk blouse, cap or pillow case.