Sleeping with long hair

[Shastrix]

I did a cursory search for “sleeping” but failed to find a previous relevant topic, so forgive me if a similar topic has been posted recently. I am sure this is a blindingly obvious question but having never had long hair before it is a problem I am only recently encountering...

How does one sleep with long hair? :confused:

At the moment I just leave it loose; but this usually means I wake up with a knotted mess of hair in my face in the morning with the added bonus that at some point during the night I will have attempted roll over only to find my other half is sleeping on my hair. :disgust: The obvious solution, that I have read about in the Wheel of Time series (where everyone seems to have thick waist length hair), is to simply put it in a braid, or in a ponytail or segmented ponytail.

The problem with these methods is that I wash my relatively straight hair about every 4 days and for the first couple of days after washing I enjoy wearing it down. If I sleep with my hair in a braid it tends to go really wavy, if I put it in a ponytail I get an awful kink in it, and if I put it in a loose low ponytail the hair works its way out during the night and I still end up in a mess. :(

So really I just wanted to ask if there is some piece of ingenious hair lore that I am not party to? My best guess is that two very loose braids are probably a good comfortable compromise and that I just need to accept a little more waviness in the morning.

[QueenAnne'sLace]

Yep. The braid would probably be the most recommended.
You could try using the ole satin pillowcase to cut down on tangles, and flipping your hair straight up and over the top of the pillow as you're laying down can help keep it out if rolling-on range. In the mornings you could always mist it with a spray bottle and comb it out to return the straightness.

Just some random ideas! :laugh:

[Vijikanth]

Hi, I sleep with my hair in low pigtails as my hair is just shoulder length and I wont be able to pull all the hair into a ponytail. I have curly hair, so if I leave it loose, I'm done for in the morning.

[Isa-belle]

I always braid my hair loosely.
Lately I've been trying to put my hair in satin as explained here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=24275&postcount=13), but the scarf ends up undone around the middle of the night :o
I really need to buy a half metre of satin and make myself a pretty nightcap.

Here are a few other threads you might find helpful: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1270
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=33515
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=34193
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=30449
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=29052

Just to name a few ;)

[embee]

I put my hair into a top-knot-bun secured with a short hairfork. No lumps of hair on my pillow, no length to tangle. Used to do a braid down the back but it was too fuzzy and itchy and tangled badly.

[Shastrix]

I always braid my hair loosely.
Lately I've been trying to put my hair in satin as explained here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=24275&postcount=13), but the scarf ends up undone around the middle of the night :o
I really need to buy a half metre of satin and make myself a pretty nightcap.

Here are a few other threads you might find helpful: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1270
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=33515
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=34193
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=30449
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=29052

Just to name a few ;)

Oh, now that's embarassing! I have no idea why "sleep" or "sleeping" didn't bring up any of those when I searched. :bigeyes:

[Gumball]

I braid my hair and secure it with a satin scrunchie to minimize possible friction. I sleep on pillows covered with satin pillowcases, too, for the same reason.

[Isa-belle]

Shastrix - I certainly didn't mean to embarrass you! :flower: We're here to help each other. I recently did a search on nightcap and that's why I had all those links stored in my browser's history ;)

The search feature needs a bit of time to get used to :flower:

[SpinDance]

Ironic you asked about this. I have been using a single braid at night for years, but the last 4 nights, based on comments by others on LHC, I have been trying a bun way on top of my head secured with a Flexi-8. It's been working better than I expected. I'm also interested in trying either satin pillowcases, or figuring out how to use a silk scarf to tie it out of the way.

I like the bun waves much better than the braid waves, although I prefer Dutch braid waves to English braid waves.

[Yozhik]

The obvious solution, that I have read about in the Wheel of Time series (where everyone seems to have thick waist length hair), is to simply put it in a braid, or in a ponytail or segmented ponytail.

I'm currently reading the wheel of time series! When do those adventuring women ever get a chance to sit down and take care of their hair, is my question :eek:

My advice is a really, really high topknot -- it'll keep it out of the way and shouldn't make it too kinky.

[linda g]

Just had to stop in to be pleased about the Wheel of Time references. :)

[bjt]

I wear my hair loose when I'm at home. It lays back, above my head, over the pillow, through the bars of my headboard and down the back of the bed. it stays there out of the way even when I turn in my sleep, and it stays away from my SO.
If I'm sleeping in some other bed (hotel or whatever) then I braid it.

[Mary <><]

I use 2 different methods. If I want to keep my hair straight for a few days I wrap it kind of loosley around my head and secure it with a satiny scarf. If I don't mind waves I do a cinnabun on the tippy top of my head secured with a hair stick. HTH!

[chesapeake]

I usually sleep with 2 braids. I like the wavy-ness because my hair has always been very straight and I like a bit of wave sometimes. Sometimes I sleep with it in a loose topknot when I'm too lazy to braid.

[LoversLullaby]

Mine isn't too long yet, so I wear it down.
But sometimes I wear a ponytail.

[Siava]

I'm a tosser-turner. If it weren't for satin pillowcases my hair would be a complete tangled rat nest in the morning. The pillowcases make a HUGE difference. I sleep with it loose for now, but will probably need to resort to a loose braid soon.

[Liave Ekeli]

I wear mine loose most of the time, it's kind of become a habit by now. But then again, my hair is really straight so tangles aren't that big of a problem for me, and I usually sleep alone. But if for some reason I can't stand having it down, I braid or ponytail it...usually braid, because that tends to hold better.