Questions for nighttime bunners

[Pixna]

For those of you who bun at night, how do you do it?

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)?

What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night?

If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye?

Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate?

What type of bun do you normally do?

[SheaLynne]

I've been bunning mine at night for most of the last year. I do a cinnabun as a topknot, and I use the shortest stick that will hold it all but not stick out the sides any farther than it has to. So far that is a 4.5" wooden stick with a ball on one end (it came with a leather hair slide from Sally's).

I sleep in various positions through the night, including side, stomach, and back. I've started covering it with a scarf at night, also, to try to reduce any damage from moving around and against the pillow, and I also use a satin pillowcase.

I think that covers it!

[lora410]

I do a bun on the very top of my head and pin it with a metal hair fork that just fits so I don't have extra poking out. I can sleep comfy on all sides with this

[EtherealOde]

I use Loepsie's sock bun trick. I use a large scrunchie to make a pony on the top of my head, then sock bun to roll the ends and length in. It doesn't require anything else to stay, the bun just stays on its own because of the hair rolled up inside it. I don't wrap my hair all around the sock donut for sleep though, just the back half. As a bonus it gives really great curls when you unroll the hair back out of the sock.

I will also sometimes sleep in a ficcare, because they are so comfortable. I do a sort of french twist and clip in the ficcare, and it holds all night. I don't even feel it, because of the curve...it follows the shape of my head. I'm not sure how safe that is though so I don't do it often, it's usually because I just fell asleep with it in already!

[FrannyG]

I do a beebutt bun right on the top of my head and secure it with a satin scrunchie. It's very secure and very comfortable.

I sleep on my front, back and my side over the course of a night, and with the bun on the top of my head, I never have to feel the bun between me and the pillow.

I also use a satin pillowcase.

[Cirafly24]

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)? About 20% of the time. The other 80% I bun at the nape of my neck.

What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night? I use a big soft scrunchy wrapped around the base. I also wear a satin sleep cap.

If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye? N/A- I'm not sure how I could sleep with a hairstick in.

Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate? Side.

What type of bun do you normally do? Beebutt.

[Pixna]

Thank you, SheaLynne, Lora, EtherealOde, Franny, and Cirafly! :heart:

[chrissy-b]

I do a cinnabun on the top of my head and secure it with tiny claw clips. I roll around all over my bed throughout the night and sometimes the bun is slightly loose when I wake up but it has never come completely undone even when I wake up at the foot of my bed.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Chrissy! It sounds like you are a human roller coaster at night! :laugh:

[Kerynna]

Like Cirafly, I do a beebutt bun, but I make mine as low as I possibly can at my nape. I then drag on it a bit with my hand to pull it somewhat loose and down. I secure it with a soft scrunchie or plain cloth hairband. By pulling it low and loose, it fits right into the curve of my neck while I'm laying down so I can sleep on my back or either side and not notice it.

A bonus is it gives fantastic waves when I take it out the next morning.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Kerynna!

[VitaR86]

yay, I've been looking for a thread like this.

Thank you everyone who posted.

[frizzinator]

I alternate sleeping positions and I make a log roll on top of my head held with 2 Wavelength pins. The log roll is very easy to make and the bent knitting needles are short and hold a log roll very well.

Before I figured out how well the Wavelength pins held the log roll, I used to make a nautilus bun on top of my head and secured it with an old 4 3/4" long Ketylo stick.

The bun is much more protective than loose hair while sleeping, unless the loose hair is tied inside a silk scarf, which I think prevents more breakage than wearing the bun, but putting it on was more trouble than making the bun.

I never found a silk sleep cap that I liked, because I have a big head and they tend to have elastic around the edges. For me, a silk pillowcase is not enough protection by itself, and the scarf used with the pillowcase is the best solution, but I never remember the scarf.

[Pixna]

Thanks, frizzinator! What are Wavelength pins?

[Akiko]

Great thread. I feel so uncomfortable with a bun on top of my head. Is there any trick to make it comfortable?

I am not frizzinator. But I think Wavelength pin is a big U-shaped pin. You can bend a double pointed knitting needle.

[Pixna]

Great thread. I feel so uncomfortable with a bun on top of my head. Is there any trick to make it comfortable?

Good question! I wonder about that, too.


I am not frizzinator. But I think Wavelength pin is a big U-shaped pin. You can bend a double pointed knitting needle.

Oooh. Thanks!

[Nightshade]

I do tight-ish lazy wrap bun high on the back of my head, secured with a too-short fork (my Monk the Monk black widow). The bun pretty much eats it so it doesn't stick out at all, it acts more like one big ass pin, actually. Since it doesn't stick out I don't have to worry about it stabbing DH.

I sleep on my side and stomach, never on my back, so I don't roll onto the back of my head at all. Even on the rare occasion when I do (as I'm waking up sometimes), it isn't an issue and is very comfy.

The only thing that happens is that if my hair is totally dry sometimes the fork falls out. Usually DH or I find it before getting stabbed with it :o

[Akiko]

Thanks for the advice, Nightshade.

I don't know why. But I was uncomfortable when I tried a bun on top my head. I need to try again with different hairtoys. Right now, I am sleeping with a single side braid. But I roll all over the bed during my sleep. The braid is not working too well, either.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Nightshade! It really is fascinating to see how everyone handles nighttime bunning differently. I appreciate your input.

[frizzinator]

Great thread. I feel so uncomfortable with a bun on top of my head. Is there any trick to make it comfortable? ....

Hi Akiko!

It was not comfortable at first because it takes practice. I tried a variety of buns with a variety of hair toys, in order to figure out what would stay-up securely and be comfortable at the same time.

My goal was to find a bun that would stay up when secured with a short stick or fork.

The bent knitting needles are like very short forks and are comfortable, and if one should fall out, the other one usually holds the bun in place.

I practiced a lot with scrunchies, but never could get one to stay in my hair all night.

[SpinDance]

It took me a while to try a bun to sleep, but now it's what I do every night. I like it better than the braid I always used to do. I do a high Nautilus ala the Articles section (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=117). (Hope I did that right!)

At first I put it way high, now I put it a bit farther back. Basically I want to be able to lay on my back without it being in the way. I use a Flexi to hold it. I use a shorter one that I might use during the day, so it doesn't have so much chance to poke DH. All it has to do is keep the bun secure. I tried larger ones, but they tend to bump against the top of the bed/wall and pop open. I've never been brave enough to try sleeping with a fork or stick, afraid it would come out and get broken.

I've tried a scarf tied around it, but found that I'm more comfortable with just the silk pillowcase.

[Pixna]

Thanks, SpinDance! I was wondering if anyone used a Flexi. I'm glad to hear that it works well for you for nighttime bunning. Thank you also for the Nautilus bun link!

[Loreley]

I usually do a low beebutt-like braided bun and wrap a headband around it. I sleep on my stomach so it isn't uncomfortable. :)

[Pixna]

Thanks, Loreley. How can you sleep on your stomach all night? Doesn't it hurt your neck?

[Heidi_234]

I used to do a beebutt bun but now I converted to the celtic knot/neoma knot bun (it pretty much holds on it's own!). I do it on the nape of my neck and "secure" it by putting a silky socking thingy over it (when I did a beebutt bun I added a bit velvet scrunchie on top of the socking at the base). I sleep on my sides and stomach mostly but it doesn't bother me when I lay on my back. I just dislike doing the top-of-the-head bun.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Heidi!

[Ramona_Fosca]

For those of you who bun at night, how do you do it?

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)?

Yes. Looks silly, but has proven most comfortable.


What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night?

Quattro anchor pins - just perfect! Hold like a rock and at 3" length...


If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye?

...and avoid that. The ends don't show out of the bun, and even if I lost one the ends are rounded as not to poke anybody (especially important since I share my bed with both my partner and my child).


Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate?

"Alternate" does not even come close... I roll around all the time - maybe because our bed is so crowded and DD tends to turn 90° at night...


What type of bun do you normally do?

Some cross of a cinnamon and a bee but.

[Pixna]

Ramona, thank you!

[BunnyBee]

I tried bunning at night, low buns were uncomfortable. High buns secured with a short stick (ketylo) always fell out a few times during the night, they held better if I stretched a scrunchie over the stick to hold it like a hairslide.. I gave up and do braids now though :p

[Nightshade]

I think the reason top buns hurt for some is that hair tends to hurt more when you pull it up than down, if that makes sense. The hair towards the top of the head is rarely styled up towards the top of the head like that, so the scalp is more sensitive to it.

[breezefaerie]

I wear a bee-butt bun on the top of my head. By morning, the shortest layers have popped out :(
It's held with a scrunchi and I sleep on a satin pillowcase. I sleep all over the bed too but have never tried sleeping with my hair any other way. I can't stand the feel of my hair going every which way.

[LunarAurora]

When i wear my hair in a night bun, at the very top of my head, my scalp hurts after 1 hour or 2 :(

[GeoJ]

I used to bun my hair at night. I did a bun on top of my head, not a normal bun, but more of a folded style (think Padme's battle bun) and held it with two satin scrunchies. I roll into various positions for sleeping each night, so the top of my head was the only place the bun could go and not bother me. I did that in combination with using satin pillowcases.

I stopped doing that and switched to keeping my hair loose inside a satin sleepcap because my hair tangles too much when I put it on top my head (and then again when I take it back down in the morning). It did have the benefit of eliminating my annoying scalp cleavage, though. My DH also preferred the look of a top bun over the look of my sleepcap.

[Pixna]

Thank you, breezefaerie and GeoJ.

LunarAurora, maybe some of the ideas in this thread will help you find ways to avoid the scalp pain.

[chloeishere]

For those of you who bun at night, how do you do it?

I make an untwisted bee butt bun on the very top of my head.
If my hair is wet, I wear it down and try to toss it over the pillow with little success.

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)?

Why, yes I do!

What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night?

I used to use a very short stick from G3studios, 4.5 inches total length. It was just big enough to hold the bun, but pretty much didn't stick out past my head at all.
Now I use a satin scrunchy, because I don't have to twist and it will still stay. It's generally more stable and hasn't fallen out once.

If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye?

It very occasionally happens when I was first tossing and turning that I would poke him in the cheek or something like that, but the hairstick was so short that it really wasn't an issue (unless I couldn't find it and wore a different one, we have several tales about that occurance!).

Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate?

I am a really bad tosser and turner, I lay on every side in every position. This is why night braids aren't good for me, I will keep tossing until I trap it, then have to wake up to free myself, and I want my sleep as uninterrupted as possible.

What type of bun do you normally do?

Untwisted bee butt bun.


ETA: I found it uncomfortable to have my hair on top of my head at first too, but as I was trying to keep my scalp from training to the same part every time, I did something similar to get used to having my hair pulled up on top of my head. I would keep it up for an hour or two, and then when it started to get sore take it down. Over time, your scalp becomes less sensitive and it won't hurt anymore.

At least that was the plan, I think eventually I just wore it up for a night, dealt with the soreness in the morning, waited a few days and did it again, and the third or fourth night with it up it just stopped hurting. I don't like to wake up. :D

[Pixna]

Chloe, thanks so much for your detailed response. Much appreciated!

[viking_quest]

I sleep with a beebutt bun that I try to get in the center on the top of my head but always ends up a bit to the left, but not left enough to affect my sleep. I use mini-jaw clips to secure it because they're the only things that will stay in my hair the entire night. And I sleep on my sides.

[Pierre]

My usual style is not exactly buns, it's half the hair folded and held by a Flexi behind the left ear, and the other half likewise behind the right ear. But I do sometimes do that with buns, usually on Saturdays since I avoid having hair dangling in church. Either way, I sleep with the whole updo wrapped in a Buff.

If I wore a single bun in back during the day, I usually undo it before sleeping, since I start sleeping on my back and the bun is a big lump that makes it hard to lie that way.

[Karala]

For those of you who bun at night, how do you do it?

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)?

Yes, looks a little bit silly but feels comfy :) and now I'm realising it doesn't even have to be so high up on the head to still feel comfortable. (so it looks a little less silly. lol.)

What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night?

Quattro basic hairstick ("starlite", aluminium), it's sturdy, not slippery, and it's short (5 inches) so it doesn't stick out much. But I find the "coming loose factor" has to do less with what I'm using to secure it, and more with the state of my hair. As I'm growing out my damage, and growing new healthier hair month by month, I find my buns come loose more easily, especially night buns. But when it happens it only makes me think of how my hair is getting better so I can't be annoyed ^^ and they rarely come undone all the way, they usually just unravel some.

If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye?

I just use a short hairstick with as little ends sticking out as possible. But as much as DBF has learned to become wary of coming too close to my buns in the daytime (lol), it is sometimes a problem at nighttime :rolleyes: :D

Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate?

Back, side and stomach.

What type of bun do you normally do?

Nautilus Bun.

HTH!

[Pixna]

Thanks, Karala!!

[Merewen]

Haven't done it in a while, but when I bun for sleep, I do a beebutt bun on the very top of my head and secure it with a hair scroo. It's not poky to me or anyone else and is really secure, if a bit silly looking (especially in the morning).

[Pixna]

Thanks, Merewen! It does sound like it would look a bit silly, but if it works for you, who cares, right? :D

[LaurelSpring]

I finally found something that works for me. I had been doing braids but my hair was looking really frizzly in the mornings and I was getting worried.

Now I put my head down and do a single braid from the crown of my head (no pony holder). Then I wind the braid around cinna - style on the top of my head and secure with Good Days Hair pins. This is very comfortable for me (I have struggled with other metods that seemed to pull, be uncomfortable or not stay). In the morning I have lots of volume and waves.

[LaurelSpring]

When i wear my hair in a night bun, at the very top of my head, my scalp hurts after 1 hour or 2 :(

I had this problem too but I dont have it anymore using my loose crown braid method now.

[restourceful]

I'm mostly a side and back sleeper but I have to go to sleep on my stomach and then I end up on my side or back. I've done the cinnabun top knot for the last week or so and I like it just fine. I hold it with a big satin scrunchie. I don't have to worry about poking DH with a scrunchie. :cheese: Some nights it unravels if I haven't gotten the tail under the scrunchie but it tends to stay twirled and over my head until morning even if it comes loose. Last night and for several weeks before I did the cinnabun top knot I was just fanning my loose hair over the top of my pillow. This is fine for me when I'm not having hot flashes (boo, hiss!). I'm thinking tonight I'm going to try bending over and doing a loose english braid right on top of my head, wrapping it around cinnabun style, and securing with a scrunchie. And a sock bun sounds interesting, too. I feel like I need to change it up sometimes so I don't get traction in the same spot all the time. Does anyone else worry about this or am I the only one? :hmm:

ETA: Laurelspring, I was typing while you posted. I'm glad to know the english braid is comfy!

[Tiina]

I've tried to do a high cinnabun using basic hairpins but it didn't work very well. I sleep mostly on my sides but the DH sleeps... how can I explain this... either around me or under me. So the bun suffered some friction between him and my scalp and I think a braid is the safer option. Then again, when my hair gets longer (it's between APL and SL) I probably have to figure out something else, lest we sleep on the braid. :shrug:

[GRU]

My solution for sleeping on a braid is to do a braid on each side, then I tie them together on top of my head.

I use loose knots and then use a small claw clip to keep it in place and prevent it from coming untied.

[sibiryachka]

I'm a side sleeper. In the past, the only bun I could make work for sleep was a bee-butt right on the top of my head. I could live with the way that made me look like I was in a Toulouse-Lautrec painting, but not with the way the resulting bun-waves looked; it always left a weird-looking poof right above my ears.
In the last month or so, though, the shorter front hairs have gotten long enough that they'll stay in a bee-butt bun placed at the nape of my neck. Secured with a velvet scrunchie, it works great for sleep - it fits right into the curve of my neck, and I can hardly feel it at all.
I've also had... well, I don't know that I'd call it a success exactly, since it was accidental ;) I fell asleep reading with my hair still in a figure-8 bun, and when I woke up it was still intact, much to my surprise. It was held with a homemade pin that follows the curve of my skull, so it was comfy enough not to disturb my sleep.

[squiggyflop]

scrunchybun.. i sleep alone and i sleep mostly on my sides and stomach

[embee]

I make a gibralter bun on the very top of my head and secure it with a fairly short hairfork. Usually I have the back of the fork towards the back of my head and the points at the front. That way there's no holes in the pillowcase and no pokey things on the side or back.

[Cholera]

Do you put your hair in a top knot (a bun on the top of your head)? A topknot is the only way I can sleep with a bun in.

What do you use to secure the bun so it doesn't come loose in the middle of the night? I use hair pins most of the time.. but if I can't find any I'll use an elastic I have laying around.

If you use a hair stick and sleep with another person (spouse, lover, etc.), how do you keep from poking him/her the eye? I poke my boyfriend in the eye with my hairsticks anyway, so I don't think it'd work if we were sleeping. Ha.

Do you sleep on your back or side or alternate? I sleep on my stomach, with my head turned to the left.

What type of bun do you normally do? I normally do a cinnabun/beebutt. My hair is at a length where they meld into one weird bun.

[lastnite]

does anyone have trouble with their hair breaking while in buns, while sleeping? I think mines still breaks from it being pulled back then rubbing against the pillow case. I like the protection the bun give to length though. I use a satiny pillow case, but I'm thinking I need a sleep cap or scarf.

[HintOfMint]

Topknot held with an octopus/claw clip and satin pillowcase.

I do get worried that my underlayer is getting damaged from the rubbing against the pillowcase, even though it is satin. I have noticed a bit more damage but that may be just from the protein overload and subsequent tangles.

I do not have a significant other at the moment, although if I did, I'm not sure I would bother tying my hair up. I got into some bad beauty habits in my last relationship. I wouldn't take my makeup off at night, didn't wear a bra to sleep (still debatable as to whether it is necessary but it's more of a better safe than sorry thing for me), forget sunscreen, eating out a lot, skipping detangling in the morning... etc. What can I say, I had more "important" things to do:eyebrows:
My single routine is freaking Spartan compared to what I've done while coupled up.
I will say this: if I ever get into another relationship again, I will bring a satin pillowcase to stay over.

[frizzinator]

does anyone have trouble with their hair breaking while in buns, while sleeping? I think mines still breaks from it being pulled back then rubbing against the pillow case. I like the protection the bun give to length though. I use a satiny pillow case, but I'm thinking I need a sleep cap or scarf.


I have found that the best solution is both a silk pillowcase and a silk scarf tied around my head, knotted at my forehead, "Rosie the Riviter" style.

I'm usually too lazy to wear the scarf, and I definately break more hairs without it.

I make a log roll on top of my head, held with a couple of bent double pointed knitting needles. It is the bun in my avatar, except I make it on top of my head.

[Carolyn]

I sleep with a bun when I've washed at night and plan to wear my hair down in the morning, so my hair is slightly wet to dampish when I bun it. I do a beebutt on top of my head. I sleep on my back or side so a nape bun wouldn't be comfortable. I hold it with a cotton scrunchie. Pins or forks wouldn't be comfortable for me. I sleep alone unless Buffy decides to join me and she's usually near the bottom of the bed.

[tofuowl]

I almost always put my hair in a loose bun right on top of my head with a big scrunchie.

I bend over so all of my hair is flipped forward, grab my hair into a ponytail base, and slip the scrunchie over the base. Then, I loosely wind the length of my hair around this base. I fold the rest of the scrunchie around the wrapped hair, forming the bun (if that makes any sense...it's the same old messy bun I've been doing since I was a kid, so I'm not sure if there's a better name for it).

I alternate between both sides and my back throughout the night, and the bun holds very well. It'll be a bit loose and awkward in the morning, but it's out of my face all night long. As a bonus, when I take it down, the waves are very pretty :)

[restourceful]

Night before last I tried the braid wrapped into a cinnabun topknot held by a scrunchie. It ended up being a bee butt before the night was over and wasn't as comfortable as I had thought it would be. Last night I did the cinnabun topknot with two scroos. It stayed up better and was more comfortable than any other nighttime updo I've ever done. I think I've finally found my bed-do. :cheese: