A nylon stocking as a sleep cap

[jaine]

I'm thinking about getting a Q-sized pair of pantyhose and fashioning a sort of tube-sock hair cap to protect my hair at night. Do you think this would be hair-friendly?

This is what I'm picturing:
- Cut a leg off a Q-sized pair of pantyhouse
- Cut the foot off too (so I basically have a big tube)
- Put the tube over my head and under my hair so it's around my neck like a collar
- Flip my hair upside down and detangle it gently
- While I'm still upside down, stretch the pantyhouse over my face and hair so one end of it is around my hairline and my hair is in the tube
- I would probably put my pretty wrap over that so it won't slip off.

Hmm ... what do you think, would that be hair-friendly? I originally tried a pretty wrap but it's so small that I must put my hair in some sort of bun or twist before I put it on, and that would give me weird bun waves or kinks in the morning. This would keep all of my hair reasonably straight so I can stretch washes and avoid restyling my hair in the morning.

[triumphator!]

Hm... I'd be wary of the nylon snagging and kinking the ends of your hair overnight. What if you lined it with satin? Would that just be crazy? :D

[manderly]

I did this. It makes your hair totally flat on top, and no amount of adjusting it lower on my forehead prevented it. It ended up falling off a lot too.

If you try it, only snip the very tippy-toe of the toe off, don't snip more of the leg off thinking you don't need all that length, and it shrinks back up and your ends will fall out.

[clichepithet]

Igor has some kind of sleep-tube-cap design thing going on. I think her's is lined with silk, but you could probably just as well use satin in a pinch. I don't remember where I saw it, though. Maybe in her blog, someone who knows better might pop in and pipe up. If you sew that might be a good option.

If you figure out your rig, though, it'd be neat to see.

[Intransigentia]

I had been wondering about doing that with a stay-up thigh-high (plus-sized of course, since I am!), and whether the stay-up elastic would keep it from falling off, or just snag the hair really well.

[jaine]

I think I might try it with a thigh-high, but not one with lace or silicone, just a plain one that clips onto a garter belt, like this: http://www.stockingstore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SS405&CartID=1

With shipping and everything I'd only be out about $10 so it wouldn't be a horrible experiment.
5/6X ... I wonder if that would be large enough for a 22 1/2" head? What do you think?

A wig cap is also like a tube, but shorter. I have tried sleeping in one of those. It gave me an elastic dent on my forehead because I have a large head and the elastic band was very small. But my hair looked great in the morning.

[manderly]

Jaine, without the elastic it will fall right off. I even tried rigging it with snap clips and bobby pins.

:shrug:

[christine1989]

I don't know if it would stay on all night but if you could manage it I think it would be really hair friendly. If you are spending money and time on it though you might as well just buy a sleep cap online. That way you would be sure it stayed on and was good for hair.

[jaine]

I don't know if it would stay on all night but if you could manage it I think it would be really hair friendly. If you are spending money and time on it though you might as well just buy a sleep cap online. That way you would be sure it stayed on and was good for hair.

hmm, the issue with sleep caps is that they don't have a hole in the top. So they require gathering or bunching my hair up somehow to get all my hair into the cap. This gives me kinks in the morning. Something like a tube would be better because I can put it around my neck and then pull it up over my hair, keeping all my hair lying in the same direction. If I don't put kinks in my hair then I can go multiple days before I wet my hair and I like the convenience of that because my hair takes forever to dry. As soon as I have a weird bun wave or kink the only way to fix it is to get my hair wet again.

I thought about the possibility that it might slip off... I might try threading a ribbon through the top... I guess I'll find out soon enough if there's a workaround ... if not it was only $10 so I'm not worried ;)

[Kaijah]

I think this would work really well, if you could figure out a head-securing-mechanism. I've always wanted to try it, but I've got no sewing talent so I have no idea how to even begin sewing on some sort of hair-safe elastic or whatever.

I know there's a similar product for people who show horses - a kind of nylon tube/sock thing that they put the tail hair in. I suppose one of those would work for a human-ponytail/braid as well, but it wouldn't really cover the top of your head...

[manderly]

I own one of these: http://prettyanntoinets.com/item_27/Loc-Tube-BlackViolet-Trim.htm and it works great, just as I had hoped the nylon would work.

[Elenna]

How about a cloth headband from the store? Just lasso the ponytail in and loop the cloth band until it fits. I used to do this to confine my hair while I slept.

[coppercurls]

I own one of these: http://prettyanntoinets.com/item_27/Loc-Tube-BlackViolet-Trim.htm and it works great, just as I had hoped the nylon would work.

I really like the sounds of this. Since I have no sewing skills, this maybe an option for me. Thanks for the link Manderly!:)

[jaine]

I own one of these: http://prettyanntoinets.com/item_27/Loc-Tube-BlackViolet-Trim.htm and it works great, just as I had hoped the nylon would work.

Oh my goodness that looks PERFECT!! Just what I envisioned the perfect sleep cap would look like. I'm ordering one now. :)

[manderly]

Trust me, I looked long and hard for this after my failed nylon experiment. I knew the theory was sound, I just couldn't get the nylon to work out. I had luck with a pillowcase and clipping it tight around my forehead, but it wasn't reliable.

I thought about making one myself, but like coppercurls, my sewing skills are non-existent.

My ends to peek out a bit now (I wish they'd make a longer version), but I find that grabbing the end of the tub and letting my ends fall just inside of it and tucking the ends into the rim at my forehead (creates a turban look) works really great.

I LOST the link to this too, and I've been trying to find it for ages (I couldn't remember what it was called). I'm shocked I was able to hunt it down again :)


ETA: Redcelticcurls also uses a different type of sleeping cap that looks like a cone. I can't recall where she got it from, but it's also a great design that I'll probably pick up sooner or later :)

[WaitingSoLong]

I have made a sleep tube. I cannot get across to people that I need an OPEN END like you mentioned. Have you seen what I made from a pair of silky elastic pajama pants? I have posted it here several times before. I hate sewing and believe me it is not that pretty but it works, stays on. I agree, it HAS to be elastic which is why satin or silk does not work unless you can sew elastic into it, which I cannot. I can barely sew a hem!

Also, I had to have mine tapered. A plain tube made "ears" because it folded down over my head and it drove me nuts. I am way picky tho. LOL.

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/P1030516.jpg
http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/th_P1030518.jpg (http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/?action=view&current=P1030518.jpg)

[WaitingSoLong]

I know there's a similar product for people who show horses - a kind of nylon tube/sock thing that they put the tail hair in. I suppose one of those would work for a human-ponytail/braid as well, but it wouldn't really cover the top of your head...

They are very bulky and only hold the pony part, not the head part (with horses this is a non-issue lol). I wanted ALL my hair in mine, so maybe that is why I didn't like them. Plus I cannot gather my hair into any bun or pony at night because it gives me a headache and is very uncomfortable to sleep on. I know some have used tailbags (that is what they are called) with success. There are the tubes and then the 3 tube ones you use for braids. But they all involve tying the bag onto the pony, which adds bulk. Just FYI! Pic of a tailbag on a horse: http://www.moonrakerqh.com/tack/gfx/sleazy/tailbag.jpg

[jaine]

I have made a sleep tube. I cannot get across to people that I need an OPEN END like you mentioned. Have you seen what I made from a pair of silky elastic pajama pants? I have posted it here several times before. I hate sewing and believe me it is not that pretty but it works, stays on. I agree, it HAS to be elastic which is why satin or silk does not work unless you can sew elastic into it, which I cannot. I can barely sew a hem!

Also, I had to have mine tapered. A plain tube made "ears" because it folded down over my head and it drove me nuts. I am way picky tho. LOL.

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/P1030516.jpg
http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/th_P1030518.jpg (http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/?action=view&current=P1030518.jpg)

That looks pretty awesome ... do you have instructions anywhere for how to make it?

[WaitingSoLong]

No but I can tell you. Just go to Goodwill or some used clothing store and buy a pair of silky ELASTIC fabric pajama pants or skirt, but skirts are much heavier I found. I cut the pair in half, all the way to the waist because you need the elastic at the waist and I needed the whole length to cover my TBL hair (which was hip when I made it). I then used my poor husband as a head model as I pinned it to taper down over the head and I tapered it all the way down to the end (so my hair would not have room to float around in the tube). Then I sewed where I pinned it (it is horrible sewing LOL) with the seam OUT and joined the elastic at the head end so it is round (because you cut it in half earlier). You can adjust at this time how tight the elastic is according to where you join it. This takes a bit of trial and error because you want it to stay on but not squeeze your brain or leave an ugly elastic mark when you wake up. Also, just a piece of advice, make it to cover your ears. It just doesn't stay on well if you try to wear it above the ears plus it was uncomfortable to do so. I am sure there is a better way to make this more pretty but I was going for function and I did not want the bulk around the head so I sewed it off (cut the extra off after sewing it).

I am sure that does not explain well. If I had video capability I would make a video. I still have the other half of my pajama pants, I may make another some day but as I am growing past TBL it will soon be too short for me. If I sewed better I would just go buy some lyrca and start from scratch. Skirts aren't any longer. I bought a skirt to do the same thing and the material was just too heavy.

ETA: It is really very unsightly to wear and I only put it on after lights are out at night so DH doesn't really see me in it. Truly, It is ugly. LOL. Maybe if I had been so lucky to find a better color? lol. But that was THE ONLY pair I could find that visit.

[jaine]

No but I can tell you. Just go to Goodwill or some used clothing store and buy a pair of silky ELASTIC fabric pajama pants or skirt, but skirts are much heavier I found. I cut the pair in half, all the way to the waist because you need the elastic at the waist and I needed the whole length to cover my TBL hair (which was hip when I made it). I then used my poor husband as a head model as I pinned it to taper down over the head and I tapered it all the way down to the end (so my hair would not have room to float around in the tube). Then I sewed where I pinned it (it is horrible sewing LOL) with the seam OUT and joined the elastic at the head end so it is round (because you cut it in half earlier). You can adjust at this time how tight the elastic is according to where you join it. This takes a bit of trial and error because you want it to stay on but not squeeze your brain or leave an ugly elastic mark when you wake up. Also, just a piece of advice, make it to cover your ears. It just doesn't stay on well if you try to wear it above the ears plus it was uncomfortable to do so. I am sure there is a better way to make this more pretty but I was going for function and I did not want the bulk around the head so I sewed it off (cut the extra off after sewing it).

I am sure that does not explain well. If I had video capability I would make a video. I still have the other half of my pajama pants, I may make another some day but as I am growing past TBL it will soon be too short for me. If I sewed better I would just go buy some lyrca and start from scratch.

That makes sense ... thank you!! I will definitely keep an eye out for a good pair of pajama pants at the thrift store.

[WaitingSoLong]

If you don't mind the tube look you can skip the tapering and just cut and sew the elastic waist to the circumference of your head. MUCH easier. I actually got this idea from another LHC member but I modified it to be tapered. I grab my hair fromthe open bottom end and pull it through (hence why it must be open on bottom). I wish I was happy with a sleep cap (equally as ugly LOL) but I wanted to keep my hair straight, not all bunched in some cap.

[jaine]

Me too...I'm hoping to get 2nd or 3rd day hair and the bunching would just be a variable in the mix that makes it even more of a crap shoot...bun waves look horrible at my length and I can't imagine bunching would turn out any better.

[coppercurls]

I own one of these: http://prettyanntoinets.com/item_27/Loc-Tube-BlackViolet-Trim.htm and it works great, just as I had hoped the nylon would work.

I ordered one tonight and can't wait for it to get here!:cheese:

[proo]

You got my wheels turning - last night I took a plain pair of panty hose, cut the toe end off one leg, put the whole thing on my head (waistband around my face), pulled my hair through the cut-off leg - then tied the other leg around my head to secure the whole thing there better. It stayed on and i do believe my hair barely budged. My only concern is that the nylon itself could be drying, but this morning my former frizz is almost nonexistant.
Moviestar shampoo rocks.

[manderly]

This looks almost identical to the sleep cap I mentioned Redcelticcurls owns (it's even pink!) LOL.


I have made a sleep tube. I cannot get across to people that I need an OPEN END like you mentioned. Have you seen what I made from a pair of silky elastic pajama pants? I have posted it here several times before. I hate sewing and believe me it is not that pretty but it works, stays on. I agree, it HAS to be elastic which is why satin or silk does not work unless you can sew elastic into it, which I cannot. I can barely sew a hem!

Also, I had to have mine tapered. A plain tube made "ears" because it folded down over my head and it drove me nuts. I am way picky tho. LOL.

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/P1030516.jpg
http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/th_P1030518.jpg (http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Poetry4me75/?action=view&current=P1030518.jpg)

[jaine]

I found out what redcelticcurls's sleep cap is, it's a Satin Sakk!
http://flaury.startlogic.com/store/index.html

proo - that sounds really awesome! I am putting it on my list of things to try :)

[GoddesJourney]

I'm thinking about getting a Q-sized pair of pantyhose and fashioning a sort of tube-sock hair cap to protect my hair at night. Do you think this would be hair-friendly?

This is what I'm picturing:
- Cut a leg off a Q-sized pair of pantyhouse
- Cut the foot off too (so I basically have a big tube)
- Put the tube over my head and under my hair so it's around my neck like a collar
- Flip my hair upside down and detangle it gently
- While I'm still upside down, stretch the pantyhouse over my face and hair so one end of it is around my hairline and my hair is in the tube
- I would probably put my pretty wrap over that so it won't slip off.

Hmm ... what do you think, would that be hair-friendly? I originally tried a pretty wrap but it's so small that I must put my hair in some sort of bun or twist before I put it on, and that would give me weird bun waves or kinks in the morning. This would keep all of my hair reasonably straight so I can stretch washes and avoid restyling my hair in the morning.

Hahahahaha! I'm sorry, all I can think of is how it would look like you were robbing your own house, walking around with pantyhose on your head!:D

[manderly]

I found out what redcelticcurls's sleep cap is, it's a Satin Sakk!
http://flaury.startlogic.com/store/index.html

proo - that sounds really awesome! I am putting it on my list of things to try :)

Ah yes! Thank you for not being as lazy as me and looking that up ;)

[jaine]

This thread needs more pictures, I think!!!

My cat saw me and RAN ... haha!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6736&pictureid=92324

[redcelticcurls]

I found out what redcelticcurls's sleep cap is, it's a Satin Sakk!
http://flaury.startlogic.com/store/index.html

proo - that sounds really awesome! I am putting it on my list of things to try :)

It does look like what WaitingSoLong made. :lol:

http://i56.tinypic.com/1zz42v7.jpg

[WaitingSoLong]

I had to ROFL at that pic Jaine! Too funny.

I didn't get a satin Sakk because it doesn't look tapered enough and the material looks too heavy. Maybe if I could try one for free. LOL.

[proo]

So did you try the pantyhose sleep bonnet thang out for the night Jaine?

[Panth]

I made myself one, following the general principle of the one WaitingSoLong made. I bought 1/2 a metre of silk satin (I didn't trust the charity shop satins to be silk and I didn't want my head sweating) and also a stretchy cloth headband. I sewed the silk into a tube, shiny side in, using french seams to ensure my hair wouldn't get caught in the seam allowance. I used the length of the material, so the ends of my tube were selvedge.

...I then discovered that 1/2m was *just* too little as it would fit onto my head, but very very tightly. So, I unpicked it. *humph* And cut a taper into the bottom 1/3rd and sewed the triangle I cut off onto the top 1/3rd to make it wider (like a gore insert). I then tacked my tube onto my fabric headband.

To wear it, I make a ponytail without a band, put my arm through the sleep cap and pull the ponytail through. Then, pull the headband over my eyes and flip it back so it sits on the satin (I didn't have the width of fabric to make a tube for it to sit in). I then adjust my hair around my temples and nape.

It works pretty well and was real easy to make. However, mine needs washing (too much coconut oil leave-ins, me thinks) and (the downside of real silk) I haven't got round to handwashing it yet...

[jaine]

So did you try the pantyhose sleep bonnet thang out for the night Jaine?

I did... I did a "hair wrapping" experiment and it turned out pretty good - next time I'll try it with a product with less "hold" because my hair didn't want to let go of the shape going off to one side in the back. My hair was very smooth and shiny in the morning though.

[jaine]

I got my Loc Cover in the mail today and I love it. :crush:
Love love love!!! It's so soft and comfortable...seems tight enough to stay on but not tight enough to leave a crease on my forehead. I also got my 5-6x pantyhose thigh highs in the mail too but I'm trying the Loc Cover first.

[coppercurls]

<pouting> Mines not here yet. I am glad to hear that you are loving yours, jaine!
Maybe mine will be here tomorrow. ;)

[manderly]

I'm glad you like it :D

When your hair gets too long and starts sticking out the bottom, take hold of the ends of the tube and lift it straight up over your head, letting your hair fall inside on top your head. Then just tuck the ends into the front rim at your forehead. It makes a kind of turban and keeps your hair contained but not squished or pulled, and not loose enough to tangle :)

[jaine]

I just wish it were satin silk instead of knit silk...then it would be the PERFECT sleep cap! But I'll see how much frizz I have in the morning; maybe the knit won't matter.

[dawnandxavier]

hmm. are there any low cost hair protectors out there already?

[Lianna]

This is really common for a wrap in my country. If it's not tight, I think it's fine. Lots of women sleep with it, here. It's not as popular anymore, though, but I'm sure all the older folks know about it.

[jaine]

I tried the Loc Cover last night and wasn't impressed with it as a sleeping cap - it moved forward and back on my head quite a few times while I was sleeping and my hair must have caught in the small knit weave of it because my hair was not neat in the morning. I went ahead and rewet and restyled my hair in the morning because it a little too frizzy and wonky to just "brush and go" to work. So far, the Pretty Wrap is my favorite even though I had to bunch up my hair into it; with the Pretty Wrap I was able to just brush my hair in the morning and go to work without any more adjustments, for 3 days in a row.

BUT I'm glad I got the loc cover because it looks like the perfect "protect my hair while I go out on a windy day" kind of thing and it looks very chic especially with some dangly earrings. :D I can't say that much for the Pretty Wrap ... I would be a little embarrassed to wear it in public!

ETA: the nylon stocking will be my next experiment tonight ... it's a 5/6x size thigh high (the largest size I could find) with no elastic at the top. I plan to cut the foot off and then put the whole thing over my head and around my neck, detangle my hair, and then stretch it up over my face and hair so the "thigh" band is on my forehead and the rest is up over my hair. With any luck it'll be tight enough to keep my hair stationary and tight enough to not move back and forth, but loose enough not to give me a headache like the wig cap did.

[manderly]

It's not perfect, but it's the best I've found so far ;)

I had to work to not wiggle out of it the first couple of times I slept in it. I pull it down over my forehead and nape a little farther than normal. I like that the majority of my nape hairs remain protected :)

Remember to only cut they very tippy toe of the nylon off!! Those buggers shrink like crazy! :D

Let us know how it goes.

[jaine]

I tried the nylon stocking, covered with my Loc Cover because after I put it on I wasn't sure if it would stay on. Verdict: Eh. It wasn't bad, it stayed on and my hair wasn't frizzy in the morning, but I still like the silk bonnet better because this one gave my hair a very wonky shape. I guess I'm stuck with silk bonnets until my hair gets too long for them.

I think the wonky shape came from the nape of my hair where the nylon stocking was pressing my hair "upwards." Getting it on was an ordeal as well ... even with the 5/6x size I couldn't get the entire stocking over my head until I cut off more of the foot, and like manderly said that made it shrink a lot. My shoulder-length hair was just barely covered.

It was also very hot and not breathable.

I'm sad about my Pretty Wrap quality ... it's a good concept but after using it for just a week, the seam in front has started to unravel. I haven't been putting it through much stress at all, just sleeping in it and wearing it under my winter hat. I might sew it back together or maybe get a different silk bonnet from Pretty Anntoinet since I liked the Lov Cover quality a lot.

Anyway ... my quest for the perfect sleep cap is probably going to end where it began, with the silk bonnet. For now anyway. When my hair is too long for it I think I might sew a silk tube.

[manderly]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear yours is unraveling.

If I had sewing skills, I would like to make my own tube. It can't be that difficult, I'm just lazy :)

Some things I thought I'd do:

Make a wide seamless band to prevent any forehead marking
Put a button and a loop so I can make it snugger around the head if necessary
Put a loop on the end of the tube so I can make it a loose turban (hook the button on the seam) if I so wish.
Make sure the slippery part is on the inside where it will benefit my hair

[jaine]

Those sound like really good ideas!! I was also thinking about stuff like that and what a sleeping tube would look like...I wonder if i could commission a custom one on etsy :)