Night-time Hair for protection?

[katsrevenge]

I did look for a prior thread but couldn't find one.

I have started to put my hair into an English braid at night. I'm doing this mostly because my BF and tiny dog kept yanking on my hair at night. I did try a french braid once but it kept yanking on my scalp.

They move, step on hair/pull on hair, I get yanked awake. Ow. The braid stops that. (It has not stopped my one cat from pouncing on it one night. All I can figure is it moved on the pillow because it ain't that long yet!) The last time I had hair this long I only shared a bed with cats.. and they didn't TWITCH so much! I only had to worry about the hair trying to strangle me in my sleep!

What I am worried about is the damage to my hair from being braided this way and rubbing on the pillow. No, I don't have satin pillowcases.. I can't stand how they feel (I can barely stand normal cotton..I prefer the Tshirt or flannel sheets). My hair is not long enough to flip over the end of the bed...and I tend to burrow under the pillows anyways. So, what do you guys do?

[GoatLady]

I braid my hair and sleep on a satin pillowcase. Since you don't like the feel of satin, have you tried silk? Also, have you thought of wearing a sleep cap? That might keep the kitty from using your braid as a toy.

[katsrevenge]

Heh, I think the only thing that would keep my cats from trying to play with me at night would be if I released a passel of small living things in another room before retiring. Even then I'd be woken up each time they caught one! Oriental cats are nuts.

Do you use the same braid each night? Do you put it in the same place? That's what I'm most worried about, the repeat stress damage.

I haven't tried silk. Which kind would you recommend? I don't think I've run across one that was as silky (heh) as the satin made from god knows what that doesn't breath at all.

And I haven't tried a sleep cap. I did look at them, but they were all that non breathing stuff.

[owlathena]

I've seen very breatheable sleeping caps at drugstores and at sallys. They're made to protect weaves. Check out the "ethnic" hair sections at the stores.

[pixiestar]

Heh, I think the only thing that would keep my cats from trying to play with me at night would be if I released a passel of small living things in another room before retiring. Even then I'd be woken up each time they caught one! Oriental cats are nuts.

Do you use the same braid each night? Do you put it in the same place? That's what I'm most worried about, the repeat stress damage.

I haven't tried silk. Which kind would you recommend? I don't think I've run across one that was as silky (heh) as the satin made from god knows what that doesn't breath at all.

And I haven't tried a sleep cap. I did look at them, but they were all that non breathing stuff.

Charmeuse silk is best in a pillowcase. This is what I have:D Its soft, and not to slippery. Great for hair and skin:D

[GoatLady]

Do you use the same braid each night? Do you put it in the same place? That's what I'm most worried about, the repeat stress damage.


I love the look of braid waves in my hair, so sleep with 2 French braids, one on each side of my head, when I'll be wearing my hair down the next day. If my hair will be up, or if it'll be washed in the morning, then just one single braid.



I haven't tried silk. Which kind would you recommend? I don't think I've run across one that was as silky (heh) as the satin made from god knows what that doesn't breath at all.


I am currently happy with the 2 satin pillowcases I found at the thrift store. My cotton pillowcase was making my hair all linty. The lint was showing up in my hair brush. Yuck.



And I haven't tried a sleep cap. I did look at them, but they were all that non breathing stuff.

I plan on heading to Sally's, next payday, to purchase some kind of sleep cap (as well as a tangle teaser).

[katsrevenge]

pixiestar OH! Pretty!

I think I will be hunting for some of this fabric...

crazihippichic I have noticed my hair is straighter when I braid it at night. It is a pretty look though. And you use French braids? Hmm. They pulled on my scalp. :/ I guess I will just keep moving my braid around at night for now.

Heh, I was going to check the ladies shirts area for some silk.. we always have a glut of silky silks there in weird colors. And, I can sew.. so I'm happy to try this. (If it doesn't work.. then the fabric becomes head wraps, No worries!)

That's the only place I've seen them so far, sleep caps that is. They just looked iffy for me (I have weird skin that hates most non breathing fabric so I have to stick to mostly natural stuff and or good rayon). I think I'd rather wrap my head in a bandana first. I saw a tangle teaser there too. I don't think it would go through my hair at all.

[Eirelin]

Just 2 days ago, I picked up 4 silk scarves from an estate sale and have for the last 2 nights worn one (Rosie the Riveter fashion) to bed with either a Dutch or English braid. It is very comfortable!

[Zesty]

You could try some alternatives to braids, if a sleep cap doesn't work out. I know some people do a sock bun or some other kind of bun right on the top of their heads, which may or may not work for you since you tend to burrow lol. :D Otherwise, I second everything everyone else said.

I personally just do a loose English braid and don't worry about it too much. Some of it comes out of the braid at night, but I haven't really noticed damage (certainly less damage than when I would lay on it when it was loose and accidentally pull, etc), and it is easier to detangle in the morning. So if you don't braid tightly or roughly, I don't think the braid will cause damage. I tried a silk shirt over my pillow, but didn't notice any difference at all so I don't bother (maybe because I turn over in my sleep a lot?). But if you are very worried, definitely try some of these suggestions. :)

[torrilin]

I generally sleep in braids or a bun. Yeah, I'm sooooo definite :D.

Stuff that works for me includes: French braid, twin French braids, English braid, twin English braids, cinnabun on top of my head, my weird Artemis/Nautilus thing on top of my head, various flipped buns... I swap my sleep hairstyle around about as much as my day to day ones.

Basically, as long as there's not a big bump on the back of my head, I can sleep ok.

My partner is highly amused by my ability to turn myself into a mummy when I sleep. Usually there won't be much of anything visible, not even my nose. I haven't found that it's a serious problem for my hair. And it's definitely not worth trying to protect my hair from all contact, since that'd mean a satin sleep cap AND changing all our sheets and pillowcases to satin (I tend to remove sleeping caps in my sleep...).

[torrilin]

I generally sleep in braids or a bun. Yeah, I'm sooooo definite :D.

Stuff that works for me includes: French braid, twin French braids, English braid, twin English braids, cinnabun on top of my head, my weird Artemis/Nautilus thing on top of my head, various flipped buns... I swap my sleep hairstyle around about as much as my day to day ones.

Basically, as long as there's not a big bump on the back of my head, I can sleep ok.

My partner is highly amused by my ability to turn myself into a mummy when I sleep. Usually there won't be much of anything visible, not even my nose. I haven't found that it's a serious problem for my hair. And it's definitely not worth trying to protect my hair from all contact, since that'd mean a satin sleep cap AND changing all our sheets and pillowcases to satin (I tend to remove sleeping caps in my sleep...).

[silverjen]

I do a scrunchy bun at the very top of my head. I don't worry about using the same updo every night, because it's down all day. And bonus, it gives me extra volume the next morning.

[Madora]

For decades I wore my hair in 2 long braids for bed. Then I decided to try a braided bun on the top of my head. Was I ever surprised (and delighted) when I had next to no snarls or tangles the next morning!!

What I do is bend at the waist and bring all my hair in front of me. I use a wide tooth comb and taking a small section of hair, start at the ends and slowly work up the strands to the scalp.

Once all the hair has been thoroughly detangled and still bent deeply at the waist, I loosely braid my hair 3/4s of the way down, then circle the braid in a coil on the top of my head (or back near the top of the crown), and pin in place with 8 3 inch crimped hairpins. The braiding is loose enough so it doesn't pull and the bun is solid as a rock all night. Undoing it in the morning is a cinch and detangling is a breeze. In 2 minutes, I'm ready to do my morning 100 strokes with my bbb, where before, when I slept with 2 braids, it took me the better part of 4 minutes to thoroughly detangle my hair.

[katsrevenge]

Thanks all. My fears are being soothed!

[BeautifulBlonde]

My hair being thin and fine I've gotten into the habit of sleeping with my hair up at night. Simple bun near the crown or on top of my head (think ballerina style) with a bobby pin or two. An occasional braid or hair down probably wouldn't hurt my hair none now that I think about it.

Hair is normally up in a bun 95 % of the time. lol

[heatherbelle]

Charmeuse silk is best in a pillowcase. This is what I have:D Its soft, and not to slippery. Great for hair and skin:D


Thats what I have and I LOVE them! So does my hair! :D You can get them from Dharma Trading Co. on the web.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1384272-AA.shtml

[islandboo]

If breathablility is an issue for you, definitely choose silk over satin - the difference is night and day. I use a silk sleep cap (from Pretty Anntoinet's) and it has been working very well.

[missmagoo]

I've recently switched from a bun on top of my head to a braid because I was noticing A LOT of breakage around the nape of my neck. I think that the hair around my nape was getting rubbed against my pillow and breaking off at the bun.
I feel a lot better with the braid, and I've noticed less breakage.

[Cardinal]

Sometimes I do a single braid, sometimes it is left twisted from when I take it down from the clip I use to keep it up. But it has to be something or it winds around my neck and chokes me.
Going to check out the silk pillow cases..Heh.
This forum is spoiling me.

[pittsburgpam]

I sleep in a satin cap. I either very loosely braid my hair, with no ponytail at my head and with no holder at the end, or I just wrap it around my hand, pile it on my head, then put the cap on. My hair isn't tangled in the morning but sometimes the cap comes off. I think I need to get a satin pillowcase too.

[RuLueashk]

I use a Buff as a sleeping cap. I've found that it stays in place quite well as long as I leave plenty of extra cloth at forehead & nape (& covering my ears). There are a couple ways I place the Buff, depending on whim. The easiest to describe is to put it on like a headband, bend over so the Buff is hanging at full length (covering the bun on top of my head), roll the open end up a couple times & then tie the resulting corners into a half knot. Later I usually end up pulling down the forehead part to use as a sleep mask.

[katsrevenge]

I use a Buff as a sleeping cap. I've found that it stays in place quite well as long as I leave plenty of extra cloth at forehead & nape (& covering my ears). There are a couple ways I place the Buff, depending on whim. The easiest to describe is to put it on like a headband, bend over so the Buff is hanging at full length (covering the bun on top of my head), roll the open end up a couple times & then tie the resulting corners into a half knot. Later I usually end up pulling down the forehead part to use as a sleep mask.

I have to ask...what's a Buff?

[RuLueashk]

I have to ask...what's a Buff?

Heh. Only a little something I discovered here at LHC! I'm a person who considers a bandana to be a multitool & always has one around. Buffs are even more useful & have taken over my bandana niche, & I'm slowly collecting them like others collect Ficcares. Basically the Buff is a stretchy tube made of microfiber.

This is where I buy mine:
https://www.kitshack.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/52

I use the Original version. I tried a sunblock one but it seems less stretchy & less comfortable to me.

[lilasianvixen77]

Since my hair's not quite waist length yet, I just pull my hair above my head before I lay on my pillow. I find that if I lie down on my hair, I may pull on it while I'm asleep.

[katsrevenge]

Heh. Only a little something I discovered here at LHC! I'm a person who considers a bandana to be a multitool & always has one around. Buffs are even more useful & have taken over my bandana niche, & I'm slowly collecting them like others collect Ficcares. Basically the Buff is a stretchy tube made of microfiber.

This is where I buy mine:
https://www.kitshack.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/52

I use the Original version. I tried a sunblock one but it seems less stretchy & less comfortable to me.

Oh! It's a head sock! I forgot about those.

I should get the boy a polar one for the winter time...