What to do with hair when asleep?

[W2]

Haven't done much of thinking about it before - but I guess you have lot's of advices.

[moxamoll]

I have been doing just a plain braid from the nape of my neck. But I may have to rethink that, as it's starting to get long enough to get trapped under me or my BF. I'll look forward to seeing other suggestions as well!

[Kiwiwi]

I sleep with two pigtail braids on a satin pillowcase.
Doesn't get in the way, feels comfortable when I lay on the back of my head and it's good for second day curls ^_^

[summerstarlet]

I sleep with my hair in a cinnabun on top of my hair or in a **** bun when I want to curl my hair without heat. I love sleeping with my hair up. My split ends have stopped almost entirely.

[summerstarlet]

that says sock...I don't want people to think I'm saying bad things when I'm not!

[Roscata]

I French braid my hair and use a satin pillowcase.:)

[DancingQueen]

I also frenchbraid every night before wash. The other nights, I just flip it over the pillow. But I heard a lot of good stuff about sleeping caps, so I am considering to try it out. ;)

[irishlady]

Trial and error really. Try sleeping with it in an english plait/braid, if you don't find that comfortable, try two braids the next night.
If braids don't work try a loose bun.

Alternatively, you can wear a silk or sating sleep cap, or use a satin pillow case and sleep with it loose.

Try using search on here for more options.

[Madora]

Haven't done much of thinking about it before - but I guess you have lot's of advices.

I wear my hair up, in a loosely braided bun, on top of my head:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6554&pictureid=104112

Very comfy, secure and it eliminates 99.99% of any tangles!

[Red Rapunzel]

I put mine on top of my head - which gives me great lift the next day when I take it down. Over it I wear a silken nightcap.

[sisi33]

Ooooooh, Madora, I'll have to try that one!

Currently loose, as I got tired of sleeping with it braided for the past year and a half- I can never find a hair-tie when I need one. Also, I need to get a new satin pillow case...

[TheBluffs]

Braid, and I'm looking into getting a mob cap. :)

[The_Redhead]

I usually do an English braid, but occasionally I'll do a sock bun. I just wish the curls lasted longer. Once in a while especially if its still pretty wet I just drape it up over the top of my pillow.

Shannon

[mariazelie]

I put my hair in one braid down the back and when it is cold, I tie on a scarf that keeps me warm. I am so addicted to the scarf, that if it is the least bit cold and drafty, I put it on! It's a sort of wintery type square that I fold into a triangle and tie in the back either over the braid or under it. This goes for wet or dry hair, but I prefer it to be at least a little dry. I never did any of this before I started reading here at the LHC forum. I have picked up many tips. The braid waves help me to make nice updos since I have basically straight hair when it is long. I have tried sleep caps and they just slide around. I was considering trying one of those snoods that enclose all the hair in the back, maybe making a nice flannel one for winter.

[W2]

I've been braiding it to the opposite site of the shoulder I mainly lie on - and it's been working okay. I use a special elastic band, that is not so ... elastic so it's not so hard on my hair.

I've read of the satin pillow case - here I can find satinveawed cotton - is that the same?

[Ecliafr]

I let my hair loose, but on a silk pillowcase. It's enough to not get it tangled, at least for me! :)

[KwaveT]

Haven't done much of thinking about it before - but I guess you have lot's of advices.

Same here. I am about an inch shorter than you are. By Christmas, my hair might be creeping towards my shoulders. I am going to have to start thinking about it anyway. I sleep on all satin both sheets an pillowcase. That will suffice for at least right now.

[racrane]

I like two braids. Experiment with what works/is comfortable. But I have hardly any splits from keeping it up at night.

[Madora]

I put my hair in one braid down the back and when it is cold, I tie on a scarf that keeps me warm. I am so addicted to the scarf, that if it is the least bit cold and drafty, I put it on! It's a sort of wintery type square that I fold into a triangle and tie in the back either over the braid or under it. This goes for wet or dry hair, but I prefer it to be at least a little dry. I never did any of this before I started reading here at the LHC forum. I have picked up many tips. The braid waves help me to make nice updos since I have basically straight hair when it is long. I have tried sleep caps and they just slide around. I was considering trying one of those snoods that enclose all the hair in the back, maybe making a nice flannel one for winter.

Mariazelie..the snoods sound like a lovely idea but be careful about flannel. It tends to shed like a cat and gets lint in your hair. A friend gave me a lovely set of flannel sheets/pillowcases and while they felt wonderful, they filled my hair with tons of lint. My hairbrush was loaded with the stuff every morning when I brushed my hair.

[LadyKate]

I used to sleep with it in an English braid down the back of my neck, but lately I've been putting it in a basic bun right up on the top of my head. It gives me nice volume and bun waves in the morning too!

[ddiana1979]

I slept with it loose on a silk pillowcase until I got past BSL. . . then it started to get tangled (I'm a very restless sleeper), and my husband was always managing to get his hand stuck in it or trap it against the bed and yank on my head. So now I English braid it, with a little bit of oil in the length. I'd rather sleep with it down, but the tangles are too annoying.

[longhairedlady]

After Madora's suggestion, I now sleep with a bun on top! Works great!

[Sahar24]

My problem is this - I don't want bun/braid waves or curls the next day. I like it to be as straight as possible (obv with a bit of a natural wave and body). Best I've found so far is a lazy wrap with a small hair stick in, it seems not to require the same degree of twisting as other buns, so it's not really wavy the next day. I'm thinking a satin/silk cap may be the way forward for me...

[ya-ya C]

I use hairnet - gives feeling of hair being loose (as opposed to braid/bun, etc) and no preassure around the head (as opposed to sleeping caps). Pulls up my waist length to about just below shoulder = all of the hair is on the pillow, not UNDER me or DH.

[Madora]

@longhairedlady...I'm happy to read the braided bun worked for you!

[MiamiPineapple]

I put amla and coconut oil on my hair every night and put it in a silk sleep cap.

[nobeltonya]

I generally english braid [french if I have the patience/time] or bun it and secure with a small claw clip [scrunchies never hold all night]. I could sleep with it loose over the pillow if my husband wouldn't move so much. Loose braids I have to pull out of the way also or they get laid on.. generally I just put them across the pillow.

[heidi w.]

I am unsure how long your hair length actually is. This makes a bit of difference because mine is long enough that I can put it above or beside me on the pillow and it pretty much stays put most of the night. Barring that, think about relatively loose double braids (so you avoid sleeping on a lump which can strain the neck). ETA: Braids are nice because in the morning you take them out in reverse order of putting them in, and it helps with morning detangling needs. Prevents tangles a bit, except a bit of fuss over the back of the head. END ETA

Do sleep on a slippery pillowcase surface such as satin or some kind of slippery surface. ETA: It helps to prevent tangling, a bit. END ETA

Change the pillowcase frequently, 2 nights per side, because oil from hair can rub on fabric of pillowcase and incite small acne outbreaks. I have this problem, specifically.

That's my main advice for handling hair during sleep.
heidi w.

[KatjicaMjau]

I flip it over the pillow or braid it or I do reaaaally low ponytail.

[PrincessBob]

I usually do an English braid, four strand braid, or a very high bun.

[wandlimb]

I have mine in a loose ponytail, with the bobble about half way down. I can't sleep with a braid. My hair's waist length now, and when it gets longer I'll put another bobble on lower down.

[Asche]

Braided, bun'd, or satin capped. Depends on my mood and how wet/dry my hair is.

[Chromis]

I braid mine every night, no exceptions. Usually just a single English braid. I keep a little wooden box on my desk with elastics and it is part of my nightly routine along with settling out the next day's clothing.

If I have run out of elastics or am without them, I just braid as far down as possible. My braid gets small enough by the end that it does not unravel that far, so it works in a pinch. Much better than leaving my hair loose would! My scalp won't tolerate any buns on top of my head and I have never been able to keep a hat on while sleeping, even warm ones when camping where I would really like them to stay. I'm pretty sure my husband would bust his spleen laughing if I ever went to bed in a mob cap as well :lol: We both think my shower cap looks hilarious enough.

[arcane]

I admit that I'm lazy. However my hair is for the day is generally how I sleep unless there are a lot of pins involved or I have my bun at an odd angle. When I actually make an attempt to do right by my hair I french braid it.

[estelwen]

I braided mine for years before bed, but recently have started leaving it down and just sort of scooting it to the side. I haven't noticed any more breakage and it actually seems less tangled in the morning.

[SilentGuardian]

I've been putting it back in a ponytail. Maybe I should braid it instead..

[Keildra]

typically braids, sometimes one but most of the time two. I try to make it different every night so as not to put stress on my hair or train it in a specific way.

[W2]

Okay, so now I've read a lot of those mop caps og what ever - they can't be found here in Denmark - od actually, since it's rather cold in the winter.

Well, then I thought I could just sew one myself - and has ordered the fabric. And then I did som thinking again - and calculations - to see, if I had bought enough for both cap and a pillowcase. I hadn't. So now I just think I will start with the pillowcase - and then maybe sew a mop cap later on.

Think my husbond thinks I'm weird enough as it is right now! ;)

[els23]

I normally french braid before going to bed. I tried a bun on the top of my head last night but I'm kind of crazy when I sleep and it pretty much came all of the way out by the time I woke up and the same thing happened when I tried to sleep with a sock bun so I think I'm going to stick to braids.

[trillcat]

How do y'all who French braid for sleep do that???
If I sleep in a French braid I have more tangles to comb out than I would if I just left it down!
My sleep braid is usually a high pony braided, if I do an English braid down my back, the nape gets all tangled up.

[RedDevil]

I finger comb then make 2 pigtail braids

[supercupcakexx]

I usually do it in some sort of braid or a cinnabun, depending on how my hair is feeling/mood.

[fairystar32]

I lie down on it :)
I do not do anything..
I just go to bed and soemtimes coconut oil it first but mostly I forget and drop into bed.

[KwaveT]

I am going to have to read through this thread. I don't have enough length yet to worry about securing it since I would barely get a rat's tail at this point. My bangs are getting to that problematic stage of growth though. My hairs are just short of the tip of the nose now and growing quite fast.

[purlingacorns]

I like to sleep with an English braid, but actually braid only half the nights. Too lazy or tired, I suppose. I should do it more often as I think I stay cooler than when my past BSL hair is under me. I like the oiling suggestions!

[Lici1209]

So I use a satin pillowcase, but I thrash and move around A LOT while I sleep. I've tried sleeping caps but I move around so much, it's ended up coming off and I don't think that's good for my hair either! Is it better to braid, but most likely be pulling hair out of the braid/hair tie, or to leave it down?

[mrs carol]

I wear my hair in a single braid when sleeping.

[Modarunner]

I wear my hair in two braids when I sleep and on a silk satin pillowcase. When I'm feeling lazy I put my hair in a loose bun on top of my head.

[CavySong]

I, too, found the extra waves from night braids annoying so I tried an old style from high school modified. I take covered metal free elastics and make a loose ponytail to one side, then add a second and third elastic on the ponytail each below the previous one. Then I gently slide the third towards the ends to about where my braid would have ended, and the second to halfway between. I imagine if your hair was really long you could add more so that the hair was gently bound every 2-4 inches along the length. I think the links below shows kind of what I mean.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=long+pony+tail+with+elastic+bands&um=1&hl=en&client=opera&sa=N&rls=en&channel=suggest&biw=1646&bih=885&tbm=isch&tbnid=1mIWqcdFm2Wd6M:&imgrefurl=http://asseenonthesubway.com/post/8644042677/i-had-hoped-that-the-multi-rubber-band-long&docid=e1iuVzuYkRh-jM&imgurl=http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpm3g6t6QR1qcm8aqo1_500.jpg&w=500&h=669&ei=DPmtTrgdyJiIApS2ta8L&zoom=1

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=long+pony+tail+with+multiple+elastics&um=1&hl=en&client=opera&sa=N&rls=en&channel=suggest&biw=1646&bih=885&tbm=isch&tbnid=-1pL0Ik53arlGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.cutegirlshairstyles.com/ponytails/cute-top-knot-with-banded-ponytail/&docid=QbpUANrewZoP_M&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7dKkvzTKG9c/SZHIbJ63SvI/AAAAAAAACO4/aCAT4Cb9x70/s320/br20210.JPG&w=214&h=320&ei=tfmtTq_LNvDRiAKe8cWvCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=401&vpy=525&dur=544&hovh=256&hovw=171&tx=96&ty=278&sig=106361260233302979694&page=2&tbnh=148&tbnw=99&start=35&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:35

[Amber_Maiden]

Put it up in a messy bun!

[moxamoll]

I, too, found the extra waves from night braids annoying so I tried an old style from high school modified. I take covered metal free elastics and make a loose ponytail to one side, then add a second and third elastic on the ponytail each below the previous one. Then I gently slide the third towards the ends to about where my braid would have ended, and the second to halfway between. I imagine if your hair was really long you could add more so that the hair was gently bound every 2-4 inches along the length. I think the links below shows kind of what I mean.

Ooo! That's a good idea. I usually put it in an English braid, but I don't like the waves either. I'll have to try that tonight!

[Zesty]

I put mine in a plain English braid, most of the time. I have left it loose and flipped it over the top of my pillow before, but that's only when I'm being exceptionally lazy. Also, I noticed some breakage that I think was from my sleep braid being secured with a regular (though metal-free) elastic, so I've switched to a slick material scrunchie that doesn't seem as hard on my ends.

[Jelena]

So do I dare to tell you that I sleep will my hair down, come nighttime it's hanging loose over the side of both my pillow and bed...
It's what works for me.

[CherrySilver]

So do I dare to tell you that I sleep will my hair down, come nighttime it's hanging loose over the side of both my pillow and bed...
It's what works for me.
You're not the only one -- been doing it for a long time and it works for me, too!

[Jelena]

You're not the only one -- been doing it for a long time and it works for me, too!

Good to hear I'm not the only one. :)