"I'm XX months into my transition, what do I do to my hair at night to prepare for bed?"One of the biggest issues with transitioning is matting. Yes, I know it all too well. I think sleeping is what causes me the biggest headaches when it comes to my hair. Yes, even today as a natural. I like to be free when I'm sleep. During my transition, it was hard for me to do anything to my hair to prepare for bed. If I wore rollers, I ended up taking them out in my sleep. I refuse to be uncomfortable. I would typically just sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase with a satin bonnet. What I learned is that not protecting my hair or doing something to tame it at night, made it harder to detangle the next day and I was loosing a lot of time and hair. How you prepare your hair for sleep is crucial, not only because you're trying to preserve some semblance of a style, but also because it's an absolute necessity. If you want to keep the hair you have and not spend your life detangling a matted mess, don't let your hair get matted.
How you prepare your hair depends largely upon how you intend to wear your hair the next day.
If you wear your hair straight...
- Sleep on a silk or satin pillow case.
- Roll your hair with soft rollers that won't pull your hair when you toss and turn. Consider using end papers
on the ends of your hair, they make a big difference for me.
- OR Wrap your hair.
- OR Pin curl your hair.
- Cover your hair with a satin or silk bonnet or scarf. The scarf may flatten your hair, but if you wear the bonnet, your hair could still matt. If the scarf has just the right tension and is secure, you shouldn't have any issues.
- You might experiment with sealing the ends of your hair with oils and butters. Using a water-based product on straightened hair could make your hair frizz up.
If you wear your hair curly: in braid outs, twist outs or roller sets...
- Re-moisturize your hair, again try experimenting with sealing the ends of your hair with oils and butters.
- Sleep on a silk or satin pillow case.
- Re-set your braids or twists (roll the ends for a more uniform curls). You don't have to do as many as you did for the original set, it's up to you. End papers
- OR Re-set your roller set, using fewer rollers and rollers safe for sleeping.
- OR Loosely secure your hair in a high pony-tail, wrap a scarf around your hairline and nape to keep the edges smooth and top with a satin or silk bonnet or scarf.
How do you protect your transitioning hair while you sleep?
I'm actually rocking a curly half wig for the moment,to give my transitioning hair a break. At night,I oil, gel and tie down the front to set it. I re-moisturize my rest of my hair and do two french braids down the back. Seal my ends with oil and wear a satin bonnet. Low maintenance + comfort = a blissful night's sleep!
ReplyDeleteI put my curly hair in a high ponytail with a silk scarf over my head. My curls always seem be defined the next day.
ReplyDeleteI do the "pineapple." I bend over and tie the majority of the scarf over the underside of my hair. when I stand up the curls are sprouting out the top and it looks like a pineapple. I sleep however I like, and in the morning my curls are frizz free. Apply a little moisturizer and go!
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