Airdrying Wet Hair Worn Free While Sleeping? ALL HEADS WELCOME.

[MonPetite]

My friends, who are notably not Black (Chinese, Indian, Latina and White specifically), do this.

They shower they wash and condition every night as I do, though I'm the only one who applies a leave-in after wards (or "has to" as I tend to put it, whether true or not my hair demands it) and wraps ther hair up at night.

They just...sleep on wet loose hair and wake to soft, tussled waves. THEY hate them...but I'd love them!

Otherwise I suffer with half-wet , poofy , ratty, unkempt-looking hair that is healthy but pitiful looking.

Does anyone else just shower, condition, co-wash, what-have-you, towel dry...and then sleep on it? As is..."free to be" and wake with wavy, toussled, dry hair and not a HBM?

If so...please tell me how. I'd love such a convenient regimen.

OR

A variation of this -going to bed with damp hair simply thrown into a bonnet.

I imagine this works best for relaxed ladies...when nearly bone straight I never tried this as I always slept in a shower cap with conditioner as a leave-in...so I can't look back to that experience for aid in this situation.

AND

If you think this CANNOT be done and lead to longer hair...please tell why...because it all works for them and they are WL and longer.

 

[Neith]

That doesn't work for everyone, even people who have looser types.

My man (type 1) won't sleep on his wet hair because it gets these funny looking dents and waves in it. Even I gotta say... It's not a good look, lol.

I would never do that... I sleep on wet hair every night, but not loose wet hair. That's just asking for extra bad tangles and matting... imo.

 

[Mortons]

Yeah, its gonna take a different regimen than your friends have. Are you relaxed or natural?

 

[naturalgurl]

My opinion is that our hair curls on itself and when wet, it dries into knots. That's just what I think, but trust me, I would love to wet and go to bed!

 

[GoldenTresses]

Ive tried it once...and not a good look!!! My hair was out of control the next day. I wash at night, pull in a pony and then sleep. At least that way its tamed down a little bit.

 

[MonPetite]

So, thus far:

Free: Not Good

Semi-Free: (Ponytail) Plausible.


Thanks ladies, keep the opinions coming!

 

[chavascandy]

Ive tried it once as well...I awoke to dry feeling matted hair. The best thing that worked for my hair was to slick it back into a loose ponytail.... and finish hair drying in the morning.

 

[naturalgurl]

Hmmmm...interesting. I think I'll try this wet loose pony to bed. When I'm lazy I pull my hair up on top of my head in a loose pony and not a broken hair yet. This is hair unwrapped.

 

[Cichelle]

I do it from time to time. I sleep with my hair thrown up over the pillow, though. It's at a length where it will stay there now, even if I turn from side to side. If I slept with it just down, I believe it would get very tangled. I don't think I'd even try it.

 

[Dposh167]

heeeeck naw....as a relaxed head i wouldnt do it. Always some kind of pony, pigtail style, then my scarf or bonnet. Not only dont i want my hair looking like a lion when i wake up...but im not drenching my good pillow sheets either

 

[twinkletoes17]

I had the worst tangles anyone could ever imagine. I did that once. Never again.

 

[lexi84]

This is very good thread....

I sleep with wet hair sometimes, but never loose. Maybe you can achieve the "wavy look" if you loosely apply a bunch of scrunchies to your hair going down the length of your ponytail...kinda like Irresistible does.

 

[Determined22]

I do it sometimes, but I have a scarf/bonnet combo on. If I co-wash at night, I'll tie my scarf on so that my ends are hanging loose, and then I'll throw my bonnet on over that. In the morning my hair isn't tangled or anything, but it may still be damp in the middle.

 

[Bronxcutie]

I airdry my hair all of the time. I even allow my rollersets to dry naturally. My hair comes out great!

I use a protein conditioner, followed by a moisturizing conditioner. Right now I'm using Carol's Daughter Tui Smoothie, I believe it's called. Then I follow up with a hot oil treatment and some Nexxus leave-in-conditioner.

 

[yuriko]

I tried this many times when i was copying my roommates back in college, lol. No girl it dont work for me, I can sleep on wet hair, but it must be in a ponytail, I dont always wrap, sometimes I just sleep on my satin pillowcase

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

Ive tried it once as well...I awoke to dry feeling matted hair. The best thing that worked for my hair was to slick it back into a loose ponytail.... and finish hair drying in the morning.

Yup. What she said.

 

[Anancy]

OMG the thought i leaving my hair wet and out to do whatever it so wishes whilst i sleep just petrifies me .
My hair would be a squished hot tangled, matted, uncontrollable mess. I would probably have to take the day off work trying to get it back to normal.

So no it's not for me. But hey i can only dream

 

[MissNina]

I CW daily and sometimes I'll towel dry my hair, scrunch it up a lil with my leave in and wrap my hair around itself in a bun. It's NOT done tightly...it's all very loose at the top of my head so when I sleep the bun stays on top. Anyway, when I take it down in the morning, it's not all the way dry and it has waves/the crinkly look.

But this is just me and IDK if it will work universally.

 

[NYAmicas]

not on this planet for my head.

 

[Irresistible]

Yeah this would be a recipe for a hair disaster for me

my hair shrinks and starts to stick to each other and wrap around and around itself

never in a million years could I do this

 

[MonPetite]

I appreciate the responses ladies!!!

It seems this would be a no-no.

I haven't used heat in 5+ years so I am PRO AIRDRYING TO THE MAX.

But method is VITAL.

That said...do you think this is because our hair just doesn't allow us this convenience?

I hate to believe I can't have such a simple regimen "just because I'm Black". erplexed

I'm sure that a matter of perspective, but...it doesn't sit well with me to "admit" that to myself.

 

[trj1922]

I would NEVER do this if I wanted to look decent and not have a whole bunch of dreddy knots, dents, flat spots, and other madness that I'd have to re-wet my hair and comb out! Containing the hair so that this doesn't happen may be as simple as putting a scrunchie on it loosely or tying it down with a scarf but I have to do SOMETHING.

I forgot to add that I DO airdry and sleep on wet hair, I just can't wear it free.

 

[LadyPaniolo]

OMG the thought i leaving my hair wet and out to do whatever it so wishes whilst i sleep just petrifies me .
My hair would be a squished hot tangled, matted, uncontrollable mess. I would probably have to take the day off work trying to get it back to normal.

So no it's not for me. But hey i can only dream

What she said. This would be hair murder for me.

 

[JustKiya]

OMG the thought i leaving my hair wet and out to do whatever it so wishes whilst i sleep just petrifies me .
My hair would be a squished hot tangled, matted, uncontrollable mess. I would probably have to take the day off work trying to get it back to normal.

So no it's not for me. But hey i can only dream

Another amen & yeahthat to the above.

Oh, hells nawh.

I think it REALLY depends on 1) your friends hair type - and I'm not talking curl, I'm talking tanglieness - because trust, it's not just a 3b and higher hair thing - there is MANY a 2a and lower who cannot do that and 2) how they sleep.

If you are a very still sleeper, and you put your loose hair up over the pillow - it's not going to move much. Not much more than it would move if you were sitting still, I would think. And, if you only have a little shrinkage (enough to leave pretty 'waves' in the morning) then your hair isn't moving of its own to tangle onto itself.

If you have any sort of tangly shrinkage - and I think a lot of the 3's have shrinkage, but because of the size of the curl, they don't tangle quite as much when allowed to shrink loose, or naturally tangly hair (like some of the straighter haired girls do) then your hair is more likely to start to tangle if its left loose to dry.

If you sleep wild, I doubt it would work, no matter WHAT hair type you have.

It's mainly the shrinkage that would run me away from that - my hair is too fluffy to leave loose like that - it would shrink and squish something terrible.

I guess the flatter your hair is to start with (wet and dry) the better this would work.

 

[MJ]

They just...sleep on wet loose hair and wake to soft, tussled waves. THEY hate them...but I'd love them!

OP, keep the bold in mind. You said that their regimen is simple, but based on your own words, they don't like the results. You may be having a "grass is greener on the other side" experience even though those on "the other side" don't think it is.

I agree with the other posters, it would not be a good idea to try this.

 

[Filmatic]

I only do this when I want to wear my hair curly. I cw apply a leave in and the Sunsilk curls and put on a bonnet. In the morning I still have to apply something to the edges, but I don't get tangles.

 

[MonPetite]

Another amen & yeahthat to the above.

Oh, hells nawh.

I think it REALLY depends on 1) your friends hair type - and I'm not talking curl, I'm talking tanglieness - because trust, it's not just a 3b and higher hair thing - there is MANY a 2a and lower who cannot do that and 2) how they sleep.

If you are a very still sleeper, and you put your loose hair up over the pillow - it's not going to move much. Not much more than it would move if you were sitting still, I would think. And, if you only have a little shrinkage (enough to leave pretty 'waves' in the morning) then your hair isn't moving of its own to tangle onto itself.

If you have any sort of tangly shrinkage - and I think a lot of the 3's have shrinkage, but because of the size of the curl, they don't tangle quite as much when allowed to shrink loose, or naturally tangly hair (like some of the straighter haired girls do) then your hair is more likely to start to tangle if its left loose to dry.

If you sleep wild, I doubt it would work, no matter WHAT hair type you have.

It's mainly the shrinkage that would run me away from that - my hair is too fluffy to leave loose like that - it would shrink and squish something terrible.

I guess the flatter your hair is to start with (wet and dry) the better this would work.

WELL! That counts me out.

 

[MonPetite]

OP, keep the bold in mind. You said that their regimen is simple, but based on your own words, they don't like the results. You may be having a "grass is greener on the other side" experience even though those on "the other side" don't think it is.

I agree with the other posters, it would not be a good idea to try this.

But when the other grass IS greener but the heifers on that side aren't swift enough to eat it...well....

Of course that can be said of anyone.

This may be...but their regimens are a lot simpler. I would love to have results *I* like with such ease. When they get off their straight hair kick they're happy.

 

[Kari107]

Oh no no.. My mom has type 1 hair and when she goes to sleep with wet hair it comes out tossled and wavy. It looks pretty. if I did it it would would be time to bust out the shears. I do airdry overnight but its in a twistout or a rollerset(painful but possible).

 

[RosesBlack]

I did it once by accident a couple of months ago and that was a HAM. So tangled and knotted I almost cut my hair.