I recently pledged that I wouldn't use any sort of hot tool on my hair. This is fine, because I really don't like to use hair dryers or flat irons or anything - the only problem is that my hair takes about four hours to dry. In the mornings before school, I have about 30 minutes for my hair to dry, so I go to school with wet hair. This is really irritating to me, and I want to stop. Here's my dilemma, though: when I sleep on my hair, it goes crazy. It literally looks like it has exploded. This is mainly because my hair is mostly 3a/3b, but around my scalp area it's all 3b, and even 3c in some places. When I dry it laying down, the hair around my scalp dries faster and frizzes up, while the length remains damp. This makes for some ... interesting looking hair when I wake up. :lol:

So, do any LHCers have some tips on how I can keep my hair from looking crazy after I sleep on it?

I don't have your curls, but I've taken to putting my hair in pigtails to keep it from clumping up and making odd lumps when I sleep (wet or dry). I don't know if that would be conducive to your sleeping habits though.

Good luck on your search.

Have you tried braiding or damp bunning with a high bun? I sleep with my hair in a pony on top of my head and it's very comfortable.

Different type hair, but I usually put mine into a ponytail or loose bun right on top of my head. It's still a bit damp when I take it down but dries soon.

If that doesn't work, how about spritzing the wild and crazy areas? Don't get them soaking wet, just enough to tame them, maybe a little gel, too. It should dry pretty fast after that.

Good luck!

I wish mine took four hours! Mine takes more than a day, so it is usually damp hahah. And mine only looks good after I sleep on it. I wash it and then its huge and wavy and when I sleep on it and it looks normal and less wavy. Lol sorry thats not really helpful, just adding my complaints in.

Well, it dries unevenly because the part you're lying on never dries, so changing your sleeping position to your side or your stomach would enable your hair to dry evenly. If changing your sleeping position isn't an option, you could try arranging your hair so it's above your head when you lie down, instead of lying on top of it.

I second the "spritz bottle it" comment. My hair goes INSAAANE after I sleep on it, even if it's in braids, so my spritzer has leave-in conditioner diluted 3:1 with water, couple of squirts tames it right down and gives it some slip to comb and style.

I use to braid mine before bed in tight braids. Sometimes I'd wash it and do damp braiding. In the morning I'd have nicely defined, slightly damp waves.

You might try a microfiber towel (also called a dogtowel). These are designed to dry lots of hair fast.

When I lie down with my hair loose, I put it on both sides, not beneath my neck. Sometimes I sleep with a bun on top, but then I can't stroke my cheek with my hair :), which is a stim for me.

You didn't say anthing about sleeping on it while dry, so how about taking a shower several hours before you go to bed? It might seem a little odd doing it during the middle fo the day, but I do this all the time.

Hi JordanS!

Maybe this spray would work for you: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=32167

Hope that helps!

When my hair was shorter, I slept with a french braid. My hair isn't super thick, so it worked out just fine. (Now I sleep with a regular braid, braided while wet.)

I suffer the same problem. If I go to sleep with wet hair, I wake up with dry, crazy lumps and frizz. I solved it by putting it in 1 or 2 braids before I go to sleep. It doesn't dry completely overnight, because the air can't get to the inside of the braids, but the half hour in the morning is enough for it to finish drying if I take the braid(s) out as soon as I get up. HTH

Would it be possible for you to wash your hair the night before (say when you came home from school)? After you detangled it you could put it up in a terry towel for half an hour and see if that would help with the drying time. As a side note, some of the members on this board also speak highly of the "Acquis" towel as being tops in helping with minimizing your drying time.

As far as sleeping and your hair, I'd suggest taking sections of your hair and and banding them with soft, non-metal ponytail holders (one at the nape and one along the length)
to control your hair while you sleep.

Ordinarily I'd recommend braiding..but with your curly hair I wouldn't think sleeping with wet, even damp hair would be a wise move. I have slept with damp braids (for braid waves the next day)..but the waves my hair also were a little "frisky" (lots of volume) and took just a smidgen more time to comb out. It would seem to me that you wouldn't want to spend any more time than necessary on your hair care (seeing that you're more or less "on a schedule" to get to school on time in the morning)..and dealing with curly hair with braid waves might slow you down. With your curls you have to be extra careful when detangling/combing to avoid breakage.

You also might want to try a silk pillow to help cut down on tangles, etc.

One other tip: I found that "aerating" my hair helped a LOT in getting it to dry faster.

To "aerate"..be sure your hair is fully detangled. Make a center part from forehead to nape. Confine one side of the hair with a soft scrunchie or other non-metal band.

Then take a small section of hair from the unbound section in your fingers. Bring your hand out in front of you and then gently release the strands and let them fall to the floor.
Take another section of hair and do the same until you've "aerated" all the hair on that side of your head. Then take off the scrunchie and do the same with the other side of your hair. Repeat procedure at least 6 times.

The thing to remember is this: wet hair dries faster when it is in motion and not sitting on a towel or on your shoulders. I dried my 46" hair in 30 minutes (outside in nice weather) and it took an hour inside. (And my hair was very thick).

Another factor that has bearing in your drying time is your hair's porosity (how it retains water),which varies from person to person.

Good luck!

Maybe a satin/silk pillowcase???:flower:


Michelle

Oh, chelles2kids, you beat me to it! A satin pillowcase really makes a very big difference. Also, try tossing your hair up over the pillow so it is over your head. That way you aren't lying directly on it.

Hopefully then all you'll need is a quick spritz of water and maybe a little leave-in conditioner in the morning to take care of any weirdness.