Are satin bonnets or pillowcases necessary to achieve long hair?

[IDareT'sHair]

I feel a lot of women on this site would obtain long hair without it. So everyone should sleep with satin bonnets or just AA women?

Personally, I honestly think it has to do with Retention. AA Women have a harder time retaining what we've grown so why jeopardize that when you know 'friction' from cotton, wool etc...wrecks havoc on 'our hair' along with other things that can make already 'fragile' AA hair snap, break, split, fall-out etc.......

Personally, I think, when you KNOW BETTER you DO BETTER. And you know these things regardless of what women of other races do.

Perhaps, their hair is not necessarily susceptible to problems with retention and fragility.

I have not spent the night with too many of them, so I don't know 'what percautions' they might take to protect their hair at night.

So, get a Silk Scarf or even better a prettywrap.

 

[jamaraa]

I'm gonna ask the longhair BM I know what they sleep on. If this is true for BW, it should also be true for BM.

 

[Afrolatina]

I also agree!
I don't think it helps to "grow" hair per se
but I DO think it's helpful in retention (because your hair is more prone to breakage with regular cotton- also cotton sucks out moisture from hair because its so absorbent), moisture (because silk glides against the hair so it leaves moisture where it belongs), retention of hair texture (not so much of an issue for straight processed hair but when you have natural hair it can cause the texture to get crunchy, frizzy and break off)- your hair will definitely still get long WITHOUT them but it really helps to kind of keep your hair (especially the ends which are prone to breakage) smooth, silky and maintain all the hard work we put into growing our hair!

 

[fletgee]

Silk/satin doesn't make your hair grow so of course you can achieve great lengths without caps and pillowcase, but if your hair is prone to splits and breakage then it is a good idea to use them. Cotton sucks the moisture out of your hair and if you toss and turn a lot the hair doesn't just glide across cotton like it would across satin or silk so it increases the chance of breakage and splitting ends. I like doing search and destroys and not finding anything to destroy so for me, satin/silk caps and pillowcases are crucial for my long hair journey.

ITA

I'm not so sure about explaining this comparison the right way, so bear with me.

Our hair, be it permed or natural, is very fragile. Think silk.

We have all seen young babies with that bald spot on the back of their heads. It comes from their rubbing their heads across the sheets as they sleep. And the fact that the cotten sheets suck the moisture out of their hair leaving it weak.

So with our silk we need a buffer, between our heads and the sheets, to help cut moisture loss and avoid friction. It's one of the things you do to help insure the health of your hair.

 

[SimJam]

Silk/satin doesn't make your hair grow so of course you can achieve great lengths without caps and pillowcase, but if your hair is prone to splits and breakage then it is a good idea to use them. Cotton sucks the moisture out of your hair and if you toss and turn a lot the hair doesn't just glide across cotton like it would across satin or silk so it increases the chance of breakage and splitting ends. I like doing search and destroys and not finding anything to destroy so for me, satin/silk caps and pillowcases are crucial for my long hair journey.

wat she said.

Ive always had APL (give or take) hair and never ever wore a scarf or bonnet. I usually either did 2 french braids or a high loose bun to go to bed though. what I noticed is that my edges thrived when I started wearing a scarf

now that Im natural I always wear a scarf but thats more to protect my twists

 

[LittleLuxe]

I have to agree with Zaz and a few other posters, if you're ready to take a vacation from satin or silk then you should feel free to do so. Maybe you don't have issues with retention or breakage.

However you can not simply say 'those women have long hair and they don't do this' because while these women may have the same type as you EVERYTHING else is so radically different from you.

They don't face pollution. You do. They don't face chemicals. You do. They have an absolutely natural diet. You don't. They are likely getting every single nutrient they need. You likely aren't (and if you are my apologies, but most people in industrialized countries aren't). They also are likely doing different things to their hair that you don't have access to. Recall what an uproar Ojon made when it first came out for the sole reason it was a supposed god-send treatment used by Indians with gorgeous hair. Many of these tribes use materials and treatments which are in their purest and strongest form so while they don't need a moisturizer they are likely getting better moisture and more potent in a form of treatment.

I say do what you think would be best for you but keep in mind you're not accurately comparing yourself to others. I think if you can say your hair isn't breaking then go for it.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

For me it made a huge difference though I changed a lot of other things too...I feel it plays a big role!

 

[Misshairdiva]

I am a natural head that doesn't miss not seeing broken hairs when I wake up in the morning! (if someone would have only told me this YEARS ago...)

 

[Janet']

Necessary...No, but I do think that it is a contributing factor...There are some people (I have a friend) who sleep on cotton pillowcases, use heat everyday, and never co-wash and her hair thrives...most of us are not that fortunate though...

 

[mscocoface]

For me yes, I have hair that loves to get caught in everything.

 

[*CherryPie*]

I don't think it's necessary. Those satin bonnets and scarves messed up my edges. When I stopped using them, and went back to flannel/cotton, my edges started getting thicker.

I think a LOT of LHCF practices are not good for everyone.

 

[halee_J]

For me it is. Less strands on the pillow = more on my head.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

I got to thinking about buying a satin pillowcase because I've always read it's better for your hair. A lot you here use on and swear by it, however, I realized I've achieved long hair without it. Yesterday, I started posting on the "post pictures of beautiful 2 and 3's and bodacious 4's thread" and I came to a realization. Do you think the Wadaabe of the Sahara sleep on satin pillowcases to achieve their amazing hair lengths?

I saw pictures of the Polynesian women with amazing thick hair and I said.
"these women don't sleep on satin pillowcases", and why waste my money.

However, if my hair were chemical altered like a relaxer or BKT, it would probably be wise to have one. What are your thoughts on this? I would like to hear other opinions.

i agree and made that point (attempted anyway) that many other races never ever wrap their hair, however achieve amazing lengths

but many women do nothing special, while others attentively baby their hair, but sometimes will reach equal results

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

I don't think it's necessary. Those satin bonnets and scarves messed up my edges. When I stopped using them, and went back to flannel/cotton, my edges started getting thicker.

I think a LOT of LHCF practices are not good for everyone.[/QUOTE]
absolutely agree

 

[curlydrea]

I dont think its neccesary.. but it could help, esp if you have dry hair like me. I sleep with a satin pillowcase.. rarely a scarf/bonnet. I only will wear a bonnet if i have my fro out.. which isnt often. Since i mostly wear protective styling, it doesnt matter for me as much.

 

[UrbainChic]

I've never really tied up my hair or used a satin pillow case, I've tried like once or twice, usually to hold together some bantu knots or braid outs ( that invariably look horrible when taken out in the morning, I am all thumbs when it comes to styling hair)

Then again, I rarely see hairs on my pillow, I am talking like I might find one once a month--- so my hair is probably fine regarding retention in that sense. There were more in my relaxed days, but I still did not wrap my hair then. ( my hair enemies are combs , chemicals and flat irons )

Also I think those who sleep on their stomach will probably not have this problem either.

 

[Vashti]

When I first started in my journey wearing silk scarves helped me a lot. My hair was breaking and snapping all of the time. I don't think everybody has to use them but for some of us, it's a big help in stopping breakage.

 

[Americka]

When I first started in my journey wearing silk scarves helped me a lot. My hair was breaking and snapping all of the time. I don't think everybody has to use them but for some of us, it's a big help in stopping breakage.

Exactly! I think it is awesome for those who do not need satin or silk bonnets, pillowcases and scarves, but I am not one of them. Those items are my best friends and have helped me to preserve my ends. I sleep primarily on the right side and when I was using a cotton pillow case, someone could easily see the damage that was occurring to that side of my hair. Some would consider it overkill, but I protect my hair with a satin scarf, covered by a satin bonnet while sleeping on satin pillowcases. I ain't taking no chances. I do what works for me.

 

[DarkChyld]

I started using satin bonnets, scarves and pillowcases when I was young and had a relaxer. It was pre-LHCF. I still do it. It saves me from split ends and a dry head. Wearing bonnets and scarves also keeps acne at bay because the hair is in one place and not hitting my face.