In
{part 1}, I talked about establishing the practice of covering the hair at night and discussed in
{part 2} several ways to wear your natural hair underneath the bonnet to achieve optimal hair results the next day. In this final part, I will explain some issues that may arise while wearing bonnets and some alternatives for night time hair protection.
Some issues one may experience while wearing a bonnet include:
- Hairline is experiencing breakage from the elastic band around the edge of the bonnet
- Solutions:
- Make sure the elastic does not fall directly on top of hairline
- Keep hairline moisturized before wearing bonnet
- Bonnet slips off during the night
- Could be due to rough sleeping (see alternatives below) or loss of elasticity over time (typical from wear and tear and repeated washes)
- Solutions:
- Buy a new one (there are bonnets specifically for kids in local beauty shops for a better fit)
- Can try the drawstring/adjustable version
- Extend the life of an older bonnet by gathering a section of the bonnet together in a cloth elastic band (may be bootleg, but hey, sometimes you have to do what you can do until you buy another bonnet):
- Standard bonnets are unattractive to kids
- The variety of colors have come a long ways, but if the vibrant colors choices don't win your child over, you can try these beautiful print bonnets from the following websites:
Now if you have tried some of these solutions and the bonnet still is not a good fit for you or your child, there are some alternatives you can try:
- Silk or Satin Scarf
- Silk is natural; satin is artificially made
- Both are good because the material is smooth
- Pro: Can control the tightness of scarf and achieve smooth, flat edges
- Con: Can slip off easily at night and does not work as well in preserving curly or textured styles (twist outs, braid outs, roller sets)
- Can flatten hair definition
- Silk or Satin Pillow Case
- Smooth surface reduces the hair-to-surface friction as opposed to the standard cotton pillow:
- Cotton fabric is generally absorbant and can withdraw moisture from hair overnight. This could lead to frizzy, dry hair and possibly breakage
- therefore will withdraw moisture from hair
- Hair can be left uncovered overnight
This wraps up the 3 part series on night time hair protection using bonnets. Hope this is helpful in addressing any concerns on how to establish wearing one (especially with young children), ways to wear hair underneath one for maximum style preservation, solutions and alternatives to wearing a bonnet. If you have any other questions, please leave them below. Share how you protect your hair at night.
Side note: Bonnets can be worn underneath winter hats and wigs as alternatives to wearing nothing or stocking caps.
