Should You Sleep With Your Hair Down? Loose Hair vs a Braid, Pineapple, or Bonnet

In 2007, two physicists at UC San Diego put lengths of string in a box and tumbled it, usually for 10 seconds at a time, 3,415 times in all. Once the string was longer than about 18 inches, it started tying itself in knots.

Hair isn't string, and a night on a pillow is slower than a spinning box. Still, anyone who has worked a comb through the back of their head in the morning will recognize the result. You can go to bed tonight with your hair down, in a loose braid, in a pineapple, or under a bonnet, and a bonnet goes over either of the middle two.

Is it bad to sleep with your hair down?

Not if your hair is short. If it sits above your shoulders, down is fine, though a bonnet can still help a fresh cut or a silk press keep its shape overnight.

With longer hair, down is the option that leaves it most free to move. It spreads across the bed, gets lain on, and rubs against the pillow and against itself each time you turn over. Most of that shows up the next morning, as knots at the nape that have to come out somehow. The American Academy of Dermatology advises removing tangles gently and avoiding pulling and tugging, which is easier with fewer of them.

How does a braid, pineapple, or bonnet compare with hair down?

Each one changes how far your hair can travel and what it rubs against. We haven't found a study comparing them, so this table reasons from how each one works and what people commonly report.

Option	What it changes overnight	Often suits	Watch for
Hair down	Nothing: hair can spread, tangle, and get lain on	Short hair	Knots at the nape, one flat side, hair across your face
Loose braid	Keeps the length together, so strands have less chance to wrap around each other	Straight, wavy, or fine hair past the shoulders	Pulling if it starts high or tight; the braid still rubs on the pillowcase
Pineapple	Lifts the length to the top of your head, so you aren't lying on it	Curls and coils long enough to gather	A dent from a tight tie; curls at the crown still rub on the pillowcase
Silk bonnet	Holds everything in place and puts smooth silk between your hair and the pillowcase	Hair past the shoulders; silk presses, twist-outs, braids, blowouts; restless sleepers	A size that stays on all night
Braid or pineapple under a silk bonnet	Gathers the length and covers it, so it can't spread and rests against silk instead of the pillowcase	Long hair and curls, and anyone who still wakes up with knots in a braid	Keep both loose

For hair past your shoulders, the last row is the one we'd suggest. If you're weighing a bonnet against a silk pillowcase, silk bonnet vs silk pillowcase covers that choice.

Should you sleep with your hair up or down?

Loosely up for most hair past the shoulders, and covered. The American Academy of Dermatology's own tip for curly hair is a loose ponytail on top of your head, like a pineapple, or a loose braid before sleeping, and it adds that satin or silk bonnets or pillowcases may also reduce friction and preserve your hairstyle.

Up should never mean tight. The same academy lists tightly pulled ponytails, buns, and braids among the styles that can cause traction alopecia, a form of hair loss from constant pulling, along with rollers worn to bed most of the time. So a hard top knot is less gentle than it looks. That goes under a bonnet too: the academy warns that the constant rubbing of a hair covering can also lead to traction alopecia, especially over hair pulled back tightly, and it notes that a covering made of silk or satin is gentler on hair than other materials. If you feel a pull at your hairline when you lie down, or your scalp is sore in the morning, let it out. Broken hairs around your forehead or a receding hairline are a reason to see a board-certified dermatologist early.

What does a silk bonnet add to a braid or pineapple?

A braid keeps the length together and a pineapple keeps it out from under you, but both still leave your hair against the pillowcase. A bonnet covers all of it. Inside, hair moves less and rests against smooth silk instead of cotton, so many people find a silk press, a twist-out or fresh braids keep their shape longer, and the morning comb-through goes faster.

It helps with the smaller things too. Flyaways are more likely to stay down, hair stays off your face, and more of your oil or leave-in ends up on the bonnet instead of on your pillowcase. If you sleep warm, is a silk bonnet hot to sleep in? covers summer nights, and do silk bonnets really work? sets out what the evidence does and doesn't show.

How do you braid your hair for sleep?

Start low and keep it slack. Let your hair dry first (is it bad to sleep with wet hair? explains why), then comb out any knots with a wide-tooth comb, working from the ends up. Gather the length at your nape or over one shoulder and start the braid below your ears, so nothing pulls at your hairline. Finish with a soft fabric scrunchie or a covered band instead of a bare rubber band.

To wear it under a bonnet, wind the braid loosely around itself and tuck the end in, then draw the bonnet on from your front hairline back to your nape, guiding the braid inside. A long braid fits more easily in our Extra Large bonnet, with its extra depth through the crown. You'll have soft waves in the morning. If you don't want them, a single loose twist leaves a gentler bend.

How do you pineapple your hair for sleep?

Flip your head forward, gather your curls at the very top, and hold them with one loose turn of a soft scrunchie. The length falls forward so you aren't lying on it. Then pull a roomy bonnet over the top, so the pineapple sits inside without being pressed flat. Curls too short to gather can go into several small pineapples, or straight into the bonnet. The finer points are in how to put your hair in a silk bonnet.

Which bonnet size fits a braid or pineapple?

Measure around your head where the bonnet will sit: across your forehead at the hairline, above your ears and around the back. Our Medium fits about 19.5 to 23.5 in (50 to 60 cm) and the Large 21.5 to 25.5 in (55 to 65 cm), both with an adjustable opening. For long hair, a full pineapple, or thick braids or locs, go for the Extra Large. It has the same opening as the Large, so you choose it by hair length and volume rather than head size.

See LS Silk bonnets, with room for a braid or pineapple → · A soft silk scrunchie to tie it →

The physicists in San Diego tried one more thing. They shrank the box by a third, and the odds of a knot fell sharply, because the string had less room to tumble. Nobody has run that experiment on hair, as far as we can find. Still, a loose braid tucked inside a bonnet is about as close as a bedroom gets to a smaller box.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to sleep with your hair up or down?

Loosely up usually suits hair past the shoulders, because it stops the length from spreading and getting lain on, and a silk bonnet over it helps keep it in place overnight. Short hair is fine down. A tight ponytail or bun is the one to avoid, since constant pulling can lead to traction alopecia.

Is it bad to sleep with a ponytail?

A tight one can be, especially every night, because it pulls at your hairline for hours. If you like a ponytail, keep it loose with a soft tie, so you feel no pull when you lie down. Soreness or broken hairs at the hairline mean it's time to change styles and, if they continue, see a dermatologist.

Does sleeping in a braid make your hair grow?

No. Growth happens at the follicle, and a braid doesn't touch that. A loose braid may mean fewer tangles and less tugging in the morning, so you may lose fewer ends, but that's keeping length you already grew.

Should you braid your hair wet before bed?

It's better to wait. Wet hair is more fragile, and the middle of a wet braid can stay damp for hours. Let your hair dry at least most of the way first, then braid it loosely.

Do you need a bonnet if you sleep in a braid?

The two work well together, because they do different jobs. The braid keeps the length together, and the bonnet covers it, can keep flyaways down and stops the braid rubbing on the pillowcase. Keep the braid loose and low, and choose a bonnet with enough depth for your length.

What is the best way to sleep with long hair?

Dry, gathered and covered: a low braid for straight or wavy hair, or a pineapple for curls, held with a soft tie, and a silk bonnet over it. Keep everything loose, so nothing pulls at your hairline. Very long hair fits most easily in a bonnet with extra depth through the crown.

Related reading: How to Protect Your Hair While You Sleep · Why Does My Hair Tangle When I Sleep?