Is Sleeping With A Shower Cap Over Your Head ("Baggying") Good or Bad?

25/3/2015

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I've often wondered whether or not sleeping with your hair covered in plastic is good for growth. There are no scientific studies to explain whether or not it's a good idea but there are a lof of opinions on the matter. Here are some of them:

Pros

Softness: Covering hair up for a while helps to soften it. I do it for about 15 to 30 minutes (after spritzing with water) before styling when my hair is very dry or matted. It does work.
Prolonged softness: Some argue that having a shower cap over their head overnight once a week helps to keep it soft for the rest of the week.
Retention: Soft hair is less prone to breakage and therefore allows hair to grow longer.

Cons

Friction: unless the hair is well oiled or has conditioner on it there will be friction between the hair and the shower cap possibly causing breakage.
Scalp doesn't breathe: if you have a bag over your head you're preventing the pores on the scalp from breathing freely.

My personal take on baggying.

I think having a bag over your head overnight once a week will probably do no harm, however, I think if it's done daily it could impact hair growth due to the delivery of oxygen to the scalp. Like I say, there have been no scientific studies to explain whether or not it's good but for the moment it's not something I plan to do on the regular.

Even when my hair is very oily it doesn't stain my sheets, it stays within the satin bonnet so this is not even a consideration for me. Wetting my hair and baggying for 30 minutes does the trick so I'm reluctant to do it overnight for fear that my hair will go rancid.

I like the idea of baggying the ends only; I might add this to my regimen...

Comments?

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Tsiko

25/3/2015 07:08:54 am

I have been doing it for about 2 months daily and I love the results. I'm not sure whether the receiving oxygen part is quite right, because sleeping with anything on ones head deceases the oxygen levels either way. My hair is really feeling much healthier, so is my scalp. But thanks for the insight.

Raquel F link

25/3/2015 07:21:44 am

I used the baggy method in the beginning of my natural hair journey when it was in a TWA stage. My hair would feel so amazing, but I would notice how much residue build up would be on my scalp. At that time I paid it no mind and just kept doing the baggy method. As I grew in my journey the baggy method no longer appealed to me or my scalp. I don't like residue on my scalp and I don't like sleeping with damp hair...it bugs me.

Marcia

25/3/2015 08:52:22 am

I've bagged by hair a couple of times and it was okay. No big wow. I try to bagged by hair once per week when I'm very close to washing my hair. I do not want my hair to smell.

25/3/2015 08:59:08 am

I've bagged by hair a couple of times and it was okay. No big wow. I try to bag by hair once per week when I'm very close to washing my hair. I do not want my hair to smell.

Yogybabe

25/3/2015 09:39:36 am

I've been bagging without conditioner just a little avocado oil on my hair (not scalp) nearly everyday all day for about a month. A pretty big bald spot I had has started to fill-in. So I'm going to continue doing it and wash my hair every week to prevent sebum build-up on the scalp.

Lee

25/3/2015 10:52:02 am

Hair, like skin (including) scalp is dead cells. Dead cells don't need oxygen. Even if they did, skin cannot just take in atmospheric oxygen.. It has to be given from within the body..so I don't think oxygen is a concern with bagging..

Melissa

4/5/2015 02:52:06 pm

@Lee, Your skin and scalp are not dead cells. They have dead cells on them, but they are very much alive. And both (skin and scalp) need oxygen.

tressia

25/3/2015 12:52:40 pm

I want to start by saying I enjoying reading and following this blog and it's many interesting discussions . I started my hair journey in November 2014 . My hair was pass my shoulders n I cut it to above my ear. This has been a very hard process for me but thank to this blog I am learning how to deal with it . I am seeing new growth now and I must say I am excited . I am planning on cutting off the rest of my relaxed hair in May .I really need to figure out what kind of hair I have .
Last month I started bagging my hair once a week > I do so when I do my deep conditioning oil treatment with coconut oil which I leave in over night . I have found that having the bag over my head overnight helps the oils due to the heat that I find it generates . The next day after washing my hair , I do notice that my hair is softer .
Thank you for your hard work n I look forward to what you have in store

Sharnette

25/3/2015 12:56:45 pm

I've tried bagging a couple times. Yes it does leave your hair soft but for me after a couple hours my hair felt real brittle and dry. Since then I have done just my edges and that does just fine. It is a part of my regimen now.

Veronica

25/3/2015 10:43:36 pm

I typically bag overnight when I saturate my hair with coconut oil and a deep conditioner to prepare to wash the next day. LOVE IT! It really tames the breakage. I was oiling my scalp and hair one night and wanted to bag for a few minutes before braiding. I ended up falling asleep waiting on the timer to ding. That resulted in my hair feeling soft, but I questioned whether doing that each night would result in brittleness and dryness over time. Even though it was soft, there was something I didn't particularly like about how it felt. I won't overnight again unless it is for my overnight deep conditioning regimen.

Kay

27/3/2015 04:13:34 pm

I only baggy when I am deep conditioning
once a week And I am practically new to natural hair.

Chi

1/4/2015 08:42:55 am

Dear Heather please where can I find the lovely green dress you had on for your family photo shoot. x

Kezia

7/8/2015 05:53:29 am

I have been bagging my hair overnight every night for about a month now and I am in LOVE with the results. I got my last perm in November of 2014 and did the big chop in April of 2015. My hair started to be brittle and dry. I got really bad split ends. I don't use heat on my hair so I got very nervous. I started to get what little hair I did have cut off because of the split end. I started wetting and conditioning my hair at night a using the plastic baggy method. No more split ends and hair has grown like crazy. I was my hair once a week so no buildup for me.

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Is Sleeping With A Shower Cap Over Your Head ("Baggying") Good or Bad?

By Heather Katsonga-Woodward

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