To buy my daughter a bonnet?

[MrCollinsandhisboiledpotatoes]

My DD8 has very long, thick hair that tangles easily. I brush it day and night but by the end of the day/the next morning it's tangled again like it hasn't been brushed in days. If it gets skipped even once, it becomes matted.
I'm at my wits end with it. She absolutely HATES having it brushed, and mornings and evenings have become a horrible, stressful emotional battle but she also refuses to have it cut short.
I've tried so many products and shampoos, nothing works. I've given her a silk pillow but she just slides off it in the night.
Do silk bonnets work on European/non afro hair? Has anyone tried one and found they reduced tangles and keep hair silky?
And has anyone got any recommendations at all because it's so stressful to try and manage it.
TIA

How is she wearing it? Surely just French plait it every other day or something would be fine?

if she isn’t tolerating it being brushed the. It needs to be cut into a pixie do or similar till she’s ready to look after it herself?

Is she wearing it loose? Do plaits keep it under control?

Buy the bonnet. They're amazing

My DGD has similar hair and wears a silk bonnet in bed. She also plaits it a lot

Get the bonnet - but I would just get a cheap satin one and see if she keeps it on.

I got my daughter a bonnet because her ringlet hair was regularly an absolute birds nest by morning. She’s such a wriggly sleeper though that it usually came off by morning. I think it does at least help though. Worth a try!

Get a bonnet. But in a pale colour.

The cheap ones in dark colours sometimes leave dye stains on pillowcases.

Primark has them .

My children and I have 3a/3b hair and I have never tried a bonnet but satin pillowcases work well for reducing friction. I'm sure a bonnet would work too - would you plait it underneath? I tend to plait my girls' hair at night and undo, brush and redo in the morning.

E: I'm sure you are already aware but I do the gentle brushing technique, starting at the bottom, use detangler and a silicone-bristle brush. I let them choose hairbands/clips. I make sure to tell them how long and beautiful and shiny their hair is due to the brushing, as I'm brushing it. I tell them - not threateningly, framed as a choice - that if they want long hair they need to take care of it, and if not it needs to be cut.

I’m about to try this with DD, who has similar hair. Plaits don’t work for her really - her hair is so springy it just escapes!

My DDs both wear silk bonnets to bed - unless there becomes a national bonnet shortage, I can't imagine it's affecting anyone else so would say go for it!

I don’t know about the bonnet, but have you tried a leave in conditioner? My friend swore by this for her daughter’s hair. She used to get the Avon one until they stopped making it. I don’t know which brand she switched too. The tangle teaser brushes are supposed to be amazing too.

I have thick, waist length, European hair and wear a silk bonnet to bed. It definitely reduces tangles overnight. I still brush my hair in the morning, but it's just a quick tidy up rather than combing out a bird's nest.

Also second Tangle Teezer brushes! I have one of the compact ones and it's so much less painful than other brushes

Get a bonnet. It's game changing. You can get satin ones for £2.50 in Primark

I can't speak to the bonnet and it might be a silly question but do you have a tangle teaser?

I feel like these are the words of someone who does not have tricky hair 😂 My hair would be even more of a disaster in a pixie cut.

Do you braid it before bed?

Iv long thick hair. Each night I spray it with leave in conditioner, brush through and braid it. Doesnt have to be fancy just simple plait does the job.

Maybe get it cut? If it’s not bringing anyone any pleasure….

@Slouped my hair is tricky but not too bad. My 12 year olds however is very tricky and we’ve had to work with her to manage it together til she was able to do good chunks of it herself.

maybe pixie cut is too specific to suit everyone but if long and not manageable then it absolutely needs to be shorter

Has she got curly hair? My mum always told me I had hair like this, turns out it’s actually really curly and should never have been brushed dry

I have European hair. Very long, curly and fine. A silk bonnet has been a game changer. Not only is my hair pretty much the same on waking as when I went to bed reducing styling, but there is way less breakage from rubbing against the pillow.

I had my long hair chopped at my mum's insistence with tears rolling down my face. Horrible way to treat a child. No way would I do it to mine. Hopefully these days a hairdresser would refuse to do it too.

When DD’s hair was long, I would plait it over night (not French) and it stayed tangle free - just a quick run through with a brush to tidy it up.

I would wash it with loads of conditioners brush it through and plait it while wet.

I know it’s not advised but it worked for us!

Diluted conditioner can act as a detangler too

Please don’t cut it into a pixie if she doesn’t want it. My Mum did this “ to control my hair “ and it left me feeling I’d done something wrong or it was my fault in some way. I hated my short hair and being mistaken for a boy. Now in my fifties I wear my hair longer than suits me but I can’t risk getting it cut too short!

I agree with PPs re. plaits, and I use John Freida Weightless Wonder Featherlight Smoothing Crème on DD's hair - works wonders.