When it comes to hair and recovering from a bout of trichotillomania, no single product has changed mine more than wearing a satin-lined bonnet to bed.

When it comes to hair and recovering from a bout of trichotillomania, no single product has changed mine more than wearing a bonnet to bed. I have tried satin and silk pillows, special hair ties, and more, but still woke up every morning with bed head, or as my mom called it when I was growing up, a rat’s nest. 

When Loza Tam approached me and asked if I was interested in trying their hair turbans and sleep bonnets, I was really excited. I’ve been growing my hair out for over three years now, and the length was making it difficult to manage. I’m always up for trying anything that can help my hair’s health and texture. 

Cultural Appropriation and Wearing a Hair Bonnet

I also asked the brand about wearing head coverings and cultural appropriation and their thoughts on that. They actually directed me to a page they have on their site dedicated to the topic. Covering one’s hair has a long history of being both a cultural and spiritual tradition in many places around the world. 

In the article, Tameshia Rudd-Ridge explains, 

“The easiest way to ensure you’re not appropriating a culture is to have conversations, friendships, and interactions with people of the culture you’re curious about online and/or in real life. Through these exchanges, you’ll learn the history and significance behind the head wrap or hair covering which makes it very difficult to appropriate it.”

My Hair 

I have long hair with a 2b to 2c curl pattern. I asked a hairstylist about the thickness, and she said my hair is very dense and thick, but the strands themselves are thin, which is why my hair gets knotted so easily. That might explain the tears and hairbrushes that snapped in half when my dad tried to brush my hair as a kid. 

My hair is prone to not just knotting, but matting, especially the parts of my hair that are at the base of the back of my head. When I wear a scarf, forget it. By the end of the day, I’ll have a lot of knots to brush out.

My Haircare Routine

I manage it with a few products. I use the Soapbox Coconut Conditioner – I purchase the giant pump size to save plastic waste and money – and Coconut Oil Spray. I also use the Ceremonia Guava Leave-in Conditioner and Pequi Curl Activator. Once a week, I use the Ceremonia Aceite De Moska scalp treatment.

Loza Tam Hair Bonnet Review

Loza Tam is a line of hand-made satin-lined Turbans, head wraps, headwear tailored to people going through chemotherapy, and silk sleeping caps. They come in all types of fashionable styles and colors. Loza Tam is BIPOC woman-owned and caters to head wraps for all purposes, whether for fashion, functionality, religious reasons, or sleeping protection.

The Brand

The brand was founded by Tomara Watkins, former Bevel marketing exec and travel aficionado. Her goal was to create a product for the global population of women who were looking for fashionable and comfortable options for hair wraps that were easy to wear wherever their busy lives took them. Watkins also cites the growing amount of multi-cultural hair needs as an inspiration to start a brand that made fashionable hair wraps easier than ever.

The Bonnets and Hair Wraps

All Loza Tam’s bonnets, turbans, and wraps are lined with satin that protects hair from friction, keeping the strands safe from breakage. Their new line, Loza Luxe, is 100% silk. All the bonnets come pre-wrapped and folded, so all you have to do is slip them on and off. They offer two sizes of every product, one for smaller heads and another for larger ones.

Review

Loza Tam sent me two hair wraps: the black top-knot headwrap and the poppy head wrap hat. It was my first time wearing anything over my head to sleep, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the products. The fabric and construction were high quality, and the inside was lined with silky smooth satin. I immediately tried them on and fell in love. The elastic around the back made them fit perfectly; snug but not too tight.

The first night I wore one, it was actually more comfortable than usual. On most nights, I’ll either braid my hair or put it in a messy but when I’m lazy or too tired to braid it. The bonnet made it easy and quick to get my hair set for the night, and I didn’t have that itchy, hot feeling on my neck from my hair as I tried to fall asleep.

Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is the compulsive urge to pull out hair from your head, eyebrows, or eyelashes. It’s a psychological condition that varies in severity. I have suffered from trich since I was very young and now do my best to manage it. I’ve mostly overcome pulling at the hair on my head, but I do still struggle with pulling at my eyebrows and eyelashes. Trichotillomania is mainly unconscious and is often a self-soothing behavior to cope with stress. I find that I’m most likely to pull when I’m in bed reading before I fall asleep. I have ended up in what’s called a trance and pulled out all of my eyebrows on more than one occasion. For that reason, I was especially excited to try the Loza Tam head wraps to see if having a physical barrier would disrupt my urge to pull.

To track progress as time went on, I took pictures of my brows right before I went to bed. These are not the most flattering photos of me to publish on the internet, but I know so many people suffer from trichotillomania, and there is so much stigma surrounding the disorder, that if this post can help anyone, it’s worth it. Before I got comfortable and started reading before bed, I would put the bonnet on and pull it down so that it was covering my eyebrows. The physical barrier did in fact help. As I was reading or meditating to calm my mind before sleeping, my hand would unconsciously go to pull at my brows and would find the bonnet in the way. This was enough for me to consciously stop the ritualistic compulsive behavior. Of course, one quick solution will not ‘cure’ me of trichotillomania, but it did give me a way to stop myself from pulling at the time I noticed I was doing it the most.

The progress photos start from the first night I got the bonnet. The second photo was after a month of wearing it to sleep every night, and the third photo was after 3 months. This made a huge difference in my life. Drawing on my eyebrows every day was an arduous and time-consuming task, and I felt helpless when it came to stopping the compulsion to pull. Wearing a bonnet to bed made a major difference in my pulling, and I’m so grateful for that.

How The Bonnet Helped My Hair

Even after wearing the bonnet for one night, I noticed a huge difference in my hair. It was silky, shiny, and healthy, with minimal knots. I had grown so used to having a tangled mess of hair after a few nights of sleep. Since my hair is so long, I prefer to only wash it 2-3 times a week. Using the Loza Tam hair bonnet helped me prolong each wash of my hair. I have to use less product to keep it manageable, which keeps product buildup and greasiness from weighing down my curls.

Key Takeaways of Wearing a Hair Bonnet to Help with Trichotillomania

Wearing a Loza Tam hair bonnet to sleep made a major difference in the effects of Trichotillomania, especially for my eyebrows. Wearing a bonnet also helped the texture and health of my hair noticeably. At this point, I will not go a night without wearing a hair bonnet from Loza Tam, and will continue to do so. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with Trichotillomania and anyone who just wants healthier, shinier hair with less breakage.

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