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View Full Version : Wearing hair up without getting traction alopecia



Justy
September 5th, 2012, 06:49 PM
I joined this site many months ago to learn how to stop my hair from shedding. It has been babied, I've started taking iron for my low ferritin levels, I now CO only, and I put it up daily. My sheddin has definitely slowed down to 'normal' amounts and the length is growing nicely.

Now I am worried about my hairline. I keep reading, in other posts, that "pulling the hair back time after time can lead to traction alopecia". How do I know if I am pulling the front hairs hard enough to cause damage? Sometimes I need the hair to be a bit snug to make it stay. My hair is still short enough that a loose bun soon falls out. What should I do to make sure I'm not increasing my forehead size while protecting the ends of my hair?

Thanks for any insight. :)

happybear
September 5th, 2012, 06:58 PM
Try parting your hair and sweeping it back and clipping it at the nape.

Danni5173
September 5th, 2012, 07:10 PM
I'm in the same boat- only shedding still. Breaking is more like it.
Anyway- I'm worried about the same thing. I put my hair up loosely but I'm still worried about it. So I have gone to wearing it down.

My Derm told me it was better for my hair and I think she was right in regards to not doing future harm by wearing it up too much.
I'm still careful about snagging it on anything but it's still too early to tell if it is helping my shedding issue.

I would wear it down and invest in good conditioners and leave in's.
Good Luck!

Sarahlabyrinth
September 5th, 2012, 07:21 PM
You will always have some shedding, it's part of your hair's growth cycle.

It is probably ok to wear your hair up every day to protect the ends, it's only if you have it pulled back tightly in the same way day after day that you might have trouble.

If you vary your styles and not have it tight you should be fine.

Danni5173
September 5th, 2012, 10:00 PM
You will always have some shedding, it's part of your hair's growth cycle.

It is probably ok to wear your hair up every day to protect the ends, it's only if you have it pulled back tightly in the same way day after day that you might have trouble.

If you vary your styles and not have it tight you should be fine.

I have clumpy shedding. :( It seems like more is coming out than should. It's horrible. I have done everything "right" for my hair and it still is shedding. It has been a long time. I have been tested for everything you could imagine. Still I have tons of shedding. I'm at a loss- so wearing it down can't hurt. LOL It's the only thing I haven't tried.
I also haven't had hair this long in years though so it may be normal that people with longer hair shed more because you have more hair. I had a pixie for a long time and then my hair wouldn't grow until I forgot about it and quit cutting. Now it sheds. Can't win for losing.

lindaton
September 5th, 2012, 10:13 PM
I am shedding so bad. I have lost at least 1/3 of my hair if not more. I am lucky I guess to have had really thick hair. But any suggestions would be appreciated. I have an appt with dermatologist next week. From what I have googled, it could be my weightloss. I have been working out and eating healthy since april. I have been taking supplements for the past 2 months and no change. At this rate I feel like I am going to lose almost all of it.

Cowgirl16
September 5th, 2012, 10:40 PM
I am shedding so bad. I have lost at least 1/3 of my hair if not more. I am lucky I guess to have had really thick hair. But any suggestions would be appreciated. I have an appt with dermatologist next week. From what I have googled, it could be my weightloss. I have been working out and eating healthy since april. I have been taking supplements for the past 2 months and no change. At this rate I feel like I am going to lose almost all of it.

A year ago last May I started a 3 month shed. I too lost more than a third of my hair, mine was due to stress and an illness.
Good luck :blossom:

Justy
September 5th, 2012, 10:44 PM
I had to start eating better, massively increase my iron intake, and increase my protein intake. All of it did help and now I still shed but it's strands at a time instead of 'skimming a layer hair off the surface of the tub' amounts. I truly believe that not using SLS shampoo has played a big part in my success as well.

After a year of growth I can run my hands over my ponytail and feel where the longer thinner hair starts. It's like it's own layer of new growth.

Of course now I'm looking at my hairline a lot more closely than ever before. I wear it up either in a cinnabun or a lazy wrap wanna-be and try to vary where it sits on my head. But at the end of the day the 2 buns I can do both start with "pull the hair back into a ponytail" I don't use an elastic and try not to pull tight but I do need to twist the ponytail in order for thebun to stay up. Is varying location and trying not to pull back too tight enough? Sometimes I can feel areas of the bun pulling some hairs tighter than others and I can't always redo the bin in a way that eliminates all the pulling. :(