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DancingQueen
April 24th, 2013, 01:23 AM
I need a serious make-over, to look more polished and professional, but before I reach out for the round-brush and hairdryer, I wanted to try just a few things. I have naturally curly hair, but usually only wearable the day after wash-day (I wash every 3 days). But last night, I wetted my hair, fixed the scalp hair a bit with a hairdryer, and leaving it damp. I decided to pin my bangs close to my head to straighten them, and rolled the rest of my hair into a fairly tight bun, secured with a hair elastic.

I meant to sleep with it, but decided I probably wouldn't be able to sleep with my hair up, so I took it down - and I had the most awsome, sexy curls ever - I swear, it was like I just spend an hour in front of the mirror with various heat tools. I instantly decided that this would be my new 'do'. But...

If I do this, say 4-5 times a week, will it damage my hair in the long run? I really need hair that says 'I am a professional', and this was it!

Also, do you have any favorite techniques to professional hair? I know there is a bun wave thread somewhere, but I can't find it.

Thank you in advance; I really hope someone can help me :)

lapushka
April 24th, 2013, 02:16 AM
I don't quite get how it could be damaging?

Bagginslover
April 24th, 2013, 02:23 AM
The only things I can see that might be damaging are the elastic and the pins for your bangs.

Can you use a stick instead of the elastic to secure the bun? That would be more hair friendly, I can get some face-lift mimicing buns with a stick, so you should be able to get enough tension (though be careful of pulling too tight, traction alopecia can, and does happen). Try to vary how you pin your bangs back too, so the pins are sitting on different parts of the stands to minimise damage.

The only other possibility is damage to your wave pattern. I don't know if pulling your curls out without heat will cause that, but if you have very fragile hair, its a possibility. Other curlies would know better about that though :)

ETA- However, I cannot understand why curly hair is 'unprofessional'. To my mind, professionalism is something you display by your manner and actions, not your outward appearance. Or is that just me?

DancingQueen
April 24th, 2013, 02:57 AM
I don't quite get how it could be damaging?

I heard some things about bunning too much can be damaging, and I also wonder about sleeping with wet/damp hair. I want nice hair, but I don't want to damage it. :)


The only things I can see that might be damaging are the elastic and the pins for your bangs.

Can you use a stick instead of the elastic to secure the bun? That would be more hair friendly, I can get some face-lift mimicing buns with a stick, so you should be able to get enough tension (though be careful of pulling too tight, traction alopecia can, and does happen). Try to vary how you pin your bangs back too, so the pins are sitting on different parts of the stands to minimise damage.

The only other possibility is damage to your wave pattern. I don't know if pulling your curls out without heat will cause that, but if you have very fragile hair, its a possibility. Other curlies would know better about that though :)

ETA- However, I cannot understand why curly hair is 'unprofessional'. To my mind, professionalism is something you display by your manner and actions, not your outward appearance. Or is that just me?

I know, and I completely agree. However, my curls just won't look nice no matter what I do, any amount of oil, gel and frizz controlling products are useless in my hair. I need something that stays nice even after I step out of my front door. I am kind of tired getting wired and disgusted looks from people, and moreover, I want a change for myself. :)

I guess I could use pins if I do it by day, but it might be a little problematic at night. :p

lapushka
April 24th, 2013, 05:06 AM
I heard some things about bunning too much can be damaging, and I also wonder about sleeping with wet/damp hair. I want nice hair, but I don't want to damage it. :)

I thought you were just damp bunning it in the day, not to sleep with it. Tight bunning at night? I wouldn't do it.

DancingQueen
April 24th, 2013, 08:09 AM
I guess it might not be the best thing, but probably healthier than heat styling, right?

Another question: I went to buy a round brush, but all of them have those small boar bristles. I know they are supposed to be good for my hair, but I always feel that my hair is breaking off, My hair seem to like the plastic ones with little dots on the ends better. Any idea why my hair is acting like that? ??? I always use heat protectant when I do heat styling on my hair.

lapushka
April 24th, 2013, 10:02 AM
Another question: I went to buy a round brush, but all of them have those small boar bristles. I know they are supposed to be good for my hair, but I always feel that my hair is breaking off, My hair seem to like the plastic ones with little dots on the ends better. Any idea why my hair is acting like that? ???

A BBB isn't exactly great for wavy or curly hair. Maybe that's why.

TiffanieJean
April 24th, 2013, 11:09 AM
It depends on how strong your hair is. I had wonderful results from both sock bun curls and cinnamon bun waves, BUT it cause a lot of breakage after a few months of sleeping with one or the other in every night. I have very weak fine hair and I’m currently trying to figure out the cause of the issue. I can’t even do a side braid without breakage, so my hair is at the extreme end of the ‘weak‘ spectrum… I think you could easily do bun waves without serious issues, just be cautious for the first few weeks to see how your hair is holding up. I have a blog post on sock buns and how I used to do them. They made my hair look perfect… I miss it so much! I think I did a post on the cinnamon bun waves too. They are SO easy. You just have to be careful about how tight you twist any bun. All of the hair that is broken for my is right where the 1st twist starts, or where my hair is held by a ponytail holder.

OH, and I recently started using a wide toothed brush again (the kind with the plastic balls) instead of the nice BBB I have had for the last few years. I have already seen my hair improve from 2 short weeks - BBB’s are not good for my hair… It was causing a lot of damage.

meteor
April 25th, 2013, 09:19 AM
If you pull hair, twist too tightly, push/torque hair toys too much, then bunning can damage hair over time. So putting hair in a bun carefully and gently is pretty important. But still, keeping hair in updos is one of the best ways of avoiding damage.

DancingQueen, TiffanieJean, you mentioned damage from BBB - you might want to try going without brushing at all (i.e. combing only) for a few days to see if it makes a positive difference, especially if your hair is curly or prone to being damaged easily. I noticed significant improvement from not brushing.

RavennaNight
April 25th, 2013, 09:49 AM
Bunning can be damaging if you bun too tight, or bun imbalanced. Patches of scalp can hurt if you do that. Trust me, if you are bunning too tight or imbalanced, you will know.

Bun waves are an excellent way to tame hair. My 1C hair does well with them. If I bun my hair slightly damp and let it dry, although they eat up some length, the waves look neat, shiny, and healthy, unlike the random squiggles here and there that pop up without bunning.

TiffanieJean
April 25th, 2013, 10:49 AM
DancingQueen, TiffanieJean, you mentioned damage from BBB - you might want to try going without brushing at all (i.e. combing only) for a few days to see if it makes a positive difference, especially if your hair is curly or prone to being damaged easily. I noticed significant improvement from not brushing.

I think I will. =) I just started CO washing this week and it has already helped with the tangle issue. I'll give finger combing a try.

Panth
April 25th, 2013, 11:37 AM
I don't see how bun waves would be damaging, unless they cause excessive tangles.

Damp bunning overnight every night ... I could see that that might be problematic. One of the problems with damp buns is that as the hair dries the bun often tightens - if it dries while you sleep, you might not notice if/when things become too tight and get damage (or headaches) that way. Also, overly tight buns in general are not good. Finally, buns to sleep in are not good for some people as they might get tugged or rubbed funnily in your sleep, resulting in damage in the long term.

Perhaps do damp bun one day then bun waves for two days? Alternatively, try damp bunning while you sleep but don't bun very tightly, keep a watch out for damage and maybe use a satin (ideally silk satin) pillowcase or cap to reduce damage via rubbing.

I also agree that a BBB is almost certainly a terrible idea for a wavey/curly-headed person. Many curly-headed people don't brush at all and may even avoid combing.

(Also - I wouldn't be too fussed about what you do to your fringe. Provided you're not trying to grow it out, you can do much much harsher things to your fringe as it gets cut so often and so only has a few inches of lifespan when it has to look nice.)

Elswyth
April 25th, 2013, 11:38 AM
I have 3b hair and wear a bun 2-3 times a week, it does just fine.
In fact (like Meteor said) keeping it up reduces damage, as long as you don't create damage with things that you have to rip out of your hair :/
I used to "put my hair away" by just sticking it in a pony tail, but the elastics tore up my hair something awful, and I had crazy frizz on top of my head. so instead of pony tails I now use only bobby pins to put my hair in a bun, and I've seen less damage and great curls afterwards :) also buns in their own way can look very professional

jacqueline101
April 25th, 2013, 12:13 PM
They might think its damaging due to pony tailing the bun or same hair do repeatedly. Other then that no its not.

earthnut
April 25th, 2013, 05:42 PM
Bunning might damage hair if you pull your hair really tight (can cause the hair to come out of the roots), if you use harsh hair toys (like some ponytail holders or bobby pins that are sharp or causing friction on your hair).

If you bun damp hair, you need to be even more gentle than if you bun dry hair, because wet hair is more fragile and prone to damage. If you use a leave in conditioner (which would also probably help to enhance your curls/waves) this danger is lessened.

Otherwise, bunning itself is very protective. I find it much gentler than combing or brushing and I get less frizz.

HintOfMint
April 25th, 2013, 09:55 PM
I'm a huge fan of damp bunning! I haven't noticed any damage because of it, but I don't do it too tightly and I use spin pins instead of elastics.

Dorothy
April 30th, 2013, 05:22 AM
I've got a pin free method. First, several hours before bed, I put my hair in the flattest cinnabun I can manage, held with two giant amish/quattro like pins. It's medium tight, nothing pulls. Then, after I lay my head on the sillk pillow, I slide the pins out. I sleep in place on my back without moving pretty well, even if I start moving early in the morning, it unwinds but not all the way. If I want to preserve the waves, I rewind it without untwisting it and pin it down until I'm ready.

And I would say creating waves or curls (with the cocoon method) makes my hair incredibly tangled, I wonder if this is what curlies suffer from all the time, in which case I am all sympathy, or if there's something about the process.

palaeoqueen
May 1st, 2013, 02:47 PM
What sort of bun are you doing? I'm just curious so I can try it!

goldloli
May 1st, 2013, 05:35 PM
Probably repeating what everyone else has said but here goes :o

Twisting too tight and in the same direction repeatedly can caused damage. Bun secured too tight can cause damage either by traction alopecia or hair tie friction. Nape hair is exposed to rubbing against pillow (this was a big damage cause for me). Hair is perhaps more inclined to tangle...

Anyway that doesn't mean you shouldn't! I just learnt to be smarter with my sleep styles, changing them up, twisting different ways, switching to damp braids some nights, changing the position on head that they are placed etc.

As for hair brush, if your hair likes those plastic bristles with blobs then use one, bbb's aren't for every body, combs either. I got the tangle teezer last week because i bought into the anti brush propaganda and i see more damage from it compared to using my bbb for everything. Yet people say never detangle with a bbb (I used both gently and slowly). Still the tangle teezer is good for combing out bun curls without disturbing the pattern or making a poof, so i guess it'd my handbag brush now.

kidari
May 1st, 2013, 05:59 PM
I think that it depends on how fragile your hair is. If your hair is thin and delicate it's best to be careful not to bun too tight or sleep in a tightly wrapped wet bun. I love damp bunning, because it allows my ends to stay damp longer and my hair dries slowly and ends up looking soft, shiny, and moisturized. The effect when I take it down is like a large roller set with a fraction of the work. If you make the same bun every single day and it's twisted tightly and secured with the same tools all the time that can be bad. As soon as you wake up you can mist the roots and slick it back then put leave-in conditioner or anything on the ends and loosely twist it into the bun and keep it like that while you eat breakfast/get ready/commute to work. Once at your destination you can take down your bun and shake out the curls. The loose bun is more gentle on the hair and it allows it to dry and set faster than a tighter bun. Be sure to use different things to secure it and vary the placement of the clips or pins you use. Also, you can try doing two or more loose buns instead of one.