Tender-headed or not doing it right? pain from pony tails, buns ,etc.

[sagremus]

Whenever I wear my hair up in a bun or in a ponytail, it feels like it's pulling against my scalp and at my hairline. This is uncomfortable/painful and I'm scared this traction is going to cause breakage or hair loss.

I have very slippery fine hair. Even hair elastics slip out. I'm wondering if it's my hair type, or my head shape, or what. I can't imagine wearing some of the beautiful buns you ladies and gentlemen have on here as I feel like the weight of it would pull heavily on my scalp/hairline.

[PraiseCheeses]

How long is your hair - is it long enough to do a lazy wrap, nautilus, Gibraltar, or split bun? These buns can be anchored through the base of the bun rather than strands of hair along the scalp. Adding a second stick may also help distribute the weight/pulling and stabilize the bun. :flower:

[FoxyGhost]

It's something that requires patience. I'm tender headed as well and I can do a bun or pony or even a braid in certain positions and it will pull and give me a headache. I just keep redoing the style until it feels comfortable. I can automatically put my hair in my basic everyday bun without much pain but it takes practice to get a new bun in a position that won't hurt. It's a pain because I can't where a bun on top of my head because it pulls to much.
Also make sure to give yourself a little slack when working with your hair because if something sticks up out of the style you can always pin it or tuck it under later.

[Kaelee]

This may seem counter intuitive, but I've found that making the buns snug (not TIGHT just snug) helps. When I attempt to make the bun looser, what tends to happen is that the weight of the bun is pulling on one section of hair, whereas making it snug distributes the weight more evenly.

[HumanBean]

One trick is to do double buns, double ponies, etc., to help disperse the points of traction. For example, two ponies, one right on top of the other ( the length from the top pony hiding the tie of the pony directly beneath it).

[BlazingHeart]

I definitely can't do high ponies, with the combination of a tender scalp and very thick, heavy hair (just about classic length). Gravity just works too hard against that, and there isn't a real good way to anchor it securely.

I agree with Kaelee that a snug bun works better than a loose bun. I often find that after I've made a bun, I have to gently loosen a small section of hair with my fingers (just gently pulling the hair back towards the roots where it's tugging). I often have to re-make a bun because I haven't got the tension or toy placement right. Also, some buns are better than others for tugging, but I think that's very much a YMMV subject. If I can get it to set without being painful, the pencil bun is a good one for me, but I often end up with that last push giving me a facelift!

~Blaze

[spirals]

I always end up changing styles in the middle of the day because of this, or re-doing what I had.

[Flor]

Try braiding instead. I don't even have very thick or heavy hair, but I find braids to be most gentle on the roots. I always french-braid for running, keeps it all in place without any tugging/pulling. With some practice, you'll be able to do one very quickly yourself.

[AmyBeth]

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. This is a huge problem for me too, and I simply don't have time to keep re-doing my hair!. I'm trying to accumulate really pretty hair ties so when my scalp "acts up" I can just put my hair in a simple comfortable English braid, even though I'd almost always rather wear it up.

[neko_kawaii]

Try braiding instead. I don't even have very thick or heavy hair, but I find braids to be most gentle on the roots. I always french-braid for running, keeps it all in place without any tugging/pulling. With some practice, you'll be able to do one very quickly yourself.

A braid almost always works for me when my scalp is protesting. The real savior for me has been the pinless braided bun. Use any hard anchor you want: stick, fork, barrette (great use for pretty barrettes). Insert the anchor through the braid just above nape. Wrap the braid behind the anchor until the end is tucked in. Secure the end with a pin, stick, or not at all if your hair likes to stay put.

[jacqueline101]

Your hair might be too tightly styled.

[itdontmatter48]

My head becomes sore any time my hair goes against the grain of the hair strand. I feel your pain and have not come up with a great solution that works for me. Some think tighter is better, but unfortunately that would not work for me.

[Anje]

I think ponytails tend to hurt MOST of us when our hair gets long. Especially high ponytails. Braids are the best for me when my head is acting up, too, followed by low buns that are secured with a horizontal stick or fork.

For me, loose buns tend to pull more, because the weight doesn't distribute as much. But there's obviously a happy medium.