Non-painful bun? Headache Free?

[GoldberryHair]

Hi, I hope there's not a thread for this already, if there is I apologize and please re-direct me. But lately buns (no matter what kind, and where) I do really hurts my neck and gives me headaches. I've tried different kinds and different ways to hold it but it doesn't help. I have to wear it up for work and sometimes I'm tired of braids, I just like a quick bun, but not painful! My hair is pretty thick and classic length. Any help or does anyone go thru this too?

[Tini'sNewHair]

Following. I just tried doing a bun with sticks and that hurt to :(

[Marbid]

I did hear of a post like this too. I'm going to try and find it to redirect you. They had a lot of solutions for the weight of your hair. Mainly distribute the weight of your hair around your head.... BRB

[Amygirl8]

I have that issue too. One bun I'm doing right now is really simple:
I kind of tie a twisted knot first. So, I bring my hair up and over my index and middle finger on my left hand, then just kind of rotate my fingers ccw until they face the same direction (twisting the hair underneath) and then grasp the remaining length in the fingers and bring them through the loop.
Then I just wrap the excess under the bun and either secure with hair pins or an elastic. It seems to work pretty well as long as you have the excess length for wrapping it around the base. It also looks pretty decent.

[Katrine]

What about the Treble Clef Bun? I've seen some lovely ones with classic length hair and it seems fairly easy. There are tutorials on YouTube. Or the braided nautilus?

You have beautiful hair btw. :)

[Anje]

I have off days with buns, when nothing works, but it's not good when you're having them all the time. :-(

In my mind, it's often an issue of bun positioning and securing, not just which bun you're using. The optimal places usually seem to be low at the nape and very high, such that the weight of the bun rests on your skull instead of being supported by tension on the hair roots. (High buns can bug me, though, because it positions the follicles at angles they're not used to.) IMO, buns at the crown are also usually comfortable and not prone to pulling.

For securing, I find that having sticks/forks/whatever in a horizontal position is least likely to hurt, and vertical is most likely to become uncomfortable. I also tend to experience pulling with a pair of crossed sticks, as a few hairs can get caught between then and stressed. If I need two sticks, having them parallel or in a V is better than an X or + for that reason.

Lazy wraps that are lightly twisted for the outer loop end to work well for me, most of the time. Infinity buns held be a single horizontal stick are also usually a safe bet. Cinnamon buns and knot-based buns like Celtic knots are the ones I find most problematic to balance when I'm having a bad scalp day.

Hope that helps!

[Marbid]

VOILA!!!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=34987&page=158

page 158 of the classic to knee thread.

Kouran has a similar issue with her hair. You might want to read some of the responses.

I'ts not a thread like I thought (faulty memory, and you are safe in making this thread) but it is still worth a read. :)

[Chromis]

Log roll! Never pulls and holds like a rock too, very fast to do.

I cannot wear high buns. I do loads of different buns, but they must be right above my nape. For stick buns the lazy wrap and braided nautilus are low tension. I prefer things like cinnamon buns with a fork. I find three prongs are better than two for comfort.

[neko_kawaii]

When all else fails I bun a braid. Insert stick at nape, wrap braid behind stick and secure end with another stick or a spin pin.

[YamaMaya]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZvXrEOfJ4w

these buns may distribute weight better and prevent headaches.

[bunzfan]

As you do alot of braids what about a folded braid?? i find that distributes the weight really well as does the oval bun and vortex

vortex bun
Oval bun

(http://youtu.be/iViNkltTb9Y)

[dwell_in_safety]

I have started to get headaches most days and I really think it's because of my hair. Tucked braids, Dtuch or French where the braids and folded and ends are tucked up and under the braid and then a flexi8 or other clip is used to secure the folded braid in place, are always comfortable for me. There are some buns I have to retire soon, mostly those held vertically such as the pha bun and orchid bun. I think they may be comfortable again when I am at tailbone or longer, but at hip the way they are arranged just doesnt feel good. Horizontally held ones such as the nautilus my hair is still too thick and short to do most days, but when they work they are, as pointed out by another, the most comfortable buns.

Right now my hair is in an orchid bun with a 3-prong fork. The most secure toys I have are my forks, but this bun is still mildly uncomfortable and I know I won't be able to wait to put it in my sleep braids when I get home from work. I think the key is finding more buns that have inherent sectioning of the hair such as the disc bun. They are always comfortable.

[Madora]

Hi, I hope there's not a thread for this already, if there is I apologize and please re-direct me. But lately buns (no matter what kind, and where) I do really hurts my neck and gives me headaches. I've tried different kinds and different ways to hold it but it doesn't help. I have to wear it up for work and sometimes I'm tired of braids, I just like a quick bun, but not painful! My hair is pretty thick and classic length. Any help or does anyone go thru this too?

Simce you have been able to bun in the past and are only now experiencing pain and headaches, I'd suggest a visit to your doctor to see if there is an underlying cause why your neck is really hurting...and the headache issue.

Distributing the weight of your bun helps a lot in wearing them comfortably all day. Buns should never be tight to the scalp. Also, if you use hairsticks, be careful that they are not scraping the scalp or applying pressure to your scalp.

Given the thickness of your hair (which is lovely), try to distribute it over a wider area, rather than concentrating the mass of it in one area.

Good luck!

[melusine963]

You could try Heidi braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7hFcRsWliA) (milkmaid braids?). Those would put the wieght of your hair on top of your head rather than at the back, so it might make a difference. I can manage these with my thin-ish, TBL hair.

[vendethiel]

I find that I'll go through stages where it feels like every bun is giving me a headache - sometimes I'm just doing the buns wrong and trying again fixes it. Sometimes I'm poking myself with hair pins or distributing the weight incorrectly - rule of thumb, if my bun is uncomfortable when I finish it, it will be painful later. Sometimes just switching bun styles helps me, I'll use one I haven't used recently and see if that helps. Sometimes I've caught too much or too little hair next to the scalp with a hairstick and that's causing a lot of pain. (The wrong amount of this will give me a headache every time and sometimes I go through stages where I really struggle with the right amount. No idea why.) Sometimes this is the result of illness, if I'm fighting a virus or if I'm just experiencing a flare from medical issues, this can exacerbate the problem. (So, getting checked might be a good idea.)

What I call a faux crown braid (regular braid wrapped around the head like crown braid) works really well for me. Also, really soft buns seem to help me get through this stage, a slightly loose cinnabun held with pins or a pha bun or an orchid bun, those seem to be a little looser for me. I don't know if you use a ponytail holder as a basis for your buns or not, but for me, using one greatly increases the chances of painful buns. If you part your hair before bunning it, you might try not doing that or if you don't part, you might try parting.

For me, this is usually a stage and I'll get out of it, but it can seem like forever. I usually try to change things, just too see if that helps and to see if I'm doing something wrong. Also, I might wear the bun for part of the day and then switch to braid. I hope something on this thread can help you, painful buns are horrible!

[Panth]

You could try sectioning to distribute the weight. This can be done in a number of ways, e.g.:

- divide the hair in two (or more) and do multiple separate buns

- divide the hair in two (or more) ponytails that are very close to each other, wrap the length of one ponytail around the base of both then wrap the length of the second ponytail around the outside of the bun you've just made

- do a centre parting, then another parting at 90 degrees from that (from ear to ear). Bun the back two quarters, either in one bun or by using one of the other sectioning suggestions. Then, either plait or loosely twist the front quarters one at a time and wrap them around the outside of the bun(s) at the back.

Personally, I find that any bun that is higher than nape (and thus erases my parting) is at least uncomfortable within a few hours. However, by doing the X-sectioning method, I can do a high bun (erasing the parting) with the back two quarters but keep the parting in the front two quarters and thus have a less painful scalp.

[lapushka]

Peacock twist, doubly, even triply folded. It's da bomb! I've worn it from APL all the way to (almost) TBL, and now at waist. It's the most comfortable thing ever. It resembles a log roll, I guess.

[catamonica]

I have medium thick hip length hair. I wear a low braided bun. I use bobby pins. It's comfortable. You could
try that.