I touch my hair way too much

[Kikina]

Every minute, every second, my fingers are playing there. I just cannot resist. My hair (as I dye it) doesn't get greasy fast and it may be able to stay fabulous for a week or so, it's just that I constantly finger comb it for no particular reason. Before washing day I can't stop twisting my locks until they separate and become horribly sticky, especially around my ears and forehead. I am even doing it right now, with my other hand.
:justy:

Is it bad for my hair? How can I get rid of this disgusting habit?

[Crumpet]

If I have hair, I'm touching it.

It isn't great to touch your hair, and especially to twist it. I wear my hair up to keep myself from doing this. I find that I touch it less when I leave it down, which is rare.

[Kikina]

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I should just find more ways to get it out of my face, so that it won't be so tempting.

[Saldana]

Oh, I'm going to watch this thread - I have the exact same habit! Wearing it up does help, because I keep reminding myself that if I keep messing with it, I'll have to go somewhere to take it down and fix it. But right now, my hair is only long enough for half-ups, and I am *ALWAYS* fiddling with my hair. :-/ And I know it makes my hair look messy, causes it to get greasy faster, and most of all, exacerbates my SD. Grrrr.

[raingirl]

I do this too. Putting it up or back helps a lot. Even just a headband helps me not fiddle.

[jacqueline101]

I have a habit of petting and finger combing mine. I still have this habit even if it's ponytailed in a scrunchi. It's not needing clarified I just did that. I've come to think its a habit.

[furnival]

I had this problem until I started wearing it up every day. Now it's gone :)

[teenerz]

I touch my hair all the time too. It's nice to run my fingers through it sometimes. :) Plus it's the only way I comb or brush it since becoming a wavy (but when it was straight I loved the feeling of just-brushed hair!). I try not to overdo it though. Wearing it up definitely encourages me to leave it alone.

[sabrinaclrke]

I am extremely addicted to touching my hair, espeicaaly when I use coney conditioners and it's sleek and soft. What I do is use heatless curls so it's not so soft and tempting. But unfortunately the curls fall ot so quickly :(

[nobeltonya]

You're not alone.. I'm forever feeling the ends of mine, when it's down and especially in braids.. I don't twist it or anything, just touch it. Make sure it's not dry, or where it's falling [length]. I've been that way since I reached hip or so [about 2 years ago].. before that, I was constantly checking to see how much it'd grown, but didn't touch it much [generally wore it up]. :disco:

[heidi w.]

Wear your hair UP.
heidi w.

[Stray_mind]

I finally got rid of that habit. I don't know how. I still touch my hair sometimes,but not as frequently as i used to. But i second the idea of wearing your hair up. Touching your hair makes it dirty faster wich means more washing, wich means more stress put on your hair, wich means damage :).. Just put it up and don't pay attention to it.

[0xalis]

Wearing it up doesn't help me to stop touching :( Ends like to poke out of my "updos" [if you can even call them that...] so I touch those, or I just stroke the hair even though it's up!! When I wear a braid I'm constantly feeling the tassel. When it's down I'm constantly checking for splits and feeling the ends. Nothing I do, aside from wearing a hat, will stop me from touching my hair. But even wearing a hat my head gets itchy so I cause friction by scratching through the hat :(

[endlessly]

The only time I don't touch my hair is when I wear it up and even then, sometimes I still find myself reaching for it! I think if you mishandle it or are too rough with it, it can cause damage over time since you're stressing the tresses, plus you can also spread other oils/germs, etc. to your hair and that can dry/damage. My hair sits at tailbone length, so I'm constantly reaching back and playing with the ends if I wear it down - I actually find it very soothing and comforting to have a hand in it!

[YamaMaya]

1) Keep it up and out of the way, out of sight, out of mind

2) Keep your hands occupied. What they say about idle hands is true, so take up a hobby, like knitting, or drawing, or some kind of craft, just anything to keep your hands OUT of your hair.

3) Identify what it is that triggers you to play with your hair, if you find yourself doing it, pay close attention to your environment and what you're feeling at the moment, so you can find ways to avoid those types of triggering situations or find other ways to occupy your hands.

4) Bear in mind the more you play the more damage you cause, the more likely it is to look frizzy, damaged, and split. This will hinder your growing progress by a great deal as it will either break off, or you will have to cut it off.

[TrapperCreekD]

Gah, this is me! If it's down or any piece of it's down, I'm touching it - fingercombing out a possible tangle, touching the softness, moving out of my way/face, putting it *just so*. Plain braids, I play with and scrutinize the tail too much. Lucky for my hair, it's in updos most of the time, which is the only time I hardly get the urge to touch. Unless there's a wayward piece or bump that I missed, I'll occasionally "feel" to make sure it's behaving.

[Lyv]

I touch mine all the time too especially when it's down. I'm always checking the ends or finger combing it! Even when it's up I touch it to be sure everything is in place (even when I know it's fine) It doesn't seem to hurt it so far but I'm still trying to stop.