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berr
September 8th, 2008, 11:42 AM
I have a question. I was wearing my hair in a pony tail with a smooth (no metal) cloth covered elastic. I noticed I had a lot of breakage around the area that the hair tie would have been. So I finally mastered a simple braid. I've been wearing a braid almost daily at work. I tried to do a french braid (unsuccessful, I'll have to practice more) and I noticed a lot of short hairs at the back of my head near the crown. Could this be breakage from a low braid or possibly new growth? I've always had a little bit of the short hair thing going on the top of my head but I never really noticed the back before. Maybe it's always been there. Sigh.

Any feedback appreciated.

bunnii
September 8th, 2008, 11:45 AM
I noticed this too, I think its a mixture of new growth and breakage from my necklace, I don't really wear ponytails much they pull too much.

Periwinkle
September 8th, 2008, 12:06 PM
I would have thought that most of the breakage from a braid would be from things like chair backs rubhbing against it. I wouldn't expect breakage near the crown, and it's difficult to find updos that protect that area, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's probably new growth.

If you learn a couple of other styles, then you'll probably not notice breakage from any particular one of them as the hair won't be worn in the same places any more.

midnighttrain
September 8th, 2008, 12:22 PM
I have hair under/behind my ears and around my nape that always are short. They always were and always stay that way. I'm not worried about it because these hairs are very fine and silky, not damaged in any way. They feel nicer than my regular hairs even. :p Maybe you have some hairs shorter in the back too? They may just grow that way.

SweetPea88
September 8th, 2008, 12:25 PM
My guess is that it's probably not breakage but just new/shorter hairs.

Little_Bird
September 8th, 2008, 01:21 PM
If you're doing your braid properly, then it shouldn't be any breakage because of it. I also braid daily and I have no breakage from it, it does protect the hair very well...

It might be some breakage from the ponytail tough, but I would bet in the new growth. It's always a little scary to see all the new hair growing in, but it's normal. It depends on the person wether they show a lot of not. Mine are really noticeable, my sister, on the other hand, appears as all her hair is one lenght hehe...

Don't bother too much about it, just take care of your hair and it will pay you back with a healthy look and feel :flower:

harpgal
September 8th, 2008, 05:10 PM
berr, I have braided for years with no ill effect. I think that breakage near the tie off could possibly be from tying off too tightly. I wrap my braid up every day and so I put my tie off in very loosely. I think those short hairs are new growth and not breakage.

PseudoScot
September 8th, 2008, 05:26 PM
I think they are short hairs too and not breakage. Most likely new growth!

I have those too and over time they have gotten longer. I think I'll always have them to some extent. I mean, your whole head sheds and new growth comes in but on top when it comes in that's the most noticeable.

I also did some inspection [tricky on the short hairs] and saw that the ends are healthy - I bet yours are too. To me that indicates growth and not breakage.

Anje
September 8th, 2008, 10:24 PM
I've had similar issues with braids -- especially after swimming with a low english braid (in a lake), I'll look in the mirror and see tons of shoulder-length curly frizzies everywhere. I also have a history of quite a lot of breakage from metal-free elastics, and ended up swearing off ponytails for a long time. Fat fabric is better than any elastic for ponytails, if you ask me.

It's probably new growth (or short growth, which I seem to have permanently) but it's probably worth varying your styles, all the same. Remember that it'll take quite a while for the ponytail damage to grow out sufficiently to stay in a braid, too.

FrannyG
September 9th, 2008, 07:22 AM
I can't imagine breakage near the crown being caused by a low braid at all. It sounds like new growth to me.

danacc
September 13th, 2008, 09:20 AM
Are you making a ponytail first, then braiding it? If not (and I'm thinking not since you say you switched from a ponytail to a braid), then it is highly unlikely that the braid is causing breakage near your head. Sometimes short nape hair can tangle since it's not captured in the braid, and the braid can rub on it, but this won't happen with crown hair. Where you'll want to be careful about damage on a braid is at the tie-off area at the bottom of it, and any place you let it rub on things like chair backs.

Those short hairs at the crown are either new growth, shorter terminal-length hair (although I believe that happens more at the hairline; crown hair usually has a long terminal length), or breakage most likely from your previous ponytails.

My hair definitely breaks from the metal-free ponytail holders that are otherwise similar to the ones that have the metal bar.

Magdalene
September 13th, 2008, 09:24 AM
It might just be that the hairs stick out more, since they arent being captured in the ponytail?

1nuitblanche
September 13th, 2008, 10:24 AM
Unless they look broken, they are probably just new hairs growing or else the hairs that are in between the short ones that are all over our bodies and the long ones that grow on our scalps. Ponytails, even metal-free ones, can damage my hair though.