Headaches for Very Long, Thick Hair?

[Braidmaid]

I have a very dear friend, who is a wonderful role model for me in regards to hair length and care. I have greatly admired the commitment and care she has demonstrated to maintain such a mass of incredibly beautiful hair. Because of her faith, she has never cut her hair her whole life, not even a slight trim. Her magnificent hair is very thick, and full of waves. If it was shorter, it would probably be very curly. When stretched to its full length, it is beyond floor length.
She states that because of the weight of her hair, she often suffers from headaches, especially when it is wet after she washes it. I know that she will never cut her hair, because of her beliefs; she just feels that this is what she has to walk through in order to be obedient to God.
She is such a sweet, lovely person; my heart goes out to her, and I want to help. Do any of you wonderful ladies that have very long, thick hair have any suggestions that might help?
By the way, I also have thick hair that reaches to just below my knees. I have not suffered the headaches that she does, but of course, my hair is not as long as hers, plus I don’t have a problem with trimming once in a while.. I usually wear my hair in some form of braid, or I do a simple updo. Lately, I have been looking to youtube for inspiration, particularly Indian women who have such amazingly thick hair. Many of them do a simple bun that goes quickly up at the nape of the neck.
I also have a small backpack with a drawstring at the top instead of a zipper. Sometimes, the braid just goes in there; keeps it out of trouble, and takes some of the weight off.
Any ideas you ladies have would be appreciated!

[Sharysa]

My hair's only just reached waist-length while straight, but it's certainly thick enough to cause headaches if I'm not careful. It seems like both your hair would be perfect for crown braids and French/Dutch braided buns.

[NuclearApple]

beyond floor and knee length!wow!
anyway,I'd suggest to squeeze very very well all the water from the hair and put it in a style that dristubutes all the weigth to all the head,as Sharysa said crown braids would be perfect,or simply twist all the length and wrap it around the head in a sort of "fake" crown.

[leslissocool]

My hair, already, is really heavy. I can feel the weight of it on my neck mostly, braided buns have made a huge difference I feel the weight it distributed very well.


What does she do with her wet hair? Does she air dry, what happens to it?

[Madora]

Has your friend tried a simple coronet braid (a long braid wound around the head)? With your friend's length, it would probably go around several times!

Dr. George Michael, the famed "Czar of Long Hair" always stated that the secret to wearing long hair is to section it. I've done that often..but wonder if your friend's length might make that method out of the question.

[ErinLeigh]

Does sectioning mean multiple buns or braids?

[Madora]

Does sectioning mean multiple buns or braids?

Sectioning is dividing your hair mass in a certain manner to make it more comfortable to wear. Your description is valid too.

While there are different methods of sectioning, the one that worked for me...and was very versatile and comfortable for long periods of time, was to section thus:

1) Detangle all hair gently and comb back away from forehead
2) Make a horizontal part from the top of your right ear, around the back of your head, to the top of your left ear
3) Take all the hair above the part, comb it out gently, and braid it loosely, securing with a hair friendly tie.
4) Take the braid and holding it flat against your head, form a coil, pinning with hairpins as you go. Tuck in tassle.
5) Take remaining hair, detangle gently, then braid it loosely, tie off with elastic.
6) Take braid and wind it around bun already made.
Voila...one double braided bun.

Tip for Step 5...if you bend at the waist while braiding, you'll find it easier to begin the braid closer to the bun (instead of braiding while standing erect).

With this sectioning process you can create several bun styles: double rose bun, double twist bun, bun with accent braids, double fishtail braids, and it is also the basis for the Cameo bun. My avatar photo is based on sectioning too.

The thing is, very long hair is heavy and wearing it in one large glob puts too much pressure on one part of the scalp. Distributing the weight makes long hair a lot easier to wear comfortably.

The only problem with ultra long hair is keeping the strands separate when you braid. When you have hair longer than your arms, keeping the strands from "self-braiding" is problematic, as I'm learning. I haven't come up with a suitable solution to this, other than shaking the ends loose. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I really prefer braids to any other style.

[lapushka]

I would recommend (if she doesn't do that already), for her to squeeze/wring out the water from her hair very well, then bundle it up in a towel (turbie, regular one or longer if she can make one for hair that long). That should take a lot of the water weight out already, lessening the chance of strain on the hair or headache issues.

[Braidmaid]

I also have a small backpack with a drawstring at the top instead of a zipper. Sometimes, the braid just goes in there; keeps it out of trouble, and takes some of the weight off.
Any ideas you ladies have would be appreciated!

Thank you ladies soooo much! Madora, I like your advice regarding sectioning the hair to make creative updos. I’ll share this with my friend, and we’ll practice!
It only makes sense that hair that long has to be worn up.
I think my friend only washes her hair once a week; I do it twice a week. I use tons of towels, and let it air dry. (Takes forever to dry!) I usually drape it over the back of a chair resting on towels, and watch a movie or read a book. I agree about getting as much water out of it as I can.
It takes a lot of work, but it is so worth it!
Thanks again for all the advice!