The Debate: Is it less damaging to wear hair up or down?

[cldunzie0215]

I'm a medium 3b curly,BSL length. And the more research I do,the more divided reviews I get. I've read alot here that you should wear your hair up as much as possible to protect it from mechanical damage,but I've also read alot that you should leave your hair down as much as possible cause putting it up damages it...what?! I'm confused. I always wear my hair in a braid with either a scrunchie or spin-pin to sleep, and on the weekends or when Im at home I use a big jaw clip to put my hair up. When I'm at school or out I do a twist out and wear my hair down..advice?

[Kherome]

I don't see a debate here...I think results say it all. The people on here who are truly "long hairs" with beautiful hair, wear their hair up.

[prettyinpink]

I think its more damaging to wear it down. If you put it up with a clip, a scrunchie, or hair sticks, its not damaging at all. But if I leave my hair down, it starts to get splits. I wear my hair down only on special occasions when im wearing silk, to prevent splits (:

[lapushka]

I don't see a debate here...I think results say it all. The people on here who are truly "long hairs" with beautiful hair, wear their hair up.

I agree. It's mostly to do with *how* you wear your hair up. There are conventional (damaging) methods, and the methods we go by here at LHC (sticks, forks, etc.)

[Kaelee]

I agree. It's mostly to do with *how* you wear your hair up. There are conventional (damaging) methods, and the methods we go by here at LHC (sticks, forks, etc.)

This. Not only that, it tends to be safer to you to wear it up so it can't get caught in things, land on the stove, etc.

[chen bao jun]

some people can grow long hair while keeping it down, but they are exceptions.
They are the people who have us thinking its all genetic before we come here on LHC and learn that we too can have long hair if we keep it up and protect it from damage.

[Hootenanny]

The only ways that wearing it up could cause some damage is if (1) a person is using super-tight bands or even rubber bands (gasp!) to tie off ponytails or braids, (2) if the person pulls their hair back extremely tightly at the scalp, or (3) if the person doesn't at least occasionally vary their bun location. Otherwise, wearing hair up protects it (thus the name "protective styling" for braids and updos). It's definitely preferable to wearing it down.

Since you're a curly, my one piece of advice would be to avoid trying to make your hair and edges perfectly sleek when you wear it up, as this can be damaging (see point 2 above). Curls are going to look "bumpy" in most updos; it's the nature of the beast. Embrace it and your updos should be good to go! :thumbsup: And come on over to the type 3's thread and hang out! :)

[SleepyTangles]

Hair up + no pulling on the roots = total win!

Though, it's not always easy to achieve solid buns without pulling the roots, or "stressing" mechanically your crown hair!

[lazuliblue]

I have to say I've recently come to the conclusion that wearing one's hair up is the best thing for it. I just purchased some octopus claw clips and they're fabulous for protecting my hair. My hair is only APL but all the people on here that have really long, healthy hair seem to wear it up most of the time, but as others have said, you have to wear it up properly (i.e no elastic ties, varying the updo) to gain the benefits!

[Hele]

another vote for the benefits of putting it up, my hair left down too much starts getting little knots and splits from catching on everything. And i do mean everything, there's been times a person will walk by and a strand will latch on and try to go with them. Waist length and above that was never a problem for me. So yeah, the longer it gets the more important the protective up-dos become. Just read up on how to do them properly on here!

[sumidha]

Is this possibly 'conventional hair care' logic? I could see how if you teased, flatironed and hairsprayed the crap out of curly hair every time you wore it up, like I see in most mainstream tutorials, it would destroy it pretty quickly.

If you put your hair up in a way that doesn't damage it, or cause tangles, it's usually more protective than wearing it down, where it's constantly getting snagged on things, played with by the wind and rubbed between your back and whatever you're sitting against.

[melusine963]

I agree. It's mostly to do with *how* you wear your hair up. There are conventional (damaging) methods, and the methods we go by here at LHC (sticks, forks, etc.)

Exactly this. There's no debate at all here.

[furnival]

Up, for me for sure. My hair never grew past my shoulders until I started wearing protective hairstyles.
I didn't realise there was any kind of debate about this actually- it seems obvious to me, even only at hip, that wearing my hair down exposes it to much more potential for damage than having it safely tucked away. :shrug:

[AmyBeth]

Wearing my hair down exposes it to too many opportunites to get hopelessly snarled within 5 minutes at this length (34inches). I'd lose too much hair trying to detangle, if I wore it down a lot. Wearing it up keeps it in much better condition (shinier, softer) than when I wore it down regularly. Any damage from wearing it up will be minimized by using gentle accessories, not putting it up too tightly, and varying the updo every day, even if it is just changing where you place the updo. Someone here ( I wish I could give credit where it's due) said that just emerging from the scalp will damage your hair. The best we can do is minimize that damage. It seems to me that anyone who says that wearing hair down is healthier must be trying to sell something.

[Stiria]

I agree it is all about how you put your hair up. Many tutorials involve alot of backcombing, heatstyling and tons of hairspray. Lots of people do not know how to put their hair up using gentle methods. I was watching a tutorial on a french twist the other day. The stylist first straightened the hair then backcombed it, and to secure the twist, used a lot of those bobby pins that are not very gentle. And of course, she used hairspray for hold and texture, gel for something and another hairspray to finish. This easy style was made very complicated..

[Madora]

I'm a medium 3b curly,BSL length. And the more research I do,the more divided reviews I get. I've read alot here that you should wear your hair up as much as possible to protect it from mechanical damage,but I've also read alot that you should leave your hair down as much as possible cause putting it up damages it...what?! I'm confused. I always wear my hair in a braid with either a scrunchie or spin-pin to sleep, and on the weekends or when Im at home I use a big jaw clip to put my hair up. When I'm at school or out I do a twist out and wear my hair down..advice?

Wearing your hair up protects the delicate ends from becoming tangled, caught in something or rubbing against clothes or furniture. And since you have curly hair, wearing it up would definitely help keep your curly hair from becoming snarled.

Wearing it down..once in a while, doesn't hurt it, but you have to be proactive in detangling it every 4 hours or so (maybe more frequently depending on how active you are). It is better to detangle during the day, than face the tangled mess at night, when you're tired.

Wearing it up is only harmful if you pull your hair up too tightly, braid too tightly, or even worse, put it up in a ponytail. Also, if you put it up in the same place day after day, over time the hair in that particular spot will weaken, and in worse case scenario, a bald spot will develop.

[RapunzelKat]

I don't see a debate here...I think results say it all. The people on here who are truly "long hairs" with beautiful hair, wear their hair up.


I agree. It's mostly to do with *how* you wear your hair up. There are conventional (damaging) methods, and the methods we go by here at LHC (sticks, forks, etc.)

Yep, this and the other stuff that's been said. :) If you tease your hair, hairspray it, put it in a ponytail with an elastic with metal in it, then curl the ends with a hot iron, that's much more damaging than wearing it loose.

However, a cinnamon bun held with spin pins, a French braid, etc. are very good for your hair if done correctly :)

[Anje]

Agreed with all the others: there's really no debate. Assuming that you're putting your hair up in non-damaging ways (there are damaging ones), your hair will be less damaged than if it's worn loose. I won't say I've never seen gorgeous hair that's been worn loose constantly, because there are a few people here that don't wear their hair up (EdG comes to mind). They're few and far between, though, typically with straightish hair that tangles very little, and even then they have good habits about moving their hair so that it never gets pinched or rubbed.

[leslissocool]

I wear braids 90% of the time, down my back. It's not out of the braid often though, and I have the option of putting the braid up with a hairstick or leaving it down and that's all I ever do.


So, I think you are good wearing it up or in a braid (or up IN a braid).

[YamaMaya]

Doing the same style over and over again can put strain on one section of your hair too much, leading to damage. I'd say all in moderation. I put mine up at work and take it down at home and either leave it loose over my shoulder or braided.

[lapushka]

Doing the same style over and over again can put strain on one section of your hair too much, leading to damage. I'd say all in moderation. I put mine up at work and take it down at home and either leave it loose over my shoulder or braided.

It all depends. I wore a peacock twist for years, all the way from APL to hip+ length, never changing where it was put, never changing the way it was put up either (claw clip). I'm now always (6 days out of 7) wearing a cinnabun or lazy wrap with a hair fork, never changing the placement either. It's never loose except for bed. If those updos are done with care, and are done loose enough, you're not going to be damaging your hair in *any* way whatsoever! No strain, and certainly no bald patches!

[Kina]

So these various indignities have been suffered by my hair:

* getting caught in a power drill
* caught in car doors
* caught in regular doors
* set on fire
* chewed on by babys
* having my dog think that MY downward dog was an invitation for her to play and she got tangled in it

All in all, the dog thing kind of settled the debate for me...

(I'm kind of stubborn)

(and a slow learner :D)

[furnival]

Doing the same style over and over again can put strain on one section of your hair too much, leading to damage. I'd say all in moderation. I put mine up at work and take it down at home and either leave it loose over my shoulder or braided.


It all depends. I wore a peacock twist for years, all the way from APL to hip+ length, never changing where it was put, never changing the way it was put up either (claw clip). I'm now always (6 days out of 7) wearing a cinnabun or lazy wrap with a hair fork, never changing the placement either. It's never loose except for bed. If those updos are done with care, and are done loose enough, you're not going to be damaging your hair in *any* way whatsoever! No strain, and certainly no bald patches!
I wear the same bun every day in the same place, and have done for years without any signs of damage from it. If you think about it, it's not putting strain on exactly the same place for years, as your hair grows through your bun at a rate of about 1/2" per month. :p Used correctly, hair sticks and forks cause a lot less damage than elastics.
I slept with my hair loose for the first time in years the other night and it ended up so matted that I thought I was going to have to cut some of it off. The same thing happens if I wear it down for any length of time. For me, there's no 'moderation' about it- if I wear it down, it gets absolutely everywhere, wrapped around my bag strap, trapped under a very large SO, caught in zips and buttons and very definitely subject to a lot more damage than when it's up in a bun.

[RitaCeleste]

Down is more damaging. But I have decided that if it gets too long to wear down 95% of the time, I'm cutting mine. I got it caught in the hedge trimmers last summer. It killed the motor. Someone put a top down and when I got home and brushed it out, broken bits littered the sink. Down is damaging. It gets caught in doors, windows, you roll on it wrong at night and think you're gonna loose it all. That said, I don't want all one length hair. I don't want to finger comb my wavy hair. I want to brush it and go. My hair feels really uncomfortable up and I don't like it. I am no princess. A pea under the mattress won't keep me up and neither will not having hair that does look like hair in a shampoo add. I like my hair and I don't have to please anyone else. If I wanted to be a people pleaser I'd go try on another trendy little do that looks terrible on me. Its not about what is best, its not about what other people think. Its about what I can live with and what I can't live with. I can't live with worrying over my hair all the time. Its a pain to put it up. But I will now take reasonable safety precautions.

[Scarlet_Heart]

I think wearing it down is probably less damaging than using elastics every day. But wearing it up with a stick or fork (as long as it's not super tight and pulling roots/snapping strands) is the least damaging. :twocents:

[ashke50]

When I was at school I had my hair plaited all the time, and it was about hip length. When I got to uni I wore it loose all the time, and it got shorter and shorter till it was only about APL. Since I've been wearing it up properly it has grown back down to past TBL.
For people with fine hair it is especially important to wear it up if you want it to grow.

[Firefox7275]

I wore a ponytail 24/7 for years, not tight and a 'no snag' elastic only. No heat styling but I did (and still do) use box dye. Loads of breakage around the hairline and at the back where the band sat, which I have since grown out. For me wearing hair down was arguably gentler than the stress of that repetitive style. Now wear a loose Spin Pin bun or loose beak clip twist some days which I believe are the gentlest and most protective options with no obvious single point of stress.

[leslissocool]

It all depends. I wore a peacock twist for years, all the way from APL to hip+ length, never changing where it was put, never changing the way it was put up either (claw clip). I'm now always (6 days out of 7) wearing a cinnabun or lazy wrap with a hair fork, never changing the placement either. It's never loose except for bed. If those updos are done with care, and are done loose enough, you're not going to be damaging your hair in *any* way whatsoever! No strain, and certainly no bald patches!

I wear the same style every day (english braid) with absolutely no issues. Actually I noticed that twisting my hair causes more strain, so braiding divides the weight equally.

[ErinLeigh]

I understand where this comes from. At a shorter length like mine, plus the fact I have fine hair..Putting mine up does seem to cause more issues. I wear it up for comfort as I hate the feeling of hair in my face and on my neck. When trying to look nice I wear it down.
I notice I have far less issues when I wear it down. For me wearing it up means having to adjust it constantly since it slides out of clips and buns. I always find my hair gets more tangled up, gets more breakage from getting stuck into clips, holders and pins. I handle it much more when it up due to the constant adjustments. The best I can do is peacock twist in a clip and even that has issue as hair works its way out and gets caught in in it. I cannot find an updo that works for me without some stress to hair.

note to self, experiment with different sized claw clips. Is that what those are called? They have a spring and "teeth"


I am hoping when it gets longer I will have less issue.

[lapushka]

The best I can do is peacock twist in a clip and even that has issue as hair works its way out and gets caught in in it. I cannot find an updo that works for me without some stress to hair.

note to self, experiment with different sized claw clips. Is that what those are called? They have a spring and "teeth"

I bet you will have less issues when you gain more length. Doing a good updo is an art and an art that needs supplies (length). ;)

These are claw clips in all sorts of shapes and forms:
https://www.google.be/search?q=claw+clip&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KPbmUs68Jees7Qanl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1106&bih=618

[GreaseMonkey]

I would say it is more stressful to keep your hair down. Putting it up every day has eliminated tangling at the nape of my neck.

[TrapperCreekD]

I agree, the way you put it up matters - teasing, hairspray, heat, the conventional updo making would be pretty damaging for everyday use as opposed to hairsticks, forks, and other wonderful hair toys. My hair would be would be an absolute wreck if I wore it down everyday. Besides the fact that it would constantly be in my face, I'm a farm girl and at this length it would constantly be in the way, get caught in everything, massive snarls, hay, dirt, enthusiastic puppy... *shudders imagining the mess*

[swearnsue]

I agree that wearing hair up is more protective. It's hard though to find a style that doesn't just fall apart. I've tried hairsticks but they just come out. Hair pins shoot out onto the floor.

Braids and claw clips are my go to methods. The only time my hair is down is when I'm taking pics of myself for LHC!

[Chiquita Banana]

Yep, I think that wearing it up is more protective. My hair grew quickly that way and is in great condition vs when I grew it out and didn't wear it up.

[woodswanderer]

I don't see a debate here...I think results say it all. The people on here who are truly "long hairs" with beautiful hair, wear their hair up. I'm not going to argue against updos being more protective. I do agree, but I am sort of bothered by the idea that I'm apparently not a true long hair with beautiful hair because I wear my hair down most of the time. I am not going to say my hair is perfect, or as long as some, or even in the unbelievably amazing shape of some of the beautiful hair I see on the forum, but my hair doesn't have very many split ends and I'm happy with it. I know no one personally singled me out, but surely there can be a little more room in the definition of a true long hair.

[spidermom]

You know what? I don't even care anymore. I'm going to wear my hair however it pleases me and to the devil with "protective styles".

[Dark40]

I think wearing your hair up as possible is best.

[ErinLeigh]

I bet you will have less issues when you gain more length. Doing a good updo is an art and an art that needs supplies (length). ;)

These are claw clips in all sorts of shapes and forms:
https://www.google.be/search?q=claw+clip&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KPbmUs68Jees7Qanl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1106&bih=618

awesome thank you :)

[cat11]

I forgot this for awhile since I got totally immersed in admiring long hair in general since deciding I wanted it, but the whole reason I wanted to grow it long in the first place was because my hair is prone to looking very messy and getting tangled and I just like wearing it up. Getting tangles and having to detangle them is the biggest thing that causes breakage (for me,) and I have practically no tangle when I wear my hair up as opposed to when I wear it down and must slowly work though it cringing at the snags...

[0xalis]

I'm not going to argue against updos being more protective. I do agree, but I am sort of bothered by the idea that I'm apparently not a true long hair with beautiful hair because I wear my hair down most of the time. I am not going to say my hair is perfect, or as long as some, or even in the unbelievably amazing shape of some of the beautiful hair I see on the forum, but my hair doesn't have very many split ends and I'm happy with it. I know no one personally singled me out, but surely there can be a little more room in the definition of a true long hair.


You know what? I don't even care anymore. I'm going to wear my hair however it pleases me and to the devil with "protective styles".

I agree wholeheartedly with both of these statements.
Sure, wearing your hair up all the time may cause your hair to be absolutely damage-free, but if you feel miserable doing it, then what's the point!?!? I wear my hair up most of the time because it gets in the way and lately it's been tangley and annoying, but sometimes I let it loose just to feel gorgeous. Sometimes I let it loose just because I'm sick of wearing it up! But honestly, if the only possible way for me to get my hair to TBL is to wear my hair up 24/7 for the next 3 years, then to hell with TBL! I'll settle with waist!

[cldunzie0215]

thanks so much for all of the help!(: I doooo love my hair down,how it looks,but I will say it gets snagged on stuff alot,even in my own armpits :P (does that happen to anyone else? So I'll try to wear it up as much as possible when not in public or when I don't really care,and *carefully* wear it down otherwise. I think I do a pretty good job of that,making sure it doesn't get caught under chairs,my backpack strap/coat,my boyfriend's arm(how do boys not get that it hurts if your hair gets caught under their arm? :P)

[ErinLeigh]

I bet you will have less issues when you gain more length. Doing a good updo is an art and an art that needs supplies (length). ;)

These are claw clips in all sorts of shapes and forms:
https://www.google.be/search?q=claw+clip&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KPbmUs68Jees7Qanl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1106&bih=618

I found my hair up issue was due to using wrong tool.
I bought a different size clip and it makes all the difference. All hair stays put all day.
thanks Lapushka!

I needed something to get this hair up! i hate feeling little sections of hair sliding down. Mine is up for comfort now and down for style. As it should be for me.

[Johannah]

Hair up + no pulling on the roots = total win!

Though, it's not always easy to achieve solid buns without pulling the roots, or "stressing" mechanically your crown hair!

This. Hair sticks/forks are the best discovery ever. :D

[MadAddie]

Can I ask a question? Are hair pins damaging to hair?

[lapushka]

I found my hair up issue was due to using wrong tool.
I bought a different size clip and it makes all the difference. All hair stays put all day.
thanks Lapushka!

I needed something to get this hair up! i hate feeling little sections of hair sliding down. Mine is up for comfort now and down for style. As it should be for me.

You're welcome!


Can I ask a question? Are hair pins damaging to hair?

Depends on what pins you mean. Bobby pins, U-pins, and spin pins should generally be all right. Depends on how you use them as well, though!

[Sharysa]

Less damaging when braided for me, 300%. Not because of damage (my hair is coarse and titanium-strength), but because tangles are murder when your hair is coarse, thick, and wavy. My hair tends to get LITERALLY knotted after a day of wearing it down, and the tiny snarls are usually the worst because it means they're all but tied together.

If I left my hair down all the time, I'd have really bad hair.

[BrightEyes]

I've been wearing my hair up most of the time and I've noticed a huge improvement. Tangles have all but disappeared when my hair is up all day and when I take it down in the evenings it is so soft and silky. One of the reasons I'm wearing it up is because the alternative for me is down and heat styled (I don't like my natural waves), so wearing to up has helped me significantly reduce damage from heat. I do use heat about twice a month still, but when I do wear it down and styled it looks and feels much nicer. I've also noticed an improvement in thickness and less splits, although that is probably from less heat combined with wearing it up.

And finally, my main goal this year is to get to APL. I'm trying my hardest to not obsess over length, so wearing it up helps with that too.

[bunzfan]

I always thought it was less damaging too as I was able to grow my hair to much greater lengths then I saw a video that torrin posted basically saying constantly wearing it up every day even in different styles causes damage just because it's pulled back this alarmed me so I try to wear it down a few hours a day that's what she recommended I've since gone back to sleeping with it loose on a silk pillowcase.

[woodswanderer]

For people who have mentioned extreme tangling when wearing their hair loose...do you do things to prevent or manage tangles as you go, or do you just leave it be all day and detangle at night? I gently smooth with my TT about 3 times a day on the average day to prevent tangles from forming and it doesn't cause any excess shedding for me. ***For clarity, I am not referring to wearing hair loose in the wind or while exercising or being active. I am referring to wearing hair indoors or while doing light activity.

[neko_kawaii]

For people who have mentioned extreme tangling when wearing their hair loose...do you do things to prevent or manage tangles as you go, or do you just leave it be all day and detangle at night? I gently smooth with my TT about 3 times a day on the average day to prevent tangles from forming and it doesn't cause any excess shedding for me. ***For clarity, I am not referring to wearing hair loose in the wind or while exercising or being active. I am referring to wearing hair indoors or while doing light activity.

I wore my hair down to go out with some friends this summer. I walked a few blocks, and then sat for a couple hours and chatted. At some point while sitting and chatting I moved my hair and realized that there were mats starting at about shoulder level. My dress was a very smooth fabric, BTW. That is just what my hair does when down and one of those things I rediscover every six months or so when I get the odd desire to wear it loose. Fortunately, I much prefer updos, so the question of damage from wearing it down is a non issue for me. (I ended up spending about 20 minutes while chatting with my friends carefully working the mats out with my fingers, so the detangling when I got home was not as bad as it could have been.)

[woodswanderer]

Hmmm...now I feel lucky. I never particularly thought to appreciate my hair as being less prone to tangles than average. Funny the things you don't think to appreciate about yourself. I'm always saying I am not on speaking terms with my thighs, but I can walk a long distance and I just take it for granted.

[Sharysa]

For people who have mentioned extreme tangling when wearing their hair loose...do you do things to prevent or manage tangles as you go, or do you just leave it be all day and detangle at night? I gently smooth with my TT about 3 times a day on the average day to prevent tangles from forming and it doesn't cause any excess shedding for me. ***For clarity, I am not referring to wearing hair loose in the wind or while exercising or being active. I am referring to wearing hair indoors or while doing light activity.

Usually if I'm just around the house or at class, I run my fingers through it every hour or two and then I finger-comb it before I go to sleep.

On the high-maintenance part: I'm a little irked that finger-combing seems to be considered high-maintenance. It takes me about ten minutes to finger-comb the worst of my tangles and then braid my hair (so about five minutes each), while I used to need the same ten minutes just to comb my hair out.

Also, I'm in the midway point between "lazy as hell" and "likes pretty hair." Thank you, benign neglect!

While I tend to bust out a roster of Game of Thrones hairstyles on here and Untamed Tresses, those are far from my usual routine. About 80% of the time, I redo my sleep braid and leave it for about five hours. Or I don't do anything to it at all, like on weekends or holidays.

[EdG]

Agreed with all the others: there's really no debate. Assuming that you're putting your hair up in non-damaging ways (there are damaging ones), your hair will be less damaged than if it's worn loose. I won't say I've never seen gorgeous hair that's been worn loose constantly, because there are a few people here that don't wear their hair up (EdG comes to mind). They're few and far between, though, typically with straightish hair that tangles very little, and even then they have good habits about moving their hair so that it never gets pinched or rubbed.Yes, I'm probably the only LHC'er who wears his/her hair down constantly.

I am very careful to avoid damage. I always move my hair out of the way when sitting down, for example. My hair never has pressure applied to it.

The remaining problems are that hair worn loose will tangle and pick up airborne lint. Lint leads to more tangles and breakage when combed out. I have a lot of breakage below waist that may not be apparent in the photos.

I could reduce breakage by wearing my hair up, but I have never been able to make a bun that holds, plus my silver streaks become super apparent. They're not very flattering, IMO.
Ed

[hypersensitive]

I don't see a debate here...I think results say it all. The people on here who are truly "long hairs" with beautiful hair, wear their hair up.

110% agree. There is no debate. I wear it up all the time and Look at my hair.

[blace]

Even though I'm still fairly new to making a real and focused effort towards the care/health of my hair, I have to wholeheartedly have to agree with what seems to be the general consensus here. Wearing hair up seems to be much more positive for the health of my hair personally. I wear my hair up every night and most days. The difference I have seen has been incredible since I started doing this.

[sipnsun]

From my personal experience, wearing hair up has made a huge difference on the lengths I have reached. When I first joined in 2007, I never wore my hair up and couldn't grow past BSL because of mechanical damage. I would cut/grow/wear loose/cut constantly going through the same vicious cycle. This year, I decided to give it one more try to reach goal and I wear my hair up every single day. I've even recently started loosely braiding for sleeping and the difference in my hair is incredible. Not only is it longer than it has ever been, the texture is getting nicer too! That being said, it's important to use non-damaging forks and pins to keep hair up.

[Feral_]

This is so subjective. I will admit to not liking my own hair up, possibly because I’ve always worn it down. Daft but I feel exposed and vulnerable with it up! The exceptions are work - it’s getting to the length now when it gets in the way / trapped if I’m holding someone’s leg up, or if I’m doing spinal work it’s in my face. If I’m dog handling usually I plait it. So it’s up for practical reasons rather than for hair care. I’d say a plait is my preferred out of the way style as I can still feel the hair around me, which you don’t get with a bun. It does seem to be growing fast though, but whether this is due to the plaits and buns is debatable!

[BorealBacchante]

Wearing hair up is much better for me, damage wise, if only because when it is down I constantly twirl the sides and play with it!

[Milynn]

I would say it depends a lot about the hair. For most parts I agree with the previous arguments given; if you have fine hair, which you want to grow extra long, then it definitely is better and more damage free to wear it up. With this kind of hair type the hair mass itself is rarely very heavy.

With my own hair type on the other hand I would go 50/50 - it is thick, coarse to medium and very very heavy. Thus, should I wear a bun for a whole day, my scalp would protest and probably it would get very irritated, which might lead to heavier shedding. I grew my hair to hip with it constantly down, and it never suffered from it, but it is not prone to splits and the hair type is very durable. I might need to wear it up more should I want to go to extra long lengths, but that has never been my goal. Currently, 50/50 works best for me - for comfort and damage wise, I think.

[0xalis]

Plenty of longhairs wear their hair loose often, they're just the minority on LHC.
I have seen and met plenty of longhairs who wear their hair down more often than not, and they can still grow impressively long. You just have to be extra careful.

I went to high school with a girl who had knee length hair, not even super thick titanium strength hair, who wore it in a style similar to this [link] (https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/605342/final-fantasy-vii-remake-play-arts-kai-tifa-lockhart-action-figure).
[It's hard to describe with words, easier to just show. I'll try though: A very very low ponytail that only secured about the last 6 to 12'' of her hair (depending on the day.)]
Certainly not a LHC-brand protective style, but enough to keep it from getting everywhere. She was able to grow decently healthy knee length hair and not wear it up daily.
She had fairy tale ends as you'd expect, but it didn't look bad. Most people fairy tale at that length anyway, even if they wear it up. The ones that don't typically have superb hair genes.
Of COURSE it would have been much healthier if she wore it up, but clearly she just didn't want to! She still has super long hair according to a friend that ran into her last year.

If you just love wearing your hair down, or have a super sensitive scalp, you can feel free to wear your hair down as often as you feel like.
There's still always low ponytails and braids. They obviously aren't as good as true updos for protecting your ends, but still more protective than wearing your hair completely loose.

Yes, it is less damaging to wear it up if you wear it up correctly, there's no debating that. But not everyone has to have, or even necessarily wants, pristine 100% split-free hair.
I know that if my hair gets too heavy for daily updos because I am VERY sensitive to weight, I will still grow it as long as I can tolerate wearing it down most of the time.
That might only be APL, that might be hip, maybe even longer, we'll just have to see!

I do think having the ability to do more updos is a huge plus of growing extra-long hair though, so I recommend only shooting for the extreme lengths if that's part of the reason you want to!
Waist is a good goal length for someone who wants to wear their hair down all day every day but still have it long, I have seen many non-LHCers do this, including myself as a child.
Some people obviously have very thin breakage prone hair that will never get past shoulder without updos, but they know who they are and what they need to do!

[ZoeZ]

This year, I decided to give it one more try to reach goal and I wear my hair up every single day. I've even recently started loosely braiding for sleeping and the difference in my hair is incredible. Not only is it longer than it has ever been, the texture is getting nicer too! That being said, it's important to use non-damaging forks and pins to keep hair up.[/QUOTE]

This. I've taken to braiding my BSL-ish hair in the las couple of months while sleeping and have found a noticeable difference in splits/bends and those funny tight curls appearing at the very ends. I used to sleep with it loose. I used to S&D to the point of thinning my ends, now I very seldom see anything worth getting the scissors out for.. :)

[CuteCrow]

This is a quite old thread and OP is no longer in the forums but I think her being 3b, her question probably comes from the curly hair community. I hear once and again how damaging it is to wear your hair up (or in protective styles) at all times, that curls should not be stretched constantly because it debilitates them, damages them and it changes your curl pattern. I think there's some truth in that, if you want to wear your natural curly hair stretching the curls constantly can definitely take a toll on them and damage them to a point of no return. When I wear my hair mostly up my hair pattern definitely loosens up, I notice this mostly on my roots that get totally flat, and I'm not just talking about when I take down the updo but even after washing, it can take months of wash and go's for my curl pattern to tighten up again. So I guess it depends on what your goal is, how much abuse your hair can handle and your personal preference. If you like your hair down, the ends are not breaking off and you prefer wash and go's then wear it down without thinking it twice :D

[Dark40]

I've come to the conclusion of wearing my hair down. Because, I've read somewhere and have learned that if you wear your hair up in the same area all of the time in a bun, scrunchie, or a jaw clip it causes damage and friction to the hair. I do much better with it down. I've worn my hair down basically all of my life, and I've had almost HL hair before, and it never got caught onto things or there was never any pulling from the roots. So, it's all what you are use to.

[florenonite]

This is a quite old thread and OP is no longer in the forums but I think her being 3b, her question probably comes from the curly hair community. I hear once and again how damaging it is to wear your hair up (or in protective styles) at all times, that curls should not be stretched constantly because it debilitates them, damages them and it changes your curl pattern. I think there's some truth in that, if you want to wear your natural curly hair stretching the curls constantly can definitely take a toll on them and damage them to a point of no return. When I wear my hair mostly up my hair pattern definitely loosens up, I notice this mostly on my roots that get totally flat, and I'm not just talking about when I take down the updo but even after washing, it can take months of wash and go's for my curl pattern to tighten up again. So I guess it depends on what your goal is, how much abuse your hair can handle and your personal preference. If you like your hair down, the ends are not breaking off and you prefer wash and go's then wear it down without thinking it twice :D

Oh, that's really interesting! I had no idea that curly hair could do that. I've come across the concept of training your curls, but I assumed that had more to do with recovering from heat/chemical damage than something as simple as wearing your hair up a lot.

[Hexana]

My hair didn't want to grow past CB lenght when I wore it down, or it grew a few cm more and got so full of splits that it just looked awful. So that is why I wear it up now almost all the time. Hopefully it will grow long someday :)

[MusicalSpoons]

Generally, for the actual question 'which is less damaging?' I was about to say emphatically wearing up once it's long enough to do so gently (not if you're wearing it up really tightly with painful pins and/or having loaded it with hairspray, salt spray, whatever - but then people doing that every day don't then simply wear their hair down either, they are usually people who would style it with heat and products still to wear it down as well). If you're simply wearing it down or wearing it up with hair-friendly accessories and no damaging practices or products either way, wearing it up will always be less damaging to the length than wearing it down. Even sensitive scalps or personal preference for styles don't come into it because wearing it up is less damaging to the *hair*. That was the question, not 'do you have to wear it up to grow really long?' - that's an entirely different question and subject to each individual's type of hair, scalp, definition of 'really long', lifestyle, etc.

However:


This is a quite old thread and OP is no longer in the forums but I think her being 3b, her question probably comes from the curly hair community. I hear once and again how damaging it is to wear your hair up (or in protective styles) at all times, that curls should not be stretched constantly because it debilitates them, damages them and it changes your curl pattern. I think there's some truth in that, if you want to wear your natural curly hair stretching the curls constantly can definitely take a toll on them and damage them to a point of no return. When I wear my hair mostly up my hair pattern definitely loosens up, I notice this mostly on my roots that get totally flat, and I'm not just talking about when I take down the updo but even after washing, it can take months of wash and go's for my curl pattern to tighten up again. So I guess it depends on what your goal is, how much abuse your hair can handle and your personal preference. If you like your hair down, the ends are not breaking off and you prefer wash and go's then wear it down without thinking it twice :D

This is the first time I've heard that, and that's made me stop and think. I wonder if there is a point when length loosens the curl pattern anyway so the benefits of wearing it up (not necessarily particularly stretched) outweigh the loosening of the pattern. I also wonder if it applies to fairly loose ways of wearing it up (e.g. in a gently gathered peacock twist) or only to styles that really do stretch it out? I've not had curly hair so these wonderings are just that, wondering, based on what I think I've read that people can tend do styles more loosely or with less tension on more textured hair because it holds better than hair that just goes straight (I may have misunderstood even that). Maybe it also depends on compressibility?

Very very interesting, thank you for explaining where the OP was probably coming from CuteCrow, and for making me rethink my view! :D

[meepster]

What’s the problem with ponytails, btw? At my (very short) length, a ponytail is all I can manage for an “updo”. What causes the damage here? Is it just when you tie the elastic too tight?

[florenonite]

What’s the problem with ponytails, btw? At my (very short) length, a ponytail is all I can manage for an “updo”. What causes the damage here? Is it just when you tie the elastic too tight?

Ponytails are mostly an issue for longer hair as they just don't contain it enough to keep it from rubbing and getting caught. By waist length, for instance, a ponytail still rubs against the backs of chairs, gets trapped behind backpacks, gets blown about in the wind, etc.

[Kathie]

Oh, that's really interesting! I had no idea that curly hair could do that. I've come across the concept of training your curls, but I assumed that had more to do with recovering from heat/chemical damage than something as simple as wearing your hair up a lot.

Honestly, I wonder about this. I've heard it likened to how you part your hair. We can train our hair to part in a particular spot and then it naturally falls this way. So we can train our hair to sit in different ways depending on how we wear it.

I had slightly wavy almost WL hair when I decided to do a hair typing and discovered some ringlets. I dived into the CGM and came across this advice that florenonite mentioned. Sure enough if you look on social media to see how peoples curls develop over months/years of doing the CGM there are some shocking differences.

This wasn't the case for me. I held strong for over a year, and I didn't see much of dramatic difference in my curls. But, I do have fine hair which naturally doesn't hold a curl that well. I even cut it back trying to see if less weight would mean more curls. No luck there either.

I'm now growing it again, not fussing about trying to cultivate curls. I've seen that I can get close to WL wearing my hair up / essentially straight and then curls can magically appear if I cultivate them.

When we wet our hair the hydrogen bonds break, that's why it goes straight. Every time it dries it has the opportunity to dry in its natural shape or we can manipulate it to change the bond structure again.


Generally, for the actual question 'which is less damaging?' I was about to say emphatically wearing up once it's long enough to do so gently (not if you're wearing it up really tightly with painful pins and/or having loaded it with hairspray, salt spray, whatever - but then people doing that every day don't then simply wear their hair down either, they are usually people who would style it with heat and products still to wear it down as well). If you're simply wearing it down or wearing it up with hair-friendly accessories and no damaging practices or products either way, wearing it up will always be less damaging to the length than wearing it down. Even sensitive scalps or personal preference for styles don't come into it because wearing it up is less damaging to the *hair*. That was the question, not 'do you have to wear it up to grow really long?' - that's an entirely different question and subject to each individual's type of hair, scalp, definition of 'really long', lifestyle, etc.

However:



This is the first time I've heard that, and that's made me stop and think. I wonder if there is a point when length loosens the curl pattern anyway so the benefits of wearing it up (not necessarily particularly stretched) outweigh the loosening of the pattern. I also wonder if it applies to fairly loose ways of wearing it up (e.g. in a gently gathered peacock twist) or only to styles that really do stretch it out? I've not had curly hair so these wonderings are just that, wondering, based on what I think I've read that people can tend do styles more loosely or with less tension on more textured hair because it holds better than hair that just goes straight (I may have misunderstood even that). Maybe it also depends on compressibility?

Very very interesting, thank you for explaining where the OP was probably coming from CuteCrow, and for making me rethink my view! :D

I think hair thickness comes into play here. Fine wavy / curly hair can lose its shape more easily. While hair that is more course is likely to be able to hold its pattern for longer.

Length for me means more curls.


What’s the problem with ponytails, btw? At my (very short) length, a ponytail is all I can manage for an “updo”. What causes the damage here? Is it just when you tie the elastic too tight?

Yeah, a tight elastic can cause a ponytail break line. Especially if its position at the same place every day.

At longer lengths ponytails become unbearable for me. I like a mid to high pony, from APL the weight is too much. It pulls so badly... I can feel my hairline receding from traction alopecia.

[lapushka]

What’s the problem with ponytails, btw? At my (very short) length, a ponytail is all I can manage for an “updo”. What causes the damage here? Is it just when you tie the elastic too tight?

You're totally fine at your length, no weight really to it. Just make sure you get the elastics without metal pieces.


Ponytails are mostly an issue for longer hair as they just don't contain it enough to keep it from rubbing and getting caught. By waist length, for instance, a ponytail still rubs against the backs of chairs, gets trapped behind backpacks, gets blown about in the wind, etc.

Exactly. Short hair and ponytails? Fine. But once it gets around APL/BSL, wooow, watch out! And the weight of it will pull mine down in 2 seconds flat (I always wore one high), and if you pull the sides apart wanting to "lift it up", that's even worse!

[meepster]

Ah, I see. Thanks! At this point, my “ponytail” sticks straight out into a poof, so I think I’m safe :)

[hennalonghair]

I’m a wavy curly girl and I don’t always wear my hair up as much as I wear it braided and tied back. My hair is too thick to wear it up all the time. It tends to suffocate my scalp and my hair doesn’t like it too much even if it not too tight. It definitely messes with my curl pattern.

This is one of those long hair highly suggestions that you really need to consider because technically it makes sense that there would be less damage wearing it up but there are definitely some things to consider. Mechanical fatigue is one. My roots don’t like being stagnant or in one place for hours at a time. My roots require air and movement which bunning doesn’t provide.

I agree that at a certain length, plain ponytails are damaging. The hair closest to your clothes end up riding up on that fabric which causes damage. I braid my hair and don’t seem to have that same problem. One day just recently I did wear in a ponytail while just doing some housework and was very surprised to find out how much of my hair was riding up from my clothes. My hair got very tangly.

My hair only gets worn down on wash day since it takes forever to dry. If I bun or braid it wet, it just doesn’t dry, which , again, leaves me with scalp issues so I’m learning that if my scalp isn’t happy, neither is my hair.

I thought I’d miss wearing all my different hair toys and accessories but I don’t really since my hair prefers to be down but braided.

Another thing I’ve learned is that my hair doesn’t like to be tightly braided all the way to the ends so I leave about 8 to 10 inches of unbraided hair at the ends. I wet my hands and add a drop or two of oil mixed with a dollop of conditioner and re- curl my ends. Since doing this, my natural texture is much nicer AND my ends as FAR healthier. My hair NEEDS AIR. It likes to breathe and since I’ve acknowledged this, my hair is now thriving.

[Carrie's hair]

I usually wore my hair down to my hips. They were breaking a lot on my hips and I started to braid them. I bought my first hair stick and my hair finally exceeded the HL. Now I wear more tied because it is also more comfortable.

[Dark40]

some people can grow long hair while keeping it down, but they are exceptions.
They are the people who have us thinking its all genetic before we come here on LHC and learn that we too can have long hair if we keep it up and protect it from damage.

I agree. I don't think it matters how you wear your hair as far as keeping it from getting damaged if it's either up or down. Because, I've heard and have read that if you wear your hair up in the same bun or ponytail all of the time it CAN be very damaging. Because, it causes friction on the hair, and I've learned that through some experience. I've worn my a ponytail or a bun in the same area for a week, and I've noticed that it was on a Saturday (Which is washday) I've lost some hairs.

[andreea_since95]

I started wearing my hair up a few months ago and although I don't see a dramatic growth, I can say that my hair looks and feels extremely full and healthy. As long as you don't wear it in a tight bun, ponytail ar any other style that puts a lot of stress on the roots, wearing your hair up is definitely better for its health.