PDA

View Full Version : Center part more comfortable for updos?



rowie
October 6th, 2014, 11:23 AM
For some reason I can no longer pull all my hair back for my updos. It is now painful if I do so because my front hairs I feel gets pulled back and adds to the weight of my bun, and by the end of the day I get a little scalp sore discomfort. It got so uncomfortable recently that I resorted to doing my updos this way. I don't know if this is common symptom for people with hip length or longer. I guess I'm posting this as well cause my SO recently remarked that I look like a hippy with my hair parting at the center. Also I'm starting to notice that my hair likes to naturally part at the center (recent discovery of mine since I always sleek all my hairs back for updos until now) , and so I've given up on trying to sleek all my hairs back for updos recently. I started to concentrate on making my daily updos so that the weight of the bun feels equally distributed. I don't know if a lot of people who doesn't have bangs wear their hair like I do at this length or if it's comfortable? I guess I can learn to live with this style as it is currently comfortable for me. Hey I think the hippy or "school marm" look has its appeal to me if worn with confidence. :lol:


http://i.imgur.com/c2yVHZh.jpg

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 11:34 AM
My hair parts over my right eyebrow. Every single time. If I have to move it for twin braids or something else that needs a center part, they get uncomfortable pretty quickly. My hair just doesn't want to part there. If your hair is happy, go with whatever part works.

Panth
October 6th, 2014, 11:35 AM
I've always had long hair and I've always worn a centre parting. IMO, it's very comfortable provided you do the buns fairly low.

In my case, my hair won't actually lie without a parting. Even the tightest, most slicked-back, carefully combed hairstyle reverts to having some approximation of a centre parting within under an hour. *sigh*

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 11:40 AM
My hair parts over my right eyebrow. Every single time. If I have to move it for twin braids or something else that needs a center part, they get uncomfortable pretty quickly. My hair just doesn't want to part there. If your hair is happy, go with whatever part works.

Thanks, that's what I figured. It's just hard when someone you love has an opinion I don't like. Maybe in time my SO will learn to accept it as I cannot control it anymore.


I've always had long hair and I've always worn a centre parting. IMO, it's very comfortable provided you do the buns fairly low.

In my case, my hair won't actually lie without a parting. Even the tightest, most slicked-back, carefully combed hairstyle reverts to having some approximation of a centre parting within under an hour. *sigh*

Yes! I agree with you in that I find very low buns on a daily basis is comfortable. I'm just worried that if I continue to wear my hair pulled back that my hairline would start to recede even further back. That's either a myth or I just have to continue exploring updos that distribute the weight equally which has always been a challenge for me.

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 11:45 AM
Your SO doesn't sound quite as laid back as mine. I wish you luck with changing the opinion.

Hootenanny
October 6th, 2014, 11:46 AM
Just wanted to pop in and say that I think that center part looks great on you, Rowie! :)

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 11:56 AM
Your SO doesn't sound quite as laid back as mine. I wish you luck with changing the opinion.

Ha ha I wish! But it sure does take a while to change opinions. More like adapt to it and acclimate to the situation.


Just wanted to pop in and say that I think that center part looks great on you, Rowie! :)

aww thanks!:flower: You've made my day, and it helps me to be confident with this style, as it has so many negative societal archaic connotations that I've learned to put behind me and ignore. ;)

Panth
October 6th, 2014, 12:07 PM
I'm just worried that if I continue to wear my hair pulled back that my hairline would start to recede even further back. That's either a myth or I just have to continue exploring updos that distribute the weight equally which has always been a challenge for me.

You can cause hair loss from wearing styles that are too tight, but only if it's very, very tight (also, it'd be traction alopecia, rather than exacerbating any current receding - i.e. it might well grow back if the damage to the follicles was not too severe). If it's actually hurting on a regular basis (and not just the "uncomfortable scalp feeling" like you get from an altered parting) then I personally would change stuff. It might not be quite bad enough to cause traction alopecia, but it's not good.

Perhaps you could part out that front section, bun the rest, then add the front bit into the bun afterwards (by just coiling it around the outside of the bun, a little like a backwards cameo bun?). That might help keep the front from getting too pulled.

slynr
October 6th, 2014, 12:13 PM
No ideas Rowie but just wanted to say your hair is looking amazing!!

DweamGoiL
October 6th, 2014, 12:31 PM
I agree with the others, rowie. Your hair is looking great! ;)

Now, you mentioned stereotypes/preconceived notions about hair with a center part; I don't mean to sound totally ignorant, but I am just curious as to what they are? I think yes, unkempt hair parted down the middle and worn loose and pulled to the front (sort of hanging down the sides) is related to being a hippy. The key word is unkempt though. I don't think that applies to you in the least!

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 12:33 PM
I agree with DweamGoiL. Also you can't pull of marm without some chunky glasses on a chain. It's just not a finished look without all the details.

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 12:37 PM
You can cause hair loss from wearing styles that are too tight, but only if it's very, very tight (also, it'd be traction alopecia, rather than exacerbating any current receding - i.e. it might well grow back if the damage to the follicles was not too severe). If it's actually hurting on a regular basis (and not just the "uncomfortable scalp feeling" like you get from an altered parting) then I personally would change stuff. It might not be quite bad enough to cause traction alopecia, but it's not good.

Perhaps you could part out that front section, bun the rest, then add the front bit into the bun afterwards (by just coiling it around the outside of the bun, a little like a backwards cameo bun?). That might help keep the front from getting too pulled.

I think you bring up something very important that I take for granted, and that is the subject of "tension." Back when I had shorter hair it was hard to get my updos to feel tight and "polished" looking. I think over the years I might have developed bad habits with tension that I'm now trying to correct unfortunately at this length. Wrapping type buns like the LWB I feel is the most difficult to control tension. If it is too loose my bun will unravel or even sag if I clip it. I find that I have to redo my LWB at least two times throughout the day to get what I feel is the right tension. Knot type buns like the nautilus will pull where I make the initial knot, and it doesn't matter what tool I use as that spot will leave a sore or sometimes a light sore spot depending on the tension. Again I have to really work on finding that right tension for my scalp so that I can continue to wear my updos without having to redo it throughout the day. But you do bring up the possibilities of re-exploring the camio type of buns or sectioning buns. I'll definitely try the "upside down cameo" to see if it will be a better option for practicing my tension. The log roll type buns will hurt at the top where I clip it (or stick it), and so I avoid this style even if the end results are nice. The more I think about what you bring up makes me think that I may be adding some shedding I have from the tension of my updos. Another option I think i'll also explore is really high buns, or top knots. I'm just not sure how archaic this will make me look if I wear this style out in public.




No ideas Rowie but just wanted to say your hair is looking amazing!!

Thanks dear! :flower: Do you still wear your hair sleeked back? or do you part it somewhere?

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 12:47 PM
I agree with the others, rowie. Your hair is looking great! ;)

Now, you mentioned stereotypes/preconceived notions about hair with a center part; I don't mean to sound totally ignorant, but I am just curious as to what they are? I think yes, unkempt hair parted down the middle and worn loose and pulled to the front (sort of hanging down the sides) is related to being a hippy. The key word is unkempt though. I don't think that applies to you in the least!

aww thanks! :flower: I think from my up bringing "hippy" connotes images to me of center part hair that still looks kempt but with a leather head band or adorned in daisy chains for women. Things like pot head or from watching "Dazed and confused" reflects the kind of cultural images I have with this style. I know the point of this community is to accept your own "self preconceptions" regardless if a society will find what I do is "unconventional." I do believe in the LHC saying that "i'm not here to decorate peoples' worlds" and essentially to practice being a unique individual. As for your question the center part style was depicted negatively in my own upbring. Things like "too conservative," "tight," "old and archaic looking," or making me look like an "old bitty" that my aunts were made fun of in my family for wearing this style because perhaps it was just comfortable to them.



I agree with DweamGoiL. Also you can't pull of marm without some chunky glasses on a chain. It's just not a finished look without all the details.

Right! I just was too embarrassed to wear my glasses (minus the chains) with this as it will add to that stereo type.

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 12:50 PM
aww thanks! :flower: I think from my up bringing "hippy" connotes images to me of center part hair that still looks kempt but with a leather head band or adorned in daisy chains for women. Things like pot head or from watching "Dazed and confused" reflects the kind of cultural images I have with this style. I know the point of this community is to accept your own "self preconceptions" regardless if a society will find what I do is "unconventional." I do believe in the LHC saying that "i'm not here to decorate peoples' worlds" and essentially to practice being a unique individual. As for your question the center part style was depicted negatively in my own upbring. Things like "too conservative," "tight," "old and archaic looking," or making me look like an "old bitty" that my aunts were made fun of in my family for wearing this style because perhaps it was just comfortable to them.




Right! I just was too embarrassed to wear my glasses (minus the chains) with this as it will add to that stereo type.

Oh don't worry about it! If it makes you happy, do it. To hell with stereotypes.

slynr
October 6th, 2014, 12:55 PM
My hair always parts and I don't try to fight it:)

DweamGoiL
October 6th, 2014, 01:00 PM
Ok, I don't normally do this, but when you mentioned the glasses thing:



Ok, this is me with thick framed glasses like the ones my grandmother wore in the 60's...gasp. And yes, this is pretty much my every day look. I imagine this is what she looked like when she was younger or I'd like to believe that so I don't feel like I am wearing old lady glasses although they are totally in fashion :) Bought them from a posh hipster eye glass place. Take a good look because I am taking the picture down in a couple of hours. No use giving the creepy creepsters online any ammunition.

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 01:03 PM
Those glasses look great on you DweamGoiL. :flower: I was being sarcastic and playful about chunky glasses. I wear them too, and I happen to love mine.

Hedera
October 6th, 2014, 01:04 PM
DweamGoil, you look totally cute - not grandmotherish in the least!

And I LOVE those glasses. :inlove:

Rowie, I think the center part looks very good on you; as far as I can tell, it suits the shape of your face as well. :)
I don't think you look schoolmarmish in the slightest; you remind me more of a Japanese Samurai-type warrior, they had lovely buns as well.

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 01:09 PM
My hair always parts and I don't try to fight it:)

That's good to know. I feel much more confident in just going with the flow of what my hair wants thanks to this thread.


Ok, I don't normally do this, but when you mentioned the glasses thing:



Ok, this is me with thick framed glasses like the ones my grandmother wore in the 60's...gasp. And yes, this is pretty much my every day look. I imagine this is what she looked like when she was younger or I'd like to believe that so I don't feel like I am wearing old lady glasses although they are totally in fashion :) Bought them from a posh hipster eye glass place. Take a good look because I am taking the picture down in a couple of hours. No use giving the creepy creepsters online any ammunition.

I think you look beautiful with your glasses! I have two pairs similar to yours. I do have Prada version of your glasses but just in plain black. Thanks for sharing!:flower: I'm actually the type of person where I'll wear contacts until it hurts and just use my glasses for when I need to give my eyes a break. It's bad enough that my hair feels comfortable with the style I do now and to add to the glasses just makes me feel consciouss about it. I know, it's a battle to accept things, just hard to fight "societal conceptions and stereotypes." Regardless, most important thing is that I'm happy to have things in common with some of you like wearing glasses (I still prefer my contacts). :)


Those glasses look great on you DweamGoiL. :flower: I was being sarcastic and playful about chunky glasses. I wear them too, and I happen to love mine.

ha ha you have such humor. :lol: I love the look of "chunky" glasses on other people, but on me it's nerd power. :laugh:

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 01:11 PM
DweamGoil, you look totally cute - not grandmotherish in the least!

And I LOVE those glasses. :inlove:

Rowie, I think the center part looks very good on you; as far as I can tell, it suits the shape of your face as well. :)
I don't think you look schoolmarmish in the slightest; you remind me more of a Japanese Samurai-type warrior, they had lovely buns as well.

Thanks for the confidence boost. Yeah, I should think of it from a global perspective now that you mention it. It's good to know you think this matches my shape, so thank you very much for that. I've just learned from this thread to just go "with the flow" of what my hair wants to do regardless. :blossom:

brickworld13
October 6th, 2014, 01:14 PM
I learned to love my nerdy self in college. Haters can just shove their :spam: somewhere unpleasant.

The bun with part looks great so own it like a boss. 8)

Panth
October 6th, 2014, 02:34 PM
I think you bring up something very important that I take for granted, and that is the subject of "tension." Back when I had shorter hair it was hard to get my updos to feel tight and "polished" looking. I think over the years I might have developed bad habits with tension that I'm now trying to correct unfortunately at this length. Wrapping type buns like the LWB I feel is the most difficult to control tension. If it is too loose my bun will unravel or even sag if I clip it. I find that I have to redo my LWB at least two times throughout the day to get what I feel is the right tension. Knot type buns like the nautilus will pull where I make the initial knot, and it doesn't matter what tool I use as that spot will leave a sore or sometimes a light sore spot depending on the tension. Again I have to really work on finding that right tension for my scalp so that I can continue to wear my updos without having to redo it throughout the day. But you do bring up the possibilities of re-exploring the camio type of buns or sectioning buns. I'll definitely try the "upside down cameo" to see if it will be a better option for practicing my tension. The log roll type buns will hurt at the top where I clip it (or stick it), and so I avoid this style even if the end results are nice. The more I think about what you bring up makes me think that I may be adding some shedding I have from the tension of my updos. Another option I think i'll also explore is really high buns, or top knots. I'm just not sure how archaic this will make me look if I wear this style out in public.

Yeah, I have that problem with tension. Not sure if it's because I'm rubbish at buns, or because I'm at knee (although I'm only a i/ii circumference and fine too). I basically sit in my rut and wear only braided low cinnabuns or the occasional coronet braid. Very boring. Anything else almost never stays put, even at such a high tension that things start to hurt and stray hairs start to snap...

Madora
October 6th, 2014, 03:51 PM
For some reason I can no longer pull all my hair back for my updos. It is now painful if I do so because my front hairs I feel gets pulled back and adds to the weight of my bun, and by the end of the day I get a little scalp sore discomfort. It got so uncomfortable recently that I resorted to doing my updos this way. I don't know if this is common symptom for people with hip length or longer. I guess I'm posting this as well cause my SO recently remarked that I look like a hippy with my hair parting at the center. Also I'm starting to notice that my hair likes to naturally part at the center (recent discovery of mine since I always sleek all my hairs back for updos until now) , and so I've given up on trying to sleek all my hairs back for updos recently. I started to concentrate on making my daily updos so that the weight of the bun feels equally distributed. I don't know if a lot of people who doesn't have bangs wear their hair like I do at this length or if it's comfortable? I guess I can learn to live with this style as it is currently comfortable for me. Hey I think the hippy or "school marm" look has its appeal to me if worn with confidence. :lol:


http://i.imgur.com/c2yVHZh.jpg

For the sake of your hair, avoid center parts. I think part of your problem is due to tension and glomming all the hair in one place and bunning it. For healthier hair that is more comfortable to wear, try sectioning it.

I bet you dollars to donuts that if you sectioned your hair..that is, make a part from the top of your right ear, around the back of your head to the top of your left ear, then took all the hair ABOVE the part (this means combing all the front hair gently back to the crown), detangled it gently, then loosely braided it and coiled it in a bun via hairpins. Take the remaining hair, detangle gently and then divide in 2 sections. Twist one section loosely over the other section, all the way down to the end. Take the "roped" hair and bring it around the braided bun already in place. Voila: one sectioned bun braid with twisted coil perimeter.

The sectioned style is MUCH easier to wear, more comfortable too. The weight of your hair is distributed over a wider area.

Now, if you still want to do your Lazy Wrap style, then do it the sectioned way:
Do the ear to ear part and pin that hair out of the way for the moment
Take the remaining hair and create your lazy wrap bun.

Now unpin the hair, divide in in 3, and braid loosely to the ends. Take braid and wind around Lazy Wrap Bun already in place.

Voila: sectioned lazy wrap bun with braid perimeter.

A final note of caution: the pain you are having might be due to follicles hurting from (perhaps) being drawn back too tightly. In the future, when you draw back your hair from the front and sides, use a wide tooth comb and try to not apply too much pressure/tension to the strands as you are gathering it back.

The key idea to remember is to always allow for a little "wiggle room" at the place where you begin the sectioned bun. Ideally, you should be able to poke one finger through the scalp hair where you begin the braid for the sectioned bun. Hope this helps!

rowie
October 6th, 2014, 08:09 PM
I learned to love my nerdy self in college. Haters can just shove their :spam: somewhere unpleasant.

The bun with part looks great so own it like a boss. 8)

Thanks! Lucky you, i'm still not at the level you're in, but it helps to know. ;)


Yeah, I have that problem with tension. Not sure if it's because I'm rubbish at buns, or because I'm at knee (although I'm only a i/ii circumference and fine too). I basically sit in my rut and wear only braided low cinnabuns or the occasional coronet braid. Very boring. Anything else almost never stays put, even at such a high tension that things start to hurt and stray hairs start to snap...

Wow your at knee! Ha at least you can do a coronet braid. That's one of the updos i'm looking forward to be able to do. Does it distribute the weight of your bun well? And does it give you any scalp discomforts by the end of the day?


For the sake of your hair, avoid center parts. I think part of your problem is due to tension and glomming all the hair in one place and bunning it. For healthier hair that is more comfortable to wear, try sectioning it.

I bet you dollars to donuts that if you sectioned your hair..that is, make a part from the top of your right ear, around the back of your head to the top of your left ear, then took all the hair ABOVE the part (this means combing all the front hair gently back to the crown), detangled it gently, then loosely braided it and coiled it in a bun via hairpins. Take the remaining hair, detangle gently and then divide in 2 sections. Twist one section loosely over the other section, all the way down to the end. Take the "roped" hair and bring it around the braided bun already in place. Voila: one sectioned bun braid with twisted coil perimeter.

The sectioned style is MUCH easier to wear, more comfortable too. The weight of your hair is distributed over a wider area.

Now, if you still want to do your Lazy Wrap style, then do it the sectioned way:
Do the ear to ear part and pin that hair out of the way for the moment
Take the remaining hair and create your lazy wrap bun.

Now unpin the hair, divide in in 3, and braid loosely to the ends. Take braid and wind around Lazy Wrap Bun already in place.

Voila: sectioned lazy wrap bun with braid perimeter.

A final note of caution: the pain you are having might be due to follicles hurting from (perhaps) being drawn back too tightly. In the future, when you draw back your hair from the front and sides, use a wide tooth comb and try to not apply too much pressure/tension to the strands as you are gathering it back.

The key idea to remember is to always allow for a little "wiggle room" at the place where you begin the sectioned bun. Ideally, you should be able to poke one finger through the scalp hair where you begin the braid for the sectioned bun. Hope this helps!

Thanks for this Madora!:flower: Gosh this is a lot for me to soak up. I got so frustrated with my hair today that when I got home I did a faux bob look. Sometimes I feel like cutting my hair like this:

http://i.imgur.com/zYSingQl.jpg

But i know, this hair style would be a lot of up keep and styling. Now that i'm getting used to my grooming techniques, I now have to adapt to sectioning which is a little time consuming than just glopping it into "one area" as you say. Still, I know you're going to tell me nothing comes easy, and that having healthy hair is a lot of work. Yes, I already feel that way with the current GM techniques for the bbb grooming that i've just acclimated. Seems like there is always a new challenge that awaits me with this growing out journey of mine. I'll definitely try your tips tomorrow. Right now i'm just enjoying this faux bob updo I just created. It looks hilarious from the back, and so it's too bad I can't wear my hair like this outside home. Again I really appreciate all the tips you have given me thus far in this growing out journey of mine. I'll give you an update if i'm successful.

Madora
October 6th, 2014, 08:35 PM
Hang in there, Rowie! Baby steps. We've all been there, at some point on another! Beautiful, healthy hair is just a collection of good practices done every day!

Amapola
October 6th, 2014, 08:36 PM
Rowie, I think you are at hip? I think that's right... you will be able to do the crown braid now. You might like to try it; Torrin Page had a great video that helped me to be able to do it myself. It does take me about half an hour (normally it takes about 30 seconds to put up my hair) but on the plus side, I've found that the crown braid can stay in for several days without too much trouble, and yes, it does distribute the weight of your hair better.

Basically I agree 100% with Madora and would urge you to learn different styles. As you go through your journey you will find that different styles suit you at different times. I think you have arrived at a milestone moment, where your hair's weight is finally telling on you.

Your bob is really flattering! I love it!

KittyBird
October 6th, 2014, 10:33 PM
I'm nearly at classic, and I still wear a center part. I sometimes try to slick it back, but it only takes a few minutes before my hair has magically parted itself again. :p I don't see why a center part would be bad for my hair, having a part is much more gentle than slicking it all back for me. The weight is nicely distributed and the front hairs don't get pulled.

However, I do agree that it's good to try different styles. I don't do that many different buns, but I try to place them at different spots and use different toys. For example, a high, lightly twisted nautilus bun with a two-prong metal fork or wooden fork, figure 8 bun with flexi-8, high logroll held with 2 ficcares, low braided nautilus with metal fork or glass or acrylic stick, and so on :)

Mya
October 7th, 2014, 02:59 AM
I didn't know "hippie" was a derogatory word.

Anyway... I hope I don't sound creepy, but you are handsome and should not feel self conscious at all! Both long hair and glasses look good on you.

My hair has a natural center part too, and I agree that always pulling hair back hurts sometimes. Sectioning buns works. I often do two cinnabuns, one with the upper section of my hair and one with the lower section, they are lined vertically. I think you can do that indefinitely - I mean, if it still hurts after dividing hair in two sections, you can divide it in three sections, etc. Sometimes I do a cinnabun over each of my ears (Star Wars style :P) and it's comfy too, but I only keep that at home. Low buns are more comfortable than higher ones.

You may want to try spin pins, you almost can't feel them when they are on, they make a world of difference. Alternatively, small claw clips are pretty good (though not as good) at distributing the weight of buns.

Mya
October 7th, 2014, 03:08 AM
P. S. I wonder, what's your hair do for sleeping? I found out that sleeping with loose hair in a cap is better. Keeping hair up ALL the time, even if night updos were loose, just got too painful (it also gives me weird partings on the crown).

JustPam
October 7th, 2014, 06:14 AM
I've learned you can't fight your natural parting, I know middle partings are not popular, and most people favour more fashionable side partings, whether it's natural or not. Just tell people that this is the way your hair naturally sits and you can't help it. As for updo's I agree that sectioning it will help, I quite often comb back and tie my canopy section as if I was doing a half-up and then get it all in a lower bun, and I can keep the top part relatively loose. If you're against hair elastics to tie it back then a wee braid will hold it until it reaches your bun spot.

brickworld13
October 7th, 2014, 06:38 AM
rowie, your glasses look great. :flower: I also love that bob style. I've never figured out how to do one, but you look awesome with it. It takes time to be comfortable with yourself. I finally had a revelation when I was thrust into a foreign culture with limited knowledge of the culture and the language. I couldn't understand them if they were criticising me so it didn't matter. You'll get there!

slynr
October 7th, 2014, 06:42 AM
Rowie...love your faux Bob. Looking HOT!

Phexlyn
October 7th, 2014, 08:11 AM
Madora, could you please explain the benefits of sectioning over a centre/side part and the otter look (combing everything straight back)? I can't really find an explanation in your instructions (which are very clear concerning how to do the style) but I may have missed it.

This may depend on your hair type and skills, but at least for me, parting the hair does not equal tension. I don't wear parts usually and I avoid centre parts because I have a widow's peak which makes things difficult! I haven't noticed any negative effects so far, but I always make sure to leave "wiggle" room in the updos :)

rowie, you look great - with the part, with the bob, and with the glasses! :flower:

Madora
October 7th, 2014, 10:03 AM
Madora, could you please explain the benefits of sectioning over a centre/side part and the otter look (combing everything straight back)? I can't really find an explanation in your instructions (which are very clear concerning how to do the style) but I may have missed it.

This may depend on your hair type and skills, but at least for me, parting the hair does not equal tension. I don't wear parts usually and I avoid centre parts because I have a widow's peak which makes things difficult! I haven't noticed any negative effects so far, but I always make sure to leave "wiggle" room in the updos :)

rowie, you look great - with the part, with the bob, and with the glasses! :flower:

Phexlyn, the sectioning technique is done with hair that has been combed back, never with center or side parted hair. Now I suppose you COULD do it with those types of parts..but the center part is not a good thing because over time center parting can lead to a widening of that part. I've seen pictures..of men and women...and it was horrible how their normal center parts had widened. Right side parts are more hair friendly.

Another thing with center parts..not everyone can wear them successfully or pull them off aesthetically.

Here is what Dr. Michael says about center parts in "George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" (1981, Doubleday) page 148:

Since most classic, informal hairdos require a part, the initial lesson to learn about styling is: where to place that part.

Perhaps you've always simplified this problem by planting a part smack in the middle of your head. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. For one thing, if you pull your hair back from a center part, this puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the head and if repeated for years can result in thinning. But center parts are a real horror aesthetically, too. Every face has two different sides--an angelic side and a diabolic side. (Look at yourself in profile from both the left and right sides and you'll realize each side is just a little different.) Unfortunately, the diabolic or less attractive side always wins the center-part battle, not your prettier side. A middle part is literallu asking for criticism by plauing up your worst features as well...a bumpy nose, a disappearing upper lip, a receding chinline. This very precise attention-calling part should only be warn by two types of people: the very ugly (who are hopeless anyway) or the very beautiful (who can get away with anything). The 99 percent of women who are "normal" should always wear a side part.

The question is which side--and the answer is: the right side.

While you are protesting, listen to these scientific reasons, which give strength to any aesthetic reasons I can offer for the right-side rule. Most of us sleep on the right side of he face during most of the night. Don't roll your eyes around trying to figure this one out because even scientists can't explain why; they only know after years of research in Germany that this is a fact. (Perhaps it has to do with the location of your heart, but no one is sure.) In any case, since we spend so much time sleeping on the right, the hair on the right side of the head tends to be thinner and finer on everybody than the hair on the left side. (You'll find less hair on your right eyebrow than on your left, too, as an instant indicator that what I'm saying is accurate.)

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woan should part her hair on the right, [I]against[I] the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

It may seem more natural for you to part your hair on the left, but remember that when you make that part you're looking in a mirror which gives you a reverse image. You may spend only three minutes a day arranging your hair (and that's all the time you should spend gazing into a mirror unless you're a total narcissist or a well-paid model), but the rest of the world sees you for twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes and they see not only your head but your total image. A right-side part will do the most for how you look to the world--and that's the name of the game, isn't it?

By now you must be saying, "This dictator, this tyrant George Michael. First he tells me not to cut bangs, not to cut stepsm, and now I have to part my hair on the right. I look ugly to myself." Well, initially this changed part may seem strange to you, but after about eight weeks you won't be able to imagine parting it any other way.

LHCers, please remember this: Dr. Michael was a Russian gentleman who viewed beauty in his own particular way. Do not be offended by his comment about being considered a narcissist if you spend more than 3 minutes staring in the mirror every day. That's just Dr. Michael...a little bit over the top on the beauty angle. I think we can all agree that most of us are NOT narcissistic! I admit, at times when I was younger, to spending 2 hours plus at a stretch in the bathroom, braiding and rebraiding my hair as I tried to imitate braided styles I'd seen in old movies. My mom wasn't thrilled, but didn't harp on the subject!

Panth
October 7th, 2014, 12:00 PM
Wow your at knee! Ha at least you can do a coronet braid. That's one of the updos i'm looking forward to be able to do. Does it distribute the weight of your bun well? And does it give you any scalp discomforts by the end of the day?

Well, knee kinda happened by accident / benign neglect rather than design...

For me, the coronet braid (once past about TBL - far enough to make a full loop, so that you don't feel one side of your head is heavier than the other!) is super-comfy. It's also really low-effort and consistently gets me compliments. Oh, and it hides wash-day hair, even if you're blonde (the plait somehow distracts people). Occasionally, the bits of scalp hair where the bobby pins went in are a little ... ruffled-feeling (you know - like when you comb hair the wrong way) by the end of the day. That usually only happens if I pin it up with damp hair. I love the style and would wear it more, but a) I'm not sure about daily bobby pin use in very similar areas of the scalp, I suspect it might snap hairs and b) my hair has got so thin now (I was once a ii/iii) that the plait over the top looks really sad and small now.


Rowie, I think you are at hip? I think that's right... you will be able to do the crown braid now.

Coronet braid =/= crown braid. Coronet braid, aka faux crown braid = a single English braid pinned around the head. Much better for lazy super-long hairs as it means you don't have to try to learn to French braid your own head. :P


I'm nearly at classic, and I still wear a center part. I sometimes try to slick it back, but it only takes a few minutes before my hair has magically parted itself again. :p I don't see why a center part would be bad for my hair, having a part is much more gentle than slicking it all back for me. The weight is nicely distributed and the front hairs don't get pulled.

Ditto. Mine is like this too.


Madora, could you please explain the benefits of sectioning over a centre/side part and the otter look (combing everything straight back)? I can't really find an explanation in your instructions (which are very clear concerning how to do the style) but I may have missed it.

As far as I can tell from Madora's post, there are none (George Michael's scientific statements being by and large either source-less or debunked since he wrote them, and his aesthetic preferences having no more clout than anyone else's). I can understand sectioning vs. not sectioning, as it would result in greater weight distribution. However, at least in my experience, the "otter look" results in very high tension on the hair near the hairline (like Rowie is having trouble with) and most of the weight being supported by the bit on the back of the head, just below the crown. A centre parting results in most of the weight being supported by that near-crown bit too, and all of the front/side hair being loosely draped towards the back (nearly no tension at all). I exclusively do low buns. YMMV.

(Maybe I shall just resign myself to being one of George Michael's "very ugly (hopeless anyway)" people. Or not. After all, I'm not here to decorate his world.)

cathair
October 7th, 2014, 12:15 PM
Just in case this helps... I have found sometimes I want to wear my hair scraped straight back and it hurts. So I tried it in quite an extreme side parting, so see if this hurt less, when I didn't feel like having a centre parting. If you took a vertical line from the outside corner of my eye to my hairline about there. I found that when I put my hair up, I found it very difficult to keep the parting.

However, if I part my hair there, put my hair up, then once it's up and secured, comb all my hair back so there is no parting any more, it reduces the tension issue for me. It's looser at the top of my head and near my forehead than it would be if I scraped it straight back, but it's not huge and poofy. I know poofy has a lot of benefits, but I prefer the otter look myself :)

I am a bit of a terror for making buns too tight and this seems to stop me doing it. For what it's worth, my hair naturally parts slightly to the side, just off centre.

rowie
October 7th, 2014, 12:33 PM
Rowie, I think you are at hip? I think that's right... you will be able to do the crown braid now. You might like to try it; Torrin Page had a great video that helped me to be able to do it myself. It does take me about half an hour (normally it takes about 30 seconds to put up my hair) but on the plus side, I've found that the crown braid can stay in for several days without too much trouble, and yes, it does distribute the weight of your hair better.

Basically I agree 100% with Madora and would urge you to learn different styles. As you go through your journey you will find that different styles suit you at different times. I think you have arrived at a milestone moment, where your hair's weight is finally telling on you.

Your bob is really flattering! I love it!

Thanks Mrs. Amapola! :flower: I once tried Torrin's method for the crown braid and I just cannot Dutch braid backwards. Not to mention I've tried just doing a simple Dutch/French braid a week and I just cannot get to look as "polished" as I want it to be, and so I resort to exploring different types of updos instead. Not to worry though, if I ever go back to NM i'll let you do a crown braid on me. ;) I so enjoyed my three day visit at your State and I love how some of the highways are painted with turquoise and also the metal sculptures in some of the roundabouts.


I'm nearly at classic, and I still wear a center part. I sometimes try to slick it back, but it only takes a few minutes before my hair has magically parted itself again. :p I don't see why a center part would be bad for my hair, having a part is much more gentle than slicking it all back for me. The weight is nicely distributed and the front hairs don't get pulled.

However, I do agree that it's good to try different styles. I don't do that many different buns, but I try to place them at different spots and use different toys. For example, a high, lightly twisted nautilus bun with a two-prong metal fork or wooden fork, figure 8 bun with flexi-8, high logroll held with 2 ficcares, low braided nautilus with metal fork or glass or acrylic stick, and so on :)

Thanks Kittybird! Yeah I never knew I had a natural center part until I stopped using organic aloe vera gel when sleeking my hairs back. It's good to know that if I switched my styles everyday than it should help. I just have to master the right tension according to each type of styles. I just got to the point where my front hairline started to get pulled tightly into my updos and so that is why i'm now trying other techniques that will help alleviate the tension I get from my front hairline and also to avoid the usual sensitive sore spots from my updo pulling that spot throughout the day.


I didn't know "hippie" was a derogatory word.

Anyway... I hope I don't sound creepy, but you are handsome and should not feel self conscious at all! Both long hair and glasses look good on you.

My hair has a natural center part too, and I agree that always pulling hair back hurts sometimes. Sectioning buns works. I often do two cinnabuns, one with the upper section of my hair and one with the lower section, they are lined vertically. I think you can do that indefinitely - I mean, if it still hurts after dividing hair in two sections, you can divide it in three sections, etc. Sometimes I do a cinnabun over each of my ears (Star Wars style :P) and it's comfy too, but I only keep that at home. Low buns are more comfortable than higher ones.

You may want to try spin pins, you almost can't feel them when they are on, they make a world of difference. Alternatively, small claw clips are pretty good (though not as good) at distributing the weight of buns.

Thanks! I'm glad sectioning really helps you as that is now the option i'm trying to incorporate in my hair care routine. I bet that Princess Lea updo looks fabulous on you. I've tried spin pins but I get massive tangles from when I remove them and so I use Amish pins, and also regular bobby pins. Although I'm usually worried about using bobby pins since whenever I remove them they make a weird noise, and so I need to practice with how I remove them carefully. Claw clips I use to secure my hair when I want to cover my hair in a shower cap for taking daily showers. I love claw clips, but I just don't find them aesthetically appealing to wear outside of home. Still, whenever i'm lounging around at home the claw clips come in handy.


P. S. I wonder, what's your hair do for sleeping? I found out that sleeping with loose hair in a cap is better. Keeping hair up ALL the time, even if night updos were loose, just got too painful (it also gives me weird partings on the crown).

Oh I usually just put all of my hairs over and above my silk pillow case. I tried the recommended silk bonnets but I just feel horrible wearing something that makes me feel like I'm in the "Little House on the Prairie" look, and also my SO will not sleep next to me when I do this and so I compromise with the silk pillow case instead.

rowie
October 7th, 2014, 12:36 PM
I've learned you can't fight your natural parting, I know middle partings are not popular, and most people favour more fashionable side partings, whether it's natural or not. Just tell people that this is the way your hair naturally sits and you can't help it. As for updo's I agree that sectioning it will help, I quite often comb back and tie my canopy section as if I was doing a half-up and then get it all in a lower bun, and I can keep the top part relatively loose. If you're against hair elastics to tie it back then a wee braid will hold it until it reaches your bun spot.

Thank you! This made more sense when I was applying sectioning method's suggested by Madora. Yeah I didn't know I had a natural center part cause I always sleeked my hair back with organic aloe vera gel. Sectioning hair is something I need to practice as it always comes out not as polished as I want it to be, but I just noticed today that it really does alleviate a lot of the painful pulling of my front hair line. I don't know the mechanism of it, but the logic of it all is that by "sectioning" the hairs it helps alleviate the tension on the roots, at least that is my understanding of it. I don't know if this will in the long run help alleviate the over all tension so that I can prevent my front hairline from receding back. I remember my older sister cut her classic + length because she noticed her head got bigger because her front hairline had receded dramatically. That is why I'm now trying to find out better techniques that will help me prevent or take an extra measure to attempt to protect myself from my hairline to recede as my hair gets longer.


rowie, your glasses look great. :flower: I also love that bob style. I've never figured out how to do one, but you look awesome with it. It takes time to be comfortable with yourself. I finally had a revelation when I was thrust into a foreign culture with limited knowledge of the culture and the language. I couldn't understand them if they were criticising me so it didn't matter. You'll get there!

Ha ha in the classroom i'm more out going and talkative. Outside the classroom or even the campus i'm very self reserved. I think I'm more open within the confines of academia because it is a controlled environment like here in LHC. I tend to be more of recluse and so I chose a career in research since I don't do very well out in the public. Yes I've traveled to many countries. It has opened my mind, but i'm still more reserved in situations like even going out to the mall or going out to the movies, etc..


Rowie...love your faux Bob. Looking HOT!

Thanks dear! I enjoy your pics as well, and your hot light hair. You know i'm a sucker for people with lighter hair than mine.

rowie
October 7th, 2014, 12:37 PM
Madora, could you please explain the benefits of sectioning over a centre/side part and the otter look (combing everything straight back)? I can't really find an explanation in your instructions (which are very clear concerning how to do the style) but I may have missed it.

This may depend on your hair type and skills, but at least for me, parting the hair does not equal tension. I don't wear parts usually and I avoid centre parts because I have a widow's peak which makes things difficult! I haven't noticed any negative effects so far, but I always make sure to leave "wiggle" room in the updos :)

rowie, you look great - with the part, with the bob, and with the glasses! :flower:

Thanks! I think what Madora has brought up kind of makes sense to me. I just question some of Dr. Michael's theory. I kind of get the point of trying to balance any kind of updo so that it alleviates tensions to the roots of the hair is more of how i'm seeing it. While I may question Dr. Michael's theory, I find it interesting that i'm following a lot of routines in the area of hair care as Madora is an example to that his theory could work if applied correctly. I've noticed a big difference in how my hair feels now that i've incorporated some of his methods for hair care.


Phexlyn, the sectioning technique is done with hair that has been combed back, never with center or side parted hair. Now I suppose you COULD do it with those types of parts..but the center part is not a good thing because over time center parting can lead to a widening of that part. I've seen pictures..of men and women...and it was horrible how their normal center parts had widened. Right side parts are more hair friendly.

Another thing with center parts..not everyone can wear them successfully or pull them off aesthetically.

Here is what Dr. Michael says about center parts in "George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" (1981, Doubleday) page 148:

Since most classic, informal hairdos require a part, the initial lesson to learn about styling is: where to place that part.

Perhaps you've always simplified this problem by planting a part smack in the middle of your head. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. For one thing, if you pull your hair back from a center part, this puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the head and if repeated for years can result in thinning. But center parts are a real horror aesthetically, too. Every face has two different sides--an angelic side and a diabolic side. (Look at yourself in profile from both the left and right sides and you'll realize each side is just a little different.) Unfortunately, the diabolic or less attractive side always wins the center-part battle, not your prettier side. A middle part is literallu asking for criticism by plauing up your worst features as well...a bumpy nose, a disappearing upper lip, a receding chinline. This very precise attention-calling part should only be warn by two types of people: the very ugly (who are hopeless anyway) or the very beautiful (who can get away with anything). The 99 percent of women who are "normal" should always wear a side part.

The question is which side--and the answer is: the right side.

While you are protesting, listen to these scientific reasons, which give strength to any aesthetic reasons I can offer for the right-side rule. Most of us sleep on the right side of he face during most of the night. Don't roll your eyes around trying to figure this one out because even scientists can't explain why; they only know after years of research in Germany that this is a fact. (Perhaps it has to do with the location of your heart, but no one is sure.) In any case, since we spend so much time sleeping on the right, the hair on the right side of the head tends to be thinner and finer on everybody than the hair on the left side. (You'll find less hair on your right eyebrow than on your left, too, as an instant indicator that what I'm saying is accurate.)

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woan should part her hair on the right, [I]against[I] the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

It may seem more natural for you to part your hair on the left, but remember that when you make that part you're looking in a mirror which gives you a reverse image. You may spend only three minutes a day arranging your hair (and that's all the time you should spend gazing into a mirror unless you're a total narcissist or a well-paid model), but the rest of the world sees you for twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes and they see not only your head but your total image. A right-side part will do the most for how you look to the world--and that's the name of the game, isn't it?

By now you must be saying, "This dictator, this tyrant George Michael. First he tells me not to cut bangs, not to cut stepsm, and now I have to part my hair on the right. I look ugly to myself." Well, initially this changed part may seem strange to you, but after about eight weeks you won't be able to imagine parting it any other way.

LHCers, please remember this: Dr. Michael was a Russian gentleman who viewed beauty in his own particular way. Do not be offended by his comment about being considered a narcissist if you spend more than 3 minutes staring in the mirror every day. That's just Dr. Michael...a little bit over the top on the beauty angle. I think we can all agree that most of us are NOT narcissistic! I admit, at times when I was younger, to spending 2 hours plus at a stretch in the bathroom, braiding and rebraiding my hair as I tried to imitate braided styles I'd seen in old movies. My mom wasn't thrilled, but didn't harp on the subject!

Thanks so much for this Madora! I've highlighted the points that I find interesting and helpful. While I may question these points, it has some interesting logic that matches the way he teaches or talks about hair.

I've finally tried your advice and I feel so much better! Thank you! :smooch: This is my first attempt at your method. It's a bit messy, and I think I went pin happy crazy as the over all circle shape is disrupted by my pinning. I know I now have to focus on pinning placement and techniques to hide them better.

http://i.imgur.com/S10Q8VEl.jpg

I love that I don't feel so much pain on my front hairlines. I just don't know how I feel about this style as my bun eats up my clip. I'm sure I can fix that with practice on my technique. Also since this bun is less compacted it is more flat and so I feel like I have this plate on the back of my head whenever I turn to the side. Come to think of it, maybe this updo can be lighter if I use less pins. I think I used about 8 pins around the perimeter of this updo. I did a LWB instead of the coiling method since I tend to make those really tight and cinnabuns for me have always been a "heavy" type of bun. I'll definitely keep practicing until I can achieve a more "polished" bun. The main thing is at least this updo has alleviated some of the painful tensions I got from my front hairline, and I now don't have to part my hair. :blossom:

rowie
October 7th, 2014, 12:41 PM
Just in case this helps... I have found sometimes I want to wear my hair scraped straight back and it hurts. So I tried it in quite an extreme side parting, so see if this hurt less, when I didn't feel like having a centre parting. If you took a vertical line from the outside corner of my eye to my hairline about there. I found that when I put my hair up, I found it very difficult to keep the parting.

However, if I part my hair there, put my hair up, then once it's up and secured, comb all my hair back so there is no parting any more, it reduces the tension issue for me. It's looser at the top of my head and near my forehead than it would be if I scraped it straight back, but it's not huge and poofy. I know poofy has a lot of benefits, but I prefer the otter look myself :)

I am a bit of a terror for making buns too tight and this seems to stop me doing it. For what it's worth, my hair naturally parts slightly to the side, just off centre.

Thanks for this! :flower: Yes i've been trying to make the top much "looser" when i'm incorporating it into the new sectioned bun technique. I also tend to prefer the more tight polished and more compacted smaller buns. But with the new methods suggested i'd have to sacrifice "compact" to alleviate the tension in my roots. I think it's a good comprimise, it just takes getting used to with techniques, and also re-learning tension and pin placements. It will take time for me to adjust, but your tip helps me really think about being a lot more careful in how I gather my front hairlines when incorporating it into my updo.

Madora
October 7th, 2014, 04:55 PM
Your bun looks lovely indeed, Rowie! Glad you found a few ideas that you can use to alleviate the pain of your delicate front and side hairs!

If you are looking for a fake crown braid, I have one that you might like to try.

A bit of back history: I have schleroderma, a rare condition that has several components to it. One of them is loss of muscle ability in the arms. Two years ago I could lace braid my hair with no problems at all. Now, it is an utter fiasco because of the pain in my arms when I try.

So, braiding nut that I am, I decided to tackle the problem from a different angle: upside down braiding.

My crown braid is "fake" because it doesn't follow the standard criteria for doing a lace crown braid around my head. My braid consists of the front part, which IS lace braided. Then I stop at the ear, comb out the remaining length, divide it in 3, and braid it in a simple English plait or a Dutch plait.

The end is tied off with a hair friendly elastic and the braid is wound around my head, just behind the lace braiding at the front of the head! Voila! One fake crown braid!

I do this sitting down, with all my hair in front of me (arthritic feet have made standing a holy trial, so I usually always braid inverted, in the head down position). Not as hard as it sounds!

Phexlyn
October 8th, 2014, 10:29 AM
Phexlyn, the sectioning technique is done with hair that has been combed back, never with center or side parted hair. Now I suppose you COULD do it with those types of parts..but the center part is not a good thing because over time center parting can lead to a widening of that part. I've seen pictures..of men and women...and it was horrible how their normal center parts had widened. Right side parts are more hair friendly.

Another thing with center parts..not everyone can wear them successfully or pull them off aesthetically.

Here is what Dr. Michael says about center parts in "George Michael's Secrets for Beautiful Hair" (1981, Doubleday) page 148:

Since most classic, informal hairdos require a part, the initial lesson to learn about styling is: where to place that part.

Perhaps you've always simplified this problem by planting a part smack in the middle of your head. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. For one thing, if you pull your hair back from a center part, this puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the head and if repeated for years can result in thinning. But center parts are a real horror aesthetically, too. Every face has two different sides--an angelic side and a diabolic side. (Look at yourself in profile from both the left and right sides and you'll realize each side is just a little different.) Unfortunately, the diabolic or less attractive side always wins the center-part battle, not your prettier side. A middle part is literallu asking for criticism by plauing up your worst features as well...a bumpy nose, a disappearing upper lip, a receding chinline. This very precise attention-calling part should only be warn by two types of people: the very ugly (who are hopeless anyway) or the very beautiful (who can get away with anything). The 99 percent of women who are "normal" should always wear a side part.

The question is which side--and the answer is: the right side.

While you are protesting, listen to these scientific reasons, which give strength to any aesthetic reasons I can offer for the right-side rule. Most of us sleep on the right side of he face during most of the night. Don't roll your eyes around trying to figure this one out because even scientists can't explain why; they only know after years of research in Germany that this is a fact. (Perhaps it has to do with the location of your heart, but no one is sure.) In any case, since we spend so much time sleeping on the right, the hair on the right side of the head tends to be thinner and finer on everybody than the hair on the left side. (You'll find less hair on your right eyebrow than on your left, too, as an instant indicator that what I'm saying is accurate.)

In addition, although hair follicles grow all around the base of the head in a uniform circle, on top of the head the follicles grow from the left to the right. It's okay for men to wear a left-side part because they don't need added height for their hair styles, but a woan should part her hair on the right, against[I] the growth, for natural height. A right-side part has your hair doing push-ups for you and you are automatically exercising your scalp by parting it on this side.

It may seem more natural for you to part your hair on the left, but remember that when you make that part you're looking in a mirror which gives you a reverse image. You may spend only three minutes a day arranging your hair (and that's all the time you should spend gazing into a mirror unless you're a total narcissist or a well-paid model), but the rest of the world sees you for twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes and they see not only your head but your total image. A right-side part will do the most for how you look to the world--and that's the name of the game, isn't it?

By now you must be saying, "This dictator, this tyrant George Michael. First he tells me not to cut bangs, not to cut stepsm, and now I have to part my hair on the right. I look ugly to myself." Well, initially this changed part may seem strange to you, but after about eight weeks you won't be able to imagine parting it any other way.

LHCers, please remember this: Dr. Michael was a Russian gentleman who viewed beauty in his own particular way. Do not be offended by his comment about being considered a narcissist if you spend more than 3 minutes staring in the mirror every day. That's just Dr. Michael...a little bit over the top on the beauty angle. I think we can all agree that most of us are NOT narcissistic! I admit, at times when I was younger, to spending 2 hours plus at a stretch in the bathroom, braiding and rebraiding my hair as I tried to imitate braided styles I'd seen in old movies. My mom wasn't thrilled, but didn't harp on the subject!

Thank you, Madora, for explaining this in so much detail. There was some misunderstanding on my part (pun intended).
I think most of us have learned to think about any such advice or rules before we just blindly follow it or deny it's worth. Dr. Michael's statements are no exception.



As far as I can tell from Madora's post, there are none (George Michael's scientific statements being by and large either source-less or debunked since he wrote them, and his aesthetic preferences having no more clout than anyone else's). I can understand sectioning vs. not sectioning, as it would result in greater weight distribution. However, at least in my experience, the "otter look" results in very high tension on the hair near the hairline (like Rowie is having trouble with) and most of the weight being supported by the bit on the back of the head, just below the crown. A centre parting results in most of the weight being supported by that near-crown bit too, and all of the front/side hair being loosely draped towards the back (nearly no tension at all). I exclusively do low buns. YMMV.

(Maybe I shall just resign myself to being one of George Michael's "very ugly (hopeless anyway)" people. Or not. After all, I'm not here to decorate [I]his world.)
Panth, thank you for the clarification. I do understand that parts put more tension on some bits of hair compared to the rest. I must protest, though - the otter look is not necessarily a result of too much tension, but can also be the effect of too little volume, flat or limp hair, or hair that hasn't been washed for a couple of days. I guess it depends on how much you slick the hair back and how much volume you have to begin with.


Thanks! I think what Madora has brought up kind of makes sense to me. I just question some of Dr. Michael's theory. I kind of get the point of trying to balance any kind of updo so that it alleviates tensions to the roots of the hair is more of how i'm seeing it. While I may question Dr. Michael's theory, I find it interesting that i'm following a lot of routines in the area of hair care as Madora is an example to that his theory could work if applied correctly. I've noticed a big difference in how my hair feels now that i've incorporated some of his methods for hair care. *snip*
I'm glad you found this helpful, too, rowie. I didn't want to steal your thread, I was just curious and I'm currently shifting around my parts/non-parts as well ;) And your new bun looks great! You'll get better at hiding the pins in no time.

Panth
October 8th, 2014, 11:20 AM
Panth, thank you for the clarification. I do understand that parts put more tension on some bits of hair compared to the rest. I must protest, though - the otter look is not necessarily a result of too much tension, but can also be the effect of too little volume, flat or limp hair, or hair that hasn't been washed for a couple of days. I guess it depends on how much you slick the hair back and how much volume you have to begin with.

Definitely. I was just saying for me that I can only get the "otter look" with very, very high tension (and even then, my parting manages to make an attempt at reappearing within minutes...). I have very flat, limp, low-volume hair. However, I also have a centre parting that refuses to disappear (...and a tiny widow's peak, and a cowlick on the crown *sigh* evidently my scalp hair just likes misbehaving).

[/threadjack]

Chromis
October 8th, 2014, 11:42 AM
Like Panth, I have a natural centre part too which likes to reassert itself. I can practically shellac it with gel but it is like Old Mr Johnson's cat* and I too have given up on fighting it. Sectioning or high buns hurt after about an hour on me, but work great for many. I've never seen my part get any wider over the years although I don't doubt it is possible. I suspect if you are treating your hair well and not pulling it back tightly, it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm pretty good with rocking the librarian/hippie look and have never gotten any comments about the centre-part with a bun combo. I only ever get hippie comments if it is down! I only get librarian comments if I am also wearing tweed no matter what style of glasses I pick.

* Joke explained: Children's folk song as illustrated by the National Film Boards of Canada here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OPd9bkCYVk