Occipital Alopecia

[gthlvrmx]

Is it ok to wear your hair in a bun every single day and only let it down to wash it? I was planning on wearing my hair in a bun on top of my head (as soon as it gets long enough to do it) but i read on a post (or twice i think) that wearing a bun in the same spot every day causes Occipital Alopecia. Does anyone have more info on that? Is that true? I know someone on this hair forum said they got long hair because they would wash their hair once a week and they would damp bun on top of their head and leave it in the same bun until the next wash. That's what i used to do as well because my hair used to get horribly tangled from switching bun styles. Thanks for any input you have and for just reading this i appreciate it!
Here's the link of where i found the Occipital Alopecia part, Dianyla wrote it: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23813

Also, I think I may have suffered from traction alopecia. I wore individual braids with fake hair added onto my hair and i think the sections the braider did were too small so it pulled my hair out. I removed the braids after 2 weeks and my hair was way thinner than before. Will my hair grow back to it's original thickness or no? I got the braids in October of 2011 so it has been a while and my hair is barely looking thicker than before. It's not much thickness, but it's a start i guess. So will it grow back? Thanks again!

[Beckstar]

Hair being pulled too tight will cause a problem. You shouldn't have too much of an issue as long as it isn't too tight but you can also put the bun lower or higher if you like.

[gthlvrmx]

Hair being pulled too tight will cause a problem. You shouldn't have too much of an issue as long as it isn't too tight but you can also put the bun lower or higher if you like.

Yes I'm pretty sure hair being pulled tightly will cause hair loss. I'll try to make my buns looser when I'm able to bun it.

[FallingDarkness]

There's an entire thread dedicated to wearing your hair up every day.
It's a good thing.
Fake hair also has been known to be slightly damaging to preexisting locks.
What I would recommend is that you don't keep the SAME bun there, that you'd redo it every day, even if it's the same type of bun. Also the way that you're bunning your hair might cause slight damage - like if you use a hair tie instead of a scrunchie, claw, or hair fork/stick. :P
I normally braid my hair for sleep, detangle in the morning, and bun my hair for the day.
Hope this helps! Keeping your hair up protects it from damage and tangles, so it's definitely recommended - as long as you go about it the right way :P

[truepeacenik]

Wow, those were some names that are a blast from the past!

Since I've never managed to put a bun in the exact same spot three days in a row, I'm not sure it's a great danger.
I'd think of you used the same couple of tools and a single style of bun, it could happen.

But something as simple as braiding at night binning in the day would be enough of a change in tension to minimize any effects.

[embee]

Ha! That *was* a blast from the past! Goodness.

I am sure there is damage possible by pulling hair too tight. But there is also genetics involved. I have receding hairline, but that's common in my family, so I'm not terribly concerned. if I thought it was my updo causing it I'd have to cut my hair short, because any bun loose enough will cause painful pulls here and there, and the hairstick/fork will fall out. But my hair in the normal go-to bun does not feel tight or pulling to me. If/when it does, I redo it. :)

[Panth]

Yes, cornrows can most definitely cause traction alopecia. Indeed, they are one of the most common causitive hairstyles. It's because:
- they are often put in far, far too tight (so that they'll stay neat, or because the braider is over-zealous - clue: your head should not hurt due to braids!)
- they are left in for weeks, not just a day or two
- the false hair added in means the braids are often very heavy and suspended from fewer hairs than if you made the same size braid from your own hair

However, unless you've repeatedly done exactly the same pattern of cornrows very tight and for quite some time (think: years), then the hair should grow back in time.

As for occipital alopecia, I think that notion is rubbish, tbh. The only thing I can find on occipital alopecia on the rest of the web is about it in newborns. Basically, because the baby is lying down all the time, and due to its head shape, the hair at the top of the skull is rubbed away forming a bald patch. It grows back. I very, very much doubt a bun would cause that. At least for me, I would take the bun down because it caused pain/headaches long before a bun managed to pull out clumps of my hair from its weight. That only leaves rubbing as a way to cause a bald spot. I cannot see how a bun could rub the hair beneath it enough to break it and rub it all off...

[Madora]

Is it ok to wear your hair in a bun every single day and only let it down to wash it? I was planning on wearing my hair in a bun on top of my head (as soon as it gets long enough to do it) but i read on a post (or twice i think) that wearing a bun in the same spot every day causes Occipital Alopecia. Does anyone have more info on that? Is that true? I know someone on this hair forum said they got long hair because they would wash their hair once a week and they would damp bun on top of their head and leave it in the same bun until the next wash. That's what i used to do as well because my hair used to get horribly tangled from switching bun styles. Thanks for any input you have and for just reading this i appreciate it!
Here's the link of where i found the Occipital Alopecia part, Dianyla wrote it: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=23813

Also, I think I may have suffered from traction alopecia. I wore individual braids with fake hair added onto my hair and i think the sections the braider did were too small so it pulled my hair out. I removed the braids after 2 weeks and my hair was way thinner than before. Will my hair grow back to it's original thickness or no? I got the braids in October of 2011 so it has been a while and my hair is barely looking thicker than before. It's not much thickness, but it's a start i guess. So will it grow back? Thanks again!

Wearing a bun in the same place every day, without taking it down, won't cause traction alopecia IF the hair in that bun is not pulled back tightly, and IF there is no ponytail holder used to hold the bun in place.

For the sake of your hair, however, you should take down your hair every day and detangle it gently (in the bent at the waist position if possible to aid in follicle stimulation). The other reason for taking down your hair is that leaving it up for an extended period of time (3 days or more) means that all your little nape hairs conspire to tangle and snarl in the worst possible way..and they are devils to untangle. I once left my hair up for a week (braided) and had the most ungodly time unsnarling/untangling those little nape hairs. It took 3 days and a lot of purple language (and owies) before things were back to normal.

Hair loss from braiding is usually due to the braids being pulled way to tightly (as is done in cornrowing). That tightness will eventually kill the hair follicles and traction alopecia can set in. If you catch the hair loss in time, then with plenty of patience (and perhaps intervention from a hair doctor) you can reverse the hair loss. Whether or not your hair will grow in as thick as it was BEFORE the hair loss is anyone's guess. Dr. Michael mentioned a traction alopecia case in his book...a lady who used a hairstick...in the same place, over a long period of time. That hairstick eroded her hair and created a bald spot. It took a long time and several treatments before her scalp returned to health.

If you are concerned about hair growing back, then perhaps daily scalp massage with your fingerpads, in the bent at the waist position, might help things along. Good luck, gthlvrmx!

[wilderwein]

I will add my own personal experience wich it doesnt mean that will happen to other people!
I was wearing my hair in a bun for an year and a half, letting them down only to wash them and detangle them! even tho they werent tight buns or something like that, I found one year later that I lost enough of the thicknes of my ponytail! I dont know if it will cause ocipital alopecia, but in my case i had a lot of hair loss! So my conclusion its to do all in good measure! keep them up but also try to let them some hours in its natural state wich is down....

[lunalocks]

Long ago I use to damp (or wet!) bun my hair with a scrunchie, then learned it caused breakage. Might depend on the weight of your hair, but I only use forks now, no more scrunchies for bunning, and I change my bun every day and usually several times a day.

[rowie]

Dude, I think it's a good idea that you are planning to wear your hair up everyday! I've been doing it the moment I could. Definitely, Madora has some good advice. I think it doesn't matter if you wear the same style everyday as long it is not too tight! Don't forget the finger test to see if your bun is tight. I've been wearing my hair in a low loose nautilus bun for three years now and in the same position, but always make sure my bun isn't tight or I'll redo it until I feel like there is no pulling in any area where traction can happen.

I do sleep with my hair up in a top knot every night. I make a cinnabun on the top of my head and secure it with a silicone elastic that is loose to hold the base and then I use a silk scrunchie to add more security since I'm a restless sleeper, and my hair doesn't get along with bobby pins. I think the top knot makes it easy on me in the morning because it saves me the trouble of moving my hair forward to the bent position because my hairs are already on the top of my head. I do use a satin pillow cover to help protect my hairs since I refuse to wear a silk bonnet. Also depending on your hair texture, if your hair is wavy with straight hairs than I could definitely recommend a bbb to clean and also stimulate your scalp everyday. I think the bbb and the techniques on how to use it that Madora helped me has greatly helped improved the quality of my hair. I don't use cones and I wash my hair only once a month. If your hair is curly than I'd take the wide tooth comb route and possibly a Tangle Teezer in place of a bbb only used to stimulate the scalp. I think if you stimulate the scalp daily it will help aid your roots to grow. That's just my own advice and what works for me, and hopefully you can find or modify a routine that will work with your own hair. Good luck! As a fellow dude, hit me up anytime!

[lapushka]

I wore this LWB style for about a year now. Constant bunning, 24/7, with only wash day when it's left down (half-up). So no, you're pretty safe, as *long*, I mean as *long* as you don't pull it tight. Rowie has a thread on bunning and states you should be able to put a finger in there, that's how loose.

[rowie]

Thanks lapushka for remembering that thread!:flower: I had forgot about it. :shocked:

[Panth]

I wore this LWB style for about a year now. Constant bunning, 24/7, with only wash day when it's left down (half-up). So no, you're pretty safe, as *long*, I mean as *long* as you don't pull it tight. Rowie has a thread on bunning and states you should be able to put a finger in there, that's how loose.

Ditto. I've been wearing a plaited cinnabun with spinpins nearly every day, in exactly the same spot, for over 3 years. I've got F and i/ii hair - very easily damaged. I've not had any problems from bunning. Indeed, quite the converse - daily bunning has taken me from a false terminal at just past TBL to reaching low knee and still going.

[rowie]

Ok I've been looking at my private albums and found a picture when I first started doing a top knot bun. I believe this was when my hair was "apl-ish" hair. I used to be able to just make a loose pony tail on top of my head and shape it into a ball. Now that my hair is at a longer length I can just do cinnabuns instead or any bun style for my top knot depending on how I secure it for the night these days. My gosh this was a blast from the past for me and brings memories I had at the shorter lengths since finding this pic. :lol: I hope this will give you some ideas for your current length that you can mod for your own hair and current length.

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

[gthlvrmx]

There's an entire thread dedicated to wearing your hair up every day.
It's a good thing.
Fake hair also has been known to be slightly damaging to preexisting locks.
What I would recommend is that you don't keep the SAME bun there, that you'd redo it every day, even if it's the same type of bun. Also the way that you're bunning your hair might cause slight damage - like if you use a hair tie instead of a scrunchie, claw, or hair fork/stick. :P
I normally braid my hair for sleep, detangle in the morning, and bun my hair for the day.
Hope this helps! Keeping your hair up protects it from damage and tangles, so it's definitely recommended - as long as you go about it the right way :P
Yes the fake hair really damaged my hair but I think it's better now since I went bald and got rid of all the damage I had. Doesn't the braid hurt your neck though? I couldn't sleep well with a braid i got a stiff neck after trying it for a few weeks.

Wow, those were some names that are a blast from the past!

Since I've never managed to put a bun in the exact same spot three days in a row, I'm not sure it's a great danger.
I'd think of you used the same couple of tools and a single style of bun, it could happen.

But something as simple as braiding at night binning in the day would be enough of a change in tension to minimize any effects.
Alright sounds like good advice thanks!

Ha! That *was* a blast from the past! Goodness.

I am sure there is damage possible by pulling hair too tight. But there is also genetics involved. I have receding hairline, but that's common in my family, so I'm not terribly concerned. if I thought it was my updo causing it I'd have to cut my hair short, because any bun loose enough will cause painful pulls here and there, and the hairstick/fork will fall out. But my hair in the normal go-to bun does not feel tight or pulling to me. If/when it does, I redo it. :)
Yeah I understand that tight hair styles can cause hair loss. I wouldn't want to repeat that experience again :P Quite a huge mistake for me.

Yes, cornrows can most definitely cause traction alopecia. Indeed, they are one of the most common causitive hairstyles. It's because:
- they are often put in far, far too tight (so that they'll stay neat, or because the braider is over-zealous - clue: your head should not hurt due to braids!)
- they are left in for weeks, not just a day or two
- the false hair added in means the braids are often very heavy and suspended from fewer hairs than if you made the same size braid from your own hair

However, unless you've repeatedly done exactly the same pattern of cornrows very tight and for quite some time (think: years), then the hair should grow back in time.

As for occipital alopecia, I think that notion is rubbish, tbh. The only thing I can find on occipital alopecia on the rest of the web is about it in newborns. Basically, because the baby is lying down all the time, and due to its head shape, the hair at the top of the skull is rubbed away forming a bald patch. It grows back. I very, very much doubt a bun would cause that. At least for me, I would take the bun down because it caused pain/headaches long before a bun managed to pull out clumps of my hair from its weight. That only leaves rubbing as a way to cause a bald spot. I cannot see how a bun could rub the hair beneath it enough to break it and rub it all off...
Yes that's exactly why i avoided getting cornrows! I was about to get them when i changed my mind! Alright so my hair should grow back then! Yay I'm so happy! Thank you for all the help! It didn't make sense to me either how a bun could cause hair loss unless it was tight :p

Wearing a bun in the same place every day, without taking it down, won't cause traction alopecia IF the hair in that bun is not pulled back tightly, and IF there is no ponytail holder used to hold the bun in place.

For the sake of your hair, however, you should take down your hair every day and detangle it gently (in the bent at the waist position if possible to aid in follicle stimulation). The other reason for taking down your hair is that leaving it up for an extended period of time (3 days or more) means that all your little nape hairs conspire to tangle and snarl in the worst possible way..and they are devils to untangle. I once left my hair up for a week (braided) and had the most ungodly time unsnarling/untangling those little nape hairs. It took 3 days and a lot of purple language (and owies) before things were back to normal.

Hair loss from braiding is usually due to the braids being pulled way to tightly (as is done in cornrowing). That tightness will eventually kill the hair follicles and traction alopecia can set in. If you catch the hair loss in time, then with plenty of patience (and perhaps intervention from a hair doctor) you can reverse the hair loss. Whether or not your hair will grow in as thick as it was BEFORE the hair loss is anyone's guess. Dr. Michael mentioned a traction alopecia case in his book...a lady who used a hairstick...in the same place, over a long period of time. That hairstick eroded her hair and created a bald spot. It took a long time and several treatments before her scalp returned to health.

If you are concerned about hair growing back, then perhaps daily scalp massage with your fingerpads, in the bent at the waist position, might help things along. Good luck, gthlvrmx!
The tangles were awful when i would try changing bun to bun! I really have to detangle much more carefully with my curly hair. It would just tangle with everything! I'll definately looking into scalp massages thank you!

I will add my own personal experience wich it doesnt mean that will happen to other people!
I was wearing my hair in a bun for an year and a half, letting them down only to wash them and detangle them! even tho they werent tight buns or something like that, I found one year later that I lost enough of the thicknes of my ponytail! I dont know if it will cause ocipital alopecia, but in my case i had a lot of hair loss! So my conclusion its to do all in good measure! keep them up but also try to let them some hours in its natural state wich is down....
I will give my hair a break as well then. Thank you for your response!

Long ago I use to damp (or wet!) bun my hair with a scrunchie, then learned it caused breakage. Might depend on the weight of your hair, but I only use forks now, no more scrunchies for bunning, and I change my bun every day and usually several times a day.
Damp bunning causes breakage? Maybe it's because hair is more weak when it's wet.

[gthlvrmx]

Dude, I think it's a good idea that you are planning to wear your hair up everyday! I've been doing it the moment I could. Definitely, Madora has some good advice. I think it doesn't matter if you wear the same style everyday as long it is not too tight! Don't forget the finger test to see if your bun is tight. I've been wearing my hair in a low loose nautilus bun for three years now and in the same position, but always make sure my bun isn't tight or I'll redo it until I feel like there is no pulling in any area where traction can happen.

I do sleep with my hair up in a top knot every night. I make a cinnabun on the top of my head and secure it with a silicone elastic that is loose to hold the base and then I use a silk scrunchie to add more security since I'm a restless sleeper, and my hair doesn't get along with bobby pins. I think the top knot makes it easy on me in the morning because it saves me the trouble of moving my hair forward to the bent position because my hairs are already on the top of my head. I do use a satin pillow cover to help protect my hairs since I refuse to wear a silk bonnet. Also depending on your hair texture, if your hair is wavy with straight hairs than I could definitely recommend a bbb to clean and also stimulate your scalp everyday. I think the bbb and the techniques on how to use it that Madora helped me has greatly helped improved the quality of my hair. I don't use cones and I wash my hair only once a month. If your hair is curly than I'd take the wide tooth comb route and possibly a Tangle Teezer in place of a bbb only used to stimulate the scalp. I think if you stimulate the scalp daily it will help aid your roots to grow. That's just my own advice and what works for me, and hopefully you can find or modify a routine that will work with your own hair. Good luck! As a fellow dude, hit me up anytime!
I'm glad bunning has helped you! I used to sleep with a bun on top of my head but I didn't want to take it down for a while because i liked wearing it up. Wearing a bun next to my nape while i slept causes me a stiff neck, it hurts in the morning. I'll look into scalp massages again since you suggested them. Thank you for your advice I greatly appreciate it!

I wore this LWB style for about a year now. Constant bunning, 24/7, with only wash day when it's left down (half-up). So no, you're pretty safe, as *long*, I mean as *long* as you don't pull it tight. Rowie has a thread on bunning and states you should be able to put a finger in there, that's how loose.
Thank you! LWB is such an awesome hair style to do I'll try it when my hair get's longer! I'm glad im safe then :p I'll make sure to bun more loosely.

Ditto. I've been wearing a plaited cinnabun with spinpins nearly every day, in exactly the same spot, for over 3 years. I've got F and i/ii hair - very easily damaged. I've not had any problems from bunning. Indeed, quite the converse - daily bunning has taken me from a false terminal at just past TBL to reaching low knee and still going.
Oh wow that's great results from bunning! Thanks for your response!

Ok I've been looking at my private albums and found a picture when I first started doing a top knot bun. I believe this was when my hair was "apl-ish" hair. I used to be able to just make a loose pony tail on top of my head and shape it into a ball. Now that my hair is at a longer length I can just do cinnabuns instead or any bun style for my top knot depending on how I secure it for the night these days. My gosh this was a blast from the past for me and brings memories I had at the shorter lengths since finding this pic. :lol: I hope this will give you some ideas for your current length that you can mod for your own hair and current length.

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

That is such a huge bun! And that was only at apl? That's awesome!

[lapushka]

Thanks lapushka for remembering that thread!:flower: I had forgot about it. :shocked:

No worries, Rowie! :) :D


Ditto. I've been wearing a plaited cinnabun with spinpins nearly every day, in exactly the same spot, for over 3 years. I've got F and i/ii hair - very easily damaged. I've not had any problems from bunning. Indeed, quite the converse - daily bunning has taken me from a false terminal at just past TBL to reaching low knee and still going.

WOW! Congrats, Panth! :)


Thank you! LWB is such an awesome hair style to do I'll try it when my hair get's longer! I'm glad im safe then :p I'll make sure to bun more loosely.

Yes, length and thickness is also important. I had to wait to bun until waist/hip, because I'm a iii, so I just wore it in a peacock twist all the way from APL to that length, until I could safely bun it without it pulling.

[Imalath]

I have to bun for work...the past year i have worn my hair in a pretty standard cinnabun during the day, and braided at night. There are entire weeks where I don't even comb my hair....just twist it and put up. I let my hair dry as long as possible before damp-bunning...if it is still drippy, I section it and wear two or three smaller buns so it will dry faster. As long as I am careful not to do it too tightly, my hair loss and breakage is pretty minimal. I am always pretty careful not to put my bun on the same part of my scalp for more than a few days in a row though

[gthlvrmx]

Yes, length and thickness is also important. I had to wait to bun until waist/hip, because I'm a iii, so I just wore it in a peacock twist all the way from APL to that length, until I could safely bun it without it pulling.
Oh ok wow you had to wait for quite some time! At what length can you start bunning hair if your hair is ii thickness? Does anyone know?

I have to bun for work...the past year i have worn my hair in a pretty standard cinnabun during the day, and braided at night. There are entire weeks where I don't even comb my hair....just twist it and put up. I let my hair dry as long as possible before damp-bunning...if it is still drippy, I section it and wear two or three smaller buns so it will dry faster. As long as I am careful not to do it too tightly, my hair loss and breakage is pretty minimal. I am always pretty careful not to put my bun on the same part of my scalp for more than a few days in a row though
Yeah then my method should work fine then! Thanks for your input!

[Madora]

Oh ok wow you had to for quite some time! At what length can you start bunning hair if your hair is ii thickness? Does anyone know?

Yeah then my method should work fine then! Thanks for your input!

Gthlvrmx, I don't think the thickness matters. It is the way you bun that makes the difference..i.e. not pulling the hair back tightly and not using ponytail holders if you can help it.

If you're just looking for a bun to get the hair up and out of the way (or a bun at night) then the bun on top of the head is a nice choice (doing it the inverted way is easy and doesn't put a lot of strain on the strands).

[gthlvrmx]

Gthlvrmx, I don't think the thickness matters. It is the way you bun that makes the difference..i.e. not pulling the hair back tightly and not using ponytail holders if you can help it.

If you're just looking for a bun to get the hair up and out of the way (or a bun at night) then the bun on top of the head is a nice choice (doing it the inverted way is easy and doesn't put a lot of strain on the strands).

Yeah I'm planning on just doing buns on top of my head. It's more comfortable for when I lay down and it doesn't give me neck problems when I'm sleeping. My psychiatrist jokes with me saying I look like a Sikh person when I wore my hair up on top of my head. He said he thought I was Indian or some other race/ethnicity, not hispanic. :P

[Panth]

Oh ok wow you had to wait for quite some time! At what length can you start bunning hair if your hair is ii thickness? Does anyone know?

iii thickness needs a certain amount of length to be able to bun (or at least, do a single, secure bun that stays put without sectioning). Think of a cinnabun - it's fairly insecure until you have enough length to make a single full circle. If you only have enough length to do a half circle, it'll be heavy on one side and liable to pull, tug, be uncomfortable and/or fall out. Thicker hair makes a bigger circle, thus you need a longer length to get a full circle. (Does that make sense? This would be easier with pictures... ^_^)

Anyway, point is, ii hair can usually be bunned from much shorter lengths. Even if you can't make a good, secure bun at your length, you can get around that by doing sectioned buns and/or pairs/trios of buns instead of a single one. Both of those things splits the hair up, essentially making it as if you have thinner hair. Thus, easier to get secure buns at a given length. You can also, as lapushka said, do peacock twists or other shorter-hair protective updos like ... uhm tucked french braids, or french twists, etc. The aim is a protective updo, not a bun per se. It's almost certain that you're going to have to use different updos as your hair gets longer anyway. All styles have a 'sweet spot' for length/thickness combo.

[roseomalley]

I have baby fine, thin hair. I damp bun all the time, secured with spin pins. Damp bunning has never caused damage to my hair bi
wash/condition my hair two times a week, oil the ends, and damp bun. I wear my hair in a bun on top of my head every night. During the day, I either bun (a bit lower), French braid or French twist. I do have a receding, thin hairline, but it is genetic.

[picklepie]

I have fine, curly HL hair, and since BSL have worn a LWB in the same spot on top of my head, secured with a hairstick. Day and night. Wet or dry. I almost never wear it down for more than an hour or so-- maybe once a month? No bald spots, no breakage. I also only detangle every few days (Denman brush) and have never used a BBB. I grew from buzz cut to HL in five years. Not bad!

[gthlvrmx]

iii thickness needs a certain amount of length to be able to bun (or at least, do a single, secure bun that stays put without sectioning). Think of a cinnabun - it's fairly insecure until you have enough length to make a single full circle. If you only have enough length to do a half circle, it'll be heavy on one side and liable to pull, tug, be uncomfortable and/or fall out. Thicker hair makes a bigger circle, thus you need a longer length to get a full circle. (Does that make sense? This would be easier with pictures... ^_^)

Anyway, point is, ii hair can usually be bunned from much shorter lengths. Even if you can't make a good, secure bun at your length, you can get around that by doing sectioned buns and/or pairs/trios of buns instead of a single one. Both of those things splits the hair up, essentially making it as if you have thinner hair. Thus, easier to get secure buns at a given length. You can also, as lapushka said, do peacock twists or other shorter-hair protective updos like ... uhm tucked french braids, or french twists, etc. The aim is a protective updo, not a bun per se. It's almost certain that you're going to have to use different updos as your hair gets longer anyway. All styles have a 'sweet spot' for length/thickness combo.
Thanks for the explanation it made a lot of sense to me! I'll be sure to try french twists later on!

I have baby fine, thin hair. I damp bun all the time, secured with spin pins. Damp bunning has never caused damage to my hair bi
wash/condition my hair two times a week, oil the ends, and damp bun. I wear my hair in a bun on top of my head every night. During the day, I either bun (a bit lower), French braid or French twist. I do have a receding, thin hairline, but it is genetic.
Those spin pins are really helpful! I'm glad the damp bunning works for you.

I have fine, curly HL hair, and since BSL have worn a LWB in the same spot on top of my head, secured with a hairstick. Day and night. Wet or dry. I almost never wear it down for more than an hour or so-- maybe once a month? No bald spots, no breakage. I also only detangle every few days (Denman brush) and have never used a BBB. I grew from buzz cut to HL in five years. Not bad!

Oh wow that is really fast growth! That gives me more hope! Thank you!

[lapushka]

Anyway, point is, ii hair can usually be bunned from much shorter lengths. Even if you can't make a good, secure bun at your length, you can get around that by doing sectioned buns and/or pairs/trios of buns instead of a single one. Both of those things splits the hair up, essentially making it as if you have thinner hair. Thus, easier to get secure buns at a given length. You can also, as lapushka said, do peacock twists or other shorter-hair protective updos like ... uhm tucked french braids, or french twists, etc. The aim is a protective updo, not a bun per se. It's almost certain that you're going to have to use different updos as your hair gets longer anyway. All styles have a 'sweet spot' for length/thickness combo.

Yes, it's inevitable that as you grow, you're going to need to be a little "inventive" where styles are concerned. If you can't do a bun yet, there's tons of neat styles that can be done to replace a bun.

I'm not sure at what point a bun becomes an option for ii's, maybe a ii can answer that question better than I can - and if so, it still depends. There are those on the verge of i and those on the verge of iii, so it can differ.