Brittle bun help

[rina06]

Hi everyone,

my hair is finally at a length that i can make a small bun however whenever I take my hair out of a bun my ends are dry and brittle and I was wondering if anyone has experienced this or knows what I could do to alleviate the issue? I dont have any splits (last cut was in december) and I've been babying my hair with moisture.

It makes me sad because I thought this would be good for my hair and instead my hair feel horrible :(

[wilderwein]

I just overload my hair with a cone serum (you can chose a oil tho too) couse I have the exact same problem at my hair ends, and I make sure that my hair are very well detangled before I put them up. When I get them down they feel silky

[noreenw]

I have this problem too! A lot of the time when I take them down they're dry and full of kinks... I thought I was protecting them :(

[laceyfairy]

Maybe you need protein?

[rina06]

Maybe you need protein?

I've thought about that, but I've been pre pooing with coconut oil 1-2 times a week. Perhaps I should leave a tiny bit in at the ends while wearing it in this style?
I was so excited at finally being able to do a (puny) one. I've been enviously lurking the bun thread since I got here :P

[lazuliblue]

I've thought about that, but I've been pre pooing with coconut oil 1-2 times a week. Perhaps I should leave a tiny bit in at the ends while wearing it in this style?
I was so excited at finally being able to do a (puny) one. I've been enviously lurking the bun thread since I got here :P

Could it be that you are using too much coconut oil? I know some people try it but their hair simply doesn't like it.

[laceyfairy]

Coconut oiling the ends might help but it does make ends crunchy for some people

[rags]

Your hair might not like the coconut oil that often. Have you tried simly spritz ing the ends with water before you put them up? Or water and a TINY bit of leave in?

[rina06]

my hair seems to like coconut oil, until i try to bun it after it has been washed from my hair. Peacock twist, left down or in a ponytail and it is fine :confused:
is there anything that is absorbing and moisturising that i could use on the ends as a substitute in these cases?

Also, thank you all for your replies. I am at a loss on what my hair wants right now

[Anje]

Little dab of conditioner (maybe diluted or on damp ends) might fix it right up.

How are you securing your puny bun? I know elastics are easy, but they tend to make my ends unhappy. If you can pin it in place or use a clip or hairslide, you might get better luck.

[lunalocks]

i rub a drop of baby oil on my hands and then through the length and ends before bunning. Coconut oil and conditioner do not work for me.

[meteor]

I agree with all the oiling and conditioning advice. Try to spritz your hair with a bit of water and then spread a couple drops of some sealing oil, like mineral oil, or coney serum - that should keep ends really moisturized.

But I don't understand why hair would be drier from being bunned vs. loose and exposed to sun, wind and other elements. :hmm:
Can you please share with us how exactly you put hair up and secure it? Maybe that would help us find answers. :)

[meteor]

I have this problem too! A lot of the time when I take them down they're dry and full of kinks... I thought I was protecting them :(

Kinking is normal: hair takes certain shape when it's kept in a certain position. The same process kicks in when we style hair by braiding it or roller-setting it. I wouldn't worry about it. But if the kinking bothers you, re-wet or dampen the hair and let it dry in shape you like.

I just thought of something about the dry bun thing... maybe if the relative humidity is high, the canopy hair is more exposed to it than the hair that's hidden inside a bun. So in humid environments that hair underneath can actually feel drier than canopy hair?
Where I live, it's almost always really dry, so hiding hair in a bun actually helps prevent moisture loss and that hair stays more moisturized for longer. :shrug:

[endlessly]

I'm one of those few people who absolutely loved coconut oil, but had to come to the harsh realization that my hair hated it. I then tried to substitute olive oil, which my hair absolutely loved, but I've since been using a product from Lush containing several different oils and shea butter and in all honesty, my hair would gobble it up if it could.

Whenever I used to bun my hair, I noticed the same issue you've started experiencing and the only way for me to solve it at the time was to coat it with oil, which of course lead to more problems than it solved. Now, whenever I put my hair up, I always use a bit of my leave-in conditioner since that seems to absorb into my hair so much better and voila, no more dry ends.

Hopefully you'll find a method that works for you, but otherwise just be proud that you're finally able to bun your hair, it's a pretty huge accomplishment here!

[-Fern]

My ends get damaged and crunchy from my aggressive use of elastics... but in some work contexts, I have to have a sleek, perfect bun, and that is the opposite of what my hair wants to do! Silicone hair ties are the worst offenders (but the best at keeping strays tucked in... sigh...), and hair elastics made out of hosiery are the gentlest.

[lapushka]

I never have that issue, but my hair gets overloaded (almost) with moisture during its wash day. The rest of the week it goes into a bun. Ever since starting esp. the rinse-out oil method, my ends have been nicely soft. Link to the method is in my signature!

[rina06]

thank you for your help guys. I've been tying it loosely with an elastic without any metal to snag the hair, my hair is too fine and not quite thick enough to use a scrunchie like I usually do for ponytails. I'd use a hair stick but there'd be more stick than hair at this point :p

[meteor]

^ Hmm, if sticks and scrunchies don't work for you, how about claw-clips? They are very hair-friendly. :) It's just that elastics can be somewhat damaging, depending on how exactly you use them.