Two questions: the sun, and sports.

[rosieolie]

Hello!

This is my first post. I've been a lurker since I started actively trying to grow my hair out, about three years ago. I started out just above chin length, and now I'm slowly creeping up on tailbone. I'd say I'm right in the middle as far as thickness goes, and have about 30% fine, 70% coarse hair. I rarely use heat, stopped dying two years ago, and have only done a few microtrims to clean up my ends. I do have some leftover damage, but it's not very noticable and it doesn't seem to be breaking at all, thankfully. From this, I am assuming that my hair can take a bit of wear and tear, but I don't want to push it. So I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping you can help me answer.

My first question. I play sports, almost on a daily basis. Unfortunately I've found that the only hairstyles that work for me are ponytails, french/dutch braids, and braided ponytails. This has worked for me so far, but I am afraid that if I want to grow my hair out beyond TBL with these styles. The combination of basically having my hair out (especially in the pony) and moving around constantly is probably going to be more damaging the longer my hair gets.

I really want to be able to put my hair in a bun while I play, but this has proven to be very difficult. One, it's painful, because will all of the running and jumping, my scalp can't really handle the weight and movement of the bun. Two, I can't get anything to stay put, no matter what I use. I've tried covered ponytail holders, spin pins, Eaduard sticks, and both small and large bobby pins. The buns I've tried are cinnabun, disc bun, lazy wrap bun, and a sock bun. Those are the only ones I know how to do currently, but I'm definitely open to trying out anything new.

Second question, how damaging is the sun on my hair in the long term? I live in the Pacific Northwest and we're getting some nice, warm weather here. Close to the 90s, and very sunny. I love the feeling of the warm sun on my head (unless my scalp feels like it's burning or I'm doing yardwork, then I put a baseball cap on). Is this going to damage my hair significantly? I don't mind the lightening in color that I get from it. I just wonder if it's going to end up causing a lot of breakage down the line.

TL;DR

1. Can you suggest a bun fit for the gym that won't hurt my head or come undone?

2. The sun, should I avoid it completely, or enjoy the rays?

Thank you!!

[Laurenji]

Since I have fine, straight, slippery hair, I have not been able to find a bun that suits me for sports, and this is more true the longer that it gets. My go-to has been a crown braid secured with hair pins or Amish pins. I especially find that if I make a crown lace braid (as in, only adding hair from the outside edge and not to the inside edge of the braid) it makes a nice little pocket that I can tuck the excess braid into and pin it down very securely.

Another style you could try is Heidi braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VcYTvknrVw), where you braid your hair into two braids, then cross them up across the front/top of your head and pin them. Yet another option could be interlaced dutch braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zA37CREatY) or Amish Braids (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=30688). Amish Braids seem to be especially nice for extremely long hair when it gets nearly impossible to French or Dutch braid it without all the ends tangling.

As far as the sun goes, it really depends on your hair and the length you are shooting for. If you have extremely fine hair, or are planning on shooting for classic length or longer, I would wear something like a bandana or a hat to protect your hair from the sun. If not, as long as you're gentle to your hair and moisturize it regularly, some sun exposure is probably fine.

[Anje]

I'm not all that athletic, but I've contemplated this in a "what if I played soccer" sort of way. Probably because of the Women's World Cup... (When I played as a kid, we weren't allowed so much as a hair tie with a metal crimp on it. So I was surprised to see bobby pins!)

My conclusions were that I'd either end up folding my braid back on itself, or doing some sort of bun or braid wrapped around the head. With all of those, I think I'd do something like "hair taping" to hold it, which involves sewing a long ribbon through the hair to hold it all in place. Nothing hard and it should hold firm if done right. :D

As for sun exposure, I tend to wear brimmed hats. After the hubby had a skin cancer on his (still quite hairy) scalp, we decided that it was safer to keep the noggins shielded. Past experience is that my scalp can and will burn through my hair, not just along my part, so sun protection is essential. My hair probably benefits from this, but I don't have a lot of experienced with badly sun-fried hair simply because the rest of me can't take it.

[rosieolie]

Thank you Laurenji and Anje for your help!

It seems like both of your suggestions about athletic styles have much to do with evening out the weight distribution...That's probably why lose braids feel best to me, the weight is nice and spread out. I think I will attempt a crown lace braid, and possibly some hair taping. I've tried a crown braid before but it usually looks a little wonky, as I haven't gained the muscle memory in my hands for it quite yet. I've never tried hair taping though. I will have to do some YouTube research and practice. Wish me luck! :)

I hadn't even thought about skin cancer occuring on the scalp. I'm sorry you and your husband had to go through that. But, thank you for your input, because now I feel like it's a no-brainer for me to cover my scalp when outside for long periods of time. Off to look for a cute bandana!

[stachelbeere]

spin pins are the absolute worst!!! I had the worst run ever because of them quiet recently. But let me tell you about my holy grail hair do while running and the items. What really works for me is an Elling bun fastened with smallish claw clips (it really depends how big your bun is) - and I actually think that claw clips are key here. When I was running and I used spin pins the bun started to sag and was very uncomfortable. (I had to hide my spin pins in the park where I run :/) That never happens with claw clips.

The again my hair is MBL long and it's also medium thickness, sooo yeah... not quiet at TBL yet.

[pili]

Thank you Laurenji and Anje for your help!

It seems like both of your suggestions about athletic styles have much to do with evening out the weight distribution...That's probably why lose braids feel best to me, the weight is nice and spread out. I think I will attempt a crown lace braid, and possibly some hair taping. I've tried a crown braid before but it usually looks a little wonky, as I haven't gained the muscle memory in my hands for it quite yet. I've never tried hair taping though. I will have to do some YouTube research and practice. Wish me luck! :)

I hadn't even thought about skin cancer occuring on the scalp. I'm sorry you and your husband had to go through that. But, thank you for your input, because now I feel like it's a no-brainer for me to cover my scalp when outside for long periods of time. Off to look for a cute bandana!

If a loose braid works best, how about braid, double it under and band it together with hair ties. It would be half it's normal braid length that way. I do think wrapping them around your head would work well too.

[rosieolie]

spin pins are the absolute worst!!! I had the worst run ever because of them quiet recently. But let me tell you about my holy grail hair do while running and the items. What really works for me is an Elling bun fastened with smallish claw clips (it really depends how big your bun is) - and I actually think that claw clips are key here. When I was running and I used spin pins the bun started to sag and was very uncomfortable. (I had to hide my spin pins in the park where I run :/) That never happens with claw clips.

The again my hair is MBL long and it's also medium thickness, sooo yeah... not quiet at TBL yet.

Right?! I used to love them, when my hair was shorter. But only on during times that didn't involve a whole lot of movement. Really nice for fancy updos, but terrible for running/sports. Ouch. I'm only past hip length, I should have phrased that better. My goal is TBL. Got a couple months to go, I think. Still though, it seems like lately I'm really noticing the weight of hair when I'm trying to be active. I have never tried claw clips...Maybe a big one (or two) would work better for my length. Definitely sounds more comfortable than spin pins or a stick. Thank you for the tips!

[rosieolie]

If a loose braid works best, how about braid, double it under and band it together with hair ties. It would be half it's normal braid length that way. I do think wrapping them around your head would work well too.

My mom tried helping me do this! I think it's a good idea, but last time we tried it, the braid kept coming out of the second band and just turning back into a regular braid. Maybe if could find a better fitting band? Hm...

[pili]

My mom tried helping me do this! I think it's a good idea, but last time we tried it, the braid kept coming out of the second band and just turning back into a regular braid. Maybe if could find a better fitting band? Hm...

Ah, the joys of having iii thickness!

[rosieolie]

Ah, the joys of having iii thickness!

And the all too familiar snapping sound of a broken ponytail holder...

[stachelbeere]

Right?! I used to love them, when my hair was shorter. But only on during times that didn't involve a whole lot of movement. Really nice for fancy updos, but terrible for running/sports. Ouch. I'm only past hip length, I should have phrased that better. My goal is TBL. Got a couple months to go, I think. Still though, it seems like lately I'm really noticing the weight of hair when I'm trying to be active. I have never tried claw clips...Maybe a big one (or two) would work better for my length. Definitely sounds more comfortable than spin pins or a stick. Thank you for the tips!

haha - I didn't have spin pins when my hair was shorter - I would be running with a tucked french braid or a dutch braid, held with amish pins and it was alright :)

claw clips distribute the weight of the bun really well and the clips have to be attached at the edges - since it's night time now I can't really take a good picture but here (http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img29/1992/dscf9002d.jpg) is one from google of how the clips are placed. I hope we'll be able to solve your problems here :D

PS: about the sun damage. My solution is running shortly after sunset...

[Anje]

My mom tried helping me do this! I think it's a good idea, but last time we tried it, the braid kept coming out of the second band and just turning back into a regular braid. Maybe if could find a better fitting band? Hm...

See, I'm picturing doing this, but with a length of ribbon or cord instead, wrapped in Xs all the way down the doubled braid.

Um, like this (http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/nyoAAOSwrklVXMvG/$_57.JPG), but around a braid that's folded in half.

[rosieolie]

claw clips distribute the weight of the bun really well and the clips have to be attached at the edges - since it's night time now I can't really take a good picture but here (http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img29/1992/dscf9002d.jpg) is one from google of how the clips are placed.

Ohhh, I get them now. That actually looks pretty comfortable...Definitely going to buy some as soon as possible. It looks like it holds well.

[rosieolie]

See, I'm picturing doing this, but with a length of ribbon or cord instead, wrapped in Xs all the way down the doubled braid.

Um, like this (http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/nyoAAOSwrklVXMvG/$_57.JPG), but around a braid that's folded in half.

Whoa, that is gorgeous! And it would definitely keep the braid folded, rather than just depending on the single band. Thank you!!

[meteor]

For really active sports updos often don't hold. If you've tried Amish braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ms8ODU42k), Interlaced braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG4MTltnX7M), Ellingwoman Braided bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL2jGJvMBI4), Pan's comfortable work updo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9W-kbWPSfQ), woven crown (https://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/luana-braids-woven-crown-variation/), crown braid and hairtaping braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8), and nothing worked because the hair is too slippery, then try knotting a Dutch/French braid a few times - just to shorten the braid. The knot won't hold on its own, you'll need to use some pinning or claw-clips, but this ultimately shortens the braid and holds much better than updos. Also, check out "plaitception" technique to shorten the braid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTnA0EvueCM

For the sun, any buff/hat/scarf will do - anything that stays put, preferably made with material with UPF protection and silky on the inside.

[rosieolie]

meteor,

Thank you for the tips and links! I like all of these and I have yet to try any of them. Needless to say I'm excited to experiment! I like the idea of shortening the braid. The main problem I have with braids is that the underside of them rubs my back constantly while playing sports and I end up with tangles. So that's why I was hoping for a bun, initially. But shortening the braid seems like it would to the trick, and still give me that even distribution that I like. I'm going to try it tomorrow!

[Nique1202]

A couple of times this year I've done Heidi braids, except my hair is thick enough to hold them with spin pins which feel much more secure than little bobby pins. I fasten the braids with elastics, flop them over my head, and start with one spin pin up top in the middle, grabbing both braids and some scalp hair to hold them together and up. Then on either side, where the braid from the opposite side ends, I tuck the elastic and tassel under, put the spin pin in at a bit of an angle to catch the elastic underneath through the top braid, and then grab some scalp hair as I screw it in further, keeping it inside the braids as much as possible. I've had this style hold for 4 days, totally comfortably, with only a few tufts sticking out from my layers.

If you do want to try spin pins again for buns, there are a few tricks I could recommend. Mostly, don't overlap the pins, but do make sure to grab some scalp hair with at least one of them, preferably all of them. When I use only two spin pins, I put them in parallel to each other as far apart as the size of my bun will allow so they don't stick out the other side. When I use three spin pins (which is how I usually do) I basically make a triangle with them inside my bun. This helps to distribute the weight over a larger area of scalp, and the corkscrew of the spin pin can keep more hair secure inside itself and keep the structure of the bun stable.