Headbanging as styling method - double crown begone!

[Arctic]

Lol this is a bit silly, and I can't really say what sparked me, an almost 40 years old person to even try this or why... lol! But I certainly didn't imagine this kind of results.

So, I have strong whorls/cowlicks (what is called double crown) at the crown of my head and they are a bane of my hair existence. They usually need lot of work to dry in the direction I want them to, and then stay there.

Recently I tried, for mysterious reasons I am not really aware, to headbang my wet hair, several times while it dried. No idea what I expected, but it was fun and made my hair dry quicker. The next day I noticed my crown area looked mighty fine, rejoiced and sang praises to universe and hair gods, but didn't connect it with the headbanging; I moreso thought it was possibly a change of shampoo or something.

But now after some testing, I think it's the headbanging. Somehow it makes my hairs resist the natural growth pattern of the cowlicks and dry in a uniform direction from front to back. I still can't believe the results and am afraid this stops working, lol!

So here's what I do. Wash, condition and put leave in on sopping wet hair like I normally do. Dry 5-ish minutes under t-shirt turban, like I always do. Comb with wide tooth comb, like I always do. Then, when it's still very wet, I headbang a moment. I have never timed myself, but possibly 30 seconds or so. I can feel how my hair becomes more "airy" and less wet, as the strands stop sticking to eachother. I repeat the same during the time I do my post-shower beauty routine, maybe 3, max. 4 times, the later times being much shorter than the first was. Then I go to sleep with my hair down, I sort of stretch it straight on my pillow behind my head. I don't know how critical step this is, but I imagine it might have something to do with the results too, as the hairs will be all alligned. (Note my hair is not yet APL and isn't thick, and at this point it's not very wet anymore, more damp. The headbanging reduced the drying time by a LOT.) When I wake up in the morning, even though I am a restless sleeper, my hair has been really beautiful with this method, but best of all, the cowlick area at the crown has been almost magically vanished! It looks like a normal head of hair, lol! I am extatic and like I said, almost fearing this stops working, but I've been testing this for maybe few weeks now, with different shampoos and with and without headbanging and headbanging only once versus more times, doing it on very wet hair or waiting till hair ihas dried a bit... and the method I described above seems to work every time!

Anyone else noticed the same effect? Anyone suffering from crown cowlicks wanting to test this?


PS. I'm sure headbanging doesn't suit everybody, so please only try if you are sure you won't get dizzy or snap your back! :flower:

[Knifegill]

A gentle front to back, then side-to-side flipping does nice things to my hair. Similar idea, I think. Every thing sort of sorts itself.

[Arctic]

Cool, Knifegill, I'll have to try a more toned down version of this too! How do your curls like the flipping? I feel the headbanging doesn't encourage my waves.

[Horrorpops]

Hahahahahaha Arctic this is the best!! Now I have a reason to dance and flip my hair around after a shower (not that I really needed one before :o )

I don't really have cowslicks anymore but I am still curious to give it a go. Mainly cause it sounds fun! :applause:rockerdud:cheer:

[cathair]

You're Finnish and it took you 40 years to getting round to trying head banging? :D Sounds like fun if nothing else, might give it a try :)

[truepeacenik]

Hippie jam band dancing will encourage waves.
And get you beaten up near headbangers.

My kid has a hard time when I show up... I cast doubt upon her metal cred.

[missrandie]

I always flip my head upside down in one violent motion, then swing my head and hair in a figure 8 motion. That has always helped drying and given me more root volume.

Happy headbanging!

[lapushka]

I'm usually careful with my head as I have Ménière's on top of the disabling CRPS, so no... no headbanging for me. ;)

[Beborani]

I have double crown and if I looked at the back of my head when my hair was sparse I would never have left my house! Anyway now I have more hair but it still needs adjustments. i can't headbang with my length but I do flip my head over for a bit while drying the curls and scrunch. But whatever I do my hair want to part horizontally from one crown to the the other--i use this to my advantage sometimes by creating faux bang or place my bun right there or just pretend not to notice!

[browneyedsusan]

Okay.
I'm almost 50, and now I HAVE to try it! :) lol!

[nakima]

I dried my hair like that for years and my sister still does I'm in my 50's and shes almost 60. I stopped doing it many years ago because someone told me I was damaging the ends from all that whipping lol! but hey if it works and your happy with it... :brickwall close as i come to finding a head banger hahaha!

[browneyedsusan]

Wowser, does this method work WELL!

I tried it this morning, and it dried my WL hair super fast, and made it look great! I did have to move out of the bathroom to headbang, as I didn't want to damage the ends by slamming them against the walls and bathroom fixtures! lol!

Thanks so much for sharing your unconventional method, Arctic! It's a keeper!

[Arctic]

Thanks everyone for the comments!!!! :beerchug:


Hahahahahaha Arctic this is the best!! Now I have a reason to dance and flip my hair around after a shower (not that I really needed one before)

I don't really have cowslicks anymore but I am still curious to give it a go. Mainly cause it sounds fun! :applause:rockerdud:cheer:

Tee hee! Yeah putting on some music would make this even more fun! I hope the neighbours aren't watching though, ha ha! Let us know how it works for you!



You're Finnish and it took you 40 years to getting round to trying head banging? :D Sounds like fun if nothing else, might give it a try

LOL, this was The Best Comment Ever! :applause Ahem, this might not have been the firt time ever that I headbanged :whistle: I have some fuzzy memories from my wild, distant youth, from rock festivals, where I might or might not have been taken part of the mass head banging... :eyebrows: BUt I think it was first time with wet hair, lol! Hmm, maybe that is the secret of why many metal heads have great hair???



I always flip my head upside down in one violent motion, then swing my head and hair in a figure 8 motion. That has always helped drying and given me more root volume.

Happy headbanging!

I bet having some extra root volume is one of the resons this works for my double crown; the hairs aren't glued to my head. The swinging really makes a big difference on the drying time!



I have double crown and if I looked at the back of my head when my hair was sparse I would never have left my house! Anyway now I have more hair but it still needs adjustments. i can't headbang with my length but I do flip my head over for a bit while drying the curls and scrunch. But whatever I do my hair want to part horizontally from one crown to the the other--i use this to my advantage sometimes by creating faux bang or place my bun right there or just pretend not to notice!

Always good to read how other's deal with their double crown! I've heared in some cultures it's considered to be a sign of intelligence, so maybe it's not so bad after all! He he!



Okay.
I'm almost 50, and now I HAVE to try it! lol!

Yay!


Wowser, does this method work WELL!

I tried it this morning, and it dried my WL hair super fast, and made it look great! I did have to move out of the bathroom to headbang, as I didn't want to damage the ends by slamming them against the walls and bathroom fixtures! lol!

Thanks so much for sharing your unconventional method, Arctic! It's a keeper!

:cheer: This is GREAT! I'm so glad you tried it too and liked it! Now we can start a support group for Adult Headbangers Anonymous! LOL!



I dried my hair like that for years and my sister still does I'm in my 50's and shes almost 60. I stopped doing it many years ago because someone told me I was damaging the ends from all that whipping lol! but hey if it works and your happy with it...

How cool! :hifive:I can see how on very long hair this might be damaging, if the hair is long wnough to hit floor or furniture etc. BUt I personally don't think it feels damaging to me, the hairs stay somehow alligned, there is not tangling, it cuts the drying time and cut the need for me to use other styling methods on my crown. Did you or your sister ever notice it being damaging on a long term?

[school of fish]

I do this too as part of my drying routine! Speeds up the dry-time significantly, aligns the strands, creates root volume, it's all good :)

For those of you familiar with any of the Arabic dance forms, I do some of the khaleeji hair moves as my technique to get the excess water out :)

[cathair]

LOL, this was The Best Comment Ever! :applause Ahem, this might not have been the firt time ever that I headbanged :whistle: I have some fuzzy memories from my wild, distant youth, from rock festivals, where I might or might not have been taken part of the mass head banging... :eyebrows: BUt I think it was first time with wet hair, lol! Hmm, maybe that is the secret of why many metal heads have great hair???


:D I was hoping there was some headbanging in your (possibly misspent) youth at least :D It could well be why metal hands have such great hair, I like that theory! And oh my, are there some heads of hair in Finland! :)

Hehehe, Finnish metal was one of the things that started me on my hair growing journey. I got extensions right after Tuska festival one year, which lead me to growing my own :) So Finland, headbanging, metal and hair all go together in my mind :D

[meteor]

Great stuff, Arctic! :thumbsup: I LOVED headbanging my hair when I was a kid. It's incredibly effective for drying hair much faster! :thumbsup: I wish I could do this now, too, but I think after a certain length it becomes harder on the neck and less practical: hitting furniture and everything in sight and hello, tangles! :lol: It's very satisfying though, and gives massive root volume! :D With all the blood circulation going on, I like to think of it as a fun variation on the "inversion method", too. :lol:

[cathair]

LOL Meteor, hitting furniture :D I had a little headbang earlier inspired by this thread and immediately caught my hair on the ceiling light :/ Well that's a hair first!

Was totally impractical to have down at the last gig I went to too, got wrapped round mine and everyone else's arms :( Still don't think mine looks 'in a metal band' long, but perhaps there's a reason why they can have such long hair. They have more space to swing it on stage :D

[RavennaNight]

:rockerdud: I'm totally trying this tomorrow when I wash! I never tried headbanging as a drying method. Now, which music will I use :ponder:

[Parisian Dozen]

(insert obligatory Finnish power-metal reference here)

I'm gonna have to try this out next morning, but part of me wonders what possessed you to start swinging your head around. Maybe it's just some instinct Finn's have adapted to after centuries of glorious manes.

[Nadine <3]

I tried this yesterday and seriously made my mom angry. I got dribbles of water on EVERYTHING in the room and sent 3 cats flying...woops.

[RavennaNight]

I tried this yesterday and seriously made my mom angry. I got dribbles of water on EVERYTHING in the room and sent 3 cats flying...woops.

:lol: I can see my cat getting annoyed at me.

[Dragonwings]

Oh I just have to try this the next time I was my hair. XD Sounds ridiculously fun. Yay for metal! :D

[Quahatundightu]

I am cracking up reading this thread. I have never headbanged with the sole purpose of drying my hair although I have flipped it over to give the roots some lift. With some appropriate musical accompaniment one could really get going! I always like how my hair looks after going to a concert, the combination of humidity and movement seems to encourage curls and volume in my case. So perhaps this method on damp hair will be similar :)

[Inga-Marjukka]

I used to do loads and loads of headbanging when I was younger and always ended up with my neck sore for days. :rockerdud: Anyway, I tried some headbanging today to air dry my hair and it was like magic. Super quick! :D

[cat11]

Lol I have been doing this for a long time. Since I got to bsl I stopped but I still shake my head more carefully to separate the strands and get it aligned. I also like metal and have a history of doing it anyway... When my hair was short for years if just shake it dry.

[spidermom]

I often whip my hair around while drying, too. It does get things flowing together.

[Zesty]

My college roommate and I both did this after washing, but when my hair got to a certain length I was concerned about tangles and the altered habits stuck after my chop. Now I flip my head over while holding the ends up and fluff my roots, which gives similar results for me. It is less entertaining though.

We need a headbanging emoticon... :eyebrows:

[papayatree]

I used to do loads and loads of headbanging when I was younger and always ended up with my neck sore for days. :rockerdud: Anyway, I tried some headbanging today to air dry my hair and it was like magic. Super quick! :D

I do this Every day in the shower to music, and after o shower, and it dries much faster than it would air drying. :rockerdud:

[Arctic]

I've been continuing doing this too after every wash, it's so quick to do and cuts down drying time by a lot, and helps with my cowlicks :thumbsup:

[lapushka]

I do something similar (just not with my head) when my hair comes out of the turbie towel. It comes out upside-down and then I shake my hair at the roots upside down until it "comes loose" (it's been in a towel) and can be combed out.

[yogagirl]

Yessss! So glad others do this too! I've been head banging after hair washing for a few years. I've had to tweak my technique a bit, no side to side (that's how I tweak my neck), just a few down to up swings, and I hold on cause I get dizzy after a few :o

I've stopped doing it since I started trying to enhance my waves and I found the head banging pulls out waves. But if I want to wear my hair straight, I head bang every time :) I'm not even sure how I first figured this out.

[Mimha]

Oh la la, ladies !! :bigeyes: :scared:

I have been headbanging my hair FOR YEARS in order to help dry out more quickly. I have been doing this until I was between TBL and classic length... and I've got A LOT of damage because of that ! It's the best way to kill your ends !! When the hair slaps the air, it makes like a whiplash : the whole hair undergoes a very abrupt tension that can be really damaging its structure, especially at the end, where the pressure is at its maximum when it "slams". :whip:

So unless I am aiming at getting an express fairytailing, I will never ever do this again ! :run:

[meteor]

Oh la la, ladies !! :bigeyes: :scared:

I have been headbanging my hair FOR YEARS in order to help dry out more quickly. I have been doing this until I was between TBL and classic length... and I've got A LOT of damage because of that ! It's the best way to kill your ends !! When the hair slaps the air, it makes like a whiplash : the whole hair undergoes a very abrupt tension that can be really damaging its structure, especially at the end, where the pressure is at its maximum when it "slams". :whip:

So unless I am aiming at getting an express fairytailing, I will never ever do this again ! :run:

Hmm, actually, that does make sense, especially when those ends are all wet and heavy. :agree:
So is there anything that you prefer to do now instead of headbanging, in order to speed up the drying process? :)

[Mimha]

Hmm, actually, that does make sense, especially when those ends are all wet and heavy. :agree:
So is there anything that you prefer to do now instead of headbanging, in order to speed up the drying process? :)

Unfortunately I don't have a better option than let it long enough in a turby towel after I wash it :shrug:. I don't shake my head/hair anymore, also because I have balance trouble et neck pain. So whatever, it's not good to shake your head violently, also for the brain, if not for the hair^^. I have become much more acceptant of my limits, and I just let the things take their time. If my hair needs half a day to dry, it will take half a day. I always wash my hair in the evening if it's during the week anyway, so it has all the night.

Actually, after I wash my hair I gently press it in my hands (not pulling, not rubbing nor twisting), then I roll it up in a cotton towel and proceed with another task such as cleaning the bathroom, cut my nails, do some epilation or whatever takes between 10 to 20 minutes. Then I gently detangle with a horn comb, and I roll my hair up again in another dry towel for 10 to 20 more minutes, usually devoted to cook my diner. Then I rapidly finger comb to "unpack it" and let it air dry at room temperature, which is enough for me to get substantially dry hair after one or two hours with no problem to sleep on it. (I keep blow-drying for the absolute urgency winter cases only, if I have to get out or if I am sick).

So well... no other fun suggestion, sorry ! :laugh:

[Mimha]

Oups, I forgot to add a remark : what made me realize to which extend headbanging my hair was bad is when I once saw a flag completely torn by the wind. I realized that the simple fact of whipping in the wind was enough to finally destroy the tougher cloth. Of course, weathering (rain, UV-sun, etc.) was also responsible of the damages, but we can compare this to frequent shampoo and beach weathering on hair too. Weathering leads to fairytailing. Weathering is a natural process, and I'm looking forward to enjoying natural fairytailed ends, but... as late as possible ! So for the moment I prefer to spare my hair until it will fairytail by itself. :)

[vpatt]

I had not heard of this. It sounds interesting.....but I have a head cold right now and I think it might hurt.

[meteor]

Unfortunately I don't have a better option than let it long enough in a turby towel after I wash it :shrug:. I don't shake my head/hair anymore, also because I have balance trouble et neck pain. So whatever, it's not good to shake your head violently, also for the brain, if not for the hair^^. I have become much more acceptant of my limits, and I just let the things take their time. If my hair needs half a day to dry, it will take half a day. I always wash my hair in the evening if it's during the week anyway, so it has all the night.

Actually, after I wash my hair I gently press it in my hands (not pulling, not rubbing nor twisting), then I roll it up in a cotton towel and proceed with another task such as cleaning the bathroom, cut my nails, do some epilation or whatever takes between 10 to 20 minutes. Then I gently detangle with a horn comb, and I roll my hair up again in another dry towel for 10 to 20 more minutes, usually devoted to cook my diner. Then I rapidly finger comb to "unpack it" and let it air dry at room temperature, which is enough for me to get substantially dry hair after one or two hours with no problem to sleep on it. (I keep blow-drying for the absolute urgency winter cases only, if I have to get out or if I am sick).

So well... no other fun suggestion, sorry ! :laugh:


Oups, I forgot to add a remark : what made me realize to which extend headbanging my hair was bad is when I once saw a flag completely torn by the wind. I realized that the simple fact of whipping in the wind was enough to finally destroy the tougher cloth. Of course, weathering (rain, UV-sun, etc.) was also responsible of the damages, but we can compare this to frequent shampoo and beach weathering on hair too. Weathering leads to fairytailing. Weathering is a natural process, and I'm looking forward to enjoying natural fairytailed ends, but... as late as possible ! So for the moment I prefer to spare my hair until it will fairytail by itself. :)

Thanks a lot, Mimha! :flowers: That's great and very sensible info! Thank you! :D

[Groovy Granny]

I believe it is best if I pass on this method; my arthritic neck and fragile silver will thank me for it :agree: :wink:

[lapushka]

I believe it is best if I pass on this method; my arthritic neck and fragile silver will thank me for it :agree: :wink:

GG, as I mentioned upthread. The same thing can be achieved by putting your head down, and by taking your hands to "shake out the roots". I do this when my hair comes out of a towel and is basically stuck together.

[Arctic]

GG, as I mentioned upthread. The same thing can be achieved by putting your head down, and by taking your hands to "shake out the roots". I do this when my hair comes out of a towel and is basically stuck together.

That method does nothing to my double crown, my cowlicks usually laugh at everything I try to do to tame them :D (or should I put :evil:) But it does sped up the drying a bit, yes. Not as much as headbanging though.

[Groovy Granny]

GG, as I mentioned upthread. The same thing can be achieved by putting your head down, and by taking your hands to "shake out the roots". I do this when my hair comes out of a towel and is basically stuck together.

Thanks; I missed it :wink:

I could put more attention to that step :thumbsup:

[Elizabeth E]

:D I was hoping there was some headbanging in your (possibly misspent) youth at least :D It could well be why metal hands have such great hair, I like that theory! And oh my, are there some heads of hair in Finland! :)

Hehehe, Finnish metal was one of the things that started me on my hair growing journey. I got extensions right after Tuska festival one year, which lead me to growing my own :) So Finland, headbanging, metal and hair all go together in my mind :D

I agree with [B]every[B] word! When I watch metal music videos, I always joke that I watch it almost solely for the hair!

[leayellena]

Lol I forgot this minor detail in my hair routine. I do headbanging and I love it. My hair stays wurly when is still wet but when it dries it becomes straighter. I love it!

[Katsura]

Wow. I've never thougth of this. :D And I've got a pretty annoying cowlick at the back of my crown. I've usually blowdried my hair with cool setting my head upside down, but it seems to do nothing to the stubborn cowlick.

[AutobotsAttack]

I’ve been doing this instead of detangling with a comb, and it dries my hair fairly well

[Aredhel]

I've been "windmilling" my hair dry for about a decade! Cuts my drying time from half a day to a couple of hours. ;)

[EdG]

I often sit in front of a box fan in the summer. The fan not only dries my hair, it keeps me cool too. :)

http://www.edgrochowski.com/articles1/fan1.jpg

Ed

[ExpectoPatronum]

I headbang by hair whenever my curls look like they can use some oomf. It's a great styling technique :D

[leayellena]

I did and do headbanging since a month but that because I find it fun to do so and because I read on LHC that hair dries faster that way. Since I do this my hair lays straighter, with less frizz and less cowlicks in the morning. I only have one cowlick at the crown and... Maybe I should call it cow lick or natural parting (?) in the front. I love this method although there's no official LHC challenge lol