Hairstyles for playing rugby...

[Locksmith]

Wow it's a long time sincer I've been here on LHC! I have a question of all you wise ones... ;)

I've recently taken up playing rugby, and I really need a better solution for what to do with my hair - I normally default to just plaiting it for sports, but that's not much help in a scrum, as the plait gets grabbed by accident a lot! My hair's currently about BCL and it's very fine, which means French plaits look terrible on me - I get bad scalp cleavage, which I hate, so things like crown braids tend to look awful on me. :(

Normally I'd secure a bun with a stick, fork or clip, but that's obviously unsafe in a full contact sport. Hairpins are just going to fall out... Does anyone have any thoughts, short of the immense faff of hair taping? :confused:

[Merlin]

No real suggestion....but nice to see the term 'faff' there! Maybe go for a French plait shoved down the back of your jersey and hang how it looks?

[Nique1202]

I've used spin pins to secure braids, like hair taping but with 95% less fuss. Though, I would like to argue that the safety of your hair (and your head!) is probably more important than a little scalp cleavage while you're playing in a high-contact sport where everybody's got more important things to look at than a little bit of scalp showing through.

Besides, we're so often our own worst critics, so I'm sure what you think of as horrific scalp cleavage wouldn't even register to anyone else as anything but normal hair behaviour. :blossom:

[furnival]

I've used spin pins to secure braids, like hair taping but with 95% less fuss. Though, I would like to argue that the safety of your hair (and your head!) is probably more important than a little scalp cleavage while you're playing in a high-contact sport where everybody's got more important things to look at than a little bit of scalp showing through.

Besides, we're so often our own worst critics, so I'm sure what you think of as horrific scalp cleavage wouldn't even register to anyone else as anything but normal hair behaviour. :blossom:
This, exactly. I thought of spin pins too but they're not nice when crushed against your head... I agree that maybe scalp cleavage is the lesser of two evils. If you're covered in mud and sweat and sporting a sexy gumshield I can't see a bit of scalp cleavage being anything to worry about. ;)

[meteor]

Spin pins, definitely! :agree:
Just be careful not to interlock them (that could result in massive tangling, especially after sports).
For example, you could do 2 pigtail French/Dutch braids and pin them up around the head. The French/Dutch base will give more grip for spin pins.

And any bun/updo you do will be more secure if it's braided first.

And nothing's wrong with scalp cleavage with French braids... Any really tight braid along the scalp will show some cleavage in the sectioning areas, especially when one is sweating - thick hair or not. If scalp cleavage really bothers you, you can braid less tightly along the scalp or loosen up scalp area hair a bit... but it will make the style less secure or more prone to flyaways and tangling. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about scalp cleavage, especially during sports. :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I would agree with the idea of bunned braids pinned up with spin pins. It would be the most secure style I can think of. Or Amish braids.

[Arctic]

Interlaced braids, maybe? Though they need some french braiding, but I agree with others, in the context of playing sports, it doesn't much matter if little scalp is visible. And as someone who has quite sparse hair and gets easily major scalp cleavage, you can definitely learn to french braid in a way that minimizes, often erases scalp cleavages. Keep practicing!


I would be worried spin pins might cause pain and bruises in rough contact sports.

[cat11]

A vortex bun with two rope braids, secured at every turn with little plastic claw clips. I ride this on roller coasters and doing whatever and it is an unmovable rock.

[vega]

What about a bun tucked into a cap.?

[Anje]

I would probably go for something like braid taping over spin pins, myself. Spin pins are too much like any other pins -- likely to hurt if they get slammed into you or someone else the wrong way. (Edit: When I played youth soccer, the rule was strictly "absolutely nothing hard", which meant hair ties could not have metal on them and bobby pins were right out.) And if you have thinner hair, you don't have as much hair cushioning between the pins and the world. So what I think I'd do is bun the braids and sew them down as haphazardly as I wish with a long skinny ribbon. Then, I think I'd probably pull some sort of hat or buff or bandana over the whole shebang to keep my hair from getting completely messed up and to give people less to accidentally grab in a scrum. (Wet/damp bandanas conform to your head a whole lot better than dry ones, I find.) That will also hide any messiness from a rapidly sewn-down bun and any hair cleavage. :)

Sounds like a blast!

[gthlvrmx]

Maybe these videos can help. They are on hair taping.
Elizabethan Hair Taping (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqbAdvL8kME)
Practical Hair Taping (not as pretty but maybe better for athletic stuff) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8)

Both videos are from TorringPaige.

[Merlin]

We've had quite a few threads on styles for martial arts - you could take a look at those for ideas as the challenges are similar?

[Arete]

If you french braid just a couple of stiches at the bottom (like 5 or 6), you can push the tail up in the stitches and then fliip up your braid and secure with two hair ties like so:
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x385/TheJazzPony/03b931a2-e073-4777-89e7-bf770e5472f2_zps8xi6ytic.jpg


I fold it under another time after flipping the tail up, and my hair is also 41". You can also do it without the french braid, I'd try both to see which way distributes the weight better for you.

[Locksmith]

Thanks guys, lots of ideas :D

[Hairkay]

If you french braid just a couple of stiches at the bottom (like 5 or 6), you can push the tail up in the stitches and then fliip up your braid and secure with two hair ties like so:
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x385/TheJazzPony/03b931a2-e073-4777-89e7-bf770e5472f2_zps8xi6ytic.jpg


I fold it under another time after flipping the tail up, and my hair is also 41". You can also do it without the french braid, I'd try both to see which way distributes the weight better for you.

I do this style a lot except with my hair I can get away with not using any hair ties at all when I tuck it up. I think the hair taping looks like a good idea.

[Brunette_Barbie]

French braid tucked under.

[Dommydomdom]

Well if it's full-contact rugby, a scrum cap is your best bet! Will protect your ears from getting cauliflowered and keep your hair up and out of the way and safe from all the action. And these days with the popularity of men embracing all colors in professional rugby, you can get some pretty colors :)

But if this isn't something you are interested in, then I would definitely go with braids - maybe even some type of corn row style?

Good luck!!!