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ShilvaA
May 15th, 2017, 12:55 PM
Hi, just after some clarification as to what sort this means...

I have seen a lot of advice saying to wear your hair up to avoid damage, but I am unclear on how to implement this.

I am completely rubbish at styling my hair, I usually just leave it down but I can just about manage a low side plait or a low/high ponytail. Would these styles help or do you guys mean slightly more extravagant hair styles. (Like buns, which I have failed at every attempt!)

Thank you in advance! :)

Anje
May 15th, 2017, 01:06 PM
Usually, most of us go with buns, though how long and thick your hair is will affect how easily hair can be bunned. Day-to-day, most of us don't do anything elaborate; it was rare that sticking my hair in its usual "Lazy Wrap Bun" (aka LWB) took more than maybe 15 seconds. I'd secure with a hairstick, a wooden hair fork, or clip it with a Ficcare, and go on with my day.

Braids are somewhat effective, but they don't do as good a job of protecting hair from friction, and when they're a few feet long they need some babysitting.

Braids that are then bunned are frequently easy to learn with and are especially good with slippery hair.

I'm not a fan of ponytails, since I tend to get breakage where the elastic goes, and because the ends still get all the same friction they'd get when the hair is loose, and just as much tangling.


Mind you, no one is an expert at these things at first. It's OK if your early attempts are too ugly to be seen by the outside world! It's seriously a learning curve, and we've all struggled through it. I suggest practicing styles on lazy sit-around-and-watch-TV evenings, when you can comb it all out again before bed and there's no rush to achieve something presentable before you have to leave for work. Take it slow, take breaks when your arms get tired, and go easy on yourself. Watch some youtube videos on how to do different buns, and just try things out. You'll be great at it before long.

MotherofJames
May 15th, 2017, 01:17 PM
Hi, just after some clarification as to what sort this means...

I have seen a lot of advice saying to wear your hair up to avoid damage, but I am unclear on how to implement this.

I am completely rubbish at styling my hair, I usually just leave it down but I can just about manage a low side plait or a low/high ponytail. Would these styles help or do you guys mean slightly more extravagant hair styles. (Like buns, which I have failed at every attempt!)

Thank you in advance! :)

I recently invested in Wooden Hair Forks , mine are from https://www.etsy.com/listing/233212540/4-prong-tasmanian-blackwood-wood-hair and I just got some from Mother's Day too and I gotta say ... the moment I started using them and keeping my hair up, I got significantly less damaged hair . Barely any knots . No pulling on the back of my chair . It was incredible . I guess this is why they call it a Protective Style because it really does . Also, I found that the type of hair clips you use to hold up your hair really does matter. The cheapy ones from the drugstore can damage your hair and yank it out or cause headaches. The nice ones that I see all the ladies wearing on here is definitely the way to go. I wasn't a believer until I started doing it and my hair is safe and secure in a bun or just back with a fork and there is zero pulling or ripping in my hair . Before I even put my hair up, my son would yank on it , or even driving in the car would damage it . So having in a protective style secured with nice hair accessories that won't rip your hair out is genius !

spidermom
May 15th, 2017, 02:00 PM
Don't worry - you're just low on the learning curve. No one is born knowing how to make buns that are comfortable and stay in place. There are tons of tutorials for putting hair up on YouTube. Ignore the ones that rely on back-combing (also known as teasing); that is damaging. Just go to YouTube and use the search function for buns.

ShilvaA
May 15th, 2017, 02:14 PM
I think I might dedicate a weekend day to trying to get my hair up and staying up!

Plus am now looking at all of the pretty hair sticks and forks!

I really hope I can get the hang of it so I don't look like a complete dweeb with my hair up at work for instance! Haha

SunnyRose
May 15th, 2017, 02:36 PM
I've heard that as well but am a bit confused. I often hold my hair up with a scrunchy. I don't tie my hair tightly at all yet am experiencing some moderate breakage. Would wearing my hair up with a hair stick or fork cause less damage? Maybe because my hair is on the fine side, it snaps more easily. Would a hair stick be less strenuous on the scalp?

*Wednesday*
May 15th, 2017, 02:45 PM
I have my hair up most of the time, even at night. I'm a messy bunner or at time braids. Keeps ends safer and hair tangles in check. I wear my hair down twice a week if that much.

BraidFreak
May 15th, 2017, 03:07 PM
I love putting my hair in buns when I'm not braiding it. I use a hair stick because my hair gets pulled quite a bit when I wear a hair tie. I put it in a disc bun as my hair is not long enough for anything else.

Anje
May 15th, 2017, 06:19 PM
I've heard that as well but am a bit confused. I often hold my hair up with a scrunchy. I don't tie my hair tightly at all yet am experiencing some moderate breakage. Would wearing my hair up with a hair stick or fork cause less damage? Maybe because my hair is on the fine side, it snaps more easily. Would a hair stick be less strenuous on the scalp?

In my experience, very much so. Elastics and scrunchies make the hairs at the hairline bear all the stress of supporting the weight of the hair, and most of that just in a little section over the top of your head. Even a single horizontal stick distributes the weight a lot more, and two sticks or a fork do more than that. There's a learning curve (especially for sticks), but it really isn't a very bad one, compared to general hair-wrangling skills.

Kat-Rinnč Naido
May 16th, 2017, 02:09 AM
Hi
My protective daily style is a cinnabun held on its own. This keeps my ends tucked in and retains moisture. Sometimes I wear a simple English braid in a bun or in some upstyle. I love how much more moisturised my hair feel when I undo the braid. If I was to leave my hair open besides daily friction, doors, car windows, bags, etc are all a hair trap.

I see amazingly gorgeous hairstyles everyday here on the forum. But I keep things simple. As a lot of manipulation can also result in damage.
I sometimes use quills and have bought a few of those knitting needles that are pointy on both ends to use. It is my intention to bend and decorate when I can manage pins and sticks on my hair. HTH

hayheadsbird
May 16th, 2017, 02:45 AM
If your hair is on the short/thick side, claw clips and peacock twists can be a quick, easy and presentable option.
Practice is the key thing, and not stressing if something's not quite working.

ShilvaA
May 17th, 2017, 01:41 PM
I am going to watch some YouTube tutorials for some easy protective styles and give it a whirl... Could be frustating or hilarious!

meteor
May 17th, 2017, 03:20 PM
I go for very low manipulation styles (braided L-Infinity, braided LWB, braided cinnabun, folded braid...). And I tend to avoid styles that require tight twisting (e.g. Infinity bun) or pushing hair through "pockets" (e.g. original Ellingwoman bun) or somehow pushing or pulling hair over the base (e.g. Orchid bun, Knot bun), just to save me from extra tangling or potential breakage.
I tend to find the most comfortable style at each length and then wear that practically every day. All my buns are braided - it started with my hair being simply too thick and slippery to be bunned without first being "corralled" in a braid, but now, I like it for the added benefit of being able to reuse the same braid the next day. I find braided buns really cut down on tangles.