Products and damage

[katydid317]

I've been really frustrated since I've tried to quit using elastics because nothing else will hold my hair up without needing to be frequently redone. My claw clips were my best bet until recently, I don't know how to measure but I think my hair has had a little growth spurt and now that little change in length means what was sort of working isn't working any more. I'm between apl and bsl right now. I actually in desperation went back to ponytails but at this length I already can't stand the pull. My hair is fine but at a ii borderline iii it can be heavy.

I definitely have houdini hair. It slips out of everything. But I also work 12 hour shifts where I need my hair up and out of the way and I can't handle it falling out of whatever style it's in when I'm in the middle of something at work. So I've taken to using texturizing spray to make it sticky enough to use spin pins. I flip my head upside down, spray the length, and then twist it into a cinnabun and it stays put comfortably for 12+ hours. But then I googled texturizing sprays and damage and read that it can indeed cause damage because they are drying.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a product that would be less damaging for hold, or any other advice. I used to dye my hair with box dyes and back then hair forks worked no problem for me too. Maybe without any damage there is no hope for my houdini hair.

[lapushka]

It took until hip for me to bun it (I'm iii), so you will have to wait quite a while yet to be able to bun without damage (comfortably). I definitely wouldn't shy away from the elastics at this point, but maybe get a scrunchie instead of an elastic.

How do you wear it up? What style? What updo? Maybe try a Gibson tuck or French twist. At that length those are still very possible!

[Nique1202]

Sprays can be drying, but in the long term, dry can be countered with more moisture, and elastic damage is much harder to counter. If you need to, it would still be better to stick with the spray, because dryness isn't damaging on its own, but styling techniques can be.

On the other hand, you might want to consider braiding the length or learning to french or dutch braid your hair. It really just takes regular practice (once or twice a day for a few weeks) and even if you just english braid from the nape, a braid tail coiled up like a cinnabun (though you don't need to twist it, just wrap) will hold in a bun much better with your spin pins or other low-damage methods than a regular coiled twist of hair. But, a french or dutch braid will also look really nice and hold back shorter wisps of hair that might otherwise sneak out during the day.

[Mega Moose]

What about those weird hair ties that look like a telephone cord? I don't have any, but my sister uses them and apparently they're great.

[katydid317]

I French braid my hair to sleep at night but it doesn't work for day very well. I have a lot of weird wispy lengths. It mostly keeps hair out of my face but it looks terrible for the day.

[katydid317]

What about those weird hair ties that look like a telephone cord? I don't have any, but my sister uses them and apparently they're great.

I keep seeing them in other people hair, I'm going to have to ask where to find them.

[katydid317]

What about those weird hair ties that look like a telephone cord? I don't have any, but my sister uses them and apparently they're great.


Sprays can be drying, but in the long term, dry can be countered with more moisture, and elastic damage is much harder to counter. If you need to, it would still be better to stick with the spray, because dryness isn't damaging on its own, but styling techniques can be.

Good point. I don't have issues with dryness but my hair is fine and I have had hairstylists tell me they can see breakage around where I wear a ponytail.

[TatsuOni]

The "phone cords" are called invisibobbles and can be found in many places :) They are less damaging than regular elastics and holds Houdini-hair better. There's also "flat elastics". They're less damaging than regular elastics but a bit more "slippery" than invisibobbles. Scrunchies are also better than regular elastics.

You might have to short hair for a bun still, but you could try spin pins and "anchor" them together.

And braids are better than ponytails :)

[Cg]

At that length I kept my hair bunned with elastics and roller pins every day. Generally I then covered the bun with snoods and extra pins, and never had to redo.

I have very fine, fragile hair, and yet I did not notice any significant damage. I hadn't yet found LHC at that time, so it's possible there really was damage, but if so it wasn't enough to be obvious or problematic even in my sparse hair.

Forks did not work for me until at least waist, and even then I needed extra pins for hold. (Often I still do -- Houdini hair.)

[lapushka]

Unfortunately invisibobbles never worked for me. I do have them, but a high ponytail with them? No way, that just slips right to the bottom (the ponytail does). For hold, they might be an issue, but for lower ponytails they're great (in my case anyway).

Satin scrunchies are definitely a staple! If you don't have them already, I'd get a few. No high ponytails with those for me either, but they're nice (and soft).

I think Garnier Fructis do a texturizing spray too.

[TatsuOni]

Unfortunately invisibobbles never worked for me. I do have them, but a high ponytail with them? No way, that just slips right to the bottom (the ponytail does). For hold, they might be an issue, but for lower ponytails they're great (in my case anyway).

Satin scrunchies are definitely a staple! If you don't have them already, I'd get a few. No high ponytails with those for me either, but they're nice (and soft).

I think Garnier Fructis do a texturizing spray too.

I find that velvet scrunchies hold much better than the satin ones in my hair :)

[Jo Ann]

Maybe a "bun maker" would help you out. There's loads of videos on Youtube showing how to use them:

Bun Maker Tutorials (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bunmaker)

[rmani]

I also work 12 hour shifts and have to have my hair up and out of the way. I'm just above BSL. I either a) french/dutch braid either in the traditional sense, do milkmaid braids, or do twin braids and pin it up into a crown, b) wear it in a fan bun at the nape of my neck using a scrunchy so the weight doesn't pull (I usually do an accent braid with the forehead section to help offload weight), or c) do a french twist using a Ficcare. I find I can't do a ponytail because my hair literally gets into stuff therefore increasing tangles - stethoscope, in the way while assessing patients, etc.... Sometimes I need to take my hair down at breaks because on hectic days it can contribute to headaches but for the most part these are easy styles I can tie it back up to in less than 5 minutes when I need to go back.

I find stick/forks at this length can contribute to headaches so I avoid them at work.

[Corvana]

My hair is shorter than yours, but houdini and on the thick side of ii. My first thought was just "find a bigger claw clip, or use a few smaller ones" :laugh:

Scrunchies are great, though, and I can currently even use them to mostly hold a cinnabun (of which I can only get one circle, with a little bit of ends tucked under, so take that with a grain of salt). I also use my claw clip to hold my bun, but it falls out because of lack of length. I may need to instead get a few smaller ones for that and place a few around the bun.

[Anje]

Claw clips were always hit-or-miss for me, though the octopus style tended to do better than most. My hair's just average-ii, but decidedly slippery with a tendency to compact down when twisted into a style. Hairsticks and Ficcares were always my go-to for wearing it up, though both have a bit of a learning curve.

Sticks are especially effective in Lazy Wrap buns, so consider that as a place to start. (I think about 6 inches long, oriented fairly horizontal is the most comfortable and fits most people's hair and head.) Many other people like hair forks as an alternative, and they might be a bit easier to learn?

Ficcares are pricey but very secure and can look dressy compared to your bog-standard claw. They have a following for a well-being earned reason.

[katydid317]

Lots of great suggestions for me to try, thanks everyone! And in the meantime I will try to lose the guilt over using the spray every once and awhile to give my styles some grip.

[hobbitlocks]

I used to have something called an updo stick (like this (http://www.simplyhairaccessories.com/product/55588)) which worked well for putting up my hair before it was long enough to bun securely all day. Sometimes I still loop a small elastic over my hair stick on particularly slippery days.

[lapushka]

I find that velvet scrunchies hold much better than the satin ones in my hair :)

Hmm, those I don't have... (adding it to my list, cause... you know LOL)!

[marvel-lover]

I have waist length iii hair, and the octopus clips work pretty well for me. Instead of trying to clip the whole bun, just try clipping the end of the bun, and use bobby pins and spin pins to secure the Houdini hair. Maybe that would work?