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Zesty
January 16th, 2018, 01:19 PM
TL;DR: I have breakage, how do I protect the broken hairs so they can grow out?

I know I am prone to wispies, but I’ve recently begun to suspect that I have breakage along my hairline and part. The shorter hairline hairs are nose/chin/shoulder ish length, maybe 3-5 inches long on average. When I S&D they seem to be damaged, I see splits and white dots and very few hairs with tapered ends. I think that it’s because I was sleeping in an English braid for a time, as well as the terrible practice of loosening scalp hairs when they were too tight after I made a hair stick bun. I have discontinued these practices and I’m being conscientious of other things that might be causing it.

My question is, how do I style in a way that protects these short hairs, while I’m seeing if I can grow the breakage out? They don’t go into updos and I’m afraid that since they blow around in the wind and rub on things they’ll just break more and never catch up to the rest of my hair (which will be a long journey anyway). I also dislike how they look. BUT I don’t want to resort to damaging practices to contain them, because that will ALSO keep them from growing. :justy:

There are several solutions I’m tentatively going with. I’ve been French braiding the front of my hair to gently contain those hairs. Temple and nape hairs I’ve been clipping out of the way with teensy claw clips, sometimes supplementing with bobby pins. (I’m considering switching to snap clips because they don’t stick out as much -- are those damaging in y’all’s experience? Should I quit with the bobby pins?) I recently also bought a soft headband that clasps at the back that I figure would keep most of them out of harm’s way, either by itself or when combined with my other strategies.

Do any of these ideas seem problematic? Are there any other strategies I’m not thinking of? (Or any encouraging stories? I am a little down about finding this damage, though I know it’s my fault it’s there. :( )

If anyone reads alllll that, then thanks so much! Just trying to give enough information. :)

ThrowNormanAway
January 16th, 2018, 01:46 PM
i have lots of short hairs around my part and hairline as well, and i find that switching up where I place my buns as well as how gently the weight is distributed (i.e: a four prong fork and a loosely wrapped bun rather than a snug bun and a single stick) helps to mitigate any more damage and new breakage, and definitely the most helpful thing was to start wearing buffs. buffs are extra wide tubular scarves made of soft stretchy fabric, and I wear one nearly every day, including while my hair is drying. combined with sleeping in a satin cap and i can see new growth starting and some of the old broken stragglers catching up again.

Zesty
January 16th, 2018, 02:28 PM
i have lots of short hairs around my part and hairline as well, and i find that switching up where I place my buns as well as how gently the weight is distributed (i.e: a four prong fork and a loosely wrapped bun rather than a snug bun and a single stick) helps to mitigate any more damage and new breakage, and definitely the most helpful thing was to start wearing buffs. buffs are extra wide tubular scarves made of soft stretchy fabric, and I wear one nearly every day, including while my hair is drying. combined with sleeping in a satin cap and i can see new growth starting and some of the old broken stragglers catching up again.

Thank you for responding! Where do you get your buffs? I used to have one and that does seem like a good solution.

lapushka
January 16th, 2018, 02:43 PM
Here go my suspicions that a braid isn't all that wonderful (which is why I don't have my hair contained during the night).

I would leave them out, blowing in the wind is better than in a tight do; don't even pull them back with bobby pins! If you must, I would use headbands!

Zesty
January 16th, 2018, 02:50 PM
Here go my suspicions that a braid isn't all that wonderful (which is why I don't have my hair contained during the night).

I would leave them out, blowing in the wind is better than in a tight do; don't even pull them back with bobby pins! If you must, I would use headbands!

But but but! I hate them!

Lol in all seriousness you're probably right, it's just frustrating to look SO disheveled, especially when my hair's a bit greasy and they accentuate that.

And braids were awful for me as a sleep style, never again.

Lady Stardust
January 16th, 2018, 02:58 PM
I wear a buff too, I got mine from their website. I used it in the summer to protect my hair from the sun as mine is a summer version with high uv protection, and I also use it if it's windy. I tend to wear a soft hat in the winter and tuck my hair inside it but I switch to the buff again if it's not that cold.

Ophidian
January 16th, 2018, 03:29 PM
I bought a buff recently to try it out but after paying $17 dollars for it on Amazon I was really disappointed with the quality and sent it back. The edges weren't finished and the material felt really cheap. Are all buffs not created equal? It was supposed to be a legit Buff buff, not a knockoff. I've always heard good things about them but hesitant to buy another one.

ThrowNormanAway
January 16th, 2018, 03:36 PM
I bought a buff recently to try it out but after paying $17 dollars for it on Amazon I was really disappointed with the quality and sent it back. The edges weren't finished and the material felt really cheap. Are all buffs not created equal? It was supposed to be a legit Buff buff, not a knockoff. I've always heard good things about them but hesitant to buy another one.

Maybe head to an outdoor store in your area and see and feel them in person. The Buff brand ones I've seen are well finished, unlike what you described. But there are different weights and styles, so maybe there's a different style that would suit your needs better.

Lady Stardust
January 16th, 2018, 03:40 PM
I bought a buff recently to try it out but after paying $17 dollars for it on Amazon I was really disappointed with the quality and sent it back. The edges weren't finished and the material felt really cheap. Are all buffs not created equal? It was supposed to be a legit Buff buff, not a knockoff. I've always heard good things about them but hesitant to buy another one.

The edges aren't finished on mine but they don't fray, I think it helps with the stretch. Mine is thicker than cheaper imitations that I've seen. It's a summer version and has Coolmax which means it doesn't make me feel sweaty in hot weather. They are expensive, but I wear mine so much I get good use of it.

If you aren't after the sun protection or Coolmax factors though a cheap imitation would do the job just fine!

hobbitlocks
January 16th, 2018, 05:59 PM
I wore a buff to protect my wispies under my bike helmet -- well, still do, although the wispies are still under control so now I'm just trying to prevent new ones. I bought my buff on amazon and have been happy with it. It is a pretty basic thing, but it's a basic thing I like having.

Ophidian
January 17th, 2018, 07:02 AM
Hmmmm, maybe I'll give it another go. Sorry for the derail Zesty! :flowers:

leayellena
January 18th, 2018, 03:02 AM
I was and I think I still am in the same situation. I used to scratch my hair when washing because I couldn't understand why my hair gets oily so fast. Now I know: I lost the volume on the crown, I keep it close to my SCALP because of updos, my hair is heavier and weighted down without layers. I stopped scratching 3 months ago. I still have some breakage but it will be ok till summer. Plus, fine hair tends to have more flyaways and breakage than coarse hair.
Use some leave-in conditioner or oil to tame those flyaways. Maybe water would do just as fine...
I sleep mostly in a loose bun. I am clumsy and it's quite impossible not to break a hair strand or two when braiding.

enting
January 23rd, 2018, 03:48 PM
I do little braids along my hairline almost like a single cornrow. I don't know what it's officially called. For sleeping I either bun right on top of my head or I do a side braid that starts with that little headband braid which I then gradually add more of my hair into until it's all in the side braid by the time it reaches my nape. (French braiding straight back is really hard for me and isn't comfortable for my sleeping habits.)

Snap clips could be damaging, but so can claw clips, it all depends on the quality of the item, how snaggy it is, and your skill in inserting and removing them. I find that tiny claw clips are sometimes a little less noticeable when turned on their sides. Snap clips always slip on me and I find myself redoing them a lot more than with claw clips. Another idea for something pretty flat could be small tige boule barrettes. Those shouldn't be damaging at all.

In my own experience, bobby pins are damaging. They aren't for everyone, though, so that may or may not be a contributing factor for you. If you want to keep using them but worry about damage, never slide them straight out, always open them a bit before sliding out. If you're already doing that, you could try switching away from them and see if that makes any difference.

Being really gentle with those hairs is a good idea. In general, if you can leave a section in the front out of updos and then gently add it in at the end that's easier on the hairs in front. Soft headbands can be good for protecting them, as can the abovementioned buffs. In this winter weather weather a ponytail/messy bun hat could protect all the shorter hairs all the way around your hairline. Soft bandanas might be a thing also if that's your style. Slouchy hats or berets can be warm, protective, and keep all the "disheveled" looking bits of your hair out of sight. I have a lot of breakage and damaged hair at my front hairline, mainly due to kinkier texture, a habit of picking and pulling at my hair, and that it's much much curlier right in front so that it almost always looks super frizzy and messy. Changing my style to keep that area of my hair covered or braided down, even if my lengths are exposed and being shown off (and even if the lengths are all sorts of frizzy) has really helped me feel like I look less disheveled.

Bear in mind that most people have some shorter hairs near their hairline no matter what. Some of what you're seeing may be damage, but some of it may be naturally shorter hairs that occur near the hairline.

leayellena
January 24th, 2018, 01:02 AM
My broken hairs around the hairline are now grown. They're somewhere in my braid or updo. Or already S&D'ed. My braid is fuzzy but my hairline not so much anymore.