Is scalp pain a good indicator of a hairstyle's damagingness?

[Strawonaberry]

Since I have an extremely sensitive scalp, I get a lot of pain from ponytails. However, I've been trying buns lately, and since my hair is too short for a more proper bun, I do it from a ponytail (lol don't judge me plz). I'm surprised that this is much less painful for me, considering that the same ponytail that I start with would give me pain. I never make either too tight, but I do make the bun as neat as possible with a ballet invisibe net and an untwisted scrunchie around it, so it holds in place.

I'm guessing that the lack of a weight pulling down is what makes the difference?
But my actual question is, it this less harmful for my scalp/hair if it hurts less?

[*Wednesday*]

I would say that scalp pain is a pretty good indicator that you need to loosen the hairstyle. I have a tender scalp and I can't do very tight styles.

There was a thread but I can't remember off the top of my head of someone showing how to make sure your bun is loose or ponytail is loose using a pencil.
Wearing ponytails is not always good for your head, can you get your hair in a claw clip? And exactly how long is your hair?

[lithostoic]

No. There are many reasons for a scalp to ache.

[Strawonaberry]

I would say that scalp pain is a pretty good indicator that you need to loosen the hairstyle. I have a tender scalp and I can't do very tight styles.

There was a thread but I can't remember off the top of my head of someone showing how to make sure your bun is loose or ponytail is loose using a pencil.
Wearing ponytails is not always good for your head, can you get your hair in a claw clip? And exactly how long is your hair?

It's collarbone length now but very thick, I've broken clawclips trying :'-)
That pencil thing sounds interesting

[Strawonaberry]

No. There are many reasons for a scalp to ache.

Even considering my scalp only hurts when I put my hair up in certain updos? (Though all of them bother me to some extent)

[littlestarface]

For me I would say it's bad for your roots, if it hurts take it down and try to find a style that wont hurt.

[*Wednesday*]

It's collarbone length now but very thick, I've broken clawclips trying :'-)
That pencil thing sounds interesting

Maybe this may help. Styles for medium length hair.
https://youtu.be/gIT33lfV0BQ

[XcaliburGirl]

The weight of the hair is probably balanced better with a bun and is more stable than a ponytail.

Once you graduate to not needing a ponytail first, remember that sometimes it just takes practice to get certain styles to sit comfortably. One thing to try is to pull the stick or fork out while holding the hair in place and reinsert it. That will often relax the tension enough, while keeping the integrity of the bun intact.

[Joules]

It can be. But not necessarily.

I get scalp pain from buns. Even loose ones. It's just the weight of my bun. It doesn't do any damage to the hair itself, apart from potentially triggering traction alopecia, but that's more of a follicle damage. Just listen to what your scalp is telling you and don't force your hair into buns when it's clearly uncomfortable. Also using different pins and clips for buns helped a lot, U-pins were like a torture device for me, but spin pins and claw clips are a lot more gentle.

Also improper cleansing can make your scalp a lot more tender than it actually is. Buns used to make my scalp hurt really badly before I decided to buy a bottle of good ol' sulfate shampoo. I can wear buns for a lot longer now.

[lapushka]

Shoulder length is *way* too short to bun. I have iii hair and had to wait to hip for a LWB (lazy wrap bun).

Why not try a peacock twist? With a flexi8 or claw clip. Very easy style and very pretty. Take a look at the pictures Stray_mind last posted of her peacock twist; it's on the photo thread. Gorgeous!

I would stop bunning. Scalp pain is a good indicator in this case!

[Strawonaberry]

Thanks for the tips and links!
I think some of you may have gotten it wrong. The bun doesn't hurt at all, even though ponytails do. That's why I wonder, maybe my bun is not so bad for me after all, even if it has an elastic? because it doesn't hurt :^)

[Corvana]

The bun likely doesn't hurt because of the lack of dangling, yes. Your hair is being supported more, which means there's less tension at the scalp caused by the ponytail.

My bun bases are ponytails, technically, I just don't need a hair tie for them. What you're doing is almost the same, you just need that extra stability.

[XcaliburGirl]

Thanks for the tips and links!
I think some of you may have gotten it wrong. The bun doesn't hurt at all, even though ponytails do. That's why I wonder, maybe my bun is not so bad for me after all, even if it has an elastic? because it doesn't hurt :^)

Well, even if it's not hurting your scalp, the elastic can cause some breakage from being too tight around the hair or just the friction of it rubbing against individual strands. You wouldn't feel that. That said, if you aren't noticing breakage, if you don't ponytail it too tightly and don't pull on the ends first to slide it upwards, it's probably not that bad to use the ponytail base until your hair is long enough. It really depends on the individual.

[lapushka]

Yes, instead of the elastic & "bunning", I would just try wearing a peacock twist with a flexi8 or claw clip, much less of an issue for the hair. It's how I got mine long. ;)