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JuniperTree
March 20th, 2019, 07:55 AM
Hi!! My hair has only been long enough for buns for about 6 months so I'm not hugely experienced with them yet, but I have noticed that I can only have a bun in for a few hours before I have to take it down because I get a bad headache across the crown of my head. I'd really like to be able to wear them up longer, because I fiddle with braids and I'm worried I'm causing damage.

Does anyone know any ways to lengthen the amount of pain-free bun time or should I give up on buns entirely?

-Fern
March 20th, 2019, 08:17 AM
It would help if we knew what kind of bun you are currently making and how (e.g., Do you use a stick/fork? A hairtie to secure the base first?).

If you just started wearing buns, sometimes your scalp will also feel some discomfort if hair is being pulled in a different direction than it's used to, and this usually goes away after a few days. If it's your scalp that's feeling tender, try starting with just a half-up style and a mini-bun with the rest of your hair down. If you're getting tension headaches, focus on weight distribution.

There are tons of different buns you can try. Sometimes varying how high or low you wear it can make a lot of difference, but for me weight distribution is the biggest factor. My hair is very thick, and using a sturdy hair fork or hair pins (https://www.etsy.com/listing/596108127/10pcs-100x3mm-u-shaped-hair-pin-brass?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hair+u+pins&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&col=1) really helps distribute the weight of the bun so it's not all hanging off one spot, and usually keeps the bun more secure, to boot.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28544&d=1503769336

If you don't currently have any hair fork or pins, you can also distribute the weight more by starting with a French braid and bunning the braid.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27281&d=1494706511

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the stick weaves through one edge of the bun, under the French braid to anchor it, then back out through the other edge of the bun. Cheap mechanical pencils with the clip snapped off usually make pretty good hair sticks in a pinch!

Aerya
March 20th, 2019, 08:33 AM
It might be a matter of getting used to it or an issue with your scalp, but some scalps are just more sensitive than others. I know mine is. I have to be careful about not pulling hair in the wrong direction when doing braids and some days even the most careful bun hurts if worn for too long. Anything that requires bobby pins is also a no go most of the time.

I wouldn't give up on long hair though. With length comes more options and you can do buns more loosely without being less stable. I find a wider stick as opposed to very thin ones provides better support and I think forks would be even better in that regard. I would also try different placement of the bun, I know for me high ones hurt (since the hair is being pulled upwards) but too low tugs at my nape hairs. I like to ease the weight of the bun by doing braids with the front part of the hair too, this allows for a looser bun as well as there is less thickness for the hair in the bun; but I have had to experiment a bit with my braids to find how I can avoid setting off my scalp. For instance when I do two braids around my head I will lace braid instead of adding hair from both sides, and make sure that the added hair is laying in the right direction, and that it's smooth and not too tight. It's a bit hard to explain and YMMV obviously, but my point is that you can tweak hairstyles to suit your needs in most cases and there is no need to give up right away. :)

However, if your scalp is hurting it's worth looking into what might cause it, especially if this is a new thing. Look to your washing routine and how your scalp reacts to washing more frequently or with a different shampoo. For me washing too frequently or too rarely makes it worse, as well as using too harsh shampoo. It might also be caused by a scalp condition in which case it shouldn't be left untreated. I think there is a thread on scalp care somewhere, you could check that out.

meteor
March 20th, 2019, 08:36 AM
^ I totally agree with -Fern and Aerya. :agree: I'd add that I had the same problem of scalp pain when I first started bunning (due to new directions in which hair is pulled), and I just had to very gradually and slowly increase wear time (from 15 min to 30 min, to an hour, a couple hours, etc). But I'd take hair down as soon as it starts hurting, massage scalp a bit if you feel like it and give it a break, then try again later.
It's easier to do this if the bun is based on a braid, because even if you take the bun down many times, you are still left with a protective braid, which can be rebunned again within seconds.

It helps to get used to bunning before the length significantly creeps up on you, since it's easier to get used to dealing with "lighter" hair.

I find "Divide and conquer" is the way to go for distributing the weight of hair.

For sectioning, I think these approaches can be pretty useful:
- "frame" buns - half-ups to buns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZvXrEOfJ4w
- braided beehive (splitting hair into 2 or more braids - each going on top of the other bunned braid): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEdMa1HvQmA
- hair-taping (2 coronet braids, taped together): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8
- Ellingwoman Braided Bun and Amish braids (2 braids woven into pockets, forming an updo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PYjubahR6g
- faux hawk (3 or more buns stacked on top of each other in a Mohawk-ish way): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHsFIslbwkM
- bun + coronet(s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXu9enBrK0 (Regency updo), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOHj74Kk7DU (Renaissance updo)
- double/triple/multiple buns side by side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgXwdARH_oM
- etc...

spidermom
March 20th, 2019, 08:50 AM
Try doing more than one bun. If they're close enough to each other, they can look more like one intricate bun than 2 buns.

Also try different buns at different places on your head.

Groovy Granny
March 20th, 2019, 10:12 AM
Welcome :waving:

Until now I have done buns lower @ mid head or @ nape because high buns cause headaches (very sensitive scalp).

I vary bun styles and securing options ....claws, alligator/ficcare clips, sticks, forks, spin pins..... and occasionally find a ponytail base helps.

Those are great tips being suggested that even I will consider/try :thumbsup:

Good luck and happy growing/styling :cheer:

Joules
March 20th, 2019, 10:20 AM
Is it your head or your scalp that hurts? There's a big difference between those.

How high are your buns? Different people have different "sweet spots" for buns, but most of the time it's not high up. Lower buns put less pressure on hair follicles.

What is your general hair care routine? I'm asking this because I was able to make my scalp a lot less sensitive with a correct routine. Maybe it's the issue in your case.

lapushka
March 20th, 2019, 10:29 AM
I agree with previous posters.

How long is your hair, how thick is it, what texture is it, and what bun(s) are you doing? This is need to know info!

BerrySara
March 20th, 2019, 03:31 PM
It would help if we knew what kind of bun you are currently making and how (e.g., Do you use a stick/fork? A hairtie to secure the base first?).

If you just started wearing buns, sometimes your scalp will also feel some discomfort if hair is being pulled in a different direction than it's used to, and this usually goes away after a few days. If it's your scalp that's feeling tender, try starting with just a half-up style and a mini-bun with the rest of your hair down. If you're getting tension headaches, focus on weight distribution.

There are tons of different buns you can try. Sometimes varying how high or low you wear it can make a lot of difference, but for me weight distribution is the biggest factor. My hair is very thick, and using a sturdy hair fork or hair pins (https://www.etsy.com/listing/596108127/10pcs-100x3mm-u-shaped-hair-pin-brass?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hair+u+pins&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&col=1) really helps distribute the weight of the bun so it's not all hanging off one spot, and usually keeps the bun more secure, to boot.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28544&d=1503769336

If you don't currently have any hair fork or pins, you can also distribute the weight more by starting with a French braid and bunning the braid.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27281&d=1494706511

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the stick weaves through one edge of the bun, under the French braid to anchor it, then back out through the other edge of the bun. Cheap mechanical pencils with the clip snapped off usually make pretty good hair sticks in a pinch!

Sorry just here to say -Fern your hair and your buns are gorgeous! :agape:

When I first started wearing buns I also would experience pain and headaches. If I took out my bun after wearing for hours, I could massage my scalp with my fingers and feel how tender it was. What helped me at first was to loosened my buns, I realized I was wearing mine too tight. Once I loosened them, I was able to wear them a lot longer at a time until I just got used to wearing buns.

Lizabeth94
March 20th, 2019, 03:33 PM
Do you suffer from migraines by any chance? I also sometimes struggle with scalp pain and sometimes putting it up can be excruciating, even when it doesn’t feel like I have a migraine due to allodynia https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/allodynia-when-touch-hurts-but-shouldnt/

I’m currently taking aimovig with great results!

Look into hairtoys that advertise “no headache”. I want to try the pony-o, and gimme hairties as soon as my hair is long enough. I’ve occasionally had good results with hairsticks too, if put in correctly sometimes I can’t feel them.

MusicalSpoons
March 20th, 2019, 03:44 PM
It might simply be that your hair isn't long enough for a comfortable bun; it might still be a bit too tight. With another 6 months things might be better :) What bun are you wearing, though? The disc bun is usually a good one for hair that's too short for other buns to be comfortable. If that doesn't work, maybe slightly different updos such as a peacock twist, double French or Dutch braids, even a ponytail with a scrunchie or flexi-8 if the ends are short enough to hang above clothing still - they can be protective until you can do a comfortable bun :)

sophia_
March 20th, 2019, 04:24 PM
I highly recommend the Elling woman bun, it should probably be doable on your length, it holds well without hurting at all for me. Claw clips are best in my opinion for evenly distributing weight so as not to hurt the scalp.

lapushka
March 20th, 2019, 04:49 PM
I think I'll just wait until the OP gets back to us! :flower:

We can guess all we want, but if we don't know exact length, thickness, there is little we can do. :shrug:

milosmomma
March 20th, 2019, 05:22 PM
You've gotten some great tips already, I just want to say don't give up! The only thing I can't think o that hasn't been mentioned yet is upside down french braiding into a bun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJS2DkZYBss
I used this when my hair was shorter to get all of my hair secured away(I struggled with bottom layers escaping for a while), the only thing is if you think your headache stems from the securing your hair against the way it normally lays this wouldn't be a good choice probably. It does dstribute weight nicely tho and you can secure it with a stick or clip etc instead of an elastic.
Hoping you find a viable solution!

The Lizard Wife
March 22nd, 2019, 07:17 PM
For me, position and how tightly my hair is being pulled are deciding factors in whether buns hurt my very sensitive scalp and give me horrible headaches. My sweet spot is a low bun close to the nape of my neck, and the buns I've tried--not that I've been experimenting very thoroughly, but I'm hoping to pick up a lot of great tips following this thread!--have to be pulled too tight because my hair is thick. The way the bun is secured makes a difference for me too--a cinnabun is more painful, because for me that works best with a fork with several large tines to secure it, but when I try to catch scalp hair it pulls way too tight! When I recently tried learning a lazy wrap bun, I can't get it to stay in securely for more than a few hours, but it's so much more comfortable because I don't have to catch as much scalp hair with the stick and I can kind of fiddle with the bun to make it looser (I might not be doing it right, though, it looks different every time and not quite like the videos). I'm confident that buns that hurt me now will be much more comfortable when my hair is longer and I can do them more loosely, if I can survive having patience.