What’s the least damaging way to wear your hair?

[Ardyn]

As much as I loved having long hair, I would always wear it in a plait or ponytail.

Now that I’m growing out a pixie, I have been wearing it in a ponytail again to keep it off my face. But I have recently read somewhere that ponytails are damaging to hair?

One, is this true? And if so, what is the least damaging way to wear your hair? Other than just...down. At the moment mine is down but pinned away from my face with bobby pins because I’m worried to put it in a ponytail.

[Joules]

Ponytails are damaging if you're using a crappy hairtie. Satin scrunchies or Invisibobbles are very safe.

The least damaging way to wear your hair is that where the ends aren't brushing against anything. So for longer hair it's buns, for growing pixie it may as well be a ponytail :shrug:

[Aerya]

A ponytail is better than wearing it loose, as long as you use a gentle tie. A bun would be better as it keeps the ends safely tucked away, but with short hair a pony will do. :)

[Nini]

It's all relative really.

What kind of hair, what kind of work/activity you do, preference and so on.

Hairties without the metal bit, changing the point where you fasten it. Wearing buns.

But if you want to wear your hair down that's perfectly fine to, it might just not grow to it's potential due to mechanical wear and tear.

[lapushka]

As much as I loved having long hair, I would always wear it in a plait or ponytail.

Now that I’m growing out The Chop, I have been wearing it in a ponytail again to keep it off my face. But I have recently read somewhere that ponytails are damaging to hair?

One, is this true? And if so, what is the least damaging way to wear your hair? Other than just...down. At the moment mine is down but pinned away from my face with bobby pins because I’m worried to put it in a ponytail.

How you wear your hair depends on the length of it, IMO. I don't think ponytails at a shorter length are damaging, as long as you use great tools, like scrunchies or soft hair ties.

I wore claw clips a lot. To me they don't "pull" like bobbypins when you take them out. I would clip the hair up in claw clips as much as possible.

If you can do a peacock twist, that would be great.

Myself, as I could only start doing buns at hip, I had to be creative and I just wore it up in a peacock twist with a claw clip (later log roll). It worked fine, and claw clips do not give you damage. I didn't have damage from that!

[Ylva]

For me, the best and least damaging way to wear my hair seems to be a braided bun. The braid keeps the hair from tangling in any manner, and the bun gets the ends out of harm's way.

[Beeboo123]

Nautilus with a hair stick or claw clips. Buns that require twisting causes a lot of breakage for me, so i only do buns that involve wrapping

[Haven]

If you wear a ponytail, just try not to do the thing where you push the tie tighter towards your head! I've seen horror stories about damage resulting from that.

[Ardyn]

If you wear a ponytail, just try not to do the thing where you push the tie tighter towards your head! I've seen horror stories about damage resulting from that.

Ooohhhh I used to do that all the time with long hair! Good to know!

I’m heading to the shop for an invisibobble and claw grip. My hair isn’t long enough for a bun yet so safe ponytails and non-twisted styles with a claw grip for me.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[H o n є y ❤]

Well,

Bald.

[RavennaNight]

I would say any kind of bun that doesn’t use hair ties of any kind and is held up with a stick or fork and the ends are tucked in and out of the way.

[lapushka]

Well,

Bald.

Too funny! :spitting: LOL!

[Groovy Granny]

I enjoy ponytails because my hair is like a cobweb if worn down and it feels good on my back.
It must be off my face, but even a half up isn't secure enough depending on what I am doing.

I love scrunchies bought and self crocheted, safe hair ties, and invisibobble cord ties (large and small).

Buns are worn under hats and hoods, and in hot weather.

No style can can be tight to avoid damage (I have never had any), plus I have a sensitive scalp and get headaches anyway. ;)

I wear 2 sleep braids every night.

[Natalia_A00]

Be careful with ponytails, if you wear them extremely tight they can cause traction alopecia or a receding hairline. Also use scrunchies (other hair ties are more damaging). Just don't wear any hairstyle too tight. I think the best way to wear your hair is in a braided bun, donut bun, etc.

[meteor]

For me - it's definitely a braided bun.

And in that style the braid is a simple 3-strand English braid with no hair tie, and the bun is some very simple and one-stick structure with no twisting, flipping, pushing hair through "pockets", or any other complex manipulation, etc... - e.g. LWB, L-Infinity, Spidermom's, Spock bun.

[Joules]

What's wrong with twisting? Is it proven to be damaging? I thought it could cause damage only when done too tight (literally everything is damaging to hair if done too tight), loosely twisted cinnamon bun always seemed very safe to me.

[lapushka]

What's wrong with twisting? Is it proven to be damaging? I thought it could cause damage only when done too tight (literally everything is damaging to hair if done too tight), loosely twisted cinnamon bun always seemed very safe to me.

I think it depends on how hard you twist. You'd have to be twisting pretty tightly to cause any form of damage. IMMHO!

[Hexen]

Probably loose, while floating in the middle of a big room in 0 gravity.

[meteor]

What's wrong with twisting? Is it proven to be damaging? I thought it could cause damage only when done too tight (literally everything is damaging to hair if done too tight), loosely twisted cinnamon bun always seemed very safe to me.

Yes, nothing wrong with cinnabuns. :flower: But in my case, the twisting causes tangles at this stage/length, even if I don't do it tightly, just because the hair is long enough at calf length that the twisted ends will be deeply misaligned from the twisted top hair, if it makes sense. Not terrible, but not ideal for me, since the title of the thread asked for the "least damaging style" on our hair.
I used to do cinnabuns when my hair was significantly shorter, but even then, braided cinnabuns were even more protective (sectioning thick hair this way prevented tangling).

[Beeboo123]

I wish that was the case for me. Even loosely twisted cinnabuns held by claw clips (slippery hair that does not hold well with sticks with this style) cause loads of breakage. I wish i knew why. For me, the breakage starts where the twist starts (if i wear the bun low, it would be near my nape, if i wear it high, the breakage would start higher). Can someone help me figure out what i’m doing wrong?


Yes, nothing wrong with cinnabuns. :flower: But in my case, the twisting causes tangles at this stage/length, even if I don't do it tightly, just because the hair is long enough at calf length that the twisted ends will be deeply misaligned from the twisted top hair, if it makes sense. Not terrible, but not ideal for me, since the title of the thread asked for the "least damaging style" on our hair.
I used to do cinnabuns when my hair was significantly shorter, but even then, braided cinnabuns were even more protective (sectioning thick hair this way prevented tangling).

[Tinyponies]

I wish that was the case for me. Even loosely twisted cinnabuns held by claw clips (slippery hair that does not hold well with sticks with this style) cause loads of breakage. I wish i knew why. For me, the breakage starts where the twist starts (if i wear the bun low, it would be near my nape, if i wear it high, the breakage would start higher). Can someone help me figure out what i’m doing wrong?
I feel for you and from the description on your profile we have a similar ish hair type.

Could it be that the breakage occurs where the “inner” edge of the claw clips holds the hair and could it be that there’s weight hanging off them? Could it be that the way the hair lies in your Cinnabun that the claw clips are clipping onto fragile canopy hair that breaks very easily?

Have you tried a 3/4/+ prong fork? Might be a happy medium between a stick and a claw. My Jeter is so comfortable and I don’t feel like anything is breaking at all. I currently wear an LWB every day.

Wishing you all the best!

[dove4]

For my hair, making a looped ponytail with a soft scrunchie is pretty safe. I also do braids with soft hair ties, and cinnabuns with acrylic hair sticks. Also, smooth claw clips are pretty safe.

I also wear my hair down, if the weather is ok and I'm not near anything that is damaging to hair.

[meteor]

I wish that was the case for me. Even loosely twisted cinnabuns held by claw clips (slippery hair that does not hold well with sticks with this style) cause loads of breakage. I wish i knew why. For me, the breakage starts where the twist starts (if i wear the bun low, it would be near my nape, if i wear it high, the breakage would start higher). Can someone help me figure out what i’m doing wrong?

I think when twists are done, some hairs (possibly farthest away, on the outside edges, with maximum angling away from the direction of the twist) can be exposed to more twisting and, more importantly, more torsion in some updo structures. Also, obviously some hairs have smaller diameter or are more brittle than others, so they can be broken more easily.

I think part of the problem with twisting hair up for me is that in order for it to actually hold securely, I have to do a really tight twist, otherwise it just unravels with my slippy Houdini hair. So simple English braided buns are the way to go for me - no torsion, added security of the braid (in case the bun comes udone, I can redo it within seconds), plus some helpful sectioning to prevent tangling.
Very long twisted hair also carries some additional potential for tangling IMHO, since on long twists the ends are typically twisted many rotations away from where the roots are, compared to equivalent hair at shorter lengths. My hair practically dreads up if I do multiple small-ish/medium twists with many rotations at any significant length.

[Ligeia Noire]

Probably loose, while floating in the middle of a big room in 0 gravity.
Here, take it :cake:

[zmirina]

Anything that distributes tensions well and protects the ends, while keeping hair away from bag straps, isn't it?

I love invisibobble, but I lose them so regularly on my runs, it's not even funny

[JulyFun]

I like parandas, in a slippery satin ribbon or satin rattail cord, not wool. That way I can use elastics to tie my braids without damaging the ends. The wool was too clingy in my hair and difficult to take out.

[CampFireTiger]

Like RevennaNight said, any bun where the ends aren't sticking out and isn't secured with a hair tie, but with a hair stick.

Around shoulder length like my hair I keep it in a peacock twist.

[Hexen]

Here, take it :cake:

Here, you take it too then :flowers:

[BrightEyes]

My hair is a couple inches past shoulder length and I wear it in a peacock twist most days. Sometimes I wear it in a pony tail with a ribbon hair tie or scrunchie. But I feel the peacock twist is the least damaging.

[Begemot]

Many great suggestions here. I would like to point out that it might be preferable to still change between multiple styles, even if you find the one up-do that is the least damaging for your hair. Like if you keep a hair tie or a stick or whatever hair toy in the same place day after day, it will eventually rub against hair and cause some damage.

[soldierssong]

I'm curious about some aspect of this. I have thin hair, and is it better to have loose buns? Doesn't twisting make damage?
And when my sister was growing out her pixie, two french braids were her staple.

[Hairkay]

I'm curious about some aspect of this. I have thin hair, and is it better to have loose buns? Doesn't twisting make damage?
And when my sister was growing out her pixie, two french braids were her staple.

What works is going to vary according to your hair. My hair has to be twisted or plaited to form a bun that will last and to deter tangles. Plaits/braids are good for my hair too but it may not be the best solution for fine hair.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

I find the braided bun to be more protective. Just a bun does tend to cause my hair to break in certain areas.

[RottenMango]

A loose bun held with a soft fabric scrunchy.

[AutobotsAttack]

For me it’s a bun. No scrunchies, no hairties, nothing. My hair stays up without anything holding it, so I typically bun. And leave it alone.

[AuntyMiki]

I cinnabun with spin pins everyday. So far so good...I think.

[Wusel]

How you wear your hair depends on the length of it, IMO. I don't think ponytails at a shorter length are damaging, as long as you use great tools, like scrunchies or soft hair ties.

I wore claw clips a lot. To me they don't "pull" like bobbypins when you take them out. I would clip the hair up in claw clips as much as possible.

If you can do a peacock twist, that would be great.

Myself, as I could only start doing buns at hip, I had to be creative and I just wore it up in a peacock twist with a claw clip (later log roll). It worked fine, and claw clips do not give you damage. I didn't have damage from that!

Yes, I wear a peacock twist all the time with four 1 inch claw clips of very good quality. The quality of the clips is very important because bad quality ones can break hairs.

[blackgothicdoll]

My hair has flourished in dutch braids pulled into a bun with a satin scrunchie. It likes being braided in general.

[ExpectoPatronum]

My hair does well when braided or bunned. That said, I don't wear updos as often as I should.

[czech it out]

Anyone else have a ring of breakage from braiding at night? At least - I think that’s what it’s from. I only braid at night (one Dutch braid at the nape) and wear loose or low bunned hair during the day. I have a ring of breakage at about chin level.

It’s so frustrating since I don’t do pony’s at all!

[Tinyponies]

Anyone else have a ring of breakage from braiding at night? At least - I think that’s what it’s from. I only braid at night (one Dutch braid at the nape) and wear loose or low bunned hair during the day. I have a ring of breakage at about chin level.

It’s so frustrating since I don’t do pony’s at all!
Are you using a silky pillowcase? Are you sure they are broken and not baby hairs?

I love the way a soft, loose bun looks on me but I cannot figure out how to get one to stay in on my fine but dense-ish, slippy 1c/2a waist length hair. Any ideas anyone?

[czech it out]

Are you using a silky pillowcase? Are you sure they are broken and not baby hairs?

I love the way a soft, loose bun looks on me but I cannot figure out how to get one to stay in on my fine but dense-ish, slippy 1c/2a waist length hair. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks for the suggestions! I do have a satin sheet set, but am thinking a satin sleep cap might be the next logical option, and maybe I’ll forego the braid. My hair is so susceptible to mechanical damage, it’s crazy! It’s definitely not baby hairs - no recent sheds and I haven’t seen them advancing down the length at all. My hairstylist actually scolded me about wearing elastics last time I got a trim because the ring of damage was so noticeable. Little did she know I don’t use any!

Have you tried spin pins for your loose bun? Maybe small spin pins.

[Reyn127]

Czech it out, I have definitely experienced breakage around where I tie off my braids. And I’m pretty sure it’s not just the hair tie I’m using, but more the fact that the hairs on the “outside” of the braid are forced to rub against everything with any movement. I get more breakage from wearing my hair down in braids than in only a ponytail, but that might be just me. I don’t really know what to do to prevent it while sleeping, so I usually just go with what’s comfortable in the end.

[Lions-mane]

That is smart! I will start doing this, I was wondering earlier as I put up my bun if the twisting would cause tension and breakage.