Want to take a break from wearing my hair up

[Elizabeth E]

So I have worn my hair up pretty much 24/6 for the past year and I feel that it's starting to do more damage than good. My buns are quite big so whether I make my bun high, low, regular or off-centre, there isn't much of a difference. I've tried making them looser, but the weight of the hair causes it to sag down into a big ball that dangles at the nape of my neck - so not comfortable.

I've tried almost every method of securing it - hair sticks, forks, ficcares, claw clips, pins, you name it - but nothing seems to hold my hair up without putting unnecessary strain on my hairline. I can actually feel the pull against the finer hairs around my face, which I don't like. I've got a sparse spot at my crown, which wasn't there before. Luckily it's still very small, but I suspect that repeatedly putting my hair into a bun is to blame.

I've tracked my hair growth from the start of my journey and during the first three months (while wearing it down all the time) I got 4cm. Then I started wearing it up and got 5cm per three months for six months - I do think that growth spurt mainly had to do with quitting heat styling and switching to a wide-toothed comb. Since then, it's been back to 4cm per 3 months.
What I want to do, is to wear it down for the next 3 months and then measure to see how much it increased in length. If the length increase is the same as when I wear it up, I'll continue for another three months and measure again. And so forth. If it looks like wearing my hair down is causing damage, I'll return to wearing it in buns. But for now, I think I need to take a break from updos for a while.

By the way, I prefer wearing my hair down to having it up. It doesn't bother me and it doesn't tangle easily, which is a plus!

So this is what I plan to do:

1. Continue washing hair only once a week
2. S & D once a week to remove splits
3. Wear in a bun maximum one day a week, but down for the rest of the time
4. Wear in a loose braid at night instead of a bun
5. Detangle twice a day
6. Lightly oil the ends after a wash to seal them and keep that oil in until the next wash
7. Do a hot oil treatment on my scalp and lengths once a week, before I wash.

What do you think of this routine? Is there anything I must change/add?

[catoala]

Yes, I also thought about this: it gets very tiring and hurts scalp. I personally do a low braid everyday and it helps.

If you find it works for you, no need to do it just because it's a "norm" here when you want long hair.

I know genetics are responsible but there are women with long hairs that are healthy, yet they never wore their hair up. So it's not **that** important. ;)

[Servana]

Just chiming in to say I wear my hair down 24/7 and have never had a problem. My hair is usually between waist and hip+ and I've never had any issues with damage. My hair also hates being up. No matter what length it is and how many pins and elastics I use to secure it, it has always refused to stay up. And yes, when it's long and thick it becomes quite painful to have it up, unless you do something like a Dutch braid or low pony.

So if you prefer it down, go for it. I can't really say whether having it up or down makes it grow any more or less - I really think that's more down to genetics + whether you're frying your hair off with heat and bleach.

[spidermom]

By all means, do what is right for you and your hair. My hair bugs me when it's down. It tickles my neck and makes it itch, plus it's hot, and I hate when I bend forward and it falls into my face. So up is best for me, but I do enjoy taking it down and combing it out, which I could never do with short hair.

[Groovy Granny]

I enjoy my hair down in COOLER seasons/weather ;) but must contain my wispy silver/whites in a half up or loose ponytail with ties/scrunchies/barrettes/flexis etc.

A comfy nape bun with a Ficcare is needed for hoods/hats in cold/rain, and I use various hair toys to put my hair up in twists or buns in hot weather (I get headaches from buns because of a sensitive scalp, so I cannot wear them 24/7)

For sleep I usually do twin english braids.

My hair has never had damage from it being worn down in any fashion, and I have never seen a split end.

Just do you and enjoy your hair :cheer:
Your routine is very similar to mine) :)...I am sure it will be fine...You take good care of your hair!

[MusicalSpoons]

If you want to try different types of buns to find something more comfortable, the hairstyle thesaurus and the monthly style threads are a good place for inspiration. HOWEVER it doesn't sound like that's the case, and your plan to monitor things sounds really sensible! :)

[lithostoic]

You say you've tried everything but you didn't mention sectioned buns or french/dutch braided buns. Both make a huge difference because the weight is dispersed over multiple focal points. If you're worried about damage or having a full hemline I'd suggest trying those first before wearing it down!

[akurah]

My favorite place to put my bun is actually the top of my head. But if you don't like how it looks on you then it's not going to be a whole lot of help.

[Elizabeth E]

Thanks for replying, everyone :)


I enjoy my hair down in COOLER seasons/weather ;) but must contain my wispy silver/whites in a half up or loose ponytail with ties/scrunchies/barrettes/flexis etc.

A comfy nape bun with a Ficcare is needed for hoods/hats in cold/rain, and I use various hair toys to put my hair up in twists or buns in hot weather (I get headaches from buns because of a sensitive scalp, so I cannot wear them 24/7)

For sleep I usually do twin english braids.

My hair has never had damage from it being worn down in any fashion, and I have never seen a split end.

Just do you and enjoy your hair :cheer:
Your routine is very similar to mine) :)...I am sure it will be fine...You take good care of your hair!

Glad to hear that. Everyone's hair is different so I'm curious to see what mine prefers.


If you want to try different types of buns to find something more comfortable, the hairstyle thesaurus and the monthly style threads are a good place for inspiration. HOWEVER it doesn't sound like that's the case, and your plan to monitor things sounds really sensible! :)

I've tried many buns from the hairstyle thesaurus, but the problem always comes in when I have to secure them and hair sticks or clips pull at my hairline. I'll monitor things for the next few months and see what my hair does.


You say you've tried everything but you didn't mention sectioned buns or french/dutch braided buns. Both make a huge difference because the weight is dispersed over multiple focal points. If you're worried about damage or having a full hemline I'd suggest trying those first before wearing it down!

Oh, I forgot to add those! Unfortunately I haven't experienced braided or sectioned buns to be any more comfortable than regular ones. I spend most of my time indoors, so I don't think my hair will sustain that much damage when worn down. I'll clip it up for a while when exercising and things like that, but I don't want to have it up all the time now.


My favorite place to put my bun is actually the top of my head. But if you don't like how it looks on you then it's not going to be a whole lot of help.

I have to admit, I really dislike the way a high bun looks on me. I also find it pretty hard to secure - by the time I've finished putting it up, it has usually already started sagging down!

I'm going to wash my hair today, measure it, and then check in again after three months of following my new routine. I'm curious to see the results!

[LittleHealthy]

What you’ve outlined sounds like a very good plan.
I’m just chiming in to say that maybe you can save the 1 day a week bun for the day before you wash, and use that bun day to chuck some extra oils in and have it masked for the day before you wash! Also that way if your hair is greasy on wash day it will be hidden in the bun.

I often feel the same way, I just want to wear it down and enjoy it a bit! Whenever I have mine in a bun I love to over-oil it on purpose too. Sometimes I miss just having nice dry hair to wear down! I go through phases of being ultra paranoid, or not, about being protective with my hair. A bit of S and D can fix most problems!

[Simpscone]

I'm one of those rebels who doesn't wear their hair up everyday :lol: but my hair is still waaaay shorter than most here, so I don't really find a necessity to doing it at my length.

I hope as I gain length I can wear the beautiful styles I see on here, but I have always liked my hair down and wouldn't want to do something I'm not happy with purely because it's better for my hair. I think you need a balance between what works for you and what is good for you.

It sounds like you have a very smart plan in place, I'd love to hear how it goes for you! :flower:

[RottenMango]

I think variety is best for hair. Protective styles such as updo can put strains on certain parts of the hair and cause breakage. Wearing the hair down all of the time can result in the ends rubbing up against things and breaking, but it gives the scalp and hair roots a break from having to support heavy buns and such. I wear my hair down half of the time. The other half of the time, I wear a bun.

[Ylva]

In the past, I grew my bleached hair to the butt area without ever wearing it up. In fact, my hair was worn up for the first time ever late last year. After my big chop in March, I have found it difficult to make secure buns, so I've just resorted to wearing my hair down (in a braid when out of the house, loose for sleep) and I haven't noticed any out-of-the-ordinary thinning in my ends, as I expected from past experience.

[bparnell75]

My favorite place to put my bun is actually the top of my head. But if you don't like how it looks on you then it's not going to be a whole lot of help.

I am a top of the head gal too. Usually with a little fullness around the face.

[Dark40]

So I have worn my hair up pretty much 24/6 for the past year and I feel that it's starting to do more damage than good. My buns are quite big so whether I make my bun high, low, regular or off-centre, there isn't much of a difference. I've tried making them looser, but the weight of the hair causes it to sag down into a big ball that dangles at the nape of my neck - so not comfortable.

I've tried almost every method of securing it - hair sticks, forks, ficcares, claw clips, pins, you name it - but nothing seems to hold my hair up without putting unnecessary strain on my hairline. I can actually feel the pull against the finer hairs around my face, which I don't like. I've got a sparse spot at my crown, which wasn't there before. Luckily it's still very small, but I suspect that repeatedly putting my hair into a bun is to blame.

I've tracked my hair growth from the start of my journey and during the first three months (while wearing it down all the time) I got 4cm. Then I started wearing it up and got 5cm per three months for six months - I do think that growth spurt mainly had to do with quitting heat styling and switching to a wide-toothed comb. Since then, it's been back to 4cm per 3 months.
What I want to do, is to wear it down for the next 3 months and then measure to see how much it increased in length. If the length increase is the same as when I wear it up, I'll continue for another three months and measure again. And so forth. If it looks like wearing my hair down is causing damage, I'll return to wearing it in buns. But for now, I think I need to take a break from updos for a while.

By the way, I prefer wearing my hair down to having it up. It doesn't bother me and it doesn't tangle easily, which is a plus!

So this is what I plan to do:

1. Continue washing hair only once a week
2. S & D once a week to remove splits
3. Wear in a bun maximum one day a week, but down for the rest of the time
4. Wear in a loose braid at night instead of a bun
5. Detangle twice a day
6. Lightly oil the ends after a wash to seal them and keep that oil in until the next wash
7. Do a hot oil treatment on my scalp and lengths once a week, before I wash.

What do you think of this routine? Is there anything I must change/add?

I think you have a good routine of plan. I'm not for wearing my hair up all of the time either. It doesn't make a difference to me in hair growth. With my hair down it doesn't bother me either.

[Elizabeth E]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

So I washed my hair the other day and wore it down for the whole day. It didn't really bother me...but let's just say that it'll take time to adjust to having my hair down again, ha ha. Since then I've been experimenting with hairstyles and I finally found something that works.
I make my hair into a very loose braid, bring it over my head so that it lies flat from my nape to crown, and tuck the ends underneath. It takes several pins for it to hold, but the weight is evenly distributed across my head and despite feeling very secure, I don't experience any pulling.
I'll post pictures as soon as I get the time.

[akurah]

When wearing my hair down and I need to keep it off my face, I like to use a small claw clip or loose scrunchie or phone-cord style hair device (loose enough that if caught on something, it will pull out, but ideally not so loose or can fall out on its own) to pull it back.

[Elizabeth E]

So I've decided that I'm no longer going to experiment with wearing my hair down, since my new hairstyle is so comfortable. Here it is:
https://imgur.com/9WPvjC4
https://imgur.com/lpXQKoq
Excuse the bad photo quality, but the pics were taken in the evening with indoor lighting.
Though it requires a bit more manipulation than a plain bun, the braid stays in place so well that I have to redo it only every second day, and not every day as I used to with my buns. I'm really happy to have found a better way to wear my hair! :joy:

[AmaryllisRed]

So I've decided that I'm no longer going to experiment with wearing my hair down, since my new hairstyle is so comfortable. Here it is:
https://imgur.com/9WPvjC4
https://imgur.com/lpXQKoq
Excuse the bad photo quality, but the pics were taken in the evening with indoor lighting.
Though it requires a bit more manipulation than a plain bun, the braid stays in place so well that I have to redo it only every second day, and not every day as I used to with my buns. I'm really happy to have found a better way to wear my hair! :joy:

Looks great! Isn't it awesome when you find a style that works perfectly?

[Elizabeth E]

Looks great! Isn't it awesome when you find a style that works perfectly?

It totally is! I've been wearing my hair like this for about a week now and it feels so good to not have to bother with my hair every day. It's really comfortable too :happydance:

[Liz_H]

It totally is! I've been wearing my hair like this for about a week now and it feels so good to not have to bother with my hair every day. It's really comfortable too :happydance:

It looks gorgeous!