Edges and traction alopecia - Hairstyles?

[Wusel]

Hi :)
I have edges since childhood, my mom said, and, yes, I remember I always had them.
They got better a bit since I take supplements.
But I don't want them to get bigger.
From what I have read you can even get traction alopecia from your hair being too long and too heavy.
I have very thick,heavy hair and want to grow it to hip minimum.
Which hairstyles are okay to not get a receding hairline?
Did any of you experience that?
I have read pretty much anything is bad: Braids, buns, ponytails... so, how can I wear my hair?
Thank you :)

[Iyashikei]

I think that as long as you don't make your styles too tight you'll be fine. A good friend of mine got a receding hairline because of always having an extremely tight ponytail and since she loosened it up and switched to wearing her hair down every now and then it halted. Of course when you actually have alopecia it won't be that easy but it'll help.

[akurah]

I don't have traction alopecia, but I did have alopecia areata that sometimes pops up from time to time. One of the techniques I use to keep the buns from being too tight is that before I insert the hair fork to hold the bun, I make the bun and while holding the bun in place with a hand, I insert the fork under the scalp hair just behind my hairline and give it a good wiggle to loosen the hair pulled into the bun. I usually have to do it 3 or 4 times to get all "sides" between my bun and my hairline. I then secure it with a fork after the wiggle routine.

[Wusel]

I think that as long as you don't make your styles too tight you'll be fine. A good friend of mine got a receding hairline because of always having an extremely tight ponytail and since she loosened it up and switched to wearing her hair down every now and then it halted. Of course when you actually have alopecia it won't be that easy but it'll help.

Thank you:) What do you think is too tight?

[Wusel]

I don't have traction alopecia, but I did have alopecia areata that sometimes pops up from time to time. One of the techniques I use to keep the buns from being too tight is that before I insert the hair fork to hold the bun, I make the bun and while holding the bun in place with a hand, I insert the fork under the scalp hair just behind my hairline and give it a good wiggle to loosen the hair pulled into the bun. I usually have to do it 3 or 4 times to get all "sides" between my bun and my hairline. I then secure it with a fork after the wiggle routine.

That sounds like a good method, to loosen the front hairs so that the bun doesn't pull on them. Thank you :)

[Wusel]

The problem is I can never wear my hair down. In my job it has to be up, not even a loose ponytail or braid is possible.
I haver read somewhere that you should sleep with your hair down to avoid traction alopecia but I can't do this. I'd wake up all the time from layig and pulling on my hair. I sleep with a side braid and change it often, left or right side.
I have hair on my edges, but it's always short and fine compared to the rest of my hair. It's all like a bit longer babyhairs (1-3 inches) and they never grow long and full enough to cover the edges. It's always been like that. Even when I had a short bob and wore my hair down 24/7, they never grew in.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

The problem is I can never wear my hair down. In my job it has to be up, not even a loose ponytail or braid is possible.
I haver read somewhere that you should sleep with your hair down to avoid traction alopecia but I can't do this. I'd wake up all the time from layig and pulling on my hair. I sleep with a side braid and change it often, left or right side.
I have hair on my edges, but it's always short and fine compared to the rest of my hair. It's all like a bit longer babyhairs (1-3 inches) and they never grow long and full enough to cover the edges. It's always been like that. Even when I had a short bob and wore my hair down 24/7, they never grew in.

It's normal for the edge hair to be like that, everyone has shorter hair on the edges. Really, it is normal.

[MusicalSpoons]

It's normal for the edge hair to be like that, everyone has shorter hair on the edges. Really, it is normal.

Yup - if it's growing consistently, it's not alopecia!

[Iyashikei]

Thank you:) What do you think is too tight?

Typically when it becomes uncomfortable it is too tight. I never had hair that was long enough to do ponytails so I can't really give you any advice on that but getting headaches seems like a red flag to me.

[lapushka]

If it's that thick, and you want hip in the first place, I would hold off on bunning until you are in fact hip. I needed to wait until hip to bun with my iii hair. So I'm guessing it's going to take more length than BSL+!

A log roll is a pretty style and it's one I did at around BSL, with a nice big claw clip.

[MusicalSpoons]

Typically when it becomes uncomfortable it is too tight. I never had hair that was long enough to do ponytails so I can't really give you any advice on that but getting headaches seems like a red flag to me.

This is generally true, unless someone is already prone to headaches - in that case it's not much of a sign :) but yes, if it's uncomfortable to start with then that's a sign it's too tight; not necessarily that it will definitely cause damage, but it's certainly not a good idea to have things uncomfortably tight all the time.

[lapushka]

I seem to remember you had the same issue (headaches) about a year ago, which is why you trimmed?

Maybe it does have to do with length and the fact that you are doing buns when you really shouldn't, OP. In any case try loose styles, always, and use a claw or other accessory and not yet a stick or fork, that would be my recommendation.

That or if you really want to bun, do half-ups. If you do those, do you still get headaches?

[Wusel]

I seem to remember you had the same issue (headaches) about a year ago, which is why you trimmed?

Maybe it does have to do with length and the fact that you are doing buns when you really shouldn't, OP. In any case try loose styles, always, and use a claw or other accessory and not yet a stick or fork, that would be my recommendation.

That or if you really want to bun, do half-ups. If you do those, do you still get headaches?

I'm prone to headaches because of a hypersensitive scalp. So to be 100% safe from headaches, I would have to wear my hair loose in the direction of each strand's growth all the time, I think. I will have to go for layers at some point I think. Because it's just too much weight. I plan to start with lighter layering at around waist and go for progressively heavier layering later. I've read it's easier to bun layered hair?
I will try to not make a hairstyle pull at all.

[akurah]

I'm prone to headaches because of a hypersensitive scalp. So to be 100% safe from headaches, I would have to wear my hair loose in the direction of each strand's growth all the time, I think. I will have to go for layers at some point I think. Because it's just too much weight. I plan to start with lighter layering at around waist and go for progressively heavier layering later. I've read it's easier to bun layered hair?
I will try to not make a hairstyle pull at all.

It is easier to bun hair that has thinner ends, be it from layering or from natural taper. But I'm not sure that means it's easier to make buns that don't pull though, it's just easier to get up and stay up. I had trouble with my hair pulling when I bunned at knee length. I am at a blunt-cut waist now and while bunning can be tricky, when I do get it up it generally doesn't pull for me.

[lapushka]

I'm prone to headaches because of a hypersensitive scalp. So to be 100% safe from headaches, I would have to wear my hair loose in the direction of each strand's growth all the time, I think. I will have to go for layers at some point I think. Because it's just too much weight. I plan to start with lighter layering at around waist and go for progressively heavier layering later. I've read it's easier to bun layered hair?
I will try to not make a hairstyle pull at all.

I have layers from waist/hip to classic (ponytail on the forehead method); I love it. Don't do this if your hair is BSL, though, or shorter, because the shortest layers will be too short. And if you do, do this, go slowly, and snip maybe 1 to 2 inches off. You can always take more, but you can't glue it back.

As far as bunning goes. I only cut this method into my hair when I was waist+ and bunning didn't happen until hip, even with the layers. My layers stay in my bun, but I do have textured hair and use styling products, which is why it stays in there!