Scalp pain from a bun. Questions and advice.

[Carrie's hair]

Welcome to my first thread.
The problem concerns the pain of the scalp from the weight of the bun, where one strand strongly pulls the skin. For me it is always the same strand above my forehead, on the left side. Once I make a looser bun, it doesn't last long. Sometimes it falls apart in a minute. Sometimes I can pin my hair up for two hours. Later, I have to walk in my hair down to let my skin rest. I rarely make a bun for longer. I tried to pin the front section of my hair up, but then my skin hurt at the barrette. I even have days when, after braiding a braid, this strand tugs the skin terribly. Overall, the skin is sensitive in this one place.
For about a month I have been washing my hair standing, with my head up. The weight of wet hair also irritates the skin. Yesterday I started to wonder if I can keep growing my hair because I think some hair roots are not doing well anymore.

I'm close to classic F/M, ii.

*My hair styling skills are poor.

[lapushka]

What kind of buns do you do? I can't do a cinnamon bun for a day, for instance (it just coils undone). But a LWB (lazy wrap bun) and a Nautilus are fine. Maybe change up the buns that you do. Zesty has a great video on the LWB, and a double LWB (that might work better). Quick & to the point.

Zesty, could you post the link again? I seem to have "misplaced" that thread. I can't remember where it was that you posted the video, was it on the YT video thread?

[lakhesis]

I am just asking as it is not implicitly stated in your post, do you use sticks/ forks for your bun?
My scalp hurts if I am wearing a ponytail, but when I wear a bun secured with fork, it can last over 10 hours with no problem.

[lakhesis]

What kind of buns do you do? I can't do a cinnamon bun for a day, for instance (it just coils undone). But a LWB (lazy wrap bun) and a Nautilus are fine. Maybe change up the buns that you do. Zesty has a great video on the LWB, and a double LWB (that might work better). Quick & to the point.

Zesty, could you post the link again? I seem to have "misplaced" that thread. I can't remember where it was that you posted the video, was it on the YT video thread?


Adding Zesty's video for LWB bun :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8V_ry6Dv9M&feature=youtu.be

[Siv]

Scalp ache has been such an issue for me too! I'm not sure we have exactly the same problem but I'll share what type of scalp problems I've had and what has worked for me.

Underlying health issues: at the root of the problem for me (hehe pun sort of intended :lol:) are actually health issues. I'm very prone to all sorts of headaches but recently started on a medication for nerve pain that actually helps prevent my headaches a lot. All sorts of things could/can trigger head aches for me, including hairstyles. I did/do experience scalp ache as one sort of head ache. Solution: prescription meds.

Hair length: Depending on my length of hair I've had to find hair styles that work for me at that length. MBL-WL a top knot cinnabun with spin pins worked best for me as the bun "rested" on top of my head when I was upright which took a lot of tension away from my roots. Now, at roughly butt-length low LWB with hair forks work best. Preferably realllly low buns, for some reason, and four prong forks with a head curve. I'm not sure why this seems to take pressure off the roots but as long as it works :shrug: Solution: experiment with new hairstyles that put as little tension on the roots as possible. ETA: thinking about it, I think it helps that the prongs spread the tension wider than sticks do, and also I use very thin prongs (metal forks) which seems to take some tension off as well in comparison to thicker wood forks.

Stretching washes: If I go too long between washes my scalp aches a lot. It was a bit difficult to find info on this but I think I figured it out. So: our skin has a natural bacterial flora, but it starts producing "smelly" odours if we don't wash it off often so in modern society we do have very high hygiene norms and wash a lot. Well, because we're then not used to having that bacterial flora on our skin for longer times, if we stretch washes and don't wash it off, our skin CAN get irritated from all the bacteria action going on because it's not used to it, and for some this results in an achy scalp. For me it particularly aches when I move my hair around, like flip it from one side to the other, but also an all-around dull ache, especially where I have the most tension from whatever hairstyle I'm wearing. I can also experience "after shocks" for awhile after washing the grease off my scalp, so even after showering I can be achy for a few hours to a day after. Theoretically our scalp should get used to the natural bacterial flora over time if we consistently stretch washes for a longer period of time, but for me it's really not worth it as I deal with plenty head aches for other reasons as well. Solution: I stave off the scalp ache by washing with SLS every two to three days but YMMV.

[cat11]

I think maybe after reading your initial post perhaps you are making your buns too loose in attempt to relieve pressure. But if you dont make the bun snug enough to hold solidly it can actually pull more because its falling apart unevenly. I'm talking about with hair stick buns. How are you securing the buns?

Maybe doing a style that distributes weight across many points would help. You could try a braided cinnamon bun or rose bun (rope braid cinnamon) secured as you wrap by spin pins or amish pins. This can feel weightless almost the way the work is shared by all the pins. Having good solid pins is a must.

Also I thought of this, secured with 2 claw clips. See at the end how she shows it puts no weight on her hairline?

https://youtu.be/-qQP50kNpO4

Version on shorter hair. Injust wanted to post the other since she shows how it should not tug
https://youtu.be/ElSCHnzYtM8



You can do the same thing with 2 claw clips with a lot of different buns and it allows you to leave it looser than with a hair stick since it doesnt. Eed as much tension in the middle of the bun to hold.

[florenonite]

Have you tried experimenting with the positioning of buns? I often find if my bun is too low it'll tug, but if I do it at the crown of my head it's much more comfortable.

One other thing that I find is that if I don't thoroughly detangle my hair before doing a bun then it's more likely to be uneven and tug at one part of my scalp.

I also agree with the above poster that buns need to be secure or they'll actually tug more.

[cjk]

I haven't seen this mentioned so I'll tell you what I discovered recently.

As my bun has increased in size and weight, it's been pulling on the hairs towards the hairline.

But I realized, no matter how tightly I pull the hair, how securely I attached the bun, or anything else there's always a little bit of play. I can shift the bun up or down, and so forth. There's a little bit of looseness.

I have found that if I shift the bun upwards slightly, relieving the pressure on the hairs in the front, and then secure it with my hair stick the style still holds very well. And it eliminates the pressure, the pulling, on my front hairline.

[AmaryllisRed]

Lots of good suggestions above.
Also, consider leaving a front section *out of* the bun and wrapping it around after.
I actually cut bangs because the front hairline pulling was such a problem. I pin them back separately.

[Amenahh]

I've found that a bun on the top of my head is the most comfortable for me, as it just sits on my head.
Also, claw clips are more comfortable to me than sticks and forks in terms of tugging.

[lapushka]

Adding Zesty's video for LWB bun :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8V_ry6Dv9M&feature=youtu.be

Aw thank you so so much! :D

[Finda]

What also makes a difference to me: When I leave the parting intact it seems to pull less. When I pull all of my hair back I often have pain close to my forehead as well.

Certain kind of buns seem to pull less, but the longer my hair got, the less of an issue it became.

Apart from that, on some days finding the sweet spot where nothing hurts takes more than one try.

[C_Bookworm]

Have you tried braiding your hair into a paranda? It helps me with bunning because it gives me more acreage to distribute the weight. And then if I want to take it down from my LWB, there’s no styling time. Literally just pull out the hair stick and it’s in a different protective style.

[Scream-Queen]

I have very fine hair and whenever I put it up tightly with a hair tie it huuurts. But with hair sticks and donuts I never get the pain :) I think its based off of mostly on how tight is it is.

[Carrie's hair]

What kind of buns do you do? I can't do a cinnamon bun for a day, for instance (it just coils undone). But a LWB (lazy wrap bun) and a Nautilus are fine. Maybe change up the buns that you do. Zesty has a great video on the LWB, and a double LWB (that might work better). Quick & to the point.

Zesty, could you post the link again? I seem to have "misplaced" that thread. I can't remember where it was that you posted the video, was it on the YT video thread?
I hold the cinnamon bun with hair claw clips. I use 3 or 4 for this (they are about 2.5 cm wide). Then it's easy to move one when something hurts. It's just a pity if the hair stick is lying around. I like them so much. I do L-infinity, hypno bun (a little better). I can nautilus but don't make it. This moment of tightening the loop on the bun scares me a bit. I feel like I'm damaging my hair. LWB ... I have to try tomorrow. I have one more bun, the name of which unfortunately I do not know. I learned him first. It was great for half a year, but the problem with the skin started on vacation.

I am just asking as it is not implicitly stated in your post, do you use sticks/ forks for your bun?
My scalp hurts if I am wearing a ponytail, but when I wear a bun secured with fork, it can last over 10 hours with no problem.
I make a ponytail very rarely. Most often I use a stick or a fork (unfortunately it is too short for some buns).

[Carrie's hair]

Siv, cat11 thanks for a lot of valuable information. I have a lot to analyze.
florenonit, cjk, AmaryllisRed, Amenahh, Finda, C-Bookworm, Scream-Queen People, you are wonderful! So much advice. I am reading this and I can actually see that there are some options to try. Thank you very much. I will write everything down and start trying tomorrow and changing some habits.

[Scream-Queen]

Can't wait to hear what works for you! :)

[Carrie's hair]

More than 3 weeks have passed. I have limited my pin ups to LWB and Cinnamon bun, and I do scalp massage from time to time. More regularly, but not every day yet. After returning from work, I immediately let my hair down. It's better! Sometimes it pulls gently, but not like before. I have no problem with this one strand for a long time. I will experiment further. There are still a few options to try.

[lapushka]

More than 3 weeks have passed. I have limited my pin ups to LWB and Cinnamon bun, and I do scalp massage from time to time. More regularly, but not every day yet. After returning from work, I immediately let my hair down. It's better! Sometimes it pulls gently, but not like before. I have no problem with this one strand for a long time. I will experiment further. There are still a few options to try.

That's great. :) :thumbsup:

[Butterfly Blue]

I appreciate this thread so much. I always have the problem with my roots being sore when I put my hair up.
I looked at the video of the LWB last night and tried it this morning. It works! no pain. I'm so happy!!
Thanks to all for the suggestions.

[lapushka]

I appreciate this thread so much. I always have the problem with my roots being sore when I put my hair up.
I looked at the video of the LWB last night and tried it this morning. It works! no pain. I'm so happy!!
Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Cool! :D Tight buns are such a pain in the bun. :lol:

[Butterfly Blue]

Cool! :D Tight buns are such a pain in the bun. :lol:

lol! good pun! :cool:

[Corvana]

If I get any pulling, and it's just one spot, I'll gently tug that hair out of the bun a little more in order to relieve the pressure. There's always at least one spot in every bun that I need to do this for! Sometimes a spot is more sensitive for whatever reason, so I'll gently pull that spot to be even more loose so there's no pressure on it at all. Since everything else is well-distributed in terms of the weight, I don't worry about that causing any issues.

[lapushka]

lol! good pun! :cool:

:p :cheer: Why, thank you. ;) I couldn't not... not... you know. :lol: