Hair for gymnastics? no pins, clips or hairsticks allowed!

[ccsdg]

I'm at my wits' end! My daughter has waist-length hair and her gymnastics club says she's not allowed pins, clips or hairsticks but should (possibly magically) have it as an updo. The teacher suggested using a hairtie... I'm frustrated, but I know it's not their fault they don't understand and I'm sure they're trying to keep the space safe. My daughter has suggested cutting it off; I've suggested dropping gymnastics...hence my current desperate request:

Please please please could some amazingly innovative person suggest secure updos for gymnastics floor/apparatus using soft hair accessories only? It would be awesome if they were also easy and fast to do (she's only 8 and does a great job of managing her hair, but even with my help doesn't have time to do something like a crown braid three days out of five).

[ccsdg]

On second thought, shoulder length styles would probably be ok too as long as they were secure enough to withstand all the cartwheeling and jumping etc. She's had french braids folded and tied at the ear, but that's still too long and is prone to slipping out.

[.:Alma:.]

I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and it's a similar situation, only hair ties allowed and lots of rolling around. What worked for me is two dutch braids rolled in two low japanese buns/loop buns (can't remember the name) behind my ears.

[foreveryours]

On second thought, shoulder length styles would probably be ok too as long as they were secure enough to withstand all the cartwheeling and jumping etc. She's had french braids folded and tied at the ear, but that's still too long and is prone to slipping out.

Something like this maybe?

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/394346511093356197/

If you could section I think it would be very quick to do, and take down, (faster than braids) and looks very secure

[Iyashikei]

Could you maybe use ribbons to tie her hair? I bet they look really cute with odango buns or something like that.

[Ashtaroth]

Morgan Donner’s new youtube video on putting her hair up with just ribbon is probably a good resource. She has hip length hair.
https://youtu.be/dpT86z93Ec8

[Entangled]

Amish braids or interlaced braids are both a good option.

Amish braids (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ms8ODU42k)
Interlaced Braids (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lG4MTltnX7M)

ETA: I realize these are both more time-intensive styles. The good thing is that you can keep them in for days, especially if you use a leave-in that helps keep the grizzlies at bay.

[barnet_fair]

not allowed pins, clips or hairsticks

What colour is your daughter's hair? My hair is dark brown, and brown or black spin pins and bobby pins are pretty much invisible. It's surely possible to make spin pins invisible in other hair colours depending on the bun - might take some experimentation.

I'd suggest not trying to solve the impossible problem the gymnastics teacher has given you (secure, comfortable, damage-free bun with only hairbands), but the real problem (teacher does not want to see any evidence of hair pins or have them fall out). Practice securing your daughter's hair with spin pins at home until you're confident they won't show or fall out, then you can send her to gymnastics with her hair already bunned and everyone will be happy.

[DropStitches]

When my hair was longer, I used to put it in a high cinnabun with two velvet scrunchies - the first one to secure the pony tail high on the head, and the second around the outside of the bun. You'd maybe have to experiment (including with different sizes of scrunchie, if she's got a lot of hair) to see if it would be secure enough to gymnastics in, but it felt very comfortable and secure in everyday life!

[ccsdg]

Thanks everyone for your sympathy and great suggestions!


Amish braids or interlaced braids are both a good option.

I'm seriously considering one of these, at least a lot of the weight is held in by itself. She usually wears an English braid that she only fixes every couple of days so even if the Amish/interlaced braids got frizzy they wouldn't be messier than what she usually has anyway! I wonder if we could get away with doing it only once a week..


What colour is your daughter's hair? My hair is dark brown, and brown or black spin pins and bobby pins are pretty much invisible. It's surely possible to make spin pins invisible in other hair colours depending on the bun - might take some experimentation.

Yep - my daughter's hair is black so hiding them is a possibility.


I'd suggest not trying to solve the impossible problem the gymnastics teacher has given you (secure, comfortable, damage-free bun with only hairbands), but the real problem (teacher does not want to see any evidence of hair pins or have them fall out). Practice securing your daughter's hair with spin pins at home until you're confident they won't show or fall out, then you can send her to gymnastics with her hair already bunned and everyone will be happy.

This is so true. My spin pin game isn't very good at the moment so they stick out of my daughter's dead-straight hair. I'll keep trying! I'm also trying to see what we can do with large black metal u pins since we're more used to hairsticks in our daily life.

[foreveryours]

What colour is your daughter's hair? My hair is dark brown, and brown or black spin pins and bobby pins are pretty much invisible. It's surely possible to make spin pins invisible in other hair colours depending on the bun - might take some experimentation.

I'd suggest not trying to solve the impossible problem the gymnastics teacher has given you (secure, comfortable, damage-free bun with only hairbands), but the real problem (teacher does not want to see any evidence of hair pins or have them fall out). Practice securing your daughter's hair with spin pins at home until you're confident they won't show or fall out, then you can send her to gymnastics with her hair already bunned and everyone will be happy.

Having hard objects up close ot her head like a hairstick is probably a safety issue in case she falls.

[ccsdg]

Morgan Donner’s new youtube video on putting her hair up with just ribbon is probably a good resource. She has hip length hair.
https://youtu.be/dpT86z93Ec8

Wow, this was amazing. Definitely trying this, thanks!

[ccsdg]

Having hard objects up close ot her head like a hairstick is probably a safety issue in case she falls.

Oops this is so true... especially with spin pins as they are so bulky... There goes the hidden-metal-pin idea. Not that she would land on her head but they might poke her as she rolls.

[barnet_fair]

Having hard objects up close ot her head like a hairstick is probably a safety issue in case she falls.

I'm not suggesting smuggling a hair stick in there - that could be dangerous indeed. My spin pins have a little bobble on the ends of the wire, so there are no sharp edges, and I can't imagine any way they could do anyone any damage - certainly they can't poke you like a bobby pin. Having something impact your bun while the spin pins are in will not hurt, if they are positioned properly, and even stepping or landing on loose ones on the floor isn't going to hurt very much.

[neko_kawaii]

What about interlaced braids? No pins, just hair ties. If you have knotted ponytail holders (wide elastics tied in a knot at one side) you can use the bulk of the knot the same way that the plastic bobble elastics are done, looping the one side over the knot. That can be used to add some extra security to tie in the ends of the braids to the woven structure.

Are bun forms allowed? The instructor may be assuming that students will wear sock buns, which at some lengths can be done with two elastics and the mesh doughnut.

[Entangled]

I also thought about bun covers!
like this (https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crochet+bun+cover&t=fpas&iax=images&ia=images)

This could possibly hold the hair—they tend to be used in ballet, which can also be rigorous.

[Kat]

I'm at my wits' end! My daughter has waist-length hair and her gymnastics club says she's not allowed pins, clips or hairsticks but should (possibly magically) have it as an updo. The teacher suggested using a hairtie... I'm frustrated, but I know it's not their fault they don't understand and I'm sure they're trying to keep the space safe. My daughter has suggested cutting it off; I've suggested dropping gymnastics...hence my current desperate request:

Please please please could some amazingly innovative person suggest secure updos for gymnastics floor/apparatus using soft hair accessories only? It would be awesome if they were also easy and fast to do (she's only 8 and does a great job of managing her hair, but even with my help doesn't have time to do something like a crown braid three days out of five).

Crown or Heidi braids secured with hair taping?

Someone else mentioned "surreptitiously" using spin pins. As I'm sure the reason for the prohibition is safety, maybe plastic hair pins (like the Good Hair Days pins) could be a compromise? I wear them for skating (I wear my hair in a bun, precisely in case I fall backward and hit my head-- my hair is a cushion), with the reasoning that with force, they're more likely to break than impale or otherwise injure me. (It might not solve a problem of "if a hairpin is lost, no one else wants to land on it" but it could be safer if your daughter hits her head.

[Siv]

Crown or Heidi braids secured with hair taping?

Someone else mentioned "surreptitiously" using spin pins. As I'm sure the reason for the prohibition is safety, maybe plastic hair pins (like the Good Hair Days pins) could be a compromise? I wear them for skating (I wear my hair in a bun, precisely in case I fall backward and hit my head-- my hair is a cushion), with the reasoning that with force, they're more likely to break than impale or otherwise injure me. (It might not solve a problem of "if a hairpin is lost, no one else wants to land on it" but it could be safer if your daughter hits her head.

I was going to say milkmaid braids with hair taping too! :D Also with spin pins - I used to do martial arts, and then self-defence training for work, and my spin pinned buns would last me a full day of grappling lol! But I was an adult though, might be different with kids

[CuteCrow]

In gymnastics there's a lot of rolling around that could make hair pins or sticks really dangerous, not only if they fall from one's hair but because you're putting your head on the floor a lot. Loose braids are sometimes not allowed because you could trap them under your body and end in a tricky situation.

I remember some kids wearing a hairstyle similar to this one (https://youtu.be/dpT86z93Ec8?t=935) for similar activities when I was a kid. All the other suggestions in this thread are quite useful too!

[sasha fox]

I also recommend trying the hairstyle CuteCrow posted, I do the same thing! When I was 12 I moved to rural Texas, and unsurprisingly, there are no hula halaus there! So I went from hula with braids or loose hair to competitive cheerleading and gymnastics that have the same strict hair rules, and so I started using ribbon with a very similar style to the video! For extra hair protection, you could replace the ribbon with strips of bamboo silk, I don't know how easy it is to find in the mainland, but you can order bamboo silk pillowcases online for $15 and cut them into strips! Best of luck!!!

[spirals]

I just looked at the video someone posted and it's basically hair taping. Here's how to get the hair completely up and close to the head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqbAdvL8kME I don't remember if Torrin used hair pins but you could take them out after taping.

[Jo Ann]

I'd be thinking sock or donut buns, myself. There's plenty of tutorials on YouTube--just type in "sock bun" :)

[Kat]

The problem then becomes.... how do you secure the bun? (I wonder if one could hair-tape a bun...)

[Nineteenbirds]

Morgan Donner’s new youtube video on putting her hair up with just ribbon is probably a good resource. She has hip length hair.
https://youtu.be/dpT86z93Ec8

This video may have changed my life. I've watched it three times, now. Once I've had my shots I'm going to Joanne's and buy a lot of ribbon.

[florenonite]

I had a friend in middle school who had waist length hair and did gymnastics. She wore her hair in a braided high ponytail where the braid was then doubled up and tucked into a scrunchie at the base of the ponytail; the folded braid only reached the nape of her neck and there were no pins, just a couple of elastics and a scrunchie. Maybe something like that would work?

[ccsdg]

This video may have changed my life. I've watched it three times, now. Once I've had my shots I'm going to Joanne's and buy a lot of ribbon.

That's hilarious. I feel the same way.

We tried out hair taping for a session earlier in the week. Great fourteenth century gymnastics look(!) but the length of the braids still kept slipping out of the taping. Braiding ribbons into the hair is a wonderful solution. Thank you Morgan Donner!! Last night I tried interlaced braids with a ribbon braided in each, wrapping the extra ribbon around the whole thing at the end like a bun. It stayed in all night with no discomfort (Miss 8 is my wriggliest sleeper) and looks mostly the same nearly 20 hours later for gymnastics. So good! It looks a little bit fancy as well which helps her to feel better about having long hair.

Yay, one workable solution (that's medieval-friendly to boot)! Though it is a little bit time-intense and requires careful handling and very crisp dutch braids to avoid breakage at the roots when doing the weaving. We'll keep trying more styles. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions!