That one strand of hair that always pulls really tight...

[spirals]

I have never found an answer for how to prevent this. With either a baid or bun there is always that one little section of the hair that pulls so tightly from the crown while the rest feels fine. I can put my hand back there and feel how taught it is. It doesn't matter how I part it, how well I brush it, where I place the bun, whatever. I pull on it to loosen it up and it doesn't help. Anyone else have this?

[GoddesJourney]

I have never found an answer for how to prevent this. With either a baid or bun there is always that one little section of the hair that pulls so tightly from the crown while the rest feels fine. I can put my hand back there and feel how taught it is. It doesn't matter how I part it, how well I brush it, where I place the bun, whatever. I pull on it to loosen it up and it doesn't help. Anyone else have this?

Yes. I actually manually loosen things sometimes.

I also braid my hair up in the back like a scorpion tail, at least for a while before I pull it down and over my shoulder to finish. But up until recently I did the whole thing *up*. I find that this lets the areas that tend to feel tight get braided on a stretch so they slack a bit when I let it down.

On the occasion that I bun, I have the angle down so that it starts twisting at the base in such a way that doesn't pull. Once I have the base set up, the rest is unlikely to pull unless my hair is tangled and especially wet and tangled.

[spirals]

I do have a braid in right now that doesn't hurt. I basically did the Eilling woman braid, but didn't pull the tail through. Also, on the first part I didn't braid it as far down as is called for, just a couple of turns. Maybe I can use this for buns. So my one issue, then, would be when I want to do twin braids because even that hurts.

[foreveryours]

I've found pulling the braid's first few stitches from side to side when just starting to center it so it runs straight down your neck and not off to one side fixes this for me. After the first 5 or 6 inches tension over the scalp whatever there is is pretty much fixed.

[GoddesJourney]

I do have a braid in right now that doesn't hurt. I basically did the Eilling woman braid, but didn't pull the tail through. Also, on the first part I didn't braid it as far down as is called for, just a couple of turns. Maybe I can use this for buns. So my one issue, then, would be when I want to do twin braids because even that hurts.

Okay, so I looked up that braid and I think I understand what you did. It sounds like what may work better for you is splitting hair sections in a different pattern. For example, I find that the standard English braid isn't super comfortable if all my sections are next to eachother. I split sections like a pie chart. I think it's called a Dianla? braid. Anyway, for food reference, it's the difference between splitting a pizza with two friends and splitting a sub sandwich with two friends. I grab the two bottom chunks from each lower side and the top V shaped third is the last chunk. Then I fold the right lower third over the middle and start there. It starts the braid a little higher up and seems to be more forgiving of movement side to side without feeling like it's pulling.

Following that, when I do double braids I make the sections right on top of eachother. I brush all the hair into one hand at the angle I want and then make a comb with the fingers of my other hand. I insert two fingers horizontally and let my index and pinky finger help hold the top and bottom sections. I then fold the top section over the middle toward the back of my head and then swing the bottom over. This allows me to get the braid anchored high behind my ear and snug without feeling the effects of pulling when the braid moves side to side.

So your hair and scalp may be like mine and just not like sections next to eachother.

Also, I learned that braiding my hair wearing a ring will sometimes just slightly pull a couple of hair tighter than the rest, even though I have rings that don't catch on things (but hairs are special).

I hope the descriptions made sense and maybe it will help you find an angle that your scalp can appreciate.

ETA: So to make it more clear, said pie chart for dividing hair is a view of my entire head of hair, not just from the back. So the pointy part in the back toward the top is almost in the middle. So that top section would sort of be like what I would use for a half up.

[Chromis]

I find I get that one tight strand issue if I am making a loose braid or bun. I don't need to go super tight, but I do need to braid or bun firmly for most buns.

[lapushka]

Sometimes, lately quite a lot, on the right side of my head, over the temple area up top. I just use the end of a rat-tail comb (metal end rat-tail comb) and "pull" my roots up a bit in front, not a lot otherwise it looks funny and off-balance, but it helps!

[spirals]

Great suggestions, you all. Thank you. I do think I need to section differently.

[thatsideoflife]

Okay, so I looked up that braid and I think I understand what you did. It sounds like what may work better for you is splitting hair sections in a different pattern. For example, I find that the standard English braid isn't super comfortable if all my sections are next to eachother. I split sections like a pie chart. I think it's called a Dianla? braid. Anyway, for food reference, it's the difference between splitting a pizza with two friends and splitting a sub sandwich with two friends. I grab the two bottom chunks from each lower side and the top V shaped third is the last chunk. Then I fold the right lower third over the middle and start there. It starts the braid a little higher up and seems to be more forgiving of movement side to side without feeling like it's pulling.

Following that, when I do double braids I make the sections right on top of eachother. I brush all the hair into one hand at the angle I want and then make a comb with the fingers of my other hand. I insert two fingers horizontally and let my index and pinky finger help hold the top and bottom sections. I then fold the top section over the middle toward the back of my head and then swing the bottom over. This allows me to get the braid anchored high behind my ear and snug without feeling the effects of pulling when the braid moves side to side.

So your hair and scalp may be like mine and just not like sections next to eachother.

Also, I learned that braiding my hair wearing a ring will sometimes just slightly pull a couple of hair tighter than the rest, even though I have rings that don't catch on things (but hairs are special).

I hope the descriptions made sense and maybe it will help you find an angle that your scalp can appreciate.

ETA: So to make it more clear, said pie chart for dividing hair is a view of my entire head of hair, not just from the back. So the pointy part in the back toward the top is almost in the middle. So that top section would sort of be like what I would use for a half up.

Super good descriptions. Would love to see you write an article!

[lithostoic]

I use my paddle brush to massage the crown a bit if it feels tight. I laughed out loud when I read the thread title because this problem is so annoying!

[florenonite]

Do you detangle your hair before styling? I find that if I don't detangle first, even if my hair doesn't seem terribly tangled, it'll be more likely to tug in one place.

[KokoroDragon]

I have this problem too sometimes, and I usually end up re-doing my hair because of it. Trying to loosen just the tight section never works for me, I always end up pulling the wrong hairs!

[Arciela]

Ohh this happens to me far too much! I usually will just end up redoing the entire hairstyle. I think I've redone a LWB so many times that my arms get tired haha. When I try to loosen the tight hair it just ends up getting worse or pulling something different, I find it easier to just take it down and redo it :flower:

[Weemomma]

I've noticed this more frequently lately. I don't know if it is happening more often or just me noticing it. I start focusing on it, I play with it to get to stop, then it starts hurting and I get anxious which makes it worse. I have been wearing loose inside the house. Anxiety is my demon.

[blessed_momma21]

This annoys me so much! It happens all the time with braids and buns… so many re-dos!

[spirals]

I've tried detangling and it doesn't always help. I'm honestly toying with the idea of cutting into a long bob so I can wear it down and channel the 1920s which I'm always trying to do anyway. I've got to tailbone so I can say that I did. I'm kind of sick of wearing it up all the time.

[erebus]

I have the opposite problem, there's always some section of hair that ends up with too much slack and it looks bad

[JasminxCat]

I have the opposite problem, there's always some section of hair that ends up with too much slack and it looks bad

Same. It's always the same section too. The back right side fluffs out more when I wear it up, so it makes my head look misshapen. More of my hair likes to part on that side too when I try wearing it up. I've heard of hair parting down the middle in the back when worn up, but never on the side. It's just awkward and hard to adjust that way

[spidermom]

It has happened, especially when my hair was shorter and harder to get into a braid or bun. Now it almost never does, and on the rare times that it does, I take whatever style I've done out and start over.

[MoonLady]

Ugh, this is the bane of my existence. I do have a tip on reducing this for ponytails and buns secured with scrunchies/elastics. I've found that if I fold the scrunchie however times I need to first, then pull on all sides of it so it's even, then just pull my hair or bun through that, I get way less tugging. I think it's because when you do a ponytail or bun, the first wrap of the elastic usually pulls to one side and some loops are tighter than others. This loosens up the folded elastic, so all the loops are even and is pulled over the hair straight, so nothing is pulled to the side.

[Kathie]

I have the opposite problem, there's always some section of hair that ends up with too much slack and it looks bad

Same, especially with a peacock twist or cinnabun. For me its something about the twisting that makes a section on one side poof up.

[cinamio]

For me, this issue only arises when I used something other than a hair stick to secure my hair in buns/ponytails. I tend to braid my hair loose enough for this problem to be avoided.

[spirals]

Braiding first does help.

I am getting a bunch of layers cut in and having the bottom somewhat tapered so if I do put it in a low bun, I hope the top half of my hair will be loose enough to not cause a problem. I will really only be bunning the bottom half, if that makes sense. That is one of the reasons for the cut and the other is that I'd like more volume when I wear it down. I am not having more than 2" cut off the overall length. I don't know if she can achieve a teardrop shape with my length but that's what I want.