Driving Hair

[Rivanariko]

For one reason or another, I tend to end up spending a lot of time in my car (especially now that I just got a new (to me) one! Yay!). Back in my pre-LHC days, the car and my hair seemed to get along fine. I always had it in a ponytail, braid, or down, so I'd just toss it behind me and lean back against it, never thought of anything else.

Now, thanks to LHC, I've been wearing my hair in buns a lot more and for the most barn I LOVE it. Along with being less damaging, they stay in place so much better than braids and pony tails ever did. My only problem with them is that I have trouble leaning back against things when wearing them. Things like the seatback in my car...

Some buns seem to be okay. Spidermom's Bun that Stays is not too bad, and the knot-bun-thing that is my default style just kind of squishes against the seat when I lean back and I can ignore it. But I tried to wear a figure eight the other day and it was like trying to lean against a rather pokey and uneven rock.

Does anyone else have this problem? What do you generally do with your hair while driving or riding in a car? Pigtails have become my favorite roadtrip style, but they're not always practical or appropriate for every other day of my life.

[ericthegreat]

You could position your bun really high up on top of your head. On the rare occasions that I will have my hair up for any reason, I will position it to the top of my head so that whenever I need to rest my back my hair won't be in the way.

You could also pull all of your hair to one side of your shoulder and wear your hair in a side ponytail or do a big, single braid and pull that over to one side of your shoulder.

[Esperanza]

I also like a high bun or a single braid for traveling and for lazy days at home, when I will be in my recliner a lot. For the car, I can also make a low bun, and it will fit between the top of the seat back and the bottom of the headrest.

[vindo]

Does anyone else have this problem? What do you generally do with your hair while driving or riding in a car? Pigtails have become my favorite roadtrip style, but they're not always practical or appropriate for every other day of my life.

My buns usually don't bother me but when its down I just drape it over the seat, does not work with all seats though I think...:o

[Dars]

Do you actually drive with your head leaning on the headrest? Sorry if it seems like a stupid question I'm just having trouble picturing your situation/problem. Since that driving style is uncommon to me I'm guessing your buns are directly at the back of your head and are quite big to be touching the head rest if you aren't leaning on it. Try placing your bun higher and see how it goes.

[Amoretti]

I haven't used a head rest anywhere in over 3 years. Yes, I have neck pain but I figure I have to suffer to have such long hair. :lol:

[Esperanza]

Do you actually drive with your head leaning on the headrest? Sorry if it seems like a stupid question I'm just having trouble picturing your situation/problem.

I think the problem is with those of us who prefer the seat back very upright, but for those who drive with it angled back a little, the head would not be against the headrest.

[blondecat]

I have had the same issue, in our newer car. The headrest, is right against my head.

This is for safety, your neck will thank You, If you are ever in a rear ended crash [Wiplash]


I resort to plaits when driving [ also drive long distances. 4 hr stretches at a time]

[Lemur_Catta]

If I drive with my hair bunned, I have terrible pain in the neck. So mostly I braid my hair, or (expecially in the winter) I go with my hair down and bun it when I arrive :D

[Finoriel]

I undo my bun and put my hair into my lap. When I´m finished with driving it goes up again. Or I wear very flat buns which do not sit on the back of my head, think crown-braid-type. Or I wear a braid and just put it over my shoulder in front of me.
I don´t do that because it´s uncomfortable to drive with a bun. I mainly do it because a huge solid bump on the back of ones head, maybe even in combination with more or less huge/solid hairtoys, would most likely break my neck if there´s an accident. It´s essential that the spine can lay flat against the chair in case you get tossed around. Having a pretty hairdo while driving is just not worth risking a wheelchair or a nice shady place under an oak, at least not in my book. Most of my buns are just too wide and not safe to drive with imo.

[Anje]

My car has these STUPID headrests that stick out forward of the seat and seem to be made to hit buns! (Standard 2008 Honda Civic LX headrests, if you're wondering...) I really really want to replace them with something that's generally in line with the seat. Even with hair down, you can't lean against them. The spine could not possibly lie flat against those seats, whether you're 5'0", 5'7" like me, or 6'3" like DH. They're supposed to be adjustable, but no position is better, and they have a tendency to drop back down if you touch them.

So for normal around-town stuff, my car's seat is leaned back a bit further than I would like to have it, so it won't catch my bun every time I turn my head. For longer trips, the hair is usually in a braid or two and over the shoulder.

ETA: Sorry for the rant. Anyone know where to get aftermarket headrests that don't have DVD players or something equally stupid embedded in them?

[Carolyn]

I think the problem is with those of us who prefer the seat back very upright, but for those who drive with it angled back a little, the head would not be against the headrest.I always tip my seat back a bit. The perfectly upright position is very uncomfortable for me. When I'm a passenger I used a little dog bone shaped neck roll to support my neck and allow me to have some comfort when wearing a bun.

[Heidi_234]

I undo my bun and put my hair into my lap. When I´m finished with driving it goes up again. Or I wear very flat buns which do not sit on the back of my head, think crown-braid-type. Or I wear a braid and just put it over my shoulder in front of me.
I don´t do that because it´s uncomfortable to drive with a bun. I mainly do it because a huge solid bump on the back of ones head, maybe even in combination with more or less huge/solid hairtoys, would most likely break my neck if there´s an accident. It´s essential that the spine can lay flat against the chair in case you get tossed around. Having a pretty hairdo while driving is just not worth risking a wheelchair or a nice shady place under an oak, at least not in my book. Most of my buns are just too wide and not safe to drive with imo.
That's disturbing, thanks for noting. No more buns for me when sitting in the car.

[JamieLeigh]

If I wear sticks, I have to lean my head away from the head-rest on my seat. It's unfortunately very high, and not adjustable. :( If it's a long drive, this would probably hurt my neck, so I try to only wear sticks for a fifteen minute drive or less.

If my hair is in a braid, I bring it around front so it doesn't rub against the back of the seat. There is something VERY annoying about reaching your destination with a ratty-looking braid. :(

The A/C is out in my van, which, unfortunately, we haven't gotten fixed yet, so it's pretty hot in there. Which means I have to roll the windows down to ventilate things for myself and the kids. As such, I hardly ever wear my hair loose in the van. If I do, I bring the whole length around front on my right side to keep it out of the way while I buckle, and then after I buckle, I tuck it all under my right armpit. I never have to move my right arm while driving - all my signals and wiper stuff is on the left side of the steering wheel.

[Rivanariko]

I think the problem is with those of us who prefer the seat back very upright, but for those who drive with it angled back a little, the head would not be against the headrest.
I think that's a lot of my problem. I'm fairly short, so I usually have to have the seat really far forward and the seat-back pretty upright in order to reach the steering wheel. If I'm just making a quick trip around town I can go without leaning against the back of the seat, but I do a lot of long drives as well and my back just can't support not leaning back that entire time.

[heidihug]

I'm not all that short or anything, but I prefer my seat to be very upright, so the headrest usually is right up against my head. I drive 30,000+ miles per year, so comfort and safety are huge factors for me. This is one of the main reasons I wear mainly high buns, so they are out of the way in case of an accident.

[SpinDance]

When I am going to be in the car for more than a fast trip I will braid it then bring the braid around front over my shoulder. If I've got it in a bun I usually just take it down and pull it around while I'm in the car, then put it back up when I reach my destination.

I've found that some of the very low buns will actually fit right under the headrest and I can wear them while in the car. This works best with something like a Flexi-8 as I'm always afraid I'll break a stick if I lean back too hard or fast.

[Rivanariko]

heh, I'm still learning the fine art of bunning my hair, so if I wait until I get somewhere to bun it, then it's going to be really simple and rather messy. I feel a little silly only wearing more "fancy" or complicated-looking buns when I'm just staying home all day, but if I go out doing a regular french braid or throwing it up into a knot when I get out of the car. Seems kind of backwards. :-P
But, I have to agree with Finoriel, pretty hair is not nearly as important as safety!