Is containing hair always necessary?

[CrisDee]

I'm trying to learn all I can about caring for long hair as I'm growing mine out. I figure that since I cut it all off, I'm starting fresh - and I want all my length (when I finally get it!) to be the healthiest hair I can possibly grow. So I'm studying this board and all the threads that appear to apply to my hair, which brings me to my question since I don't know if this really applies to me.

From what I've read, you want to contain your hair (updos, braids, etc.) in order to keep it from tangling - is that correct? If that's the case, I'm not sure whether I'd really have to bother with that, as I'm one of the fortunate few whose hair rarely tangles! I'm sure there are other things long hair should be protected from, such as purse straps, chair rivets, and the like - but if the main goal is to prevent tangling, would it be necessary to always contain my hair if it doesn't tangle much in the first place? Thanks for the input! :)

[Deimos]

It is not only against tangling but also to protect hair. If you have the hair loose you get breakage because it rubs against your back/chair/ and such.
From my own experience: my hair also hardly tangles, but it really started to grow since I started wearing it up just because I reduced the breakage of the ends :)
Also when your hair is very long it can be dangerous to keep it loose I guess, but then you would be in classic+ territory.

Hope that helps!

[Stacy_E]

I think updos not only protect hair by preventing tangles, but also by reducing mechanical wear and tear (friction by rubbing against your clothes and such). Updos can reduce exposure to sun and the elements (wind, dryness), especially buns where the older (and more vulnerable) ends are more protected tucked away at the base of your bun. Damp-bunning is particularly good when fighting dryness.

That said, hair is to be enjoyed, and if you enjoy it down, as I often do, go for it! I too am blessed with hair that does not tangle. Regular dusting of ends, and I mean with a regularity of anywhere from 8 weeks to 3 months, help combat ragged ends from wear and tear.

How did you grow to waist-length hair in the 70's?

[Juneii]

tangling isn't the only thing that causes split ends or damage that could slow down the growth of the hair.
my hair doesn't tangle all that much either but it rubs against things such as the back of chairs or my tshirt, it gets damaged, and it tangles.
right at this moment you don't have to worry about containing your hair until it reaches about BSL :]

[sweet*things]

My hair also rarely tangles, but I find that if I want it to grow past BSL and not "fairytail" down to nothing by waist length, I need to keep it in braids or buns a fair amount of time. I prefer wearing my hair down, but to get the end result I want, I'm going to have to wear it up.

It is especially important for me to keep my hair up in winter, when my hair gets very dry and brittle. It's not as important in the summer, when my hair is happy.

[coneyisland]

Congratulations on your having a type hair that is a dream hair type for so many others!
Yes, tangling is a major problem because of damage and inconvenience too, but I think there is more damage potential to be minimized by securing longer hair. I think that besides its being more at risk from all the hazards that can grab and pull hair, hair that hangs to shoulder length or beyond would be subject to wear from so much contact in the nature of rubbing or dragging against one's clothing. I think shoulder length ends would be especially prone to such wear.

[CrisDee]

...How did you grow to waist-length hair in the 70's?

I guess through what's referred to on this board as "benign neglect" :) I'd had it cut to chin length in early 1972 at my mother's urging, and hated it. My sig pic was taken in fall of 1974 - wow, I guess my hair really grew fast back then!

[CrisDee]

Wow, the hair just rubbing on your shirt will cause damage? I'd thought my hair before the chop was damaged just from rough treatment (my hairbrush was always FULL of hair!), chemical coloring and daily double heat styling (blow frying and ironing), didn't realize it could also get damaged by simple mild friction. Thinking back, though, I probably wore it up more than I thought, simply because it got on my nerves and I wanted it out of the way (although my "hairsticks" were made by Bic and Papermate :D ) Pondering out loud the changes I'll have to make in how I treat my hair - thanks for all the food for thought!

[enfys]

I just really really hate feeling my hair loose. It's not too tangly but it's floaty. The wind will pick it up and it'll never quite sit still. Yes I'm talking even at classic.

If you have to wear it up to prevent damage, that's down to your hairtype. I have s friend with the same hair as me in type, thickness and length except it's coarse. She wears it loose everyday trims once a year and never gets splits. Possibly with fine hair you'll see it damages easier, even if it didn't in the 70s, because textures can change over time.

[xoxophelia]

I don't really wear my hair up much either... And actually, I think haven't it up can cause some breakage on the stress points. I used to wear my hair in buns with a pencil through it nearly every day before I learned about hair sticks, and really didn't notice any difference.

Perhaps I should start doing it, but I might just wear it up while I am around the house. Then, at least it is better than nothing. I might also wear french braids 1-2 times a week. That is the current plan anyways.

I would say just pick the changes you are willing to make. If you don't want your hair up all the time, consider sleeping in a silk cap.. I am going to get one. Just make the changes you want to.

[ericthegreat]

I have thick, pin straight stereotypical Chinese hair and I can honestly say that I wear my hair down very often, and I still see no serious damage. Hair type really does play a huge factor in how fast or how serious damage occurs on your particular head of hair. In general, thick hair can usually resist damage much more than finer hair can.

So CrisDee, you know better than anyone else here what your own hair can and can't tolerate. If you know that your particular hair is much more forgiving, than by all means wear it down! :) Or you could also wear it up, but do so because you really want to wear it up, and not because you feel you "have to". After all, our hair is meant to be enjoyed!

[Messyhair]

I never wore my hair up much when I had loooong hair before and I got away with it... until it went longer than waist length. Then you could really see the ends getting thinned out by rubbing on chairs and what-not. This time I plan on doing some more braiding if I have the time.

[coscass]

I don't wear my hair up much, either, if ever at all. Only because I don't know that many updos besides a regular big old clip to hold it up, but I'm trying to learn. I mostly do braids and buns right now. I'm not really sure if my hair would be markedly in better shape if I kept it up more often, but maybe the ends could use a break every now and then. Then again I haven't had the ends trimmed in decades lol.

[ravenreed]

My hair was fine until I hit almost tb. I never wore it up until I started wanting to pass waist length. Now it seems to catch on everything so I find myself wearing it up more.

[Ursula]

Keeping your hair contained can also be a matter of hygiene and safety. For example, if you are cooking your want your hair contained both to keep hair out of the food, and to keep your hair from catching fire if it brushes against a stove burner. Likewise, if you are driving a car and have the window down, you want your hair contained so that it does not blow in your face and obscure your vision. If you are around people who smoke, particularly in a crowd, you may want your hair up to prevent it from being set fire by a stray cigarette. I'm sure you can think of other situations.

Overall, while I may wear my hair down, I won't go anywhere without the means of putting it up quickly if I judge it necessary.

[Eniratak]

I have classic length hair and wear it down all the time.
I do have the means to put it up, but I enjoy it down.
I don't really see the need for long hair if all you're going to do is put it up in a bun so it will be out of your way.
That's just me, I suppose. I have tons of damage, but most of it isn't from rubbing against my shirt or catching on things.

A little tidbit:
I knew a girl my Freshmen year of high school who had knee length hair. She wore it down everyday and had never cut it.
When she leaned down to her locker, she'd even let it spread out across the ground.

Really. If you like your hair down, I'd say wear it down.

[Bellalalala]

I've maintained my hair at waist-to-tailbone before while mostly wearing it down.

I hate updos and wear my hair down whenever I want to look good.

Incidentally, I'm in med school, so I never have a spare moment to care what I look like, so I wear my hair up often.

[CrisDee]

...Overall, while I may wear my hair down, I won't go anywhere without the means of putting it up quickly if I judge it necessary.

That's why I always liked my Bic and Papermate "hairsticks" - I always had a way to get it off me when I needed to.

But I'm glad to hear from people who usually wear their hair down and still have healthy hair - nice to know there's that option :)

[ravenreed]

I learned something REALLY important last night. If I ever feel nauseous, I am braiding my hair. I got violently ill last night while my hair was down and managed to throw up in my own hair. I also threw up everywhere else, practically from one end of the house to the other, but the hair was the most distressing.

That was a first for me. When I had my sons, I had gnarly morning sickness and even though my hair was longish, probably BSL, I never got sick on it. Blech! I feel horrible. But my hair is clean!

[-simply Venus-]

I don't think so, but I'm new to this as well. You lucky duck! My hair tangles like no tomorrow!

[-simply Venus-]

I have classic length hair and wear it down all the time.
I do have the means to put it up, but I enjoy it down.
I don't really see the need for long hair if all you're going to do is put it up in a bun so it will be out of your way.
That's just me, I suppose. I have tons of damage, but most of it isn't from rubbing against my shirt or catching on things.

A little tidbit:
I knew a girl my Freshmen year of high school who had knee length hair. She wore it down everyday and had never cut it.
When she leaned down to her locker, she'd even let it spread out across the ground.

Really. If you like your hair down, I'd say wear it down.
I completely agree with this! No point in having long hair if it's always up. Maybe put it up sometimes, but ot all of the time.

[Fairlight63]

I have wore it up so much that I prefer it up. It keeps it out of the zipper on my coat, out of the seat belt, the handle of my purse if I put it over my shoulder, out of my face when eating, out of food when cooking, etc.
But I do wear it down when I go to church.

[Bellona]

I grew to waist without ever making a proper bun or braid (before I found this site). I was also blow drying every other day, bleaching, dying brown or black, bleaching again when I got bored, brushing wet, fla tironing about once a week, using hair elastics, and only putting it up in a pony tail when I worked out. My hair obviously did not look that great on the bottom 4-5 inches, but it still grew. I did search and destroy and trim myself, so maybe that had something to do with it not completely breaking off, but I'm planning on keeping my hair down as it grows again.

I figure it endured all that abuse and was still growing, so if I take away all those other bad habits and start putting it up in a bun when I can, it should be fine to leave it down at least 50% of the time. So I'm sure you don't need to worry too much. Then again, my goal at the moment is to maintain at waist for a fairly long while until some of my layers and dye grow out, so if you have an immediate goal for classic or something longer, you might want to be more careful.

[Yozhik]

I like wearing my hair down, but I'm one of those people who always has a number of hair bands around her wrist, so I can put it up when I need to concentrate on a task (or doing the dishes or cooking).

Since joining LHC, I've also taken to carrying clips and barrettes, as well :)

I find that wearing my hair up when I sleep really helps prevent tangling/other people sleeping on it (that's a horrible way to wake up!) Other than that, I usually go out of the house every day with it down, but put it up on multiple occasions throughout the day for one reason or another :)

[violeteyes]

I have always worn my hair down, and I guess I wouldn't really know if it causes more damage because I have never really worn it up for an extended period of time. * now interested in this thread*