Heavy Hair

[Oskimosa]

I've done searches and found threads associated with headaches due to updo's and their placement on the head. But I want to discuss problems with it being down and heavy as well.

Right now I'm about 2-3 inches from my goal. I'm a couple of inches down from where I always cut it because it gets too heavy. When it's wet, its almost unbearably heavy. Handling it with water jerks against my neck and sometimes gives me headaches. I don't do many updos; the weight seems to be worse, and braids rub my neck and shoulders terribly. It's prickly and I worry about mechanical damage to my hair. I'm actually starting to consider cutting due to the weight.


Are there some exercises you can do to build up neck muscles?? How do you live with long hair? I can't even put it in a jaw clip without it feeling heavy. :(

[Gumball]

That reminds me of this particular thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=16424). Keep in mind water adds a whole lot of weight, just like if you compared bone dry clothes versus sopping wet clothes. Even thinner amounts of hair can still get very heavy that way.

As for updos causing a problem how are you distributing the weight of the updos in question? The tightness the hair is pulled back and the distribution of weight can be huge factors. I know securing one particular style (a braided bun) various ways can result in vast differences of how the weight feels on my head.

For neck muscles maybe some stretching exercises to begin with to looses them up and relax them. I'd say you can build muscle by working your neck out when your hair is heavy and wet, but that's part of your problem to begin with. :p I just hope you can find something that works to alleviate your problem at least enough to be bearable!

ETA: Thought I should say something more for down and heavy. I think it's all about the position of your hair and the conditions you're in. Example being does hair over your shoulders feel different versus all of it hanging down in the back? I'm sure it would feel different in dry versus humid climates, as one will add more moisture and potentially a little bit of weight. I notice no real difference in my hair (mind you I don't think my hair is heavy at all) up compared to when it's down, weight-wise. It just gets everywhere much easier.

[MissManda]

You said that you dislike the feeling of braids rubbing against the nape of your neck? Have you tried a ponytailed braid or chopandchange's faux French braid (Torrin Paige has a tutorial on YouTube)? I find that those don't rub against my neck. Maybe something like a crown would distribute the weight of your hair on your head?

My hair is starting to feel heavy when wet, so when I put it up, I make a point at observing where/how I place my hair and whether it makes my head hurt.

I wish I could give more advice, but that's the best I can do.

[May]

Why don't you try cutting some long layers...you can ask the stylist to take some weight off without losing length? It's just one possible solution :)

[Oskimosa]

Lol Gumball, I remember that thread. I haven't tried that many updos. The layers drop everything. I can't seem to get much success without lots of elastics, which pull, and sticks always always always hurt. It's stupidly thick so that eats up my length on anything I try. I get frustrated so I don't even try anymore.

MissManda, I will try it out. A ponytail itself also bugs me, and I've tried ponytailing the length in several spots but haven't had any luck with that being comfortable either. I have real issues securing them without being painfully tight or them slipping down.

May, I already have layers, so that base is covered :)

Am I the only one with this problem? I hope I'm not just whining here. I thought for sure others had this issue as well....

[UltraBella]

Hmmmm....... Have you ever given any thought to your neck being slightly out of alignment or something ? Any accidents ? Pulled muscles ? I have super thick hair and mine is longer than yours as well, and although I am aware of the additional weight when it is wet, it is by no means uncomfortable. Unbearably heavy, as you called it, is a red flag for me. Maybe it's not the weight of your hair, but something else. Just something to ponder. Good luck !

[Oskimosa]

I hadn't thought of that... I do quite a bit of heavy lifting at work (rugs furniture boxes etc)... and sometimes it's worse than others. This is also the longest my hair has ever been. Maybe I need to get used to it? As soon as I get health insurance back, I guess I ought to get checked out.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

When i had tailbone-length extensions, i used to place hair over my shoulder when it was wet. That way it's not the neck that carries the weight, it's shoulders.

When dry, have you tried "hair taping" ? I haven't tried it but i heard people say it's the most comfortable updo for very long (or heavy) hair.

[LithiaBlack]

My hair is iii thick and reaches to the hip. I cut mine into a hime cut to reduce weight. It demands that you look good in bangs, though. With this cut I can still show of my great length but the amount of hair is a bit smaller.
Here are a picture of me in my first hime:
http://pret-ty.se/components/com_fireboard/uploaded/images/DSC_3003.jpg
My current hime has much longer layers at the front, you can vary their length as you please.

/L

[GoddesJourney]

Honestly, I don't like updos either and I really hate jaw/claw clips. A single braid at the nape is nice. When I get tired of the feeling, two braids works out. I bunned it in a top knot the other day because I decided I couldn't stand the feeling of my bun that day. It looked funny but it felt super comfortable. As for wet hair, good luck. I think we all get that eventually. I typically either put my hair over my shoulder, or spread it out as much as possible. Sometimes spreading it out while it dries is the best way to go. I just comb it all out backwards and the just fluff it out so a lot of it is coming over my shoulders.

As another person mentioned, having already a tight or misaligned neck can make you feel any little strain or tension a whole lot more. If you don't have any health insurance, I would suggest getting a nice massage on your neck and shoulders. Check to see if there are any massage schools nearby. The student clinics at the one that I went to were something like $35 for 50 minutes. Meanwhile, check to see what you might be doing that is contributing to a tight neck. I've noticed that I hang my head down forward a lot when I'm tired or especially when I'm on the computer too much. I have to remind myself to use the headrest on my chair. It makes me feel like I'm always just *that close* to a tension headache. If I stretch my back and neck, move around a bit, and try to not do whatever it is for too long at a time, it goes away by itself.

[Armelle]

Am I the only one with this problem? I hope I'm not just whining here. I thought for sure others had this issue as well....

No, you're not. I've got very heavy hair also. For the most part...I just had to get USED to the weight of my hair. There are certain styles that I can't wear: high ponytails, high buns, stuff like that. My usual protective way of wearing my hair (like now) is a low braid (not too tight). I keep it over my shoulder to prevent it pressing against my back. I often wear a low bun (most often the lazy wrap bun) which keeps my hair up and does not pull on my scalp nearly as much. I've found that hair sticks inserted correctly help hold the weight without pulling. I just recently purchase a Ficcare maxima hair clip and, while it is nearing too small to hold my hair, it is curved in such a way that snugs the bun or loop of hair against my head without feeling heavy. When my hair is left down (I get frequent headaches/migraines) I keep it parted down the middle so that the sides of my hair fall straight down rather than back across my scalp and down. It does mean that I have to tuck it behind my ears but it's the only way I can see. :)

To be honest, layers were my worst enemy. They didn't do much to relieve the weight of my hair and just made it nearly impossible to put my hair up (or back). I have enough hair that when I braid it, it shrinks up by about a third of the length.

I'm wondering...is the pulling/weight of your hair irritating you and causing you to tense up? This could be causing muscle pain in your neck, shoulders, and back. I also carry heavy bins around work but have not had a problem with the hair and weight of the bins. Well, except getting some strands of hair caught in the corners of the boxes. :justy:

[julliams]

I carry alot of tension in my neck. It gets worse when I'm stressed, knitting, sewing or using the touchpad on my laptop too much. I wonder if you actually weighed your hair on a scale if you would be surprised at how little it actually weighs.

My hair is only BSL (just) so I haven't some across this issue as yet but I did cut my hair from waist to shoulder at one time and I can't remember exactly why.

[Tangerine]

I do not really have any specific advice for you, I'm afraid, but I can share my experience.

I've had long (well, not LHC long - probably waist/hip-ish at the longest) hair several times before in my life and always struggled with the weight of it. I often had 'hair pain' at the end of the day (more scalp ache, I suppose) when taking out pony tails or something like that.
I struggled to get my hair in updos because hardly any accessories fitted. This meant most ways I tried to wear it ended up very tight and tense in all the wrong places.

My neck is a sore spot - always has been. Especially in times of stress, or when concentrating in one position for too long (crafting, writing, etc). And I always added my thick, heavy hair as a culprit as well.

Then years ago I had extensive physiotherapy for my neck and shoulder area. Turned out that amongst other things I hardly had any muscle tone (I think - I am writing from memory and translating it from Dutch at the same time) in my shoulder area, and extremely loose joints (I can bend my arms in all kinds of directions they shouldn't really go). Coupled with bad posture, this put too much stress on my neck muscles.
In hindsight, the pain had nothing to do with my hair (which incidentally I had cut pixi short not that long before the physio stint).

Anyway, flash forward to this last year and learning loads of updos and discovering new hair accessories through this site and others .... and my hair is a completely new beast.
For me, learning about updos that distribute the weight of the hair better has made such a difference. I can do things with my hair I never thought possible, and I can forget about it completely. At the end of the day I take it down and it feels fine.
My mother commented on it a while ago when she saw me again after several months (we live in different countries), saying how amazing it was that I was wearing my hair up all the time and she wondered how I coped! It is so different now then it used to be ...

Anyway. That is my experience of course. Not sure how much help that is for you. I hope you find your way to enjoying your hair at the length you desire it to be.

[GoddesJourney]

I do not really have any specific advice for you, I'm afraid, but I can share my experience.

I've had long (well, not LHC long - probably waist/hip-ish at the longest) hair several times before in my life and always struggled with the weight of it. I often had 'hair pain' at the end of the day (more scalp ache, I suppose) when taking out pony tails or something like that.
I struggled to get my hair in updos because hardly any accessories fitted. This meant most ways I tried to wear it ended up very tight and tense in all the wrong places.

My neck is a sore spot - always has been. Especially in times of stress, or when concentrating in one position for too long (crafting, writing, etc). And I always added my thick, heavy hair as a culprit as well.

Then years ago I had extensive physiotherapy for my neck and shoulder area. Turned out that amongst other things I hardly had any muscle tone (I think - I am writing from memory and translating it from Dutch at the same time) in my shoulder area, and extremely loose joints (I can bend my arms in all kinds of directions they shouldn't really go). Coupled with bad posture, this put too much stress on my neck muscles.
In hindsight, the pain had nothing to do with my hair (which incidentally I had cut pixi short not that long before the physio stint).

Anyway, flash forward to this last year and learning loads of updos and discovering new hair accessories through this site and others .... and my hair is a completely new beast.
For me, learning about updos that distribute the weight of the hair better has made such a difference. I can do things with my hair I never thought possible, and I can forget about it completely. At the end of the day I take it down and it feels fine.
My mother commented on it a while ago when she saw me again after several months (we live in different countries), saying how amazing it was that I was wearing my hair up all the time and she wondered how I coped! It is so different now then it used to be ...

Anyway. That is my experience of course. Not sure how much help that is for you. I hope you find your way to enjoying your hair at the length you desire it to be.

That is actually a very good point. Women often lack muscle tone in the upper body, including the neck and shoulders. As the years go by, we tend to lose muscle mass anyway, which can make the problem much worse. It's something to look into anyway.

[spidermom]

I've cut back several times because of the annoyance of longer length, which includes the weight of it. I've gradually become accustomed to each stage, though. I think I'll make it to thigh this year.

[beez1717]

you guys have gotten me thinking and I now have realized that one thing that I can do to help my neck muscles would be to let my neck hold the weight of my hair for longer and longer periods of time, and like weights, I should be fine as I give my neck workouts and my hair grows :) I think I should be fine because of this

[Coffeebug]

Am I the only one with this problem? I hope I'm not just whining here. I thought for sure others had this issue as well....

I totally have the same problem, I consider cutting mine on a daily basis cos it's too heavy now.

[adiapalic]

While my hair is not as thick as yours, I've never had problems with my hair being too heavy while it's down. This may be largely in part to my hair slowly growing longer over the course of about 16 years.

I had shoulder length hair at the age of 7, then probably mid-back from 12-14, and waist in highschool and most of college. I reached tailbone in about the last couple years, and am now only a few inches away from classic.

I think the long periods of time between growing my hair out allowed my neck muscles to strengthen and adjust.

Maybe some neck exercises would help your pain. Be sure to also stretch those muscles and get them massaged. Tension in the neck causes headaches.

[Jessica Trapp]

LithiaBlack, the hime cut is really cute on you. It's looks so versatile--like having shorter hair and longer hair at the same time!

[Oskimosa]

You said that you dislike the feeling of braids rubbing against the nape of your neck? Have you tried a ponytailed braid or chopandchange's faux French braid (Torrin Paige has a tutorial on YouTube)? I find that those don't rub against my neck. Maybe something like a crown would distribute the weight of your hair on your head?

My hair is starting to feel heavy when wet, so when I put it up, I make a point at observing where/how I place my hair and whether it makes my head hurt.

I wish I could give more advice, but that's the best I can do.

Thanks for all the replies! I wanted to update that I tried the crown braid and, wow, it's surprisingly comfortable! The weight is very evenly distributed that way. I can even sleep in it! Right now, though, it just looks incredibly silly. I can't seem to do it neatly and it is a VERY thick braid, I end up looking very ... er... Athenian? and alot less Princess Leia.

[HairColoredHair]

Thanks for all the replies! I wanted to update that I tried the crown braid and, wow, it's surprisingly comfortable! The weight is very evenly distributed that way. I can even sleep in it! Right now, though, it just looks incredibly silly. I can't seem to do it neatly and it is a VERY thick braid, I end up looking very ... er... Athenian? and alot less Princess Leia.

Perhaps try two braids instead of one? Then you can lay the braids beside each other and it won't stick out quite as much. You'll still look a bit Athenian (my roommate calls it 'little house on the prairie!), but that's part of the style.

[goodenough]

I have these issues--and I'm a swimmer. I've decided that I will be APL in summer, and bsl in winter b/c of that. My scalp is sensitive, and when it was waist or longer, swimming and showering was just so blah. I have to find a balance between long enough to put up for exercise and I don't want to mess with it days, yet short enough that it isn't heavy.

When my hair is shorter than waist, I do a lot of "double" buns or I do a half up infinity with the rest of my hair coiled and wrapped around it. One that is comfortable for me at waist is a flipped bun held at the crown with a big fork. Another is to do a half french braid, then gather it along with the rest of my hair in a ponytail. The braid gives the ponytail holder something to hold onto so it has more grip. (And it is interesting to see a ponytail with a long braid in it.)

My favorite for putting up bsl or apl hair in a non-headache way is to do a high looped pony, then pull the two sides of the loop together and clip them to the head. Then I tuck in the ends and secure with at least four small clips. I like the way it looks when girls have "messy" buns, but my hair is straight, so I prefer to hide my ends.

[Tangerine]

Oskimosa, I have an updo suggestion for you! I've worn my hair in a Masara twice now and it is unbelievably comfortable to the point of forgetting there is hair on my head all together.

It is a folded-up French braid held with Amish/bunhead pins (or something similar) at various points along the braid. TorrinPaige has a really helpful video tutorial on it on youtube.

ETA: here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND5dJXnBs2k is the tutorial!

[little_acorn]

Oskimosa, I have an updo suggestion for you! I've worn my hair in a Masara twice now and it is unbelievably comfortable to the point of forgetting there is hair on my head all together.

It is a folded-up French braid held with Amish/bunhead pins (or something similar) at various points along the braid. TorrinPaige has a really helpful video tutorial on it on youtube.

ETA: here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND5dJXnBs2k is the tutorial!

I've done that one too a few times and it is super comfy and looks very elegant too :D

[Tangerine]

It's a great one isn't it, little_acorn!
I like to stick some decorated Amish pins (by Ravenslair) in for extra hold and sparkly prettiness.

[Oskimosa]

Hhhhmmmm... I will have to give it a try! There are some very long, wildly decorated pins for sale in a shop by where I work, this may give me an excuse to get them ;) My regular shorty pins just snap in my hair. I need to watch her tutorials more. No wonder I don't have success with updos; I'm doin' it wrong! :o


ETA: I tried it, and hey!! I'm wearing a Masara!! :D :cheese: It feels surprisingly light. I didn't use many hair pins; I have a barely functioning hair fork about 4inches in length that I stuck on the top of the braid, and it is holding nicely. I have a few pins at the bottom since it is trying to twist but they don't feel like they are going to hang in. It feels surprisingly light. I can barely feel my hair. I may just go to work like this! :cheese:

[Oskimosa]

Perhaps try two braids instead of one? Then you can lay the braids beside each other and it won't stick out quite as much. You'll still look a bit Athenian (my roommate calls it 'little house on the prairie!), but that's part of the style.

I might need to! :p I will have to devote this Sunday to youtube tutorials, I think.

As far as the weight issue goes with wet hair, I'm just not washing my hair as much :o

[SpinDance]

I don't have 'the answer', but I can report things that are working for me.

I used to think that my hair was too heavy and caused neck aches. There have been several times I've had my hair trimmed back to about BSL in an attempt to reduce the weight and issues I attributed to them. I've since learned that I have migraines. Knowing this helps me to figure out what to do with my hair, and given me so many more options. Crown braid is about the best I knew to distribute the weight evenly on my head, until I learned to make buns from the tutorials I found here at LHC. If I'm having migraine issues I still have to be careful what I do, but now I know that my hair isn't causing the problem.

Using Flexi's, hair sticks and forks I find to be very comfortable. Enough that I can forget completely about my hair while it is up. Comfortable enough to sleep in, more comfortable than sleeping in a braid. Until I knew how to use these tools properly I nearly always made the up-do too tight, which did contribute to discomfort which resulted in tension.

The comments that others have made about wearing hair up so the neck gets used to it may also affect how comfortable I now find wearing my hair in a bun. Except when my hair is wet I wear my hair up at least part of every day, and always at night.

Good luck with your experiments in figuring out what works for you and your hair!

[LithiaBlack]

I just remembered something worth mentioning.
Be careful were you put the "base" of your up dos. For me it feels better to have the weight higher up on my head, otherwise the up dos restrict movements for me.
The worst place for me is the nape of my neck, it feels awful.

[misspurdy06]

I've done searches and found threads associated with headaches due to updo's and their placement on the head. But I want to discuss problems with it being down and heavy as well.

Right now I'm about 2-3 inches from my goal. I'm a couple of inches down from where I always cut it because it gets too heavy. When it's wet, its almost unbearably heavy. Handling it with water jerks against my neck and sometimes gives me headaches. I don't do many updos; the weight seems to be worse, and braids rub my neck and shoulders terribly. It's prickly and I worry about mechanical damage to my hair. I'm actually starting to consider cutting due to the weight.


Are there some exercises you can do to build up neck muscles?? How do you live with long hair? I can't even put it in a jaw clip without it feeling heavy. :(
I have the same problems my hair takes hours to dry, it's pretty heavy when it is wet. I can't wear it up for longer than 5 minutes before I get a headache.

I find letting the ends kind of rest on your shoulder. It's hard to explain.

The best is a leather pony tail wrap. It doesn't have to be close to you head you can have it loose.

[Shanbot]

It looks like you've found some updos that are working well for you! But you can always supplement things to take the strain off your poor neck.

I definitely second trying to find some neck and back exercises. There are tons on the net, even whole exercise workouts centered around the muscle groups like trapezius and such, or things like pushups (or the half-pushups or wall pushups are great too, if you don't want to go full on, I am a weakling when it comes to pushups :D) because any strengthening of your shoulders, upper back, etc. will help support your spine and distribute all the weightbearing...you can do some head rolls, those always feel good too.

Also, get massages to loosen up muscles that are taking on the hair burden...places like Massage Envy are pretty affordable, local cosmetology schools might have massage discounts, or you can try looking for Groupons for local spas in your area when you want to get treated :) You can always get some books from the library to do massages on yourself, too, and save the bucks.

And I don't know how it is in your area, but I would also try seeing a chiropractor. You might be out of alignment to begin with, and sometimes a few adjustments will really clear things up. I had back pain pretty much all the time in high school and went to a chiropractor. He was very nice and worked around our insurance so that I could go weekly (or even bi-weekly if I had a flare-up), to get an adjustment, a half hour on a weird rolly machine that looked straight out of a torture chamber but felt amazing, and a half hour physical therapy massage. I don't live close enough to see him anymore but he still runs an ongoing special where no matter your insurance, your first visit is free, including x-rays to see where your problems are, and he also outlined special exercises for me to strengthen my neck and lower back, and gave me more flexibility. (I get gnarly migraines and also have a minor bifida that was causing my hips to shift kinda weirdly, so I always had (have, heh) a bit of pain and stiffness in those areas). My mother sees a different chiropractor who takes her as a walk-in, since she's got a lot of the same problems I have, but also does a lot more yardwork and such, and ends up pulling something or popping something all the time. If you ask around maybe you'll find someone you can go to for pretty cheap (beware: there are some quacky ones out there too, I would shop around your friends or check review online), get yourself all straightened out, and then just maintain from here on out.

Good luck!

[blue_nant]

Thanks for all the replies! I wanted to update that I tried the crown braid and, wow, it's surprisingly comfortable! The weight is very evenly distributed that way. I can even sleep in it! Right now, though, it just looks incredibly silly. I can't seem to do it neatly and it is a VERY thick braid, I end up looking very ... er... Athenian? and alot less Princess Leia.

Practice helps it look right in a surprisingly short period of time. I'm SO GLAD you found something comfortable!

Please find some shoulder and neck exercises to release tension, say, from a physical therapist or chiropractor and do them gently and frequently. Keep your head/neck posture close in mind, too.

Good success!