Is it really that healthy for hair to wear it up most of the time?

[irishlady]

I was just wondering, because I'm thinking of the fact that pulling on the roots, and certain hair accesories, as well as the twisting of certain styles such as buns, well that can't be much better can it?

Just wondering...

[Igor]

Better than leaving it down to tangle with wind and movements, rub against shoulders and seats, get caught under bag straps and in chairs, pale in the sun etc

[irishlady]

Better than leaving it down to tangle with wind and movements, rub against shoulders and seats, get caught under bag straps and in chairs, pale in the sun etc

hmm yeah i guess there's good and bad things about both...

[AgnesONutter]

Well, certain styles and toys certainly are not good for your hair but a gentle twist such as a nautilus bun secured with something like a fork or even a ficcare does virtually no damage to your hair and keeps it secure and tangle free. Keeping my hair down generally results in a lot of tangles, that creates a lot of damage. So, generally, keeping my hair up in a hair friendly style is better.

[Xi]

My hair length stalled at just past hip for perhaps 6 or 7 years. I was convinced it had reached terminal. Since learning to put up my hair properly and doing it, I've seen it grow to near classic in 2 years. Virtually nothing else about my routine changed. To me, this proves that, for my hair at least, wearing it up is on balance more protective that wearing it down.:shrug:

[Chamomile betty]

If you change how you wear your hair up it will help. I will wear a twist, low bun, high bun, and low pony tail secured at the end. So I am not putting stress on the same part of my hair daily.

[christine1989]

I do it all the time and I think 9for me at least) it is way better. When I wear it down it is always rubbing against my coats and sweaters as well as blowing around in the wind. Wearing it up does put pressure on the roots but I think that the gentle pulling is beneficial because it stimulates the follicles.

[*Aoife*]

When I hit APL, I started noticing massive damage. My braid ends were catching under my schoolbag straps was the major culprit. As soon as I started bunning, I noticed a decrease in the damage.

[irishlady]

Thanks for all your replies :)

Xi I find that interesting about the better growth resulting from wearing it up! I am trying to wear mine up a lot, but it just gets hard because I like wearing it loose lol

[Ravenwaves 88]

I just wanted to report irony in this thread and another threads title and OP.

This one is about wearing hair up too much by irishlady and there is another thread on the "mane" page about wearing hair down too much by Scottish Lass.

Sorry but I thought I'd share. Sorry for the thread hack or whatever you call it. :D

[Meagan]

My hair hates to be tied up, it's better to leave it down and not touch it. Putting it up in a pony tail or braid stresses my hair and my roots.

[irishlady]

I just wanted to report irony in this thread and another threads title and OP.

This one is about wearing hair up too much by irishlady and there is another thread on the "mane" page about wearing hair down too much by Scottish Lass.

Sorry but I thought I'd share. Sorry for the thread hack or whatever you call it. :D

haha I actually don't like wearing my hair up, I just have been because I'm trying to forget about it for a while and stop obsessing :D. I was just wondering about people who always wear their hair up, since I see pros and cons about both ways.

[Quezie]

I only really wear my hair up if it's acting stupid, or if I'm going to be outside in the wind, or going on a long walk or hike or something and I don't want my hair to tangle.

I've thought this too, all the pulling when you're putting it up must be pretty stressful for your hair.

[aksown]

I wear my hair up every day, but it's almost always up in some type of bun held with a Ketylo. Sometimes I'll wear a large claw clip but whatever I use, my hair is up in a way that doesn't pull and that I usually have to take down and redo at some point. Wearing styles that mimic a facelift are damaging to the hair but gentle styles are fine.
I wear my hair up because I like being the only one who knows how long it is, plus I am still shedding a lot. When the mega-shed stops and I get to my goal length then I might wear it down more. :shrug:

[florenonite]

I think it depends. Right now my hair's somewhere between chin and shoulder. The only hairstyle I can get it into is a ponytail (or a half-up, but that's not all up), and I have to tie it quite tightly to keep all the hair in place. However, it's also short enough that it doesn't get caught on things like bag straps or jackets. Once it gets to somewhere between shoulder and APL I'll start incorporating updos of some variety into my hair routine again.

When it was waist-length, though, I found it was better for it to wear it up and to have some variation in the styles I wore. I mostly did hairstick buns and braids, but they're secured differently and the stress on the scalp is different. I might have found otherwise if I was wearing it in, for instance, the same braid tied off at the same place every day.

[spidermom]

At APL, I could wear my hair down all the time, no problem. But at the long end of BSL, my hair started to get into everything - caught in the seatbelt mechanism, trapped under my purse strap, sweeping across burners on the stove as I turned. I agree that putting it up has hazards, too, but far fewer, I think.

[anthonyswife]

I agree that it varies from person to person and probably depends on a lot of factors. I put mine up if it's very windy, and if I need to keep it out of my face for whatever I'm doing. If I'm home all day I leave it in the braid from the night before. I notice this keeps it more moisturized, however, wearing it up even with gentle hairsticks tends to hurt my scalp very badly, to the point where it feels as though every follicle on my head is aching. It also makes my hair shed a great deal more than usual (and I have tried different tightnesses, styles, and toys). So I try to keep an even balance between wearing it up and down. Both ways have their uses.

[Melisande]

Another thing: before I bun, I apply oil or sheabutter cream to my ends and lengths. I can't do that when I leave my hair open. It means that my hair has a spa day while I go to work.

[Scottish Lass]

I just wanted to report irony in this thread and another threads title and OP.

This one is about wearing hair up too much by irishlady and there is another thread on the "mane" page about wearing hair down too much by Scottish Lass.

Sorry but I thought I'd share. Sorry for the thread hack or whatever you call it. :D

I laughed out loud when i noticed myself and irishlady had posted at exactly same time, i love the glossy shine you have in your august picture ravenwaves it's gorgeous

[mariika]

I wear my hair up because I like being the only one who knows how long it is
I like the idea :D


wearing it up even with gentle hairsticks tends to hurt my scalp very badly, to the point where it feels as though every follicle on my head is aching
me too! I don't shed any more hair than usual but it hurts like hell! if I wear my hair up for a short time I'm fine but I can't wear it up for 4 hours or more - it hurts and it's like my hair weights a ton (when in fact it's very fine and I think it must weight very little)


Another thing: before I bun, I apply oil or sheabutter cream to my ends and lengths. I can't do that when I leave my hair open. It means that my hair has a spa day while I go to work.
huh, nice tip.

[hmmm]

I can't imagine my hair being healthier if I left it down all the time.

[Night_Kitten]

For me wearing it up prooved to be much better than wearing it down - much less damage and less dryness at the ends.
But I think it depends on the length and type of hair, and also on the clymat (dry / windy / very sunny...)

[smileycat]

I am actually on a "wear hair down" challenge after struggling with hair loss at my hairline. I have a big chunk that came out in the front on the left earlier this summer despite adjusting the way I put my hair up to be more gentle. Traction alopecia? I am starting to see some regrowth now. Down for me, at least for the time being, though that hasn't stopped me coveting some new toys!

[jane53]

I was just wondering, because I'm thinking of the fact that pulling on the roots, and certain hair accesories, as well as the twisting of certain styles such as buns, well that can't be much better can it?

Just wondering...

It is NOT better for my hair to wear it up all the time. I get increased breakage and hair loss from wearing it up. However, I wear it up often for work and when it's hot.

Wearing it up is just another series of styles among many. It isn't healthier.

My hair never gets damage from rubbing on my shoulders or hips; I don't live in a windy climate, and I work indoors; and I do hear that snapping and see those lost hairs when I wear it up.

[chopandchange]

I think it depends on your hair type. Different things work for different people. People with nice silky straight hair probably don't get as many tangles as I do when they wear their hair loose.

When I wear my hair loose, it gets in my way, catches on things, gets in my mouth, makes me too hot, and I generally have to be aware of it all the time. Plus, it gets so tangled, that combing out the tangles leads to splits, which lead to trims, which lead to less length! Generally NOT GOOD!

Braids or buns are better (for me personally) but they each have their pros and cons. Braiding it causes least tangles and damage, but it still gets in the way. It sticks onto velcro and zips, it swings around and hits things, it catches on doorhandles and tree branches and jerks me backwards, (this happened to me yesterday - ow)!

It hits my doggy on the face when I bend down to stroke him, it swings down into the sink when I'm brushing my teeth (right at the part when I'm spitting). Need I go on? :D

Bunning it causes more splits and tangles than braiding, but it's up out of the way and I can forget about it.

[Fiferstone]

Now that I'm at tailbone and on my way to classic, my hair is down only when I'm not doing anything likely to cause tangles (like working on the computer), but if I'm doing anything active (or if I'm at work), it's either bunned or braided. Because it's so fine, it tangles to the point where I need to comb it to remove the tangles 10 minutes after I've first combed it if it's left loose. It tangles just by shifting/moving against my back! I love having it down, but it's an occasional thing for me now. My present goal is to see just how long "terminal" is on me, I've never had my hair as long as I can grow it before in my life, and I'd like to do so at least once. So the majority of the time my hair is braided or bunned (set it and forget it), and I have found that I have far less damage/shedding that way. If a hairstyle is pulling too much for comfort on me I take it out and try again. :).

[torrilin]

me too! I don't shed any more hair than usual but it hurts like hell! if I wear my hair up for a short time I'm fine but I can't wear it up for 4 hours or more - it hurts and it's like my hair weights a ton (when in fact it's very fine and I think it must weight very little)

What sort of updos are you using? Different styles will distribute the weight differently. A very high bun can make my neck hurt, especially if I'm doing things where the bun ends up pushing my head forward. And a tight ponytail can be painful... since my hair is slick it can get hard to find the right balance between tight enough to stay and loose enough for comfort.

French braids, Dutch braids, and English braids will all stay with a lot less yoinking. Stuff based upon a flip-through ponytail seems to be pretty good at keeping hair contained without a lot of yoinking. I haven't found a lot else that works, but my hair is really slippery, so things like a French twist don't work.

As far as keeping my hair up... the thing most likely to set me to chopping is getting to a length where my hair gets caught on things. Caught means damaged ends, damaged ends mean it's hard to brush or comb, and that means my morning routine takes forever and THAT means I chop.

[Kristin]

I think wearing my hair up has improved the health of my hair overall. My nape hairs used to tangle constantly, but now- even when my hair is down for whole days at a time,- those hairs stay pretty tangle-free. Having my hair up a lot allows me to stretch my washes and keep my hair oiled regularly. As long as you aren't pulling your hair too tightly, using the same style every day, or using damaging accessories, I think putting it up is safe and beneficial to your hair.

[Peggy E.]

Well, certain styles and toys certainly are not good for your hair but a gentle twist such as a nautilus bun secured with something like a fork or even a ficcare does virtually no damage to your hair and keeps it secure and tangle free. Keeping my hair down generally results in a lot of tangles, that creates a lot of damage. So, generally, keeping my hair up in a hair friendly style is better.


My ficcare always pulls out hair! I'm guaranteed hair wrapped around that spring mechanism, regardless the careful steps I might take.

My hair seems to want to wrap around most things placed in it. Maybe it's trying to "make it a part of the whole," or something. Stupid hair....

I wear my hair up every day, all day. If you are careful not to pull it super tight (the business of creating a "bun-induced face lift" probably won't be the greatest thing to do day-in, day-out, for instance), you won't be putting undue stress on the roots or scalp.

Another advantage to wearing it up is that you don't have the accessibility - can't play with it, brush it/comb it, or otherwise mess with it during the time it's up, as many people often seem to do when hair is hanging long and free.

Maybe wearing different updos, so you're not doing the same one every day, pulling on the same areas all the time, might be a good idea, too.

Just a thought....

[DuckyDot]

I wear my hair down Most of the time since I like having it down more and Having it up every day damages my hair quite a bit. When My hair was near waist (A long time ago) My Mother wouldn't let my have it down so now I'm wearing it down Whenever Possible!! :D

[darkwaves]

When I leave my hair loose, it wraps itself around doorknobs... Now that is not hair safe!

Updos are fine. Just make sure you aren't pulling so tightly that you get traction alopecia.

[YesitsReal]

I know what you mean; sometimes when I put my hair up, especially with a stick, it seems to pull something awful on my scalp, which I suppose can't be good for it. Also, a lot of stickless buns start out with a ponytail, which is damaging if you do it too much. You could do an English braid, but that damages your ends after a while. Or, you could wear it loose, and your (my) hair ends up tangled and damaged anyway. :sigh: Anybody for cutting it off?? :p

[squiggyflop]

at apl there is no reason to wear hair up.. really.. i mean how tangled could it get when its that short..

i started wearing it up in my trademark beebutt bun when it hit waist.. before that i only wore it up when it looked bad.. that being said i got a lot less breakage and taper after putting it up..

putting it up just prevents tangles and hides greasys for me.. oh and it keeps it from getting in the way.. i wear a backpack type purse and it doesnt like my long hair.. why do i keep using a backpack purse? i have a bad back and it hurts less than putting all the weight on one shoulder..

my scalp used to hurt when i put it up.. now my scalp is either tougher or ive just been able to find better ways of putting it up..

[Jenn of Pence]

I prefer to keep my hair down (it's always been around BSL, which is manageable). I can see how I might want to/need to put it up more, or all the time, when it gets longer than that.

I personally feel that learning a new updo causes lots more damage than just leaving it down. Constantly smoothing it into a ponytail and jabbing it repeatedly with a hairstick certainly causes wear and tear, at least for me. But I suppose that it's "no pain, no gain." Once you know how to do a style, you only put it up once, and that saves the normal wear and tear you might get from wearing it down all the time.

But, as for just about everything on this site, it can vary dramatically from person to person.

[Solange]

I have practically no split ends since I started wearing my hair up most of the time. I think if you're moving around a lot and your hair is rubbing against your clothing or getting tangled, it's better to wear it up. Mind you, I'm glad I learned how to balance a bun properly so it doesn't pull at my scalp. Chinese buns are great!