How to prevent updos causing pain because of weight?

[irishlady]

I couldn't find any other thread with this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question.

I am trying to wear my hair up everyday for the next 2 weeks. I am enjoying having to not worry about y hair getting trapped in things, even though it's not that long yet.

However, no matter how secure and loose I try and make it, it pulls, and it hurts a lot when I let it down.

I'm worried about traction alopecia lol

Any suggestions/advice? Please note that sticks will not stay in my hair, it's too slippery :(

[enfys]

What styles have you tried and how are you securing them?

I find loose styles pull more. Unless you can't move your face traction alopecia should be a long way off.

There are many different styles and cross sections of sticks too. For example, I can't get a metal stick to stay but a chunky, corkscrew ketylo will. Experiment!

[irishlady]

most days I tie it into a ponytail first to secure then twist into a bun and secure with a scrunchie...

Yeah I guess I should just experiment...

It's a bit silly I know, my main concern is an irrational fear of alopecia you see :p

[Madora]

Have you tried sectioning your hair to achieve your style?

For instance, make a part from the top of one ear around the head to the top of the other ear.

Take all the hair above the part, detangle gently, then braid in a single braid. Then coil the hair around in a bun and pin.

Take the remainder of the hair, detangle, then braid and coil the braid around the bunned braid already made.

You can also just try coiling the hair in a bun, then coiling the remaining hair around the bun.

Just remember not to coil/braid the beginning too tightly. You should be able to get at least one finger under the very beginning of the braid.

You'll experience less pain if you try and section your hair, rather than trying to bunch it in one ponytail.

The only other thing that might be causing pain is that the roots aren't used to being caught up in a ponytail. Hair needs to become accustomed to different styles (it all boils down to how much tension is on the roots).

You might want to try and learn lace dutch/french braids to get around the problem of distributing your hair's weight.

[PrincessTieflin]

For me anything that has to be secured with a ponytail gives me a headache. Braids work well as well as LWB, and cinna bun.. sometimes If my hair is dirty i can get a sock bun to hold without a ponytail holder

[Valdeon]

For me anything that has to be secured with a ponytail gives me a headache.

I am like that too.

My opinion is lose ponytail holder! It will make a world of difference.

Parting your hair in several sections before bunning it (as was stated above) is a great idea too.

[enfys]

Traction alopecia is really quite rare. Mostly it's seen on people who braid their hair very tightly. Obviously cornrow type, not just an English braid. ;)

You should be able to do a braided bun quite easily, as Madora suggested.

Also, what she said about the roots could be quite true in your case. My head itches and feel weird if I just change my parting. Doesn't every strand have a tiny muscle? moving it to a style it's not accustomed to might case that ache. x200,000 and you have a sad LHCer.

Break yourself into updos gradually if you aren't used to them.

[Lemur_Catta]

I agree with everything that was said, and I would like to add that pins pull way less than stick! If you can secure a bun with a lot of small toys instead of a big one, it's more comfortable because it distributes the weight. U-pins or small claw clips are perfect for buns.

[spidermom]

I hate the way buns feel when I start with a ponytail, so I never ever do it that way.

The nautilus bun holds really well without pulling (unless you pull everything tight), also the gibralter.

[phylsgyrl]

Lol I totally understand about the irrational fear! I am the same way if I've realized I've had my hair up every single day in a row for more than a week.

Try using mini clippies like these http://davidmanley.com/blogger/clips.jpg

They are the only things I've found that even out the weight of my hair on a regular basis. I use sticks as well, but that's because they are really easy to use in my opinion. I use them when I pull my hair up to sleep as well. When I sleep on them I don't use an elastic, but if I use them while I'm working out then I'll wrap my hair into a bun, hold it in place with the elastic and then clip it down to reinforce.

I would also try a hair fork; the multiple prongs make it really easy to use, and it evens out the weight. Try out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYILClga8Gw

(I know she is a LHC member, and I hope it's okay to post the video)

I hope that helps?

[UltraBella]

I must start my buns with a large scrunchie and my hair in a ponytail first or it really pulls and hurts. I wear my buns on the crown of my head so the weight is not pulling. This is the only way that bunning works for me.

[Anje]

Loose styles pull more for me, too. Make your style, whatever you do, secure, and try to balance it over a decent amount of scalp hair.

If your scalp doesn't complain at you for pulling your hair in a different direction, you might want to try positioning your bun so it rests on top of your head, instead of dangling by some scalp hair. My scalp is not amused by this tactic, so for me mid-height and lower styles are best.

[Aliped]

The nautilus bun holds really well without pulling (unless you pull everything tight)

I agree with spidermom. I find that nautilus buns are the least likely to pull, but are still very secure.

[irishlady]

Thanks for your replies :)
You all have great ideas and I'll try these out.

It's interesting with the roots having to get accustomed to updos. My hair is quite heavy even though it's not the thickest hair there is, it makes quite a loud slapping sound if it swings around when in a ponytail lol

I guess I just have to get used to it, since I like wearing my hair loose usually.

[ATrixie]

For me, lower buns work best.. (or 'upturned', but I have really long hair now - classic or a bit below..) 2 bigger claw clips seem to work best for me - better than anything else (I tried sticks and elastics and pins in the past) When hair was shorter, one claw clip worked well.. These two now don't have big 'claws', the clip is 'straight' and not curved.. so even the type of claw clip can be important, experiment.. (ideally with what you have around first :)) It depends on your head shape too, I guess..

yup, parting hair in different ways has caused me headache too... so I just didn't then, even if I liked the look.. maybe it could be okay if you start for short amounts of time..

one of best recommended styles were crown braids too, they balance hair weight evenly.. Or just 2 braids, or anything 'balanced'...

[Angeletti]

I don't recommend this for when your out in public, but when I'm at home I always will have the bun directly on the top of my head, that way I don't have to worry about the weight bugging me.

[luxepiggy]

most days I tie it into a ponytail first to secure then twist into a bun and secure with a scrunchie...

Yeah I guess I should just experiment...

It's a bit silly I know, my main concern is an irrational fear of alopecia you see :p

That's the part that's doing it. Ponytails give me major headaches. I find updos that only require sticks to be much more comfortable, especially if I use two sticks to get the weight more evenly distributed.

[Mesmerise]

Thanks for your replies :)
You all have great ideas and I'll try these out.

It's interesting with the roots having to get accustomed to updos. My hair is quite heavy even though it's not the thickest hair there is, it makes quite a loud slapping sound if it swings around when in a ponytail lol

I guess I just have to get used to it, since I like wearing my hair loose usually.

When I wear my hair down a lot, if I wear it up it hurts a lot when I take it out again (like if you touch the hair and push it down it hurts)... although if I wear my hair up everyday this stops happening after awhile! I think it may be just an acclimatisation thing ;)

[frodolaughs]

As others have said, it may well be the ponytail causing your problem. I wear my hair in a bun nearly every day, and it doesn't pull at all--but I never do any style that starts with a ponytail. I'd encourage you to experiment more with hairsticks. I didn't think I could possibly use them in my hair, which is extremely slippery, but they stay in better than hair elastics ever did. What works best for me is the technique where you start with the stick pointing away from the center of your bun, poke through some hair, then reverse direction. I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but there are some tutorials which should help.