Are ponytails bad?

[LotusFIre]

I have heard both sides, putting your hair up is best, and that ponytails will break you hair. My hair is not real long yet, a ponytail and related styles using elastics are pretty much all I can do so far. I'm going to try and learn how to french braid, but it seems so hard.
I want to learn a bun too..
But until then, is it better to put the hair up in a ponytail in my case, since I have not learned other styles yet? Or leave it down?

one more thing, what can I do with my hair at night? here is a pic of the length.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5486112319_683458ea19.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56465232@N07/5486112319/)
IMG_1261 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56465232@N07/5486112319/) by franmail08 (http://www.flickr.com/people/56465232@N07/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/5487373190_213f15d622.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56465232@N07/5487373190/)
IMG_1279 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56465232@N07/5487373190/) by franmail08 (http://www.flickr.com/people/56465232@N07/), on Flickr

[Anje]

Well, I got considerable breakage where the elastic sat from wearing a ponytail pretty much daily. So for me, they're bad, especially if I don't vary the position. But my hair was considerably longer than yours when I noticed, and probably heavier too, which contributed to the breakage.

The first rule of ponytail wearing is: Don't tighten your ponytail! I repeat: Do not grab two chunks of hair and pull them opposite directions to tighten up your ponytail!!! That leads to a lot more breakage than just wearing your hair in that style.

For now, I'd say you shouldn't sweat it. When you get more toward APL and can do some buns and other styles more effectively, try to wean yourself off ponys and switch to braids and buns.

[Roseate]

For now, I'd say you shouldn't sweat it. When you get more toward APL and can do some buns and other styles more effectively, try to wean yourself off ponys and switch to braids and buns.

I agree; ponytails are a decent containment strategy when your hair's still short, so don't stress about it. Try to vary the position of your ponytail or do twin ponytails sometimes, and use gentle, snag-free ponytail holders.

Keep practicing your braids and buns, once you gain some length it's nice to have options!

For nighttime, I started wearing a sleep cap at about your length and I just love it. Keeps my hair out of the way at night, and helps cut down on frizz the next day.

[Bast]

There is also a lot of damage related to the type of hair tie that you use with your ponytail. Rubber bands and the elastics that have metal in them are more damaging, cloth scrunchies less so.

[Blandine]

A lot depends on the type of elastics you use. Those with metal are worst. Thin rubber elastics cause more damage than thicker, softer ones made from fabric. Also, it's good to change the position of the ponytail so the elastic isn't always in the same place.

[nucleardelusion]

I think while it's short, as long as the elastic is not too tight, it's okay. Once my hair got a bit longer, it managed to tangle in a pony tail as easily as being down.

[Madora]

If you must ponytail, do not pull it tightly!

Frankly, I'd much rather use a hair friendly clip to hold the hair up instead of ponytailing it.

[2peasinapod]

I agree with everyone else. I wear ponytails a lot, but I haven't noticed any damage. I tie my hair back loosely with a cloth srunchie, and I always vary the position. Even if I wear a low pony two days in a row, I try to put it a little more to the side than I did the day before.

I couldn't do very much at that length either. Other than claw clips, I would suggest an EZ comb. Mine worked best for me from shoulder to APL, and there's so many styles you can try!

[LotusFIre]

UGGGH! I just spent an hour trying to braid my own hair, and I'm about discouraged. I have layers in my hair, and pulling it all into a three strand braid is just not happening. I'm a little worried I may have damaged it a little in the process of practicing.
Yeah looks like ponytail it is, or down. I want to try the sock bun if my hair will do it.
But I need to get some claw clips. Do you think scrunchies would stay in my hair? Seems like they are too big for fine hair like mine.

[2peasinapod]

Ugh, layers are the worst. I couldn't do a braid with mine until my hair was APL. Even now, my braid is stumpy. I couldn't wear scrunchies at first. I just went to the dollar store and picked up some kids elastics. I lucked out and found some no damage ones in lots of colors. They are just as comfortable as scrunchies, but a lot smaller. I used those until my hair was long enough for me to pull it all back.

I know I said it before, but an EZ comb (or butterfly) comb is really great for putting your hair up on days when you just can't tie it up. ;)

[excentricat]

I'm another one who has had a lot of pony tail damage in the past, even with hair friendly elastics. Admittedly, I wore them in the same place a lot, and tightened them, but I didn't know better at the time. When I committed to growing my hair out this time, part of that was to minimize pony tail wearing so that I didn't get the breakage. I left it down whenever possible until it was long enough to do the wrapped hairstick bun. When I did have to pony for work, I'd make sure to never wear it in the same spot two days in a row.

[Lollipop]

Well, for me they were a must since I was doing tennis. Every few weeks I would attempt a bun, and after a few months of wearing a pony, I started bunning (I think I was your length when I started using spin pins to put up my hair). I used scrunchies and only crossed over once-you how when you pull hair through and you cross the scrunchie to pull your hair through again? I only did that once. I wore it every day, all day, and brushed through in the morning. My hair held up pretty well, but I was soooo happy when I graduated to buns.


GOOD LUCK :cheese:!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[elaiesusandavie]

I've found that a low ponytail with a barrette seems to be a good balance between protecting and showing off the increasing length

[Kaelee]

I wear ponytails almost every day, even to bed, and I haven't noticed any damage. My hair is just thinking about brushing APL and I have layers- I can't do anything else and I have to have it pulled back for work. I ponytail it at night to keep it away from my new ear piercings.

I use the elastics without metal, they're cloth covered rubber but they have a melted seam instead of metal. I forget what they're called.

[jil]

I never noticed any damage from pony tails. But I personally don't like when I take it down, having the pony tail holder dent in my hair, so I rarely wear them.

[LotusFIre]

I've got to check out these spin pins, Are they easy to use for dummies like me? :D

[Arctic_Mama]

At your length I used tons of ponytails, and just naturally transitioned away as it got longer and heavier. A ficcare French twist is your friend from shoulder to bsl :)

[Debra83]

I've been trying to be VERY careful with ponytails since before joining LHC, but still used them occasionally. When I went for a trim at the hairdresser's a couple of Fridays ago, she isolated a section in the back, held it up for me to see it in the mirror, and told be it was "broken" off, probably from ponytails. ARRRRGGGHHH. No more ponytails for me. I've been using all the "hair friendly" ponytail ties I could find, no metal, covered in cloth, not tight, etc., etc. It STILL broke. I guess I just don't have the type of hair that can use ponytail holders.

[mustpannkook]

When I don't feel like braiding I put my hair in a ponytail with a scrunchie. It might not look as good as rubber band but it's much more hair friendly!

[Noula]

I'm braiding more often now that I can, but if I'm at work or in and out a lot (so taking off/putting on my jacket/beanie frequently) they'll unravel fairly quickly so I end up putting it in a ponytail anyway. Always disliked anything metal in my hair, even as a kid, so not too keen on bobby pins or similar despite probably being better for the hair and more secure if I could ever figure out how to use them.

Would love to use wooden hair sticks or forks, but I doubt I could ever learn to use them in a way that they'd hold throughout the day and my hair needs to be much longer before I could do anything with them, or at least that's what I'm guessing.

[Lady-Djenevre]

If you are lucky enough to have really long hair of the kind that stays in place you can develop the habit of twisting it up into a chignon and securing with a couple of hair prongs. Mine will stay like that even when running if I make the chignon tight enough.

[LovelyL]

Ponytails will serve you well until the point where your hair starts to tangle even when tied back. You've got a fair bit of time before that will happen though, so don't stress :)

Learning to braid: it'll help to practise on smaller sections of hair, to get your fingers used to the motions, rather than struggle with all those layers.

Good luck!

[Fiordiligi]

I've cut right back on ponytails as my hair gets longer. The very fine hair on my crown and hairline is very prone to ponytail damage, I've found, though the less fine hair underneath is more resilient. But if I wear one I just can't resist tightening it, so it's easier not to put myself in temptation's way. :)

[LotusFIre]

Ok so everyone is saying don't pull the ends opposite directions to tighten. I do it a different way, I hold the entire bunch of hair with one hand and slide the ponytail holder up further. Is that just as bad?
I never seems like it is perfectly tight when I first put it in.

[wickedwitch]

I've never had damage from ponytails, and that's how I wore my hair 85% of the time before LHC.

[karenpetal]

As everyone mentioned braiding is the safest but if you must pony tail then use a ouchless band - you get bunch of those at claires or wal-mart even !!

When I had longer hair I french braided for outdoor activities but now I ponytail lot more
Try not to tie it very tight - though tight ponytails look much cuter !!

[SurprisingWoman]

I wear ponys. See my album.

I like being able to get my hair up and off my neck while still showing off length. There will be those that say do a half up or a .... <insert some fairly complicated updo here> but there are times when I am out, my hair is down, it gets hot/humid and I pull out an elastic and tadah!

Do what you like, it's your hair.

As far as when you are asleep I would just sleep on it regularly. You should be fine for a while.

[irishlady]

In my opinion...both are fine as long as you switch it up.

Wear it down some days to give your scalp a break from the weight of your hair being held up and elastics, and up on days where you might be working or it's windy and you want it out of the way.

That's what I do anyway and I haven't seen any damage, my hair is at bra-strap length :shrug:

[Anje]

Ok so everyone is saying don't pull the ends opposite directions to tighten. I do it a different way, I hold the entire bunch of hair with one hand and slide the ponytail holder up further. Is that just as bad?
I never seems like it is perfectly tight when I first put it in.
Yep, that's bad too. In general, you don't want to slide the band against the direction of the hair.

I got all my damage using metal-free elastics. Scrunchies may have been better, but that's all hindsight... I ended up making a "no ponytails for a year" rule with myself to get the damage grown out. I still can count on my hands then number of times I've worn a pony for longer than an hour in the last 3 years or so.

Those silicone ouchless bands are good for some folks, not for others. I know a lot of people swear by them, but they eat the ends of my braids alive.

[lw8666]

When I was growing my hair out from chin to APL, I wore a ponytail every single day and I have more damage now than I have ever had in my life. I now wear clips and do buns. No more elastic bands for me! I would recommend finding a style that is easy for you minus the an elastic.

[QMacrocarpa]

A quick and easy alternative to a ponytail for not-too-long hair is to put it all in an octopus clip, using the clip as a bun cage to contain all your hair. They are easy to find in a few different sizes, at least around here (US midwest). The only thing I don't like is that you can't really take a nap in one, but it's so easy to remove and put back on that it's not a huge problem.

[Debra83]

When I joined LHC and started growing, I knew from past hairdressers that pony tail elastics were bad, so I thought I'b be clever. I bought just cloth covered scrunchies (silky and regular), and "knit" pony holders (no elastics at all in them), and that's what I've been using. Tried to make sure I wasn't making them too tight or anything as well. Well like I said earlier in this thread, I went to the hairdresser's for a microtrim for the first time since joining to help even it out for me, and I couldn't believe it when she held up a section in the mirror to show me the breakage from ponytails. I was pretty shocked because I was trying to be so careful. From now on, it's braids for me. If I get damage from pony holders and scrunchies, it can be at the bottom where I can deal with it far easier than at the top. Now I have to wait probably 4 years for that section to reach my goal of waist. ARGH.:justy:

[Anje]

I suspect it's us with fine or fragile hair that suffer from ponytail damage. Neither type can take much friction, and the little section of hair from the top of the head supporting the weight of the ponytail just can't take it forever. Buns and braids that distribute the weight better seem to avoid the problem, but for that reason I still avoid buns that start with a ponytail.