Hair hurts-help!

[hanne jensen]

I've finally achieved my life-long goal of BSL+ hair. I really want to have much longer hair(yes I've been influenced by LHC!)

My problem is, no matter how loosely I put my hair up it hurts my scalp. It's my hair roots protesting. I've tried everything! My African Butterfly combs, my Ficcare, hairpins, hairsticks. Hairscroos are torture. I've tried two buns instead of all my hair in one bun.

My hair is very fine, fragile and dry so wearing it down isn't an option. It breaks, tangles and knots if I blink my eyes. Also, my hair has started to brush against the back of my chair when it's down.

It doesn't matter if my hair is clean or dirty. It hurts just the same. Any advice on how to toughen up my scalp and hair roots? I don't want to maintain this length.My final goal is at least knee.

Right now I have my hair up in a Mickey Mouse do and it hurts! :(

I would really appreciate any advice as I WILL NOT CHOP!

[Debra83]

How about a french braid? or a sock bun?

[Fufu]

How about doing hair scalp massage daily for about 5 to 10 minutes to strength the hair roots?I donno if this works though, just a suggestion :)

I second the braidings idea :)

[hanne jensen]

I do massage my scalp morning and evening.

I've never been able to master french braiding and when I braid my hair my tassle is longer than the braid!

Sock buns hurt too.

[julliams]

I went through a period when my hair hurt more and it was around BSL or just beyond. Now this isn't going to be for when you go out, but when you are just at home, how about a snood? http://www.moonstruckoriginals.com/snood.JPG For going out, tying a scarf around it or even wearing it in a slouchy beret ? http://celebritystyleblog.wordpress.com/tag/beret/ You could just tuck all your hair in there for protection.

These suggestions are obviously not what you asked for but might be a way you could wear your hair in the meantime if all else fails.

I've always thought that when my roots hurt, my hair is growing.

[julliams]

Hanne Jensen, do you get migraines? I just came across this article http://www.docguide.com/allodynia-prevalent-migraine-patients-presented-ihc I don't know if this is what you are experiencing but I wondered if it was worth a read?

[Sopotito]

I really feel your pain, as I get some terrible scalp pain every now and then, too. My hair has only been shoulder length/APL for the last couple of years and the density is more or less medium, so it can't be the weight of my hair that makes my scalp itch.

The skin in my scalp is very sensitive, therefore I've always thought my scalp aches when it gets too dry, i.e. if I use shampoos that are too strong and wash away all natural moisture from the scalp. Maybe you're using a shampoo that is too strong for your scalp?

I have noticed using a very mild shampoo, maybe mixed with some oils and/or aloe vera gel and watered down (1 tablespoon of shampoo into 1/2 cup of water ratio) and washing twice works fine. After washing you might want to consider using a very mild conditioner and applying it also to the roots of your hair or even to the scalp.

Also herbal rinses at the end of the washing might help to soothe the scalp: why not try a very diluted apple cider vinegar rinse with a coulpe of drops of herb extract or essential oil. Some herbs you could try for this are rosemary, lavender, sage, chamomile, nettle, burdock root, marshmallow, calendula and coltsfoot. You can also make your own herbal vinegar rinse by soaking 1/2 part herbs in 1 part apple cider vinegar for two weeks and using then 1 tablespoon of your herbal ACV into 1-2 cups of water as your final rinse.

Also some oils can soothe aching scalp. I haven't tried this, but I've read that castor oil is very good for the scalp. Maybe you could try massaging the scalp with castor oil before washing? You could also mix some of the above mentioned essential oils into the castor oil.

One easy and fast idea to try is rubbing some aloe vera ge to the scalp after washing, when your hair is still damp. Aloe vera gel soothes and moisturizes, but doesn't leave a greasy feeling because it's water based.

And of course you should air dry your hair and avoid heat drying and other heat treatments, because they dry the scalp as well as the hair.

If you live in a place with cold winter weather and strong heating inside houses, the dry heated air also dries your skin ans scalp. You might want to consider getting one of these machines that release humidity into air (I can't recall what's their name in English...) for your home and workplace to keep the air humidity on a more skin-friendly level.

Hope that helps! I'll be interested to know other ways to fight scalp pain as I still get it occasionally, too.

[Lemur_Catta]

My scalp hurts a lot when I bend the hairs in a unnatural way, against the parting. I can't wear high ponytails or buns, nor a Dutch crown braid, because my scalp hurts too much. Maybe this is your problem? Try lower buns, keeping your part.

[baaaad_kitty]

Ouch. My scalp hurts sometimes when I take my hair down and brush against the way it was tied/braided. Maybe you're bunning your hair too tight?

[CarpeDM]

I have this same problem even though my hair is shorter than yours. What works best for me are half up do's, single braids, or side low double buns that I keep loose. Double loose french braids are also ok...

[Madora]

Your roots have to be "trained" to feel comfortable in another position.

It must be done slowly - a little at a time.

Try a small half up and keep it up for an hour, then release the hair.

Increase the amount of time you wear the half up until you don't feel any pain from the roots.

The next step would be to try a ponytail, again, starting for only an hour a day and gradually building up to where you can wear it comfortably w/o pain.

Good luck.

[hanne jensen]

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try them one at a time to see what works best without wrecking my hair.

Thank Goodness I do not suffer from migraines. It's not a headache I suffer from, it's my hair roots or follicles that are suddenly protesting.

My hair has grown a lot in a short time. I guess my head isn't used to the new weight yet.

[Chamy]

I got this too a couple of years ago. The more i wore my hair up the more it subsided. My scalp got used to it, i still get it sometimes when i have put up my hair too tight. I hope this problem gets solved for you, i really feel your pain. :(

[Tigermama]

Mine is the same way! I recently discovered doing two twists, one down each shoulder. then I cross them in back and secure up the side of my head with two bobby pins. Since the twist ends are so light, there is hardly anything pulling on my scalp but my hair is up and protected. Let me know if you find others, I am always looking!

[Mesmerise]

I find that if I do a high pony tail, I'll get sore hair, but only if I'm not doing a high pony tail every day! In that case, my hair adjusts and it doesn't hurt anymore.

I had some hair extensions in a long time ago, and BOY was my scalp sore for a couple of days...seriously OUCHIE, but my hair adapted and after awhile I was absolutely fine.

I think you need to try wearing your hair in the same position every day, until your scalp sort of acclimatizes to wearing your hair up.

However, that being said, everyone has different scalp sensitivity. For some people you can yank their hair and they barely flinch, for others it's a LOT more painful! My middle son, for instance, hates anyone going NEAR his scalp! He has very fine hair and not much of it, and the amount of fuss he has if you need to take him for a hair cut, or God forbid, treat him for lice!! My other kids, sure it can hurt if you brush their hair and it has knots (especially my daughter who has the thickest finest hair I've ever seen lol), but it's not extreme pain! I always joke that it's lucky my son's not a girl who wants to have long hair!!

So maybe you're like my son and just have a really sensitive scalp??

[Anje]

High updos are far more likely to hurt for me. Mickey Mouse-style buns sound like a recipe for pain! I could get myself adjusted to wearing it high all the time, but since I'm not that hooked on wearing it high, I solve the problem by normally wearing my hair about ear-level or lower. No sore roots then. (Of course, today I decided to do a crown braid. I'm going to suffer on the going-up side when I take it down this evening!)

Remember, you can also wear braids. Let them hang down, or wrap them up in a bun. When they're long enough, wrap them around your head.

[Messyhair]

My scalp hurts badly if my bun is positioned too low. I have to get it really high on my head (almost at the crown) so that the weight is distributed better and it isn't just being pulled down the back of my head, if that makes any sense. :confused:

[McFearless]

What about really low buns at the nape of your neck? French braiding is also a great way to distribute the weight evenly.

[McFearless]

My scalp hurts badly if my bun is positioned too low. I have to get it really high on my head (almost at the crown) so that the weight is distributed better and it isn't just being pulled down the back of my head, if that makes any sense. :confused:


Oh really? Wow we are all different. I used to do top knots all the time but now they hurt too much.:( The only thing that doesn't hurt is nape buns.

[chopandchange]

Braid it and then fold the braid?

[Arya]

How do you sleep with your hair? Is it possible that you could tie your hair up at night and the follicles would get used to it that way, without gravity really pulling on them?

[curlymarcia]

I just want to add that I have the same problem when I do a ponytail. Thanks Arya, I wil try put it up at night.

[picklepie]

I'm comforted by this thread-- I look at everyone's fancy updos and feel sad that I would give myself such a terrible pain in the scalp if I tried even just parting my hair differently. I like the idea of trying to move the hair a bit at a time, for short periods of time at first. That seems likely to help.

[Sunshineliz]

My hair always seemed very heavy and high ponytails or updos hurt really bad. Even French braids made me little light-headed after a while and hurt after I took them down. I thought it might be the length (I was past my waist at one point) but I had a major chop recently (it was badly damaged) to barely shoulder length and although it seems lighter, I still have some headache and hair follicle pain. I still got lightheaded in a french braid and higher 'dos still hurt. The only things that feel ok are english braids, low ponytail (not even a low bun works), and heidi style as long as I don't leave it up too long (that was before the chop). Anything that holds the hair up too high and against the part hurts. I like some of the ideas here, and wonder...my hair always seems to feel better after I wash it, almost like resetting the hair part--if I could get it to dry in the direction I want the hair to go (up) maybe at least the follicle pain won't happen? I'd probably still get lightheaded and have a headache of some kind though. Dang it I thought shorter hair would make me better able to put up my hair...

[FlowerTwin]

Mine is the same way! I recently discovered doing two twists, one down each shoulder. then I cross them in back and secure up the side of my head with two bobby pins. Since the twist ends are so light, there is hardly anything pulling on my scalp but my hair is up and protected. Let me know if you find others, I am always looking!

This got me thinking of hair taping. Torrin Paige has a video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige#p/u/77/KqbAdvL8kME). And I think Loepsie has something like it on her youtube chanel as well. Your hair might not be long enough to do it the same way but maybe you can find your own version of it and make it work for you?

[ArienEllariel]

I've dealt with scalp pain myself from different styles. If I do something where my scap is parted in two straight down the center (especially mickey mouse ears), the area on either side of my crown gets sore. I've even gotten a headache from wearing a circlet with my hair down (the circlet wasn't tight, it just sat in an area I wasn't used to having anything sit on and for whatever reason, my scalp didn't like it). I try to switch off between styles and avoid doing too many things involving parting my hair all the way down the back. I also discovered today that my nape absolutely hates low buns/anything tucked under and held there. It drives me nuts and I can't stop focusing from the tugging on my scalp. It's weird.

[BunnyBee]

Yes I get this. Sometimes it is pure agony and people think you're crazy if you say "my hair hurts!" Well at least not on here ;)
I believe it has to do with the 'muscles' next to the hair follicles. If your hair has been laying in a certain direction for a while, when you move the hair the other way it is painful until the muscles have got used to the new position. This is a crap explanation, sorry.

I cannot wear any kind of bun to sleep, because the last time I did, the pain was awful when I took my hair down and lasted for 24 hours :(

The opposite is also true - some days i cannot put my hair up at all.

The best updos are ones that are balanced. My favourite at the mo is a basic cinnabun with two smallish claw clips, one either side of the bun. I can wear that for hours without trouble.