Fussing with hair=damage?

[racrane]

I have a question for all of you. I change hairstyles multiple times during the day. I'll put a small braid in, take it out, make a ponytail, pull it out, put a claw clip in, take it out and leave my hair loose. I don't know why, but I suppose I just like to play with it. Could this be damaging to my hair? I baby it but could my fussing not be good? I couldn't find a thread with this question so now I'll leave it in your hands. :)

[shikara]

I've heard of many here who put up their hair a few times during the day - usually because the updo might begin to feel heavy, cause a headache, or need adjusting. I would think there are many factors involved as to whether it would cause damage:
in between the dos, is your hair tangle free or tangled, and do you brush and comb it in between or finger comb it, and how gently and freely does the brush/comb/fingers pass through your hair? Are you using hair-friendly hair toys?

I think if you are handling your hair gently, using hair friendly toys, and not causing additonal tangles to deal with, it should be fine. Sounds like you are having lots of fun with your hair - and that's fantastic:cheer:

[racrane]

Thank you Shikara! I am really gentle with my hair, so thanks for answering. :)

[Anje]

It could, at least in the sense that handled hair gets more wear and tear than hair that's never touched or exposed to anything. We must scrape a little protein off or something every time we comb our hair....

That doesn't stop me from taking my hair down, finger combing it out, and re-styling it whenever it feels uncomfortable or loose or I suspect it looks ragged. In practice, I think the only thing you need to be concerned with is if you're damaging hairs through rough combing and pulling knots tight each time you do it, and if this means more damage over the course of the day than if you left it untouched and getting fuzzier til the end of the day.

[Curlyg27]

Hehe, I thought it was totally normal to play with hair many times throughout the day. How can anyone *NOT touch it for an entire day? I think hair can be stronger than we think..at least to the extent where touching and restyling a few times a day is not such a big deal.

[HairStickler]

racrane, I'm glad you asked the question because I was wondering the same thing. Since joining LHC I have been trying so many new updos, one right after the other. :o

[christine1989]

I do the same thing- fuss with it sporadically during the day. I even brush it with a very fine tooth comb every few hours when needed and I never see any damage at all. I think the wind and rain do a lot worse to my hair than I do. :)

[Lee's Girl]

Glad to find this thread - I have a terrible habit of fussing with my hair. I keep trying to leave it be, but it's so fun to play with now that it's to mid-back length!

[xoxophelia]

At a certain point it can but my guess is you are nowhere near that. One guy in a class of mine constantly twists and knots his shoulder length hair. I mean he literally does it just about every minute of every lecture. I noticed that most of his hairs have split ends which to that extent isn't surprising.

[meowmeow]

Well, technically you are, although I wouldn't worry about it considering that simply shaking a piece of hair in water will remove proteins from it. It's physically impossible to have completely damage free hair unless we sit still in a dark room.

The good news is that your hair is probably fine. It's part of being alive. :) The only thing I would be worrying about is yanking through knots as Anje said.

Reference:
http://thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com/2011/02/hair-damage-is-necessary-and-expected.html

[Firefox7275]

I've damaged my lengths badly by brushing and ponytailing when wet, then re-brushing and re-ponytailing regularly throughout the day. Because of where the breaks are I *think* the worst damage is from removing (snag-free) elastics and from styling whilst still damp. I've also damaged the ends by twirling and finger combing far more than the average person. :(

[jojo]

Hair is delicate and the longer it gets the more aged and delicate it becomes; keep fiddling with your hair is a sure way to get damage over time. Every time you take it down, twist it and put it up you are disturbing your hairs fibres.

I used to be a hair fiddler too but nowaday its up and thats it for the day.

[jojo]

Hehe, I thought it was totally normal to play with hair many times throughout the day. How can anyone *NOT touch it for an entire day? I think hair can be stronger than we think..at least to the extent where touching and restyling a few times a day is not such a big deal.

sure hair is strong but it has its limits, it won't stop it growing but will cause damage overtime.