How badly is this going to affect my hair? (benign neglect)

[jenjen10]

I am a single mom of two, full time nursing student and work part-time and I think I am beyond benign neglect when it comes to my hair these days!

Pretty much everyday my hair goes up into a ponytail, I haven't had any time to deep condition in months (I do use a conditioner when I wash it every three days or so) and I can't remember the last time I sat down to S&D.

Other than a stall (which I am guessing is due to stress and it being winter), I haven't really noticed a huge negative difference in my hair the past few months... but am scared I am accumulating damage that will suddenly pop up! LOL

Anyone else experience times where you did something similar due to lack of time, etc? Were you able to salvage your hair afterward or was too much damage done? Or did your hair end up reacting positively in the long run?

[kitten1986]

Im no expert but you might want to try a few other hairstyles than the ponytail to mix it up a bit because you may get breakage around the area where you are always securing it with your ponytail holder.... also make sure you are using hair friendly accessories :D

If you are trying to find time to deep condition perhaps your could put it in when you get home and allow it to sit in your hair whilst you are doing all the afternoon/evening activities and wash out right before bed? this is usually when i deep condition

If you dont have time to S&D maybe find a hairdresser that you can trust and have a tiny little trim if you think there is any damage travelling up the hair shaft

Other than that I would say that benign neglect shouldnt be too damaging there are plenty of longhairs on here that do it with good results... sounds like you have more important things to focus on anyway with the children/study/work :D

good luck!

[Panth]

The only thing I'd alter is to try to vary your hairstyle a little, especially if your standard is a ponytail. Maybe mix it up a bit with high ponytail one day, low one the next day, english plait, french plait (if you can), Gibson tuck. Those are all pretty quick and easy.

The trouble with ponytails worn day after day is that you may well get breakage where the band sits.

[torrilin]

Most of the time, hair doesn't need a whole lot. It's good to have a clean scalp. And if you don't want dreadlocks, it's good to keep your hair fairly detangled. So the trick is to figure out how much washing is needed for your scalp to feel good, and how little you can handle your hair and still avoid dreadlocks.

So in your position, I'd add two basic hairstyles to your repertoire. A cinnabun, for days when you're in a hurry and don't have time to detangle your hair properly (or for a way to cut down on tangles when you sleep). And a plain braid, as a change of pace from a ponytail (and as another way to cut down on tangles when you sleep). Both are pretty simple to learn, and at least one should be decently fast on wet or damp hair.

This should let you keep up the benign neglect more efficiently.

[Mesmerise]

I am a single mom of two, full time nursing student and work part-time and I think I am beyond benign neglect when it comes to my hair these days!

Pretty much everyday my hair goes up into a ponytail, I haven't had any time to deep condition in months (I do use a conditioner when I wash it every three days or so) and I can't remember the last time I sat down to S&D.

Other than a stall (which I am guessing is due to stress and it being winter), I haven't really noticed a huge negative difference in my hair the past few months... but am scared I am accumulating damage that will suddenly pop up! LOL

Anyone else experience times where you did something similar due to lack of time, etc? Were you able to salvage your hair afterward or was too much damage done? Or did your hair end up reacting positively in the long run?

Honestly?? I think compared to the people who blow fry and straight iron their hair every day, as well as use products containing alcohol, chemical dyes, bleaches etc. your hair is probably super healthy! If you're not doing ANY of those things, then I'd say there's a good chance that you're not doing any serious damage to your hair at all!

Maybe you might want to go in for a trim or do a self trim every few months or so, but if you can't see obvious splits, I doubt it's necessary.

Now, some people do experience damage from the everyday ponytail, so maybe you could try a few more easy styles. I often just whack it up in a clip thingy like in my avatar, and that takes me all of about 20 seconds, or I put in a flexi-8 or something. That may prevent any damage from the rubbing of the hairband on your ponytail.

However, I don't think I've personally ever really experienced damage from just ponytailing my hair!

[Yozhik]

I agree with the others about changing your hairstyle up a little bit, or at least altering the place where you secure it (i.e. high or low). One hairstylist said this to me a couple of years ago -- about how she saw damage on so many women who came in because of ponytail breakage -- and it really stuck with me.

Other than that, if you shower in the mornings, you could oil at night as a deep conditioning treatment and then wash it out the next morning.

Good luck with your busy schedule! :flower:

[jane53]

My hair thrives on benign neglect.