Comfortable updos.

[snakewitch]

I can't ever do any updo properly without it tugging on a few strands of my hair, and it is incredibly annoying. I hate it.

I can't do any kind of a bun without it pulling on like a few strands of my hair. I can't even do a braid(even though it's not an updo...) without it tugging on some strands of my hair, and if I try to fix it it later looks horrible...

Am I doing it wrong or is there just no such thing as a comfortable bun or updo?

[Pantha]

I occasionally get that problem, but I get it less if I don't brush my hair tightly back into the updo. I use my fingers to pull my hair back and run them through from the roots so as it is pulled back evenly but not too tightly.

I personally can't wear my hair up when its pulling, and at work i'll have a bit of a poke to stop it if it starts to, teasing the tighter strands to give a bit more slack. Different updo's distribute the weight differently so maybe try practicing a variety when you have the time so you can find a way of doing them so they don't pull.

Personally I find a nautalus (probably spelt wrong) is one of the most comfortable buns, or a multi cliped cinabun, or how I wear my hair for work, a style I adapted myself from a style found on an Iron Age Danish bogbody.

[dulce]

I just twist and put up with a beak clip-fast and easy and comfortable if I lie down .

[Deborah]

For me the trick is to set the bun a little high; not on top of the head, but high on the back of the head. A low bun pulls more for me. If I get it at the right height, it never hurts a bit.

[Anje]

How are you typically securing your hair? I find a single horizontal hairstick to be about the most comfortable. Two hairsticks are OK, but they pull a few hairs if I cross them.

Also, I have the best luck if I do my hair when both my hair and hands are dry. Damp hands tend to pull a few strands for me.

[spidermom]

It can be a challenge, but there are up-styles that are comfortable. I sometimes have a problem finding one, though. On an average day, I probably re-do my hair 3-4 or more times. But every once in awhile the planets are in perfect alignment and my first attempt is comfortable all day long. The next day I'll try the exact same style in the exact same place, and it pulls so much I just about go insane within about 10 minutes. I don't know why! So I keep trying.

[elbow chic]

Sectioned buns seem to be working for me lately. Madora suggested it to me.

Basically I part my hair horizontally from ear to ear, clip the front section out of the way, then bun the back. (braid first if desired.) Secure with pins.

Then pull the front section back, braid if desired, and wrap it around the bun you made and secure with more pins.

It looks like one big bun but it's much less pull-y.

[Ishje]

yes I have that problem as well, sometimes it feels like the bun is only hanging on 4 or 5 hairs on my head.
also have no clue what is causing it it happens sometimes with buns that most of the time are comfy, but then suddenly not anymore.
it does not really matter if I make loose buns or tight buns either.
maybe it has to do with wearing the same hairstyle to often?

I did notice before that it goes better when I part my hair and make the bun a bit lower, instead of combing my hair backwards.

I never have it with braids though, those are my last recourse if I cant get a bun to sit comfy.
do you maybe braid very tight?

[Panth]

How tight are you bunning/braiding? Where are you bunning/braiding from (high up, middle of back of head, nape)? What buns are you doing? What are you using to hold up the buns, and how many? Are you bunning/braiding wet/damp? Do you have a parting and, if so, are you erasing it by combing your hair back before bunning/braiding?

Answers to those questions might help us help you better.

My most comfortable bun is a nautilus on the nape of my neck held with a horn two-prong comb when dry or a Mega-flexi when wet. I wear it most days.

[islandboo]

I find that low buns (those that sit on my nape) are the most comfortable as far as pulling. But, I agree that you may be pulling your braids too tight - I almost never have that trouble with braids.

[celebriangel]

Braids are never uncomfortable for me, and a lot of people find them so comfy they sleep in them, so I think that'll be a tightness issue.

I find a chinese bun very comfortable, I think because you pony it with an elastic first.

[allnight avenue]

Personally I find a nautalus (probably spelt wrong) is one of the most comfortable buns, or a multi cliped cinabun, or how I wear my hair for work, a style I adapted myself from a style found on an Iron Age Danish bogbody.

You're not going to just leave that so vague, are you?? I want to know how the bog people did their hair! :eek: But really, I'm very interested in ancient styles. What does it look like?

[QMacrocarpa]

Here are a couple of tutorials on variations on the bog hairdo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbxzcIdrDwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL2jGJvMBI4

Also see the diagram on the left side of this page:
http://www.tollundman.dk/ellingkvinden.asp

Maybe showing how small braids make up the larger braid strands?

[PianoPlaye]

from a style found on an Iron Age Danish bogbody.

thank you for supplying weblinks as my GoogleFu shut down while my imagination went rogue.... It looks stunning!

[TheBluffs]

I cinnabun with two clips on each side for most days, and I have never had a problem with snags.

[LeMimi13]

Braids: try a simple rope braid!

Buns: I struggke with thus so much too! I think that rolling my hair around my fingers , but it in a bun, put the ends down and hokd with a big claw clip is confortable.. give it try. Its not very fancy though

[meteor]

For me, the most comfortable updos are the ones that split and distribute the weight of hair a lot:
- double, triple, multiple buns;
- sectioned buns (from half-ups, usually, or Amish braided bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PYjubahR6g), Ellingwoman braided bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_biroGTJ7A));
- coronet braid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2kImujT7Ss)s with 2 braids or woven braided crown (https://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/luana-braids-woven-crown-variation/);
- milkmaid braids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8TxE8l4yNo), horseshoe braid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPFfymrK5M);
- this Regency braided updo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXu9enBrK0).

[lapushka]

I'm a iii and buns only became possible at waist/hip, so that might be part of it, the fact that your hair just isn't long enough yet.

[yahirwaO.o]

used to have the worse problem with those short pieces pulling even in a loose braid.... Combing well with my hands and making sure I grab with enough tension makes it almost painless.

It rarely ever happens when Im bunning, except if its put in a top knot (I cant stand this type of updo), that's why I favor low buns.

It still happens when Im braiding, especially if its a center back braid that I put over my shoulder I often get that pull feeling..

[Doreen]

When you braid make sure your sections are all from the same part of your head, i.e. if the left section of the braid has a couple strands from the center in it, that is what causes the pulling, in combination with pulling too tight overall. Also make sure that you are not accidentally transferring a couple strands from one section to another as you braid down (this happens to me a lot and is what usually causes that unpleasant tension on one strand).

For buns I never really have a problem with comfort if I use bobby pins. Sticks are more prone to pulling and being uncomfortable; I think it just takes a lot of practice is all. I don't really use clips at all, but I imagine that they might be a good medium between pins and sticks (pinning is more time-consuming so I really don't prefer it personally). The most comfortable bun for me is the lazy wrap bun. The least comfortable to me is the figure-8; I feel like the way it sits on my flat head is just prone to one or two strands having extra stress.

[Aubkabob]

I never brush my hair before pulling it back, I just use my fingers. I've been looking to use something other than elastics on my hair, as I know that some of the breakage issue is because of it, but generally have issues finding hair toys that won't pull my hair. Remember banana clips back in the day? Oy, those things pulled my hair so freaking bad. I have tried some sticks, but the extra weight feels weird. I need to get some more combs or whatnot. Another issue that I have with clips is that I have issues with finding the right size clips to wear. I don't have the thinnest hair imaginable, but it still seems way thinner than companies manufacture their clips for.

[gwenalyn]

How are you securing the updos? I find that some hairtoys are just too heavy, and they cause things to sag and strands to pull.

[mamaherrera]

I have this a lot with dutch braids, and especially when I exercise, because anything I do starts to come lose and pull. tonight I had two french braids and bunned the length and put one spin pin in each and a bobby pin/hair pin on each for extra support. It was fine all day, but I didn't realize until AFTER I did my high intense aerobics, that the spin pin had been coming loose and was virtually pulling on a "bump of my braid" as I was jumping around. I wish it would've hurt so I wouldn't have kept jumping around like that. Now I feel so bad, imagining I pulled out some hairs. It didn't hurt at all until I took the hair do out and now it's kind of sore. I guess I'm one of those people who, once you get a go-to style for exercise, it's best to stick with it and not try new and cute things, because they never work for me. My go-tos with no pulling, are just the most simple bun in the world held with two medium claw clips (never have pain or loosening), who knows if it moves when I do exercise but I hope it does no damage and braids, but not trying to fold or bun the ends, that just NEVER stays for me, no matter what tool I use. I hate it, but I think I don't do the hair-do tight enough, (trying to be gentle) so it comes out, but yeah, I'm no updo-expertise. And if you don't know how to use the tools, you are basically screwed. I've tried them all. . . hair pins, spin pins, bobby pins, etc and even the expensive one ( I forget the name), but nope nothing works for me. Hope others can help.

[Panth]

Guys, the OP wrote this in 2011. I think she's probably found a solution by now...

[omega]

Thanks for sharing your ideas with a newbie!

[turtlelover]

My hair isn't very long at the moment, but when it was, I had better luck with braids than with buns. NO bun was ever comfortable for long on me. Oops! This is a zombie thread, but honestly, I want to go back and read it, because I may be having the OP's problem soon enough! :-)