keeping hair up during school?

[darkrose]

are there any benefits of keeping it up in a bun? anything thats not the bedhead style at school attracts a lot of attention because its not the norm, and im quite shy so i really dont really like this. i know its good to be different? but i was always teased about my hair so its a real self confident thing that i have to work on ( i want it gone by christmas) . anyway someone told me that buns protect hair from damage, which can allow it to grow better? is this true? i dont really want to wear my hair up if its not.

thanks :)

[Sundial]

It's not necessary to keep your hair up, there are some members who wear theirs down all the time and their hair still looks beautiful. But it does lessen the chance of strands getting caught under straps of bags, caught in doors, etc and snapping off. So updos are protective in that sense.

[KittyLost]

Keeping hair up during school would be good and help protect it from lockers/bags/pulling/people etc but it isn't necessary. It helps it "grow better" by reducing damage and breakage but the act of putting hair up doesn't increase growth itself.

When I was in school I wore my hair down daily as I also hated the idea of putting it up, I preferred to hide behind my hair. Nowadays I rarely wear my hair down! I just pin it back and forget about it. Putting your hair up might help you overcome your shyness, if you do a pretty updo or a good looking bun you may be complimented on it rather than teased for it.

I'm sure you could start off with some easier updos that are less noticible and the type that you might see often around your school such as a bun or ponytail. When I was still in secondry school a lot of girls wore their hair down but a ponytail was never amiss expecially during sports. Maybe you could start with some half-updos to get you feeling more comfortable about putting your hair up.

[Anje]

Buns are good because they can prevent tangling in the wind and friction from getting rubbed by chairs and backpack straps and the like. At your current length, I don't know if you're having too many problems with that, and there are always people with long hair who do wear their hair down most of the time, but for most of us, a contained style is easier and protective for hair.

Be bold. In high school, I remember that there was always a level of admiration for the people who were cool enough to do what they wanted without regard to what was normal or standard. They stuck out, they were seen as different, but people knew them and recognized them, and remembered them because they didn't just blend into the herd. Be strong and get practice at doing what you want to do instead of what some losers who tease you want you to do. The only way to gain self-confidence is to start acting confident.

[Yozhik]

Buns are protective in the sense that they keep your hair out of harm's way, so there is less chance of breakage, tangling, etc.

Why not wear messy buns if it makes you feel more comfortable, though? Or you could wear braided ones, or sock buns, or about any bun higher up on the head -- I find that lower buns near the neck get associated with maturity or the "librarian" look, while higher buns are considered more youthful (think of ballerina buns). For example, when I taught university students last year (as a 23 year old), I wore tons of low buns pulled straight back -- not only for convenience's sake, but also because I hoped it would put me more in contrast against my students who were 1-3 years younger than me.

I hope that helps, and remember that there's no shame in being different or unique! :flower:

[darkrose]

thank you for your advice, im going to stay with the updos, but only simple ones for now.:):):):)

[gthlvrmx]

Gentle updos are great for your hair and can get some good attention :p Buns help your ends not risk getting caught in things where it can break or get damaged and from brushing so much against your shirt and other things. But take note that if you wear the same exact updo in the same exact place, it can cause some damage because of the repetitive stress on the hairs. That's why hairsticks rock compared to those elastics, especially the one's with metal.
And who cares about what those high school kids say? It doesn't mean much, enjoy your hair!

[skraprchik]

You never know, others may see your updos and try them out, especially if they're cute. I work in a middle school (12-14 Yr olds) and many of them wore various decorated updos. Being able to put flowers, pretty pins, etc in their hair definitely held appeal.

[squiggyflop]

if they didnt work i wouldnt wear my hair in a bun everyday.. i tried wearing my hair down for a month.. i ended up having to cut off 6 inches by the end of the month from all the damage

[MoonlightShadow]

yes :) i wear my hair in a bun everyday and it keeps the ends moisturized and soft :)

[torrilin]

At 16", I wouldn't have enough length to put my hair in a bun :). You're also a M, so your hair is coarser and stronger than mine. This means you don't have to worry as much about keeping your hair up.

A Peacock twist or French twist might work well for you tho. Since your hair is curly, the ends would look pretty nice in the Peacock version. Neither one takes much length, and they're a good way to keep all your hair tied back and contained when you need to. It's not a good idea to have loose long hair in a lab, when working on your car, or if you're working with stuff like a sewing machine or power tools in a shop. Or the duh one of while you're cooking. No one wants hair in their food. Hair in food is only gross... some of the other situations you could get seriously burned or trapped by loose hair, so it's a real safety issue.

As your hair gets longer, it will get in the way in more situations, and it will gradually get more comfortable to have it tied back. And by gradual I mean more than 4 years... so even if you're a HS freshman, chances are you'll still wear your hair down a lot as a senior. Don't worry about it too much. You'll figure out what is comfortable gradually.

[umbrellabones]

I know it's not good, but I hide behind my hair at school. However in an effort to protect my ends I'd start throwing my hair into low buns if I was seated in the back of the class. after I got comfortable with that it didn't matter where I sat! I still take it down in the halls though:p But I'm on my way! So maybe try weening yourself into it:) If I (the girl who wont walk in front of the class to sharpen her pencil) can manage I'm sure you can :D

[darkrose]

I know it's not good, but I hide behind my hair at school. However in an effort to protect my ends I'd start throwing my hair into low buns if I was seated in the back of the class. after I got comfortable with that it didn't matter where I sat! I still take it down in the halls though:p But I'm on my way! So maybe try weening yourself into it:) If I (the girl who wont walk in front of the class to sharpen her pencil) can manage I'm sure you can :D

-its a relief im not the only one who likes to hide behind their hair. i'm going to do what you did, my ends deserve protection :p. also i couldn't go up to sharpen my pencils either, so i moved the electric sharpener closer to my desk, no one really seemed to notice, they thought it was the cleaner who moved it..:)

[pepperminttea]

if they didnt work i wouldnt wear my hair in a bun everyday.. i tried wearing my hair down for a month.. i ended up having to cut off 6 inches by the end of the month from all the damage

Ditto that. Wearing my hair up is easily one of the biggest things that prevents damage for me. Whenever I wear my hair down, there is noticeable damage afterwards, but once or twice a fortnight it's worth an S&D session. :) If I did wear my hair down all the time though, I'd never gain any length. Some hair types are more prone to damage than others though, you might have more luck.

[BrightEyes7]

Yes it really does protect your hair.

What about braids? They work better than having your hair loose but it's still 'down'... would you be more comfortable with a braid?

[darkrose]

i'd be a lot more comfortable with braids! :), but the problem i have with braids is my hair has horribly cut/messy layers and my hair is fluffy so it often comes lose:(. also i would use a mouse or hairspray to keep them in but my hair feels dry afterward. when my layers finally grow out i will use braids, because i love braiding other peoples hair,so it only makes sense to do it on my own hair.:)

[ghilliegirl_an]

I'm a high school sophomore and I wear my hair up in various buns pretty much everyday. I use sparkly hairsticks for my buns most of the time so I do get a lot of attention for wearing it like that but it's good attention trust me. I agree with what others have said, do what you want and try to stand out. A few people might tease you or just not like you for it but most people will respect you more if you do you're own thing because few people really have the guts to do that in high school. Those that tease you are often just jealous that you have more guts than them. As for the protectiveness(is that a word?) of buns I am a huge advocate for them, my hair is longer than yours(almost hip length) so you might not have this problem but my hair always gets stuck in the bar between the back of the seat in the desks with the chair attached. This generally results in me standing up to do something and having the desk come with me lol, you probably won't have to worry about that for a while but it is something to keep in mind, backpack straps are the work of the devil for long hair too. I don't see why anyone would tease someone for their hair that's just mean, everyone's hair is so different and the bedhead look is almost never attractive so good for you for not going with the crowd on that one. Have fun exploring different updos/buns and welcome to LHC :)

-Ashley

[feb26]

ooh I so feel/hear where you're coming from. I was teased endlessly from Grade 2-Grade 9, when it mostly stopped. I was teased for everything, from wearing homemade clothes (we were poor!) to squinting, to wearing glasses to wearing braces. For getting a bad perm, then later for having to wear a mushroom cut (was only way to fix the damage from the perm!)

Long story short: people will tease you even when there is NO REASON to..people are uncomfortable with the different, the unknown and the beautiful. People are jealous: teasing or unwanted attention is how they usually respond.

I hid behind my long hair all through high school, was shocked in Gr 10 & 11 when some of the "rebel girls" (v cool & v pretty) complimented me on my hair & wanted their hair to look more like mine. In college, I wore it in buns, using pencils if nothing else was available to keep it up. I was really uncomfy about doing this at first, but people complimented me on it and wanted to know how it stayed up & how to do it.

Be yourself and shine: no one else will for you. and Remember: it's only high school. It doesn't last forever. Most of these people will be out of your lives in another few years & you'll be laughing as most of the girls will be pregnant & the boys either unable to hold a job or going bald.

[tigereye]

I just left school a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say I never had much trouble with sticking out when I had my hair up. I found I stuck out much more if I wore it down because it was long and blunt cut and thick and braidwavy, which wasn't what they normally saw in peope with long hair. When I wore it up, beople noticed more the pencils and hairsticks I often used to hold it up. Besides, because I did all three sciences most of the way through school, I was in the science block at least twice, if not three times a day, and had to keep my long hair out of the way for those classes:rolleyes:. I couldn't be bothered with putting it up, then down, then up, then down, so I just left it up most of the time. I doesn't do anything for growth, and it only stops breakage by keeping it out of the way of things that catch on it. Besides, having lots of nice updos help keep boredom at bay.
I used to be shy too and tended to stick with a ponytail until it got waist length and I switched to a bun, when my ponytail started looking really long:o. Recently though I became much more outgoing, and more complex hairstyles came with it. I started wearing styles like crown braids:D, and fancy vintage-y updos, as well as a massive list of bun variations. People noticed fancy updo's much more, because they were unusual, and different from the normal it-looks-straight-out-of-bed-but-actually-took-me-two-hours hairstyles a lot of people wore:rolleyes:. After all, who doesn't notice a full dutch crown braid?:p

Basically my advice is that you can wear your hair down if you want to, but I just find it gets impossible to deal with as it gets long. If you are doing subjects that require having your hair up, or you would just prefer to have your hair up, but are quite shy, its best if you stick to more reserved styles, like ponytails, cinnabuns, braided buns, rose buns, etc. because they're pretty, but don't stick out so much. I have to say, though, some of the younger people (ie. the people in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of high school (I see you're in England, so I think your school system is similar to ours in scotland)) in the school can be a bit weird about ultra-fancy updo's. I don't know why though, the older ones are curious about them, and the younger, primary school kids tend to think they're pretty. Buns are safe enough all round though.


However, I found that the best way for me to combat my shyness and self-confidence issues was to go all out and make people notice me. I think I was 15 at the time, and in the start of my second last year of school. For school, I picked out a black skirt that was around halfway down my thigh (actually just a little longer), a fitted shirt with sleeves down to my elbows, a pair of detailed black shoes with an 8cm chunky heel, and just some very light make-up. I have always had good posture too, and carried my head high, which added to the whole effect. For a few days I wore my hair down, braidwavy, then started wearing it in updo's that a lot of people didn't believe I had done myself (I mean, for goodness sake, what, did they think I went to the hairdressers every morning or something?). Needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was in a good way, and I very quickly gained my confidence, and didn't stay shy for long. I no longer cared if people teased me for something. I can't say that it would help everyone, but it was something I felt needed to be done, and it helped me immensely.

[Sweet Beat]

Why not braid it? :) It really protects your hair from damage. I use to do so, and I haven't got any weird looks yet xD Only some "Wow. That isn't a short braid." and some nice compliments :D Also, the braiding help me to dare be different. Because if I find a cute braid, that may be a little "too different" I usually can't keep away from wearing it anyway :P And as I practice I challenge my self with braiding and daring all the time. It has ended up with some hairstyles that I'm definitely alone about wearing at school.

[TheBluffs]

I have to say, I switched from braids to buns (I'm in highschool), and I loved it. It doesn't get caught under my backpack like braids do, and it''s great if you have a lab for Chem or Bio. There is also a lot less breakage, and I have noticed my splits going down. Good luck! :)

[yukinohana]

I've been keeping my hair up every day for...about two months, now! I'm in college, which is a lot more accepting, but I thought I would be teased for wearing hairsticks and updos...but everyone just kind of accepted it and moved on! :) And, as tigereye said, the best way to gain confidence is to call attention to yourself by doing what you want! :cool:

[CrystalStar]

I keep my hair up and out the way for Science subjects, and to be honest people don't care what I do with it! No-one has anything nasty to say about my hair up, down, or however I want to have it! If anything people compliment all my hair toys more than anything! :) I wouldn't worry about it too much.. The odds are people won't notice!

[Masara]

When I was in secondary school, I only knew one bun (a sort of cinnabun/turd bun hybrid) and when I did it I could be sure that it would be noticed and commented on. And not necessarily in a positive way.
At the time, I hated standing out in any way and I already had enough things that made me "different" so I very rarely wore my hair in a bun. This would probably explain why my hair has grown so much faster this time round. (that, and all the other things I've learned here of course) It's fine and it needs protection.

But, I really don't like having my hair in my face. I don't use it to hide behind (I always felt that having my hair loose made me more noticable) so most of the time I wore it in ponytails or in a French braid. French braids had the advantage of being moderately discreet while at the same time, if people did notice them, they were usually impressed.

I've grown up a lot since then and while I'd still rather blend in with the wallpaper in many social situations, I actually love showing off complicated updos. I think this is helped by the fact that I can do more than one single "nothing" bun and that I am now surrounded by people who don't think that conforming with the "norm" is the way to go. I was going to say teenagers but (1) this isn't true of all teenagers and (2) I work with teenagers and they are among the most positive about my hair (not that any of them would dare reproduce any of my buns)

[umbrellabones]

-its a relief im not the only one who likes to hide behind their hair. i'm going to do what you did, my ends deserve protection :p. also i couldn't go up to sharpen my pencils either, so i moved the electric sharpener closer to my desk, no one really seemed to notice, they thought it was the cleaner who moved it..:)
Haha what a good idea! I just started bringing pensxD Glad we have something in common(:

[Chromis]

People might comment at first, but really they'll get used your hair being up. People tend to comment anytime you do something out of your version of ordinary. For instance, I like wearing skirts, so the few times I have worn jeans the past couple of years, friends start commenting like mad. Same with my hair, I wear it up all the time, deviating from that brings on loads of remarks. Good, bad, indifferent, people notice change. I also wear lots of colour normally, so the last time I wore a black outfit to work my boss asked if I was headed to a funeral!

You will find this is true not just in school, but out in the work world too. People notice the oddest things. I worked in an office once where the other women noticed if I had on a new necklace (and I didn't wear the same one every day, I rotated) or new shoes.

[Curly Hermione]

Everyone's given you good advice, I would say just do what's comfortable for you, if you wore your hair up, you would probably get noticed less than you think. Bitchy high school girls are generally too self involved to care about if your hair is up or not. I feel your pain though, i wear mine up a lot, and it's super curly, both of whic are unusual at my school.
I've pretty much given up trying to fit in, it's not worth it to get people I don't even like or respect like me. Just do your own thing! I'm sure you'll look just stunning whatever you do!


"...from now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell 'die, Ron, die,' I'm chucking them in the bin where they belong."

On another note, umbrellabones, I absolutely love your sig! You can probably tell by my name I'm a pretty big fan of Ronald Bilius Weasley!

[Pantha]

The only people who will tease you about your hair will be jealous, start off with some easy styles and have fun when you get a bit better and enjoy it.