Hair Down to Hair Up

[Tehillim408]

As someone who wears her hair down 95% of the time, I'm finding it hard to transition into wearing it up all the time.

Right now, my hair is a little below BSL, and I am hoping to grow it out until it can't grow anymore.

I guess my question is this - Will wearing my hair up be more beneficial in terms of its health and growth?

And...was transitioning from wearing your hair down to wearing it up difficult for you?

[umbrellabones]

Wearing hair up helps to protect the ends of hair. I'm also beginning to transition to more updos and I'm having a hard time getting used wearing it up more. But I'm getting there. Best of luck to you!

[kamikaze hair]

i totally agree, ive been struggling with changing from going down to up. But i really want to grow it long so i have to wear it up. I've found that what has helped me is picking maybe two or three nice simple hair do's to go with that are safe for the hair and working those until i get bored with them which has forced me to get creative and look for more, and from there i've actually really enjoyed doing my hair up (provided its safe for my hair). Just think of all the lovely pretty hairstyles you can wear and will get compliments on.:D

[Dina L.]

I'm only at BSL but I've been thinking of this, too. My first problem is that I like my hair down when it's curly/wavy, second problem: have to learn to do those updos and I'm lazy to experiment when my hair is ready to be combed (day 3 after washing), third problem: it's really hard to find hair toys in Hungary.

[QueenJoey]

I wear my hair down almost all the time. It's a real struggle for me to have it up. My buns keep falling out, or I don't like how it looks, or something! I usually just end up wearing it down the rest of the day. I do, however, want to start wearing it up alot more.

When hair is up, it's protected from getting caught on stuff or rubbed against stuff. Also, it can't get as many tangled because it's not blowing around all day. Tangles can lead to breakage and split ends when your trying too brush them out.

[missmagoo]

Wearing it up helps protect your hair from damage you'd get from daily life (getting caught under your purse strap, rubbing between your back and a chair, etc.).
Everyone is different regarding what updos are comfortable, and what hairtoys are comfortable, you really just need to experiment with what you like. Check out some you tube videos to get inspiration.
I have always worn my hair up frequently, for me the hardest transition to make was to stop making all of my updos with hair bands, but as I've gotten longer, ponytail-based styles aren't so comfortable anymore.
I still wear my hair down about half the time, but I try to be conscious about putting it up if it's windy out, or if I know I am going to be out and about a lot in places where my hair might get caught on stuff.

[bluesnowflake]

I transitioned gradually, wearing it up first just at home in a scrunchie, then 2-3 days a week, and now as much as I can. It gets easier as your hair gets longer- when it's less convenient to wear it loose, you have more motivation to wear it up. It has most definitely helped me in terms of texture and reduced tangles. I recommend learning a couple of easy updos you can do in a few minutes. If it's easy, you'll do it more often. It does take some getting used to not having hair on your back, but it's worth it for the health of your hair.

[jackgirl]

I get this. I think it's because I don't like how I look when my hair is tidy, and it isn't long enough to do any messy updo's that aren't damaging. I'm having luck with two cinnabuns low down, which is my favourite at the moment, but I don't want to have long hair to wear it up all the time, I want to enjoy it long.

I'll never win!

[Zesty]

For me, the hardest part was learning updos that worked for me. Psychologically, I wanted my hair up, I just didn't know how. I was always a hair down girl, but that had to stop because it kept getting caught in things, falling in my face in class, and because I can't stop playing with it when it's down. It also got very tangly (though I didn't comb or brush it often anyway, because I'm lazy, and it looked okay). I would suggest going on YouTube (and LHC) and looking at the directions for different hair styles. Keep learning new ones and maybe you'll want to try them out or show them off, and it'll be easier and more fun to transition.

[gthlvrmx]

It's well worth it wearing your hair up in the long run if you are going for healthier hair with less trims :p After the 4th month of wearing it up every day, i compared my hair to my friends who wore it down and you can tell who was ready for a trim. It can save a few inches of growth a year actually :)

It took quite some time for me to transition without much problems because i had no hairsticks, buns fall out more with only scrunchies to hold them up. Once i got those, life was easier, it's just that i feel that BSL hair is harder to keep up especially with layers because hairs start falling out and it slips out. But the nautilus fixes any problems that may come up ;)

[Becky9679]

At heart I'm a hair down person but my hair is a tangle monster and when it gets to very long it just gets in the way, catches on things and is more prone to damage and breakage. Until recently I considered basic braids and ponytails 'up' but I'm gradually learning more styles (in fact I'm wearing a pencil bun as I type this - I would never have believed a single stick updo could be so easy and rock solid!) and learning makes me want to learn more! At the moment I'm getting impatient for hair long enough to do a Chinese bun that stays up and (slightly further down the line) hair taping!

I'd recommend youtube as well, particularly Torrin Paige's videos, she's been massively helpful in teaching me interesting updos, especially the proper use of sticks. She's also a member on here so thanks if you're watching!

[BrightEyes7]

Honestly, yes it is beneficial wearing your hair up. I grew from APL to almost waist by changing nothing in my routine besides stop heat styling and wearing my hair up. So yeah, it works.

But, now that my hair is about hip length and I've been trimming often keeping it around this length for over a year, I wear it down more often.

It is hard to always wear your hair up, especially if you are so used to wearing it down. Try to mix things up with a different style or if you hair is too short to try many buns, just try doing a cute little accent braid or lace braid. It can make all the difference!

[KittyLost]

I really struggled going from down all the time to up years ago when I was at almost BSL. I constantly wore it down and I hated wearing it up because I didn't like the way it looked. I wanted to hide behind my hair. I transitioned slowly by only wearing it up at home then out and about with pigtail plaits and half-ups and tying it back but leaving a fringe/bangs/small strands down in front to soften the look. I now wear my hair up 99% of the time.

It will be benefical to your ends. If you try it for a few weeks you'll notice the difference :)

[torrilin]

I guess my question is this - Will wearing my hair up be more beneficial in terms of its health and growth?

Screw growth. Seriously. Chances are, the part of long hair you like is looking pretty. I don't know anyone who really enjoys detangling their long hair. The longer your hair gets, the longer it takes to detangle, and the more it can get caught in dangerous or unpleasant ways.

If you stop framing wearing your hair up as a health thing and look at it as a way to skip out on some of the sucky parts of long hair, chances are you'll be a lot happier.


And...was transitioning from wearing your hair down to wearing it up difficult for you?

Yes.

My hair is fine and slippery, and I am very slow at learning new physical skills. The first "updo" I learned to do was a ponytail, and for years that was all I could do. Call it from 4th grade to 9th grade or so.

Sometime in high school, I gave up on perms, got a pixie to get rid of the perm damage, and grew out my hair again. I learned to do a half up, a cinnabun and an English braid on me during this period. My mom and my dad both would praise me for learning new ways to put my hair up, and for having the sense to put my hair up when loose hair would be dangerous or impractical. I like to swim, and I liked to do car repairs with Dad. Dad and I would hang out a lot in his woodshop, and we'd go out hiking together or fly model airplanes together. Both my parents love to cook, and I do too... so hair up in the kitchen was an ordinary thing too.

At some point in my 20s, I figured out how to do a French braid on myself. I'd known how to do it on dolls or my sister for years, so doing it on me was a big deal. And it's one of my favorite styles on me, and has been a favorite since I was tiny.

That was ALL I could do with my hair from call it age 22 til age 33. Seriously.

Even now, most of the stuff I can do is built on those basics. The real additions from LHC are the knot bun, the Artemis, and the Nautilus.

[seaj]

I'm getting the point where for the first time in my life, my hair is long enough for some updos. They tend to make my head hurt after taking them down after a long time, and I'm not a fan of the odd kinks they give me so for the most part I just stick to dutch braids. They're comfortable for me, easy to do, and are really sturdy. Plus you waves when you take them down.

When I wear my hair down at home I tie a satin scarf around my neck like a cape to help reduce friction against my clothes. Makes me feel like a super hero!

[QMacrocarpa]

I think part of what can make the transition difficult is just that you're used to looking a certain way when you look in the mirror, and an updo changes that. Not worse, but definitely different. Give yourself time to get used to the new look. As others suggested, try wearing an updo at home. No need for long flowing locks everywhere when doing chores, eh?

For me the trickiest part was a lack of skills and basic tools (like hairpins). When I started outgrowing my biggest octopus clip I wasn't really sure what to do until I started learning new updos here and on youtube. Now I have a dozen or more updos I can do, with a few easy favorites that get lots of use.

[ashke50]

I used to always wear my hair down, but I started the "wear hair up" challenge, and have got used to having my hair up. To the extent that when I have it down I am very conscious of it being down, more aware of what might cause damage, and distracted by catching sight of it in mirrors!

[celebriangel]

At BSL, there are so many fun and awesome things you can do!

Why is it hard to wear your hair up? Is it difficult to put up? If so, practice one easy style over and over again, until you get so good you can do it in ten seconds flat without a mirror while on the phone baking cookies. For me, this one is the infinity.

Do you not have the correct tools? I couldn't live without a few hairsticks and some spin pins. It's very demotivating to think "oh, I have to put my hair up today, and all I have are these stupid bobby pins." Invest in the correct tools - even one hairstick will hold many buns if you also get one spin pin.

Do you dislike the way it looks? This one is a bit harder, a matter of "getting used" to it. Would you prefer the way your hair looks up with bangs? If you don't have bangs, it's likely that you have some wisps at the front which stop growing around cheekbone-chin length. I know I do. I remove these from my updo once it's done to form soft, natural face-framing pieces. It makes my updos look softer and nicer.

Can you not be bothered? Well, it's a skill which, with the right tools, won't take that long. Plus, after a little practise, it'll be as easy as pie.

Start easy. Infinity buns are easy (though at BSL I can obly make two and a bit "wraps" of the bee butt bun you make, then pull off the first coil, so my ends poke out). Braids are easy, and almost as protective as updos. Good luck!

[kidari]

I am so enjoying this thread! My 2 cents I'd like to add is just that I really whole-heartedly agree that having some kind of fringe, maybe some sort of bangs or even some shorter layers around chin length or so or some combination of both helps soften up the updo. It's not so severe looking and you don't look so different with your hair up vs. when it's down. Also, when you get those days where you really want a change or do a drastic cut, do something with your fringe! They're way easier to grow out and you could do a lot of different bangs.

[jackgirl]

can anyone recommend a good place online to buy fancy hairsticks? And would my hair hold with one at armpit length? I think my problem is that I don't really like any of the updos I've seen for my length, and I can't do the french twist! I watched a you tube video but it looked way too time consuming and tidy :o

[punkcatknitter]

I guess it wasn't a huge problem for me because the only time in my life I wore my hair down regularly (aside from as a kid) was when my hair was short (see siggy). Plus I really hate the transition from chin to BSL so as soon as it was long enough, my hair was in a ponytail or some kind of claw clip. Then when clap clips ceased holding my hair up (not to mention I had broken all the teeth off of most of mine) was right around when I joined here (see second pic in siggy). Then I learned a bun (figure 8) and that was my standard bun for months until I discovered the lazy wrap and now that's where my hair is except for when it's drying, like right now.

My mom, however, had a TERRIBLE time transitioning to wearing her hair up. I talked her into growing it out (after about 20 years of having shoulder length or shorter) and she was convinced she looked exactly like her father with it up. She kept threatening to cut until one day she decided she liked it up. And she seems to have a transition period every inch or so, getting used to the different way her hair looks.

So hang in there, keep trying and you'll either decide you love wearing your hair up, or you'll be one of those renegade LHCer's that wear their hair down 99% of the time. :)

[Madora]

I rarely wore my hair down because it wasn't worth the hassle (and possible damage) from detangling afterwards.

Never had any problems enjoying updos. I couldn't wait until my hair reached a certain length to do some of the braided hairstyles that I collected from hair magazines.

New braided styles make my mouth water!

[pepperminttea]

It does really help protect the hair, I get a lot less breakage with updos compared to wearing it down. I doubt my hemline would look so full at this point if I wore it down all the time; it does love to tangle.

Transitioning is the hard part though. I felt very awkward with my hair up at first - very exposed. Now I rather like it - in summer, updos help to keep me cool, and in the winter they stop the static from attaching my hair to everything and everyone around me. :p Perhaps try updos that still leave some of the hair down or the appearance of it - half-ups will give your canopy a break, braids (especially side braids) look soft against the face, and the peacock twist has the look of the hair flowing out of the top which is rather nice - and at longer lengths it becomes quite a fountain. :)

[Lianna]

I have the oposite problem. I like my updos so much that I feel my hair down isn't so pretty anymore. I'm trying to wear half-ups more, you could try that.

[Charlotte:)]

Actually, I've found that updos damage my hair more than just leaving it down. As long as you are careful and use common sense, wearing your hair down really isn't that bad :)

[BlueMuse]

My real motivator for figuring out how to do more updos was that it gets pretty hot here in the summer, and my hair would get uncomfortable. Also, I wash my hair quite a bit, and having wet hair down was even more unpleasant. If you live in a warm area, updos can seriously make you more comfortable in the summer. Also, they can look really cool.

I wish I would have learned a few more things when my hair was shorter, because I think I would have had less headaches in the process of getting used to my hair's weight since I didn't start putting it up a lot until it was nearly 34 inches long. Also, wearing my hair up more seems to have kicked me out of a growth stall.

[haibane]

I second the advice above to get more/better hairtoys. Finding some hairtoys that hold my hair well and look pretty really helped me to keep my hair up more. Also learning updos that hold my hair well and comfortably also helped so much.
For me it's hair forks and lazy wrap buns that are my holy grail, but it's different for everyone.

[selderon]

I guess my question is this - Will wearing my hair up be more beneficial in terms of its health and growth?
Yes, provided it is done right. Wearing hair up can prevent tangles, friction damage and hair emergencies (one member recently caught her hair in a fan and lost several inches). To do this right, be careful not to wear the same style in the same place over and over and take other measures to prevent breakage (such as using metal free elastics or NO elastics).


And...was transitioning from wearing your hair down to wearing it up difficult for you?
Nope! I just put it up and left it as long as possible. Pretty soon I was wearing my hair up except when sleeping, washing it, or re-styling.

[Raiscake]

I had no problem transitioning from hair down to hair up. When I started, I was home most of the time so it was actually a good thing for me. I like having my hair up so much now that I have a hard time leaving to down.

[julliams]

Whilst I do agree that wearing it up protects to some degree, it kind of depends on what you are doing to keep it up. I found that my hair was getting more and more splits when I was trying all the different styles out, so perhaps I was whipping it around too much, pulling on it etc. These days I prefer to have it out and only wear it up when I go to work (I work with children) or I'm cleaning or cooking. The chopstick bun is my go to bun.