Everyday bun damage?

[TheBluffs]

I've read on LHC a few times that wearing the same bun can damage your hair. I wear a cinnamon bun with Amish pins, or Spidermom's bun with a Flexi8, but have not noticed any significant damage. Can someone explain to me how this can be?

[gthlvrmx]

any style adds tension on certain hairs. Damage comes from repeated tension on the same exact spot.
So if you use the exact same bun every single day for around a whole year, you will notice areas where the hair twisted into the style are more damaged (breakage usually) than the rest of the hair.
It's best to change up your bun everyday, personally.
If you don't know any more styles, you can braid it and then put it into the same type of bun or place the bun on a different spot on your head.


I personally have experienced some small damage from wearing the same pencil bun in exact same spot for a majority of the last 3 months(or more). It's small, but still, the point of wearing your hair up is to prevent anymore big damage from happening.

[McFearless]

The damage comes from the same section of hair being exposed everyday. Rubbing against your pillow, being exposed to the elements, etc. When wearing a cinnabun I believe its the hair on both sides of your head that make up the exposed part of the bun. I switch it up by doing braided cinnabuns when I can remember.

[Madora]

I've read on LHC a few times that wearing the same bun can damage your hair. I wear a cinnamon bun with Amish pins, or Spidermom's bun with a Flexi8, but have not noticed any significant damage. Can someone explain to me how this can be?

Significant damage occurs because the bun is usually secured in the same area day after day, which causes the delicate hairs in that area to eventually weaken and break.

If a farmer goes thru his pasture by the same route day after day, in time the grass will be flattened, then worn away, showing only dirt. Same thing happens when you wear the same hairstyle in the same area for extended periods of time.

So, if possible, rotate your hairstyles to give your follicles a rest.

[Yame]

This is the reason I am trying to build a nice bun repertoire, to alternate each day. I already have enough that I can wear a different one each day that I bun, until the day I wash and then I wear my hair down for 2-3 days before bunning again.

[Red Rapunzel]

Wow! Thanks for posting this question! I have been wearing the same bun most days!! It's easy to get into a habit with what works and is easy! From now on, I'm switching! Speaking of buns, I really like Torrin Paige's "braided sock bun" and it's easy to do!! Check it out!

[Lianna]

I don't vary the bun itself a lot, but the place on my head.

[mora]

The damage comes from the same section of hair being exposed everyday. Rubbing against your pillow, being exposed to the elements, etc. When wearing a cinnabun I believe its the hair on both sides of your head that make up the exposed part of the bun. I switch it up by doing braided cinnabuns when I can remember.
Does this mean that people vary their sleeping hairstyles as well?

[MrsGuther]

I've been doing the same bun every day for a couple weeks now, but I don't keep it that way all day long. I play with my hair quite frequently throughout the day and I try different hair styles. I haven't noticed any damage from wearing the same bun over and over again. I use soft scrunchies that don't pull on my hair.

[annieangel149]

I've been doing the same bun every day for a couple weeks now, but I don't keep it that way all day long. I play with my hair quite frequently throughout the day and I try different hair styles. I haven't noticed any damage from wearing the same bun over and over again. I use soft scrunchies that don't pull on my hair.

I personally think that soft scrunchies can cause less damage then bobby pins and certain hair slides and grips! my hair is quite fine so i dont like them!

[Panth]

Personally, I use a very limited repertoire of buns. I just mix it up a bit by sometimes wearing them normally, sometimes made using an english plait. I also vary things by having a centre parting usually but occasionally having no parting.

As for sleep styles - IMO if you keep them not too tight, plus use a satin pillowcase or cap then you should be fine using the same hairstyle.

[jacqueline101]

I'm glad some one posted this. I didn't know buns were bad for the hair. I never thought of the repeated hair styles as bad.

[McFearless]

Does this mean that people vary their sleeping hairstyles as well?

I think we all should. I'm really bad with hairstyles so I wear my hair the same way all the time. I don't have any breakage where I secure the elastic since I use scrunchies, so no worry there, but with the same styles the same hair is exposed all the time. I toss and turn a lot too. Silk pillowcases all the way!

[kidari]

If you really like only a few different styles of buns, I agree with placing it on different parts of your head. Sometimes high, medium, low or even to the side or double buns. I like to wear it down sometimes as well because if the updos are tight in certain areas of my scalp for a while it hurts. It's probably similar kind of thing as in changing your part around. If you always wear your part the same all the time it can cause a little balding in that area and your hair will almost permanently part in that way and it would be very difficult to change the part.

[BittSweetCherry]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2332&pictureid=114568 http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2332&pictureid=114569

I reckon it is possible for repetitive hairstyles - even buns - to cause damage as I suspect that's what has happened to me (see above). There's far more breakage than you can see in that pic, but it's really obvious where the change is when feeling down the length. I've grown out a couple of other major breakage events in the past (defence against hair grabs in martial arts class; the most painful bridesmaid's updo of all time) so this leaves two possibilities: regrowth following a major shed event I never noticed, or a common break zone.

I have been doing the same style almost daily for 8 months because I've been too damn tired to think in the morning (tightly coiled bun, slicked straight back, held with an hairband and 3-4 hairpins at key places). I have 3 particular zones where the breakage goes well back from the hairline: the temples and behind my right ear, which are where the tension is greatest.

Not helping the situation is that I slept with this rigid bun, so every time I rolled over I was physically pushing my bun through the pillow as my head turned left to right and vice versa. Not good!

ETA: I took that photo for this thread. I've been maintaining a blunt hemline at hip-length for the past three years, and have never had layers. That's ALL breakage and new growth.

One person is a theory, not proof, but having assessed my health, shed cycles and routine it really points to styling stress :(

[McFearless]

^ Wow thanks for the warning, I really appreciate it. I wear my hair the exact same way every day. Yikes!

[blondie9912]

I don't think 'safe LHC buns' are the ones that are responsible for causing damage. The culprits are those tight, messy buns secured tightly with elastics and ripped out (which undoubtedly leave your hair tangled upon taking it out). Then you have to wrestle your hair to take out those snarls....I cannot help but cringe every time I see one of my friends do this :p

[CariadA]

I was wondering about this recently. Sometimes I will do a fully rolled sock bun on wash day and will leave it in 2-3 days. I do it using a contraption I made and two spin pins and it holds very well. After sleeping in it, I do need to restyle the flyaways around my face with a comb and water but other than that I don't touch it for days. The ends always stay rolled up in the bun. That is the only bun I can do that I can leave in more than a day.

I was wondering whether it is more damaging to leave it in the same style for days and damage the stress points and exposed areas or whether it was more damaging for the hair to be taken out and restyled daily. Any thoughts?

[meteor]

I have concerns about even the simplest buns with one hair stick (supposedly as hair-friendly as it goes). I have just started putting my hair up recently thanks to LHC, but the only way my hair stays put for a day in a bun is if I pull it very, very tightly while bunning (I have iii hair with 5 inches circumference, sorry about the mistake in my profile).
This makes me wonder if I was better off just braiding loosely... Anybody noticed that if hair is thick and long you need to pull it super-tightly for a bun to stay put? Or keep redoing your updo a few times a day?
Or use something other than a hair stick?

[Madora]

I have concerns about even the simplest buns with one hair stick (supposedly as hair-friendly as it goes). I have just started putting my hair up recently thanks to LHC, but the only way my hair stays put for a day in a bun is if I pull it very, very tightly while bunning (I have iii hair with 5 inches circumference, sorry about the mistake in my profile).
This makes me wonder if I was better off just braiding loosely... Anybody noticed that if hair is thick and long you need to pull it super-tightly for a bun to stay put? Or keep redoing your updo a few times a day?
Or use something other than a hair stick?

Pulling your hair tightly while bunning is an invitation to alopecia..if you do it day after day, and in the same place.

If hair is thick and long, you can bun it by sectioning it and using crimped hairpins. Sectioning helps distribute the weight of the hair, rather than have it pulled back tightly (which puts too much stress on delicate fronnt hairs).

It's always a good idea to let your hair follicles rest at night by either redoing your bun or just braiding it..but in a way that doesn't pull the hair tightly.

[meteor]

Pulling your hair tightly while bunning is an invitation to alopecia..if you do it day after day, and in the same place.

If hair is thick and long, you can bun it by sectioning it and using crimped hairpins. Sectioning helps distribute the weight of the hair, rather than have it pulled back tightly (which puts too much stress on delicate fronnt hairs).

It's always a good idea to let your hair follicles rest at night by either redoing your bun or just braiding it..but in a way that doesn't pull the hair tightly.

Thank you so much, Madora!
You are absolutely right about distribution: I even feel positive difference in wearing 2 or more braids instead of 1, and in updos even more so... I just have almost no experience putting hair up (none of my buns are elaborate and neat), but now I have all the more reasons to learn! :)
By the way, the gorgeous and perfectly distributed updo in your avatar is quite inspiring! :)

[afu]

If I can't think what to do one day, i use this...

http://hairstyledictionary.ztn.net/filter.php?ax=o&r=1

It keeps things varied, teaches me new styles and using the random button it also makes the decision for me :D

[meteor]

Thank you for the useful link, Afu! I just checked it and wow, it's a really great and easy-to-use depository!

[Madora]

Thank you so much, Madora!
You are absolutely right about distribution: I even feel positive difference in wearing 2 or more braids instead of 1, and in updos even more so... I just have almost no experience putting hair up (none of my buns are elaborate and neat), but now I have all the more reasons to learn! :)
By the way, the gorgeous and perfectly distributed updo in your avatar is quite inspiring! :)

Thank you for the lovely compliment, Meteor!

You'll find that as your hair grows longer, it will be even more versatile. Of course not all buns lend themselves to the sectioning technique..but quite a few do..i.e. the Cameo bun, the double braided bun, double rope braided bun, Chinese braided bun, double twist bun, double cinnabun. You can also vary an ordinary bun by doing tiny micro braids, then taking the braids and winding them through the bun (a Topsy tail tool comes in handy for this).

[meteor]

Wow, those are all great ideas, Madora! Thank you for your advice! The more distributed updos also look really sophisticated and seem to hold very well, if done properly. Thank God for YouTube: I need to see the process in a video to get it right.

[rowie]

Significant damage occurs because the bun is usually secured in the same area day after day, which causes the delicate hairs in that area to eventually weaken and break.

If a farmer goes thru his pasture by the same route day after day, in time the grass will be flattened, then worn away, showing only dirt. Same thing happens when you wear the same hairstyle in the same area for extended periods of time.

So, if possible, rotate your hairstyles to give your follicles a rest.

This is the most elegant way of explaining bun breakage. I'll try my best to change my styles and also the position of my buns. It's hard to do this for me because I like how fast I can put my hair up just by doing the nautilus bun.

[rowie]

If I can't think what to do one day, i use this...

http://hairstyledictionary.ztn.net/filter.php?ax=o&r=1

It keeps things varied, teaches me new styles and using the random button it also makes the decision for me :D

I love this and have booked marked this! Thanks Afu!

[rowie]

double post! sorry :scissors:

[jeanniet]

Well, I pretty much wear the same bun most days--I'd say at least five days a week--and my hair's exactly the same as it's always been. I've been doing this for about three years now, more or less. So I suppose to some extent it depends on your hair.

[MORE]

I'm not so good at changing up hairstyles, although I really wish I could. I usually wear a cinnabun and sometimes a nautilus, a braided parandi bun or a side braid. I'm super stressed about this, but I get so frustrated everytime I'm trying a new hairstyle.

I'm growing out (a lot of) damage. My hair is passed waist and my virgin hair is about 10 cm long. My virgin hair is super soft and the rest is usually a tangled and dry mess. I have found some herbal remedies that makes it a little more manageable, but it's still so hard doing updo's.

I really love the looks of braided hairstyles but everytime I try them my hair becomes a giant messy monster. Even if I ignore it and keep on braiding it never looks representable and the whole nightmare takes about 45 minutes... I feel like it's counterproductive because the main reason I make the updo is to avoid damage, but it sure can't be good for the hair to tangle and get combed and pulled as much as I have to to make a decent hairstyle. Plus I don't want my hair to get pressured at the same spots everyday from my cinnabun. *Sigh*

Does anyone else have the same problem? I am stressed about wearing my torn hair down so much, but it seems impossible for me to have the time and patience to change my updo's? I wonder if I will just have to wait until I get rid of the damage. I'm really grateful for any advice or shared experience! :flower:

[rowie]

I'm not so good at changing up hairstyles, although I really wish I could. I usually wear a cinnabun and sometimes a nautilus, a braided parandi bun or a side braid. I'm super stressed about this, but I get so frustrated everytime I'm trying a new hairstyle.

I'm growing out (a lot of) damage. My hair is passed waist and my virgin hair is about 10 cm long. My virgin hair is super soft and the rest is usually a tangled and dry mess. I have found some herbal remedies that makes it a little more manageable, but it's still so hard doing updo's.

I really love the looks of braided hairstyles but everytime I try them my hair becomes a giant messy monster. Even if I ignore it and keep on braiding it never looks representable and the whole nightmare takes about 45 minutes... I feel like it's counterproductive because the main reason I make the updo is to avoid damage, but it sure can't be good for the hair to tangle and get combed and pulled as much as I have to to make a decent hairstyle. Plus I don't want my hair to get pressured at the same spots everyday from my cinnabun. *Sigh*

Does anyone else have the same problem? I am stressed about wearing my torn hair down so much, but it seems impossible for me to have the time and patience to change my updo's? I wonder if I will just have to wait until I get rid of the damage. I'm really grateful for any advice or shared experience! :flower:

Hello More, How about just switching the positions of what you already can do to your hair. For example, like a low, a mid, and then a high cinnabun or nautilus bun(parandi or any style bun for that matter) . At least you'll be switching the positions of your buns everyday and thus reducing the level of the stress points. Also when you are at home and you are not engaged in rigorous activity i'd wear my hair down and loose just to give it a break, and I only suggest this cause if you are say reading a book you can put your hair down and then put it up in a nautilus bun. I guess the point here is to switch your styles as much as you can to reduce or avoid tension in one area of your head. :)

[MORE]

Rowie - thank you so much! :o That actually solves it all for me, I can't believe I didn't think about it. Today I will mix it up with a topknot-cinnabun. :D

And a low one will be perfect for my job interview tomorrow. Thank you, now I feel much better! :)

[rowie]

Anytime MORE! :)

Update:

Well, I've been following many of the advice in this thread, and I'm pleased that I am noticing less breakage now that I am switching styles and positions during the day, and then letting my hair loose when I am not doing anything to relieve my roots. I am now trying to wait patiently for some of my hairs underneath the nape of my neck to grow again, and also any hairs that were damaged from doing a certain kind of bun in the same position everyday.

[Cowgirl16]

I am really bad at putting my hair in the same bun everyday. I don't give myself enough time to get ready in the morning so I end up putting my hair up in the same nautilus bun...

It's hard to practice buns when your at work all day :)

[Gamma Vector]

I'm really bad about wearing the same bun most days. I tend to favor a pinless gibraltar because it's quick, it's easy, it holds well without being too tight, and it doesn't require me to comb my hair or find a stick/fork/pins/etc. I'm a bed-loving oversleeper, so I toss my hair up like this to frantically shower and oh well if it doesn't get changed before I get out the door. Or, on days where I'm not leaving the house, I'm a lazy bum who wears this style anyway just because it's so convenient.

Lately I've been making a real effort to style my hair differently every day. But as I type that, I've got my hair back up in the same old pinless gibraltar because my orchid bun fell out. :doh: :shake:

[Eichan]

I leave my hair in the same style for up to a week most times... :shrug:

I can't imagine redoing a hairstyle every day... Perhaps every other day, switching from a bun to a braid and then to a braided bun would work for me? Perhaps braiding my hair straight out of the gate would be a good decision... Switching styles after that would be easy, I think...

[Gamma Vector]

I leave my hair in the same style for up to a week most times... :shrug:

I can't imagine redoing a hairstyle every day... Perhaps every other day, switching from a bun to a braid and then to a braided bun would work for me? Perhaps braiding my hair straight out of the gate would be a good decision... Switching styles after that would be easy, I think...

Do you mean that you do your hair, and then don't touch it for a week? Or did I misunderstand? My hair would frizz me to death if I left it up for a week. I usually end up redoing it somewhere around teatime - I consider myself really lucky if a bun stays up all day until supper.

[kidso]

I have been braiding my BSL hair in a simple English braid everyday now for at least a year. Old habits are hard to break and such a simple braid takes less than five minutes to construct. I wonder if that causes more or less hair damage relative to wearing a bun in the same place every day? I really like the idea of wearing it up and forgetting about length for a while, but I might try a simple rotation of three days bunned and four days braided to vary the stress on my hair.

[PixieP]

An aqquintance learnt this the hard way. The adopted a little girl from Ethiopia, and they started learning about african haircare, twisting it and such. But they never waried the partitions in her hair, and after a while she started loosing hair around the parted areas. Yikes! Luckily it grew out again and now you can't see it at all.

[lapushka]

I'm still only wearing a LWB every day during my waking hours, every day of the week except on wash day. No damage from it whatsoever. My hair is loose overnight, though! I've been wearing the same bun since I was waist length, and I am almost classic now.

[Beezle]

This thought is interesting and a bit scary because in the past three weeks I have noticed that chin length broken hair has appeared overnight. I have restricted movement in my hands and I routinely do a LWB, or very rarely if the hands are more cooperative, a Neoma knot or a version of orchid bun. I didn't think of the possiblity of wear and tear damage from doing the same bun daily but thought instead that I must have been snapping hair silently with my hair forks. Now I can see that the broken hair is almost exactly at the first turn of an LWB. Now I'm stuck. I can't braid for obvious reasons and as I have very little hair at my temples, I can't place the bun any higher than mid-skull but I could go lower. Sigh

[PixieP]

Beezle, could you maybe do to smaller buns, more at the side of your head? At least when you're at home, to minimize the stress at exactly the same place. Or switch the fork out with a soft satin schrunchie and a simple twist-bun (I don't know the correct word for this, when you just twist the hair around itself until it creates a bun. Like a cinnamon bun I think?)

Do you think it could help maybe too, to twist the bun you make the other way? As in, if you always go right to left, to left to right? I only watched one youtubevideo now to figure out what a LWB was so I don't know if it's possible.

[Beezle]

What a clever suggestion to twist the other way, PixieP! I will give it a try. I do have such thin and fine hair that I haven't been able to get a cinnabun to hold. Centre held buns have been my go-to. Off to try to twist the other way! What awkward habits we get into. Thanks for your suggestions.

[PixieP]

My logic at least says that should put stress on a different part of the hair, so alternating wich way you twist a couple of times a week or should hopefully help! Fingers crossed :D

[kidso]

Noob question, what bun is the LWB?

[kidso]

Figured it out already. The acronyms challenge my patience at times. I always referred to the LWB as simply a wrapped bun.

[PixieP]

That's why I had to google it, lol. I don't get half the acronyms here correct XD

[Teagann]

I really need to work out how to do a LWB/nautilus... The only bun I can do is a cinnabun. :(

[PixieP]

I learnt to do it by just watching a youtube video twice! It was actually really easy. I don't have any hairsticks though, so right now I have an eyeshadow brush in my hair XD

[meteor]

Personally, I find bun damage really tricky. I know it can happen, but hair obviously doesn't have any nerve endings to send signals if I'm bunning too tight, so I'm not exactly sure how tight is too tight. My hair is slippery and I love to be active, so if I'm not bunning very tightly, it doesn't stay securely and I'll have to redo it.
I do all my updo styles starting from braids (because they hold hair much better), but I wonder if the braiding as the base can add to the damage, too?... :hmm:


An aqquintance learnt this the hard way. The adopted a little girl from Ethiopia, and they started learning about african haircare, twisting it and such. But they never waried the partitions in her hair, and after a while she started loosing hair around the parted areas. Yikes! Luckily it grew out again and now you can't see it at all.

Oh, that's interesting. How exactly did they do protective styles before vs. after? What did they change? Are they still doing protective styles (just loosening the way they twist or how many twists they do or how close to scalp or something) or did they get new styles completely? :)


I really need to work out how to do a LWB/nautilus... The only bun I can do is a cinnabun. :(

Check out this tutorial by Demetig, it's probably the easiest one I've found :) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0k3dD4qX34

Also, Haartraum did an excellent tutorial on LWB and different variations/tips, but it's in German, it's super-easy to follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIpMdKZu9g

(However, at waist-length and with iii thickess, it's possible that you might need more length for this bun, even the tightest variations... I couldn't do it till I hit tailbone. Try it and hopefully it will work! ;) If not, don't get discouraged, just wait a bit and, in the meantime, you can do it from a half-up-bun (wrapping the remaining hair around it). Hair length, thickness, texture and skill level are all important factors.)

[PixieP]

Oh, that's interesting. How exactly did they do protective styles before vs. after? What did they change? Are they still doing protective styles (just loosening the way they twist or how many twists they do or how close to scalp or something) or did they get new styles completely? :)


Before they would do buntu knots and similar, but they parted the hair the exact same every time (start with a middle parting, then a plus parting, and then part each section there again, or something like that). They still do the same type of styles, but they make sure the parting is never the same and that it's at least three days between the same parting. So they try to even out the stress on the roots by rotating the parting, sort of. Also switching between styles with many and fewer knots. They mostly do variants on buntu knots and lots of tiny braids. Every now and then they take her to an african hairdresser for cornrow-type braids. I'm very fascinate by african natural hair, so I've been helping them a bit with research and stuff.

[kidso]

Thanks for the video links Meteor. They were some of the easiest I have seen!

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot, PixieP! :flowers: That's a super-helpful post!
It's great to know that changing up sectioning/parting/styles all help! :thumbsup:

No problem, kidso! :) I really hope LWB/nautilus will work for you! :D

[kidso]

I have never used anything other than scrunchies for securing braids or buns. But, today, for my first time ever, I used a stick. It doesn't seem like a stick would damage the hair, but I guess friction plays a toll day after day in the same location, so I think PixieP is right in changing bun directions and other variables to expose different sections of hair to possible stresses.

[Hairkay]

I've used a scrunchie too. I've also just tucked the hair in if its in small to medium sized plaits all braided up in one. With my curls it will mostly stay in place with nothing else needed. There has been the odd time when I had hair in two buns like this and one fell down. I was holding a baby who promptly told hold of my plaits. I put it back in place as soon as possible.

[ladycaladium]

Oh no, I wear my hair the same all the time. I almost never change it up. This may explain part of my damage problem.

[lapushka]

Oh no, I wear my hair the same all the time. I almost never change it up. This may explain part of my damage problem.

I'd not exclude other factors. I've been wearing the same bun (LWB) since waist, and I'm nearing classic now, so... and I don't see damage from it. YMMV of course!

[ladycaladium]

Hehehe, that's why I said part. There are other issues at play such as low Vitamin D levels.