Why wear up-dos ?!

[Buffy]

Every time someone asks for advice on how to grow their hair long and healthy, one of the most often advices is to wear it up as often as possible. What is the logic behind this?

Is it to protect your hair from the everyday damage?

I totally understand this may be vital for girls who already have REALLY long hair, because it can get caught somewhere, or pulled , or you might accidently sit on it...ahahaha!

But is this really necessary if your hair is BSL length or shorter, and your activities are not so....ehm....energetic?
Especially when you just go out for a coffee or sit in fron of the PC, is this really so importand?:D

[scotishlass]

Hi Buffy, for me, its to stop me straightening over & over, to leave my hair down naturally with no heat or straightening it looks horrible (annoying in betweeny length) so i wear it up to stop me doing as much damage x

[celebriangel]

Well, you are right that from about BSL onward is the time the leaving-it-down damage starts to show.

However, a lot of people wear updos as soon as they can because it allows them not to have to heat-style, e.g. if people have a slight mullet from growing out a pixie, or have waves or curls which go everywhere until they're long enough to have the weight pull them down into something that behaves.

[Theobroma]

Especially when you just go out for a coffee or sit in fron of the PC, is this really so importand?:D

Depends on how long you're planning to grow. For someone who's happy with BSL/waist/a little more, it may not be that much of an issue. For someone who's shooting for classic or beyond, every little bit of damage will start adding up because the ends aren't being trimmed as much and cumulative damage has more time to manifest itself.

Think about it: If you're sitting in front of the PC, you're probably subjecting your hair to friction between your clothes and the back of your chair every time you lean back. If you're out shopping you may be getting your hair caught under the strap of your handbag. And/or under your seat belt, if you took the car to get to the shops. Anything like that does a small amount of damage that'll add up in the long run, just as damage from heat styling will.

Some people's hair is more resistant to this kind of damage than other people's, but when you're growing to very long lengths it's likely to become an issue for just about everyone eventually. Which is why it makes sense to keep your hair up and protected as much as possible.

[Madora]

Every time someone asks for advice on how to grow their hair long and healthy, one of the most often advices is to wear it up as often as possible. What is the logic behind this?

Is it to protect your hair from the everyday damage?

I totally understand this may be vital for girls who already have REALLY long hair, because it can get caught somewhere, or pulled , or you might accidently sit on it...ahahaha!

But is this really necessary if your hair is BSL length or shorter, and your activities are not so....ehm....energetic?
Especially when you just go out for a coffee or sit in fron of the PC, is this really so importand?:D

If you're aiming for healthy, long hair, you need to protect the delicate ends, and you do that by wearing it up. Wearing it up prevents tangles, which can cause hair damage. Every time you have to detangle, you run the risk of breaking hairs. Hence, avoiding tangles as much as possible by wearing your hair up is a good idea.

[spidermom]

We have a few members who mostly wear their hair down. I mostly wore mine down until the lower reaches of BSL when it started to get in my way all the time.

The less wear and tear on those delicate ends, the better.

[trolleypup]

The ends of my hair are over 7 years old, I try to prevent damage to the strands as they grow out to full length...so I cover my hair when I am out in the sun, and keep it up most of the time.

But I do have it down sometimes...and accept the damage and tangling and inconvenience that comes with having it down.

If the goal length is BSL or Waist, there is much less need to use protective styles as each strand will be trimmed off before it is more than a few years old (and before it has accumulated much damage).

[Shelly]

I started wearing mine up as soon as it was long enough to for many reasons.

1. My goal length.
2. My hair type. It is thin and baby fine.
3. It's a lot more convenient.
4. My hair gets damaged really easy.
5. It looks good for any occasion.
6. Comfort.

Those are just the main ones. :lol:

[Safira]

If I wear my hair loose, it dries and get tangled. And I don´t like my hair everywhere.

And I like buns and braids. I have so much fun trying new updos and wearing hairsticks.

[racrane]

I'm only planning for waist so it's not extremely long, but I like it up for several reasons. It's out of the way and the less de-tangling I have to do later, the better. :) Plus, I like how I look with my hair up.

[lapushka]

We have a few members who mostly wear their hair down. I mostly wore mine down until the lower reaches of BSL when it started to get in my way all the time.

That's exactly why mine (BSL) is worn up, practically all the time - except on wash day (half up). It gets in my way.

[Teamouse]

It keeps it tidier so I don't have to worry about knots. It stops me obsessing over it in general and about how long it isn't.

It protects my hair. But I do have to admit I worry about my ends even when my hair is up. Them being tucked underneath. I visualise them being bent and squashed and twisted. *shudder*
Does... anyone else worry about this?

Maybe it's because I've had damage so I've been babying them like crazy.

[wooliswonderful]

I like to protect my ends and I feel more modest. :)

[Vallena]

Why not! One of the reasons I want to grow my hair is to do pretty braided updos. But yes, people who keep their hair down all the time tend to be a lot rougher to it than they realize. Jerk it out of the way, tug on it, let it get caught in things, etc. I personally find it hard to do anything more than light activity without my hair held back.

[CathyEarnshaw]

Mine is only APL and I wear it up most of the time because it gets on my nerves down. It's always in my face and it's hot down. I'm contemplating a cut because of this. I envisioned wearing it down most of the time but I am seeing that it's just not practical to do that. I am not seeing the point of having long hair if it is up most of the time.

[buttercupmcgee]

I'm a little past collar-bone and the way I see it the way I treat my ends now will determine the quality of the length I have later. So, even though the damage doesn't show as much at this length, I want my mid-back length goal hair to be as nice as possible. When I do wear it down I want to really enjoy it and show it off, instead of sacrificing that for a lot of friction and tangles now in the name of wearing it down.

[AJoifulNoise]

I'm always confused when people ask "why have long hair if you never wear it down?" My question is "why have long hair if you never wear it up?" I like being creative with my hair.

[Flying Penguin]

My hair is almost BSL now. I usually wear it down (but brought to the front, so it doesn't get caught on chair backs), but I've started to notice it slightly tangling sometimes when I have it down. I now usually have it up when I'm outside though. 1) So it doesn't get caught on my purse strap, 2) the wind or just walking around tends to make it tangle more. I feel like this is a pretty good compromise, but my goal is wear it up more. :)

Remember that you can also do braids, and you should vary the position/type of updo you do so that it doesn't cause stress on your hair or scalp. :)

[SilentGuardian]

I usually prefer to wear my hair down, mostly though because of insecurities about mt face. My hair is not yet APL, but it's rather strong, so I don't get much damage yet from wearing it down.

Lately, though, I've been tying it back at home at least. It's starting to get in annoying, always being in my face. I can't wait to get rid of these layers so that I could do some creative stuff with my hair, like braids :)

[coffinhert]

Wearing hair up does protect it from damage, and hides crappy hair days since I don't heat style, but I do like to wear my hair down when I'm looking pretty at work or out with friends. I keep it strong with coconut oil and henna/cassia so breakage isn't too bad but I do have to search and destroy split ends.

[missvici]

I have long hair for a reason, and I want to show it off! I absolutely love wearing my hair down :) I only wear it up when I have to for clinical at school.

[pepperminttea]

My hair tangles a lot. Each time I detangle, however gently, there is some damage. All that damage is cumulative. When I wear my hair down, there's a lot more tangles than when I've worn it up all day, and so more damage to stop it from turning into a giant dreadlock. :p

Also, I'm lazy. ;) Putting hair up is easy.

[Brianna]

I wear my hair up for three reasons; because it's practical, it looks nice, and it protects my hair. :) At tailbone length, my hair gets in the way pretty much all the time when it's down. And heck, I like being able to do different stuff with it when I put it up. The fact that it's beneficial for my hair is a bonus.

[jojo]

My hair is the fine, delicate type of hair which splits on my hemline and causes thinning, so being up is essential for me. I get no splits anywhere else just the ends. I am between bsl and waist where my splits always seem to get worse and cause thinning to my hem (will I ever get past this stage with thicker ends???). For my hair type it needs trims and needs to be up on a daily basis. If my hair is down which only really happens if I am watching TV or surfing the net, I tend to bring it forward.

I think as others have said for hair waist or longer, its best to keep it up and by up I mean bunned with those ends hidden away, braids I find are no less damaging than keeping it down as my ends are exposed.

[lacefrost]

For me:
less tangles
more hair growth
no people touching my hair
fewer people commenting on my hair
I get to be creative
HAIR ACCESSORIES!!! (I know y'all feel me on that one)
I can think better
taking my hair down is SUPER relaxing
and it's like a treat for me and the people I love most, they're really the only people who get to see it.

[Anje]

Is it to protect your hair from the everyday damage?
Exactly this. Because a few tangles here and a few tangles there accumulate. A surprising number of people complain that they can't manage to grow beyond a length between APL and just past BSL, and find they can when they start wearing it up. I attribute this largely to the friction from leaning against the hair in chairs, more than anything else. Feel free to differ with me, but it seems like those who don't are often those with coarser hair (withstands a lot more friction than F hair) and those who are already in the habit of wearing their hair up don't run into this problem as often.

Personally, I also wear my hair up to keep it out of my way and because I don't like it near Bunsen burners and bacterial cultures. But that's a bit more specialized.

[MrsGuther]

For me, putting my hair up is usually for convenience sake. I do think it helps to protect the hair from damage too.

[mallorykay13]

Do braids count as an updo? Been wondering this for a while.

[WinterButterfly]

I got in the habbit of wearing my hair up everyday for the job I had. You don't want food in your hair. I always kept it in a bun. My hair got long without me realising it because I wore it up all the time and never got it cut. Then I wore it up because the summers are very hot. I can't stand anything on my neck when I'm outside. The only reason I have been wearing it down more lately is because I need to buy non broken hair tyes. I lose my hair tyes, they break, and my cats steal them to play with (even though I buy them toys). But at least the worst of teheat is over. I think I will sport more braids in the winter. I would like to mention that I hardly get damage to my ends even though I color my hair. It is probably due to wearing ut up so much.

[trolleypup]

taking my hair down is SUPER relaxing
and it's like a treat for me and the people I love most, they're really the only people who get to see it.
Ahhh, nothing like getting to the end of the work day, pulling the stick out of the bun and letting your hair down...letting the breeze flow through your hair! ... Even if you put it back up a few minutes later.

Sometimes I leave it down, randomly or when it is drying from a wash and people have problems recognizing me.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

The less I see it, the less I want to touch it or do something to it. So i have it up everyday.

[Paranda Belle]

When it's on top of my head -to make me look taller! As well as all the usual stuff about it being up and out the way and tangle free!