Help

[bethanUK]

I was told to join the forum because you guys "can solve anything", so here goes. I've worn my hair in a tight ballet bun EVERYDAY for the past 2.5-3 years, most of the time I even wear it in a bun to sleep. I wash and condition my hair and it goes straight in a bun wet. Loads of my hair has fallen out as a result, I think because it's always pulled so tight.

Also, I use a lot of hairspray in it. It is very greasy at the top. As soon as it is washed it looks greasy, it never looks clean. This makes me never want to wear it down, it's a vicious circle. My hair is a bit dry on the ends, I never use any heat on it. I have used heat on it probably less than 10 times in 2 years. When I have blow dried it in the past I looks greasy and not fully dry no matter how long a dry it for!

So what I would like to know is how to stop it going greasy as soon as it is dry. I am going to start using a blowdryer again. I have already started only shampooing the roots and conditioning the end, which i'm told is the best thing to do. I've been told to use washing up liquid for doing dishes on it a few times to strip back all the rubbish build up, will this work?

What brush do I need for blow-drying? A medium or large round brush? My hair is almost bra strap length but it is all layer and thin.

I have ordered some really cute barrette's and clips-it's going to be so weird wearing my hair down again. The feeling of hair on my neck feels so strange to me these days. Fingers crossed I can stick to it, let me know all of your ideas. Sorry to bombard you with questions. I really appreciate any input you have.

xoxo

[Madora]

Welcome, BethanUK.

Perhaps it is what you're using on your hair to shampoo that is the culprit. Perhaps you might try clarifying your hair first to see if that helps banish the greasies.

If you must use a blow fryer, use the coolest setting you have. It is really healthier for your hair if you air dry instead.

And, for the sake of your hair and scalp, please, please, banish the tight ballerina buns! Doing that to your hair day after day is just asking for traction alopecia!

As far as brushes are concerned, a pure boar bristle brush is the kindest for your hair. Be sure it feels comfortable in your hand and that you feel the bristles to see if you like/dislike the stiffness in the bristles.

Good luck!

[Anje]

1) Don't blowdry. It won't help. Just turban your hair in a towel to get rid of the worst drippies and don't feel bad about putting your hair up damp.

2) Looser buns, for your scalp's sake. My personal preference is to secure my buns with a single hairstick, which is where I get the most comfortable hold with relatively little tension on the hair. But what works best for securing your buns might be different. Braided buns are often more secure than unbraided without being tight, and wearing your hair in a braid occasionally might be a nice alternative. Putting the bun right on the top of your head is a good way to relieve tension on the hair roots, because you can have a loose bun that stays put due to gravity instead of due to tension on your hairline.

3) Skip the hairspray. It's harsh and drying and requires you to shampoo to get it out. It's not the end of the world if you need to comb out your hair and redo your bun at mid-day because it's getting fluffy, is it?

4) You might want a clarifying shampoo to help get out whatever's causing the greasiness. (Residue from the hairspray, perhaps?) Clarifying's good for hair to make sure all the gunk is off, but it's drying, so it's best to do it occasionally rather than every shower.

5) Why not let it down at night? My personal preference is to have my hair loose inside a satin bonnet when I sleep. Other folks here prefer a silk or satin pillowcase, with their hair loose or braided. Give your scalp a break and your hair a chance to finish drying.

6) If you find you're still losing hair and it's getting thinner, after all this, you might want to schedule a doctor's visit. Thinning hair can often be a sign that not all is well in the body. Hypothyroidism, polycystic ovaries, and anemia are some of the more common medical causes for thinning hair, and it's best to detect and treat the underlying condition for your sake.

[Yozhik]

I love it that you were referred here because LHC can "fix anything"! :magic:

If only it were true -- bam! Superpowers. :D

I agree with Madora -- pulling your hair back that tightly in the same spot every day for a year is a recipe for damage.

You probably had build up, so should clarify with a clarifying shampoo, but I wouldn't use dish soap, especially not multiple times -- that sounds way too strong! Look into oils and deep treatments to rehydrate and rehabilitate your ends, and if you want to mask damage in the meantime, you can think about using silicones (although a lot of people don't like them because they can cause build-up and can seal out moisture).

I'd suggest starting in the VIT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=32573)s -- it has a lot of good advice for newbies. :flower:

[MrsGuther]

I would say try a clarifying shampoo first. Blow drying your hair certainly won't help the problem. Air drying is healthier for your hair. Also, wearing your hair down on a daily basis leads to it tangling easier, and getting damaged for most people. Be careful! Protective updo's definitely are good for the health of the hair. Just make sure your updo's are not too tight and don't pull at the scalp as this can cause traction alopecia. Happy growing!!

[dulce]

If you still want a bun ,try a loose one using spin pins and no elastic!!And make sure your hair is not tightly pulled back when you coil the bun.Then there's no pull on the roots.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Just, stay away from the washing up liquid for dishes. That is extremely drying. You can use a cup of water with a tea spoon of vinegar to clarify or maybe even use a clarifying shampoo if you prefer.

My fellow comrades have touched on the best options to let your hair rest already so I won't add anymore

[feb26]

I too love ballerina buns & find the feel of loose hair a bit disconcerting...all those little loose bits on the ends of my hair are what bother me (they feel like phantom hairs! :eek:
what i do...for my commute it's up in a ballerina bun (no hairpins or elastics or sticks) just a little butterfly clip to hold the ends up (not the baby sized ones but the next size up). I use this ONLY for my commute as I live in BC and weather here is same as Seattle: wet, windy. Down it comes for work/home. If i'm exercising, up it goes (in braid or bun). Good luck!!

[jennescence]

I had this grease problem too! Use vinegar, it cured mine!

[Roscata]

1. Just say NO to tight buns. Try using hair sticks to hold up your hair and learn some new buns that won't pull your hair so tight. You don't need to wear your hair down to grow it out, in fact the opposite is reccomended if your want to grow long hair. However:
"Repetitive Handling& Hair Toys- Twisting your hair the same way, tying off a braid in the exact same place, putting a ponytail in at the nape every day, well, that's repetitive stress on your hair. Altering how you style your hair, and using non-damaging hair toys, such as hair sticks rather than elastics goes a long way to minimizing areas of repetitive stress." (Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)). FrannyG has about the same length as you described so you might want to take a look at her website where she has photos and tutorials for updos: Link to updos (http://www.frannyslonghairstyles.com/updos.htm). Habioku (https://sites.google.com/site/habioku/hairstyles/hairstylecollection) also has some great styles and tutorials although you might not be able to do all of them since her hair is longer.

2. Like others have suggested I agree with clarifying (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194) your hair (just this once, if I were you I wouldn't put my hair/scalp through clarifying more than once per month, it's very harsh) and if that doesn't work you can also chelate.

3. If you want to stop your hair from being greasy you have some alternatives such as a gentler way to wash you hair: SLS-free shampoo/conditioners, also conditioner only washing. It might sound counterintuitive to wash your hair with things that are milder BUT the reason your scalp is rebelling (aside from the possibility of a medical scalp condition such as seborrheic dermatitis) is because it is being washed with products that are too harsh and deplete it of it's natural sebum, which is why the scalp freaks out and produces more of it to make up for the harsh chemicals stripping it away in the first place. Speaking of which hair-spray can also dry your scalp if it has alcohol in it.

4. Blow drying your hair will damage it, depending on how you do it and how resilient your hair is, it can damage it a LOT or very little. If you're serious about growing your hair long though, I advise against it. Air drying is a way better alternative.

Best of luck in your hair journey! :D

[Audhumla]

Nooo dish washing liquid! :/ I know various other people have said this but to add an extra voice, Don't do it ! It's a baaaad idea.

[Purdy Bear]

Traction Alopecia is when the hair is pulled too tightly in updos and pulls out the hair. It mostly shows around the ears, and the front edges of the hair as thinning or patches. If I remember rightly once the updos are stopped in most cases it will grow back, however if the roots of the hair are damaged there is nothing that can be done except replacing the whole hair root through an operation (they are doing this with some men with male patterened baldness).

As an Alopecian I would say let go of the tight buns. If you still want buns then make sure you dont pull the scalp when your taking the hair back (this is for all updos not just buns). This will also stop the headaches you get when you have tight up dos. I have seen people in the past look like they have had face lifts just because their updos are so tight.

I have used washing up liquid on my hair (when I was a teen) and it looked good for a short time but then went very brittle, dry and looked like straw, so for long term use I dont recommend it.

I would recommend reading up on here, and then choosing one method and see how it suits you. I also recommend you keep a hair journal, where you can write down any good tips, recipes, glue in photos etc. I have three and their awesome.

For updos theres are great section on here, and You Tube has lots of LHC members doing tutorial videos.

[bethanUK]

Wow these replies are amazing!!! Thank you so much for such detailed responses, I have a lot to start looking into.

The hairspray is now gone, as is the ballerina bun. I'm trying vinegar and will look into get some clarifying shampoo and some spin pins. I ordered a load of barrette's from Goody so hopefully as long as my hair is out of my face I will get over the grossed out feeling of having hairs touching me. Hahaha that sounds so strange.

I'm going to have a good read of the newbie forum. I tried using vinegar in my hair just now, not sure if it has worked yet as I just showered and I am leaving it down to air dry as I sleep. So weird not to shoving it into a tight bun wet. I used malt vinegar-is that OK? Was it meant to be a certain kind of vinegar?

I love that you guys have your own little language going on, I'm learning loads! My hair is going to be long and in tip top condition if I keep posting here I just know it!:cheese:

[Roscata]

Nah it is not so strange, I myself can't stand to feel my hair on my face or neck. The vinegar usually recommended is Apple Cider Vinegar (or ACV for short). I forgot to mention some good hair accesories that would be gentle on your hair, so here they are: ficcare (http://www.ficcare.com), flexi8 (http://www.flexi8.com) and I have already mentioned the hair sticks. Spin pins are also ver good, so are Amish pins. I am excited for you to discover all these new things about hair. :)

[AnqeIicDemise]

I've tried wearing my hair loose at a request from my supervisor. She loves the thickness, shine and its condition. So to pamper her I wear it loose once a week.... for like two hours. After the third, the feeling on it on my neck drives me nuts.

Then I'll walk to my station with my hair up, she pouts and I respond "It feels all gross and icky."

She just laughs.