Scalp pain after updo?

[lajsa]

Hi guys!

Lately, I've been getting back into the habit of wearing my hair up every day. I've found that my updos get a lot smoother and better when I brush my hair upside down. This also allows me to make higher buns, which is good because lower buns keep rubbing against the collar of my jacket this time of year, which annoys me. Also, I like the looks of higher buns right now. Not INCREDIBLY high, but higher than mid-head, if I put it that way. I like brushing my hair upside down, because it makes for less oily hair since I don't scratch the scalp as much, and if I should decide to wear my hair down for a change, it'll give me much more volume.

However, no matter how happy I am with my current updo habits, I have a problem. You see, my scalp hurts when I take the updo down. :( I never make my updos tight enough to pull the hair (they don't hurt when I wear them), but when I take it down, it's as though the follicles have "gotten used" to being directed upwards, so it aches pretty badly when I let it down.

Now, my question is if this is normal? I usually just leave it be since the pain passes after a while, but now that I do these buns more often, I'm getting a bit worried. I keep thinking of this crazy scenario where eventually I will have "worn out" the follicles or something insane like that, and all my hair will fall off :doh: So, er, please tell me this is normal and not harmful to my poor head?

[jacqueline101]

I had scalp pain after I switched up dos after I had the same hair do for three months. Its gone now and the strange thing is the pain is gone. I'm wearing a new up do.

[white.chocolate]

Yes, that happens to me after wearing my hair in some different way and then bringing it back to the way it was before that. After I do an updo and leave it for a long time, or after I part my hair in a different way, my scalp hurts after I try reshaping it. the pain goes away after leaving it down for a few hours, or after a shower. I have no idea if this can be particularly harmful, but I always try to avoid hair styles that give me pain afterwards.

[BlazingHeart]

Totally normal. I find that massaging the scalp will increase the pain in the short term sometimes, but it's much better once I'm done. Washing my hair also relieves that sensation.

[ohhiitssteph]

This happens to me too! I put my hair up in high buns on days when the waves are looking awkward, and my scalp always feels odd after. It's not necessarily pain, but when I try to smooth the hair back down it feels like a bizarre sensation and it doesn't want to go back down, haha. Weird to explain. I wonder if it's because my hair is so heavy? It's very thick and very long...

[Amber_Maiden]

Yep, I get that too. I have to wear my hair down at least twice a week.

[Madora]

If your hair isn't accustomed to being drawn in a certain way, the roots will hurt after you take it down.

You might try gradually accustomizing your hair to the style..say leaving it up for 2 hours, then undoing it for a bit. Try for a longer up time in another 2 days, and so on until you can wear it up comfortably with no pain.

It just boils down to being patient as your hair adjusts to the new updo. You also might try sectioning it and see if you have less pain or not.

[Zesty]

This happens to me too. I find that my follicles get used to it, though. When I first started wearing hair stick buns I got headaches and my scalp hurt, but short of adjusting the bun to be looser, I mostly just waited it out. Unless it's pulling it shouldn't cause hair shedding or anything.

[lajsa]

Okay, so the more I wear those buns, the more the scalp will get used to it?

[AnqeIicDemise]

Okay, so the more I wear those buns, the more the scalp will get used to it?

Pretty much. I just had to retrain my bangs (I cut them in a few months ago and they wouldn't stay) and had to deal with the funky scalp pain-- more of an annoyance really-- for a few weeks. Now my bangs fall naturally to the side and give me trouble when I flip the part. :rolleyes:

I can't ever win against my hair.

[BBdck1]

I am so glad I found this thread! After joining LHC I started putting my hair up more to protect the ends (before my hair is down 99&#37; of the time) and my scalp would start hurting after a few hours and it would feel funny/tingly after I let my hair down. Glad to know that it's normal and I'm not slowly unrooting my hair........that would sucks >.<

[Anje]

Yeah, I get that if I wear high updos too. I suppose I could try training my scalp, but I just solve the problem by wearing my hair at mid-head (ear-level-ish) or lower.

[PixxieStix]

I had never experienced this until a couple months ago when I managed to wrangle my hair into something on top of my head, took it down and my scalp HURT! Any movement that shifted my hair at all was oddly painful. It only lasted an hour or so, and hasn't happened since then, but I hear it is perfectly normal. It's like working out your muscles, if you haven't done it for a long time they are gonna be sore after an hour at the gym. The more you do it, the less it will hurt. That's how I rationalized it anyway. :)

[Rybe]

Oh man, taking my hair down after my wedding I thought my scalp was going to try and crawl away! (I had a bunch of intricate braids done for me, I can't braid my way out of a paper sack so clearly it's not something my scalp's used to) and that's happening to me right now. Because I slept on my cowlick strangely. Sigh. Seems to happen to me all the time, haha

[heidi w.]

Scalp irritation in the wake of an updo. What's going on is somehow the hair has been drawn in a direction other than the hair grows, and the capillaries just under the scalp skin become swelled in time, and this is the cause of the pain -- whether or not one pulled the scalp hair taut or not. Just merely re-directing the hair from its natural growth direction can irritate things.

It took me some time to learn to create a loose enough updo that didn't aggravate my scalp.

If you're putting hair up AFTER drawing all the hair forward, then absolutely you're moving the hair in a direction opposite the way it grows in.

You can try getting used to it by building up to it as suggested by Madora, but I think you may have to find a way to create updos that are more in line with the way your hair grows.

You can also consider sectioning the hair. Such as creating two smaller buns.

Lots of people changing their hair part also have scalp pain after doing so.

Just FYI.

heidi w.

[woolyleprechaun]

I have this most days, and Ive gotten quite fond of the sensation over the years....I just love the 'aaaahhh' feeling of a massage to aliviate the discomfort. When I was little, I used to talk about it with my friends when we dressed eachothers hair. We called it 'Hair Ache' and I have done ever since :)

[twopoints]

I get the same thing but it has decreased as I've worn more buns at the top of my head. I suggest doing what Madora advised as when I first wore my hair up on my head, my scalp hurt a lot but now, the pain is much less now. I hope it goes away eventually because I find buns on the top of my head to be convenient as I can lie down without taking it out.

[CherrySilver]

I wish there were an easy answer to this, too. Training my hair really hasn't helped, as it is I wear it up most of the time. Even wearing it looser doesn't really seem to help -- I think it's probably the weight of my hair (didn't bother me nearly as much at shorter lengths).

Massage definitely helps a lot. I take it down and massage upside down before twisting back up into a bun again. Maybe a quick, simple sectioning style would work. Don't know about the two bun thing, though. One big dorky bun on the top of my head is bad enough!

[FrenchTwist]

Same thing happens to me - whenever my hair is long and I put it high on my head in a ponytail my scalp hurts afterward. I am sorry you have same problem, but it is nice to know I am not only one experiencing this.

[papillon]

This is precisely the reason I cannot wear my hair up for too long. I can wear an updo for a couple of hours, but then I have to undo it. Otherwise I end up with a really bad headache. My hair is pretty heavy, so that might have something to do with it too.

[hanne jensen]

You could try making a looser bun. Updos will hurt if your hair is dirty. It could be that your hairtoy is pulling a few hairs.

Your scalp will toughen up and get used to having updos. Scalp massages hel toughen up the scalp and increase blood flow to your follicles.

[HelloKitteh]

Totally normal, have had it forever (and cats too, try stroking them backwards see if they like it!). I have never noticed anything bad like hair loss (unless you try the Croydon Facelift everyday

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zrHPlwTiPFg/TPLPjTfkC3I/AAAAAAAALj4/RT29VSimLjs/s400/Little%2BBritain%2BVicky%2BPollard.jpg

My tricks and explanations:
-When your hair dries, it gets used to its orientation/direction. So you should keep the same hair do between shampoos - i.e. don't let your hair down if it's been up. It's also very good to dry your hair in the same kind of updo as it will have later when dry, so the hair below the bun doesn't make annoying buldges because it remembers the previous, down, direction.
- If you really want to put your hair in a different direction, either shampoo, or spritz some water directly on the roots if that doesn't make your hair greasy. Either solution helps reset your hair direction memory without pain!

[Vasilissa]

Happens with me sometimes when I make some high and tight updo and wear it for almost half a day. Or when I oil my hair for the night and roll it in a high bun at the top of my head, so that I could cover it all up and sleep.

Maybe the updo you did was very tight or too high?

[herdaughter77]

I have the same problem when I wear my hair differently. I used to get it when I changed the position of my part. :P I think it's quite normal.

[Hollyfire3]

This happens to me too! I put my hair up in high buns on days when the waves are looking awkward, and my scalp always feels odd after. It's not necessarily pain, but when I try to smooth the hair back down it feels like a bizarre sensation and it doesn't want to go back down, haha. Weird to explain. I wonder if it's because my hair is so heavy? It's very thick and very long...


I understand this, i get headaches if i leave a simple looped ponytail with a soft scruncie in for too long because my hair is heavy and thick, i am prone to headaches (from stress and weather/pressure changes) so i tend to wear my hair down unless i am having an absolutly terible hair day (which has been often, sadly but i'm working on it)

[Tressie]

I have this sometimes. Other times my scalp is tender to the touch and I often get tangles close to the scalp from my high updos. Probably from pushing a stick through or placing and rearranging my ficcares (I wear two). A scritch with my tangle teaser feels really good after taking my hair down! I like high updos, however, because they are easier to sleep on, stay away from my collar, and I think they are more becoming to me. (o:

[Dorothy]

I have always had it, and I call it "Bun pain". I wear my hair down the first day after a wash, so I can enjoy it, and then up the next day, so it doesn't look greasy, and perhaps this is why my hair never trains. I do find it helpful to vary the position of the bun, because if it's a weekend and I'm busy, I leave it up for several days, and if the bun is in the same place, bun pain increases every day. If I start high and then lower day by day, bun pain is less. When it becomes very painful and tender - I have straight slick hair so I have to make tight buns to keep it from sliding out - I put aloe vera gel on my scalp right under the worst bun pain place -generally under the bun that was - and leave my hair down overnight, then wash. This cools things off.

[pink.sara]

I've always had this sadly. Now I'm past APL it's getting really heavy again :(
It's one of the main reasons I redo my hair do at least 4 times a day! Mostly more. I find as long as I take a pony or bun down and remake it in a different spot every hour or so it doesn't get too sore.

I used to have nightmares about the whole traction alopecia like a Japanese geisha though!

[Madora]

I have always had it, and I call it "Bun pain". I wear my hair down the first day after a wash, so I can enjoy it, and then up the next day, so it doesn't look greasy, and perhaps this is why my hair never trains. I do find it helpful to vary the position of the bun, because if it's a weekend and I'm busy, I leave it up for several days, and if the bun is in the same place, bun pain increases every day. If I start high and then lower day by day, bun pain is less. When it becomes very painful and tender - I have straight slick hair so I have to make tight buns to keep it from sliding out - I put aloe vera gel on my scalp right under the worst bun pain place -generally under the bun that was - and leave my hair down overnight, then wash. This cools things off.


For the sake of your follicles, try not to bun too tightly! There's too much pressure being put on your strands and I think the pain you're experiencing might be because the strands are being pulled too tightly.

What implements do you use to pin your buns? Have you tried crimped hairpins?

It's how you insert and weave the hairpins into the bun that helps anchor it securely.

[heidi w.]

Madora and I generally follow the George Michael hair care system. Madora moreso than myself, but we each came to understanding the principles in different ways. She's more familiar with the rules and I came to it more by accident, and trial and error, and discovering that his ideas generally work.

I do not draw my hair in front of me to put hair in an updo, no matter where I place the updo on my head, whether back, or low back of the head or on top of the head. I rather doubt Madora does likewise although she does draw the hair over the head and comb it for various benefits.

I can't speak entirely for Madora's how-to. She also has somewhat different hair type than I have although we're both fairly long haired now.

But I would offer that drawing the hair over the head and then placing in an updo to position the day's updo more on top of the head is in and of itself some of the cause of your discomfort. I tried this idea for a while, and it was most uncomfortable that I just stopped doing it. I also have somewhat heavy hair, and at first used bobby pins, then long bobby pins for holding my hair in an updo, and now I have a fairly reliable updo that I default to most days and hold it with a hair stick.

Drawing the hair forward to comb/detangle it is fine however.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Maybe it's appropriate to mention that all heads of hair have a growth pattern. Right or left of one's natural part, which is typically down the center of the head, the hair grows to lie to the left or right, and at the back to fall down the back. It's readily visible to see the hair growth pattern and direction in a baby's head of hair.

When we re-direct the hair, whether that's changing the hair part or changing the direction all the hair is swept in, we can experience a bit of discomfort from re-directing the hair in a direction other than its natural growth pattern.

That's just normal.

heidi w.

[Madora]

Madora and I generally follow the George Michael hair care system. Madora moreso than myself, but we each came to understanding the principles in different ways. She's more familiar with the rules and I came to it more by accident, and trial and error, and discovering that his ideas generally work.

I do not draw my hair in front of me to put hair in an updo, no matter where I place the updo on my head, whether back, or low back of the head or on top of the head. I rather doubt Madora does likewise although she does draw the hair over the head and comb it for various benefits.

I can't speak entirely for Madora's how-to. She also has somewhat different hair type than I have although we're both fairly long haired now.

But I would offer that drawing the hair over the head and then placing in an updo to position the day's updo more on top of the head is in and of itself some of the cause of your discomfort. I tried this idea for a while, and it was most uncomfortable that I just stopped doing it. I also have somewhat heavy hair, and at first used bobby pins, then long bobby pins for holding my hair in an updo, and now I have a fairly reliable updo that I default to most days and hold it with a hair stick.

Drawing the hair forward to comb/detangle it is fine however.

heidi w.

Heidi, I actually do bring my hair forward when styling in my usual crown lace braid. Or my nighttime braid bun. It is much easier to manipulate the hair that way since I'm getting a bit creaky in the shoulders and have not been using my arms that much to style in the usual manner.

But I have noticed that my follicles now complain slightly when I let my hair hang down my back for measuring purposes. The difference in feeling doesn't last long, but it's definitely there, and of course that is purely due to the fact that I rarely style my hair by combing it back then sectioning it in updos as I did when I was younger.

[Gumball]

Something to consider is that we have very small muscles attached to each hair follicle, the arrector pili. They're more easy to understand in that they can help hair on your arms or elsewhere raise when it's cold. My take on updo pain when you take your hair down, and similar occurrences, is that you encounter something similar on many of those muscles like you would when you have held a phone to your ear for a prolonged period of time, then straighten your arm.

When your hair gets used to being in a certain position, sometimes those muscles do as well, and when after a time the hair is moved, the soreness may be those muscles adjusting to the new position.

[Freyja_Fernwood]

I've been dealing with scalp pain for ages, it's a huge pain in the butt.
I'm going to try spritzing the roots with water like HelloKitteh said and I'm also going to try out peppermint EO on my scalp. From what I know peppermint has some amount of menthol- the main ingredient in a lot of topical pain relieving creams/patches/ect. I've also heard that it's used to stimulate the scalp to help hair grow faster... but I think a lot of that is anecdotal.

Has anyone else ever tried peppermint or menthol for scalp pain relief?

[lapushka]

Are you doing tight updo's? Freyja? By the end of the week, if I *dare* do my Nautilus a liiitle tighter than usual, I experience a tiny bit of like a "muscle ache" where the bun has been, but a wash relieves that feeling totally.

How often do you wash, as well?

[Joules]

I have sensitive scalp and nothing really beats just not doing an updo. I wear buns whenever I can, but I can't wear them for longer than 5-6 hours, so if we're talking a full 8 hour long work day I just do braids.

Also I was getting insane scalp pain when I was sulfate-free and co-washed frequently. Things changed dramatically after I switched to using sulfates regularly. Now it's more like mild muscle ache (like lapushka described), back then it was sharp and strong follicle pain.

[nycelle]

I have the same issue no matter how tight, loose or extra support I give my basic updos (I do top knots).

One side of my head (the left) just starts to ache, the actual scalp. I wonder if it has to do with the way my hair grows there. Meaning, when I move it into position, it's opposite of it's natural growth direction and that causes the pain.

[MusicalSpoons]

I've been dealing with scalp pain for ages, it's a huge pain in the butt.
I'm going to try spritzing the roots with water like HelloKitteh said and I'm also going to try out peppermint EO on my scalp. From what I know peppermint has some amount of menthol- the main ingredient in a lot of topical pain relieving creams/patches/ect. I've also heard that it's used to stimulate the scalp to help hair grow faster... but I think a lot of that is anecdotal.

Has anyone else ever tried peppermint or menthol for scalp pain relief?

That's correct, but as a cooling agent it helps relieve pain by reducing inflammation. The general idea is cooling for acute pain/injury, and warming for chronic pain/muscle problems. I've personally found peppermint seems to reduce circulation - I've used it for painful, throbbing, swollen extremities and within minutes they felt like ice blocks (still hurt, because they were now too cold instead of too hot :doh: :laugh: ). Maybe if I'd used a bit less the effect would have been to improve circulation, I don't know, but the whole point of cooling acute injuries is to inhibit inflammation by reducing circulation to the area - which is what I assumed it was doing (menthol being cooling) :shrug:

Despite the claims to increase growth, after that experience I've never been tempted to put it on my scalp! There are other good essential oils for that (and I'd think a warming oil would be better for circulation).

[Joules]

I have the same issue no matter how tight, loose or extra support I give my basic updos (I do top knots).

One side of my head (the left) just starts to ache, the actual scalp. I wonder if it has to do with the way my hair grows there. Meaning, when I move it into position, it's opposite of it's natural growth direction and that causes the pain.

I get scalp pain if I move my hair in the opposite direction! I even got awful ache after attempting the inversion method (it was only 4 minutes!!!). Precisely why I hardly ever do high buns, as much as I love the look of them, they just don't worth it. I tried sleeping with a top knot once, woke up with an awful headache and nausea.

[gustavonut]

This is one of the reasons I chopped my hair ;(

[Freyja_Fernwood]

I've personally found peppermint seems to reduce circulation - I've used it for painful, throbbing, swollen extremities and within minutes they felt like ice blocks (still hurt, because they were now too cold instead of too hot :doh: :laugh: ). Maybe if I'd used a bit less the effect would have been to improve circulation, I don't know, but the whole point of cooling acute injuries is to inhibit inflammation by reducing circulation to the area - which is what I assumed it was doing (menthol being cooling) :shrug:

Despite the claims to increase growth, after that experience I've never been tempted to put it on my scalp! There are other good essential oils for that (and I'd think a warming oil would be better for circulation).

Hi MusicalSpoons!
I just did a little bit of research about it, and it sounds like it reduces circulation if the area is inflamed- like the site of an injury. But it also increases circulation if the area is not injured/inflamed. It actually sounds really cool- I suggest you look at this article (https://www.healthline.com/health/peppermint-oil-for-hair#research) talking about research done on mice with it. So probably injury/soreness = reducing inflammation/circulation and normal skin = increasing blood flow. I might look into it further, later. ^-^

I deal with severe chronic pain, so I've used tons of menthol patches, creams, salves, ect. on sore areas- and I totally understand the iceblock effect- I've heard that it gives low level pain signals being sent to your brain, and that it relieves pain by messing with the pain signals, so it's kinda unpleasant. It's not that good for pain relief, but it helps a little, so I use stuff like tiger balm anyway.

[MusicalSpoons]

Hi MusicalSpoons!
I just did a little bit of research about it, and it sounds like it reduces circulation if the area is inflamed- like the site of an injury. But it also increases circulation if the area is not injured/inflamed. It actually sounds really cool- I suggest you look at this article (https://www.healthline.com/health/peppermint-oil-for-hair#research) talking about research done on mice with it. So probably injury/soreness = reducing inflammation/circulation and normal skin = increasing blood flow. I might look into it further, later. ^-^

I deal with severe chronic pain, so I've used tons of menthol patches, creams, salves, ect. on sore areas- and I totally understand the iceblock effect- I've heard that it gives low level pain signals being sent to your brain, and that it relieves pain by messing with the pain signals, so it's kinda unpleasant. It's not that good for pain relief, but it helps a little, so I use stuff like tiger balm anyway.

Oh interesting! Thanks for the article, I didn't have the brainpower to go digging :)

I'm sorry to hear you have so much necessary experience with pain products. I deal with moderate pain, especially in colder weather, and even that's not much fun. My sympathies you have to put up with so much more :flower:

[Pouncequick]

What an opportune thread! I just took down my hair from my fifth bun of the week and my scalp is very sore. I'll massage my head and I might braid my hair tomorrow or make sure my bun is looser.

[lapushka]

What an opportune thread! I just took down my hair from my fifth bun of the week and my scalp is very sore. I'll massage my head and I might braid my hair tomorrow or make sure my bun is looser.

Watch out with shorter hair, because there is such a thing as "enough length" to be able to do a bun the right way (no tugging, pulling, and just a comfortable wear).

[Freyja_Fernwood]

I'm sorry to hear you have so much necessary experience with pain products. I deal with moderate pain, especially in colder weather, and even that's not much fun. My sympathies you have to put up with so much more :flower:

Thank you MusicalSpoons- that means a lot more to me than you know. ^-^

[Wendyclaire]

Are you sure scalp pain is normal? I would think it’s more of a warning to stop doing what is causing pain.

[lapushka]

Are you sure scalp pain is normal? I would think it’s more of a warning to stop doing what is causing pain.

That depends on what it's from; if it's from regular wear 'n tear (and just like a dull muscle ache), I don't think it's that bothersome. But if for instance you are purposefully doing your buns way too tightly, then yes, it's best to stop.

[yahirwaO.o]

Im too much of a paranoid person about traction alopecia after seeing some ladies with literally no edges or no temple hairs at the front shudder:shudder:shudder:

I much prefer having some damage on my actual hair while wearing it down and making my scalp happy than "protecting" my strands but hurting my follicles and feeling dull in an updo.

I know everyone's head is different, and there are tender updos for tender scalps but for me I simply prefer an occasional bun than an everyday style that hurts or feels "funny".

[Joules]

Im too much of a paranoid person about traction alopecia after seeing some ladies with literally no edges or no temple hairs at the front shudder:shudder:shudder:

I much prefer having some damage on my actual hair while wearing it down and making my scalp happy than "protecting" my strands but hurting my follicles and feeling dull in an updo.

I know everyone's head is different, and there are tender updos for tender scalps but for me I simply prefer an occasional bun than an everyday style that hurts or feels "funny".

I'm with you. I try to wear buns as often as I can, but even the slightest discomfort is a huge no for me, I'd rather have splits than bald spots. Besides, a simple braid is a protective style too, despite what many people say, it's better than nothing and it's a lot better than heat styling.

[zashin66]

I wear braids mostly but sometimes when I'm tired of long hair, I bun it. It's heavy no matter where I put it on my head but it's a weight I'm used to. My head feels funny without it.

[Knightly]

My scalp is quite sensitive so I tend to have some pain when I have it up for a few hours but I still try to tie it as much as possible so I can keep my ends safe. I always put it on a messy french braid or a messy cinnamon bun with a stick, cause hair ties definitely make my scalp hurt much more.
A quick scalp massage at the end of the day helps 'soften' it.

A couple years ago I used to wear my hair in a really tight and sleek ponytail and I could definitely see the bald 'halo' around my scalp. I learned my lesson haha