Ponytail Vs. Down

[Humbug454]

Before I start - I'm a guy and therefore intricate buns and updo's aren't really going to work for me!

Which brings me to my main point!

Which is more damaging - to wear my hair down? Or to tie it back in a ponytail?
Before I joined LHC I would tie it in a ponytail pretty much everyday, but my hair was very damaged (mainly due to other reasons though). One of the things that concerned me was that tying it back left a "bump" in my hair where I always tie it. Is that something to be worried about? Or will it just happen?

Either way - I've got a new job now and don't have to worry about HAVING to tie it back! So which would you all recommend?

[Shiranshoku]

A braid? There's nothing wrong with a braid, for a guy. I think even certain buns can look masculine enough.

And if you vary the placing of your ponytail, and use a soft non damaging hair tie, a ponytail is better than just letting it down, I think.

[Bene]

Neither. Dudes can wear buns, they don't have to be intricate :shrug:

[Humbug454]

I used to braid my hair but recently trimmed off (hopefully) all the damage, so braiding it is a bit of a struggle now!

Or could anyone suggest a bun which wouldn't look too feminine? I've tried putting my hair in a bun before to sleep but it felt like it was pulling my hair a bit too much, I probably just tied it too tight though :o

Any ideas?

[Bene]

You can wear ANY bun and look masculine. It's what you use to hold it up that will determine whether or not it looks girly.

Look at my avatar, with the dangly foo foo hair sticks. It's a lazy wrap bun. With a plain wood or metal stick, it's fine for a guy. Besides, unless you're all "Look at mah bun!!!", no one will ever notice.

One of the hottest dudes I ever met, he had mid back length hair, wore it up in a bun, and he was masculine as masculine gets. So secure in his dudeness, that he wore buns and no one so much as noticed. Except for me. And that's only because I look at buns. The head buns, that is, not the other type of buns.

[moxamoll]

I agree. I've known several long haired men who wore buns and I think that the confidence to flaunt social mores makes them seem more masculine! You might want to practice a bit before you try the pink swarovski-encrusted hair stick, but otherwise? Go for it!

And post pics for us, please?

As for the buns pulling - that's just practice, practice, practice!

[Bene]

Even Pei Mei (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y244/bene25/pei-mei-tamarin.jpg) wore buns, and he was pretty badass :shrug:


Also, about the pulling. My motto is "If it don't fit, don't force it". There are plenty of buns out there you can try without yanking.

[jojo]

I think wearing down or wearing a pony are as damaging as each other to be honest, why can't a man wear a bun, we used have a doctor on the ward I used to work on who wore a bun ...oh if was single and 10 years younger " drool"!!!!

[swearnsue]

Braids are good. Wear a braid at night too, that will help. You can wear a pony but just not every day and try to wear the elastic in different places on your head to vary the pressure points. Sometimes wear a low pony, sometimes higher and in between. Women sometimes wear ribbons braided into their hair, but a guy could maybe braid a strip of soft suede or leather strip? Sounds cool to me but then I'm an old hippy!

[Humbug454]

I guess you guys are right!

I'm not exactly sure where to start with a bun but I'll go hunt the site for some info ;)

One thought I just had though - if I'm using a hairtie to secure the bun, will that cause damage? Or am I safe with that?

Thanks for the advice though, I think you're right - its just down to confidence to wear a bun! All I've got to do is just learn how to not pull all my hair out whilst trying to do it haha! :D

[brave]

And that's only because I look at buns. The head buns, that is, not the other type of buns.

I look at all buns. But especially the bread kind.

If you're still a little insecure about a bun or not sure how to do it, try just making a pony and pulling it part way through again, so you get a loop? I think that could be worn low and masculiney.

If not I know bikers and the like sometimes get this leather hair wrap thing that goes around the entire pony. Can look pretty BA.

[ApatheticFairy]

Yeah, my supervisor at work who is a man with tailbone-length silver hair that I drool over uses these things

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-Native-American-Style-Hair-Wrap-Leather-/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/$(KGrHqRHJCEE63(URhzdBO2PutL0qg~~60_57.JPG

that he made himself, long enough to cover his hair, then kinda "paranda"s the leather straps and ties it off, so his ends are encased in the leather. He switches that up with a normal English braid, or a half-back ponytail thing, leaving the rest down. And he has NO breakage or damage.

I think you can get them from eaglefeathertrading, too.

Or just single English braid it and oil the tassel-y end of the hair, making sure to tie it in a different length every day. Almost every woman at work agrees that the braid isn't feminine when long-haired dudes wear it-- from behind, it actually emphasizes the wideness of their shoulders, making them look more manly.

[ddiana1979]

I got something called a Wrapter on Ebay. They have them on Amazon.com too, but a little more expensive.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41z07cDhrNL._AA300_.jpg

I've seen bikers wear them, which is why I got one. . . I thought they'd be good for riding on my husband's motorcycle without my hair getting all crazy. I can't wear a helmet with a bun. At any rate, I found them a little hard to get on, but it's a good concept. I wouldn't find that feminine on a guy. Most of the guys I've seen wearing them were, uh. . . burly and tough. They make similar products out of leather if you're looking for something a little different.

There was another male LHC member that had some titanium bolt-like things made into hair sticks for buns. It looked really bad ass, definitely masculine, and totally drool worthy. I have no idea where he got them.

ETA: Try going to a motorcycle shop. I bet you'll find some cool stuff there, as a lot of them have long hair.

[gonzobird]

Just me, but a bun is much cooler than one of those wraps.

[Bene]

Just me, but a bun is much cooler than one of those wraps.


Same here. I don't like the look of the wraps. Maybe it's a regional style thing?

[Wavelength]

My husband, who is also a longhair, wears a simple braided bun with a plain wooden hairfork every day. He also likes the nautilus bun. He says he's never gotten a negative comment about it -- most people don't even notice.

So yes, guys can definitely wear buns. :)

[ravenreed]

A lot of the long haired guys around here either go for a braid or a caterpillar braid (where you wrap an elastic at intervals down a pony tail). You can also try a hawser braid (http://youtu.be/8y3LvWpncQQ), they look awesome. To answer the original question, I find that wearing a pony tail is less damaging that wearing my hair down, because it gets caught on things less. A braid is even better, because there is less tangling and general unhappiness.

[Clytemnestra]

Pacific Merchantile on Etsy has some plain wooden sticks (http://www.etsy.com/shop/PacificMerchantile?section_id=7120943)that would look good on a guy with long hair, buns or braids definitely best for protective style...I have some of his Black Walnut and they are some of my favorite sticks.

[Tota]

"Man Buns" are very in right now so it's a perfect time to learn to do it and rock it ;) You can find many articles on that topic if you just search under man bun ;) And there's even some tutorials on youtube, like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFmHYukht3g) one. I think this guy looks anything but feminine with his bun.

[dwell_in_safety]

Buns can and do look very masculine. Styles in themselves are typically neutral; it's the vibe the wearer gives off and confidence therein that makes them either masculine or feminine. :) Super-feminine appearance with confidence gives a bun a feminine appearance, and vice versa; and if one prefers to present a bit more neutral, well, that works too. I bet you would look great with a bun. :D I find them very attractive on men.

[faellen]

Hi Humbug454, I see you're in the UK :) I can understand why you wouldn't feel confident wearing a bun, I admit we don't really see them on men a lot in the UK do we? Well I don't anyway.

I think you should try it, though I admit that seeing a guy with loose long hair always gives me goosebumps... :p

[Humbug454]

Wow! So many nice comments and ideas :) Thanks so much for all the help!

I'm TERRIBLE at braids, something I really need to learn how to do as I think they look great :)

Lots of great ideas I can try though :D I like the idea of the "caterpillar braid" as it seems really quick and easy, but would it damage my hair where I tie the extra elastics?

[QUOTE=faellen;2240796]Hi Humbug454, I see you're in the UK :) I can understand why you wouldn't feel confident wearing a bun, I admit we don't really see them on men a lot in the UK do we? Well I don't anyway.
/QUOTE]

No we certainly don't! ;)

[alexandros22]

I'm a guy too and the only hairstyle i'm wearing except ponytail is what I thought was a bun but is actually a folded ponytail. I don't mind wearing my hair in a bun, but I would like to hear ideas for buns that are not feminine. My hair is apl length.

[Elithia]

You don't need to buy expensive hairsticks either ... I just use chopsticks for my buns? But I have massively thick hair, and I like long hairsticks. If a chopstick is too long, you can always cut it short and sand the end. It's generally cheaper than a hairstick (and there exist some pretty freaking cool chopsticks).

[swearnsue]

You want the elastics (hair ties) that don't have the metal clasp on it. It's the metal part that can cut your hair. Remember not to pull them too tight. How can you play guitar but not be able to braid??? Guitar is a million times harder to do!

[swearnsue]

To me, and I'm older so for what it's worth, buns look feminine except on sumo wrestlers! They have some kind of intricate top knot thing.

[Tisiloves]

I think hair stick buns look pretty manly, particularly if it's with metal hairsticks (like the metal chopsticks that Trolleypup uses), but I blame that on too many ninja and samauri films.

[Humbug454]

You want the elastics (hair ties) that don't have the metal clasp on it. It's the metal part that can cut your hair. Remember not to pull them too tight. How can you play guitar but not be able to braid??? Guitar is a million times harder to do!

I always use the hair ties without metal bits :) So am I safe to use those down the length of my hair?

It's actually a bass ;) Bass is my main instrument although I play many others!
I just find braiding hair so fiddly! I get all my fingers muddled up and the braid ends up a total mess :o

[kaydana]

If you do give buns a try, given that they're not the norm here in the UK, I'd stay away from visible hair toys and keep it very simple to begin with. Stick to the simple looking styles and secure it with pins, spin pins (Primark and Pound World both do spin pin knock-offs for £1 a pair), a plain black hair tie or a strip of black or brown leather/suede. If you want to jazz it up with braids and hair sticks at a later date, people will be used to you wearing buns and are less likely to comment.

[OrganicJewel]

I don't know, if you google image 'men with hair bun', there's some pretty masculine guys with buns that come up. I kinda think of David Beckham wearing head bands and such, some might initially think it would be too feminine, but he pulls it off.

[annah]

You can wear ANY bun and look masculine. It's what you use to hold it up that will determine whether or not it looks girly.

Look at my avatar, with the dangly foo foo hair sticks. It's a lazy wrap bun. With a plain wood or metal stick, it's fine for a guy. Besides, unless you're all "Look at mah bun!!!", no one will ever notice.

One of the hottest dudes I ever met, he had mid back length hair, wore it up in a bun, and he was masculine as masculine gets. So secure in his dudeness, that he wore buns and no one so much as noticed. Except for me. And that's only because I look at buns. The head buns, that is, not the other type of buns.

LMBO! Seriously though, what she said. I don't think a bun would be too feminine, especially if you weren't pointing it out to people.

[annah]

Also, I tried a bun today, it was supposed to have a fork in it. Can't remember what thread it was in, but I think it was called a knot bun. At any rate, I got it all wrapped up, and it was secure, so I never put a stick in it at all. So there's always the option of stick-less buns.

[mzBANGBANG]

I have nothing to contribute other than I love man-buns (http://static2.refinery29.com/bin/entry/def/x/122043/man-bun.jpg).

[Nedertane]

Since Chris Hemsworth has had long hair for his role as Thor, he's been spotted wearing man buns. He doesn't look too feminine to me! :D

[david]

Well, I'm a guy and I wear my hair in a bun from time to time. I wear all types of bun but basic two are just a regular bun and I use spin pins or hairpins to keep it in place, since they are invisible. I also do a messy bun allot. Besides buns I plait/braid my hair allot and generally mix it up so that its not in a ponytail all the time. I generally don't classify if a style is too feminine or not, if I want to wear it I will.. a bit of diversity and all that.

But you mention that you can leave your hair down for work etc, I would tend to leave mine down and only back etc when I have to or fancy a change.

[loveisdivine]

@David - I see you're in Ireland? me too! How do you find it having long hair and wearing buns and such? My other half (also named David) Has quite long hair which he only ever wears down and he gets quite a lot of "jesus" comments when were out. I can only imagine what people would say if he were using hair sticks!

It seems here in Ireland especially, unless you have a short back and sides you must be a crazy jesus loving hippy rocker!

[david]

@David - I see you're in Ireland? me too! How do you find it having long hair and wearing buns and such? My other half (also named David) Has quite long hair which he only ever wears down and he gets quite a lot of "jesus" comments when were out. I can only imagine what people would say if he were using hair sticks!

It seems here in Ireland especially, unless you have a short back and sides you must be a crazy jesus loving hippy rocker!

Yes I am indeed, its a small world. :)
Really, I never had any real issues, occasionally you get the odd non educated idiot but you tend to ignore those people. But then again I am a musician so I suppose this makes it easier for people to understand but even people that don't know I'm a musician don't make any bad comments, quite the opposite in fact. Most admire the fact that I'm being myself. You would be surprised what people might say, I've worn styles that are usually considered quite feminine and got compliments so you just wouldn't know. Besides boundaries are there to be challenged.lol

[digginit]

I am a guy, though my hair isnt as long yet. You can do what you want with it you just have to have confidence. For now I am just a ponytail guy, but when it gets longer I hope to learn to braid.

[racrane]

I don't have any advice, I just wanted to say I always love seeing guys with long hair. I don't notice how they put it up, I just notice they have long hair. I think a lot of people, unless they're insecure themselves, don't really notice styles.

I once was at summerfest a couple years ago in Milwaukee and I saw a guy with a hip length braid and he constantly had women coming up to him and touching it, lol. I don't know how long his hair would be down, but it was very cool to see!

[jextxadore]

I think the main thing is just confidence — if you feel alright wearing it, then do it, and never mind what anyone else says. People may ridicule you to make you feel out-of-place, but with confidence, you can reverse the effect and make them feel the idiot. Ignoring the comments is a good start.

[bte]

I don'thave enough hair for a bun but I mostly wear a ponytail by day and a braid by night - the only way I can tell what time of day it is.

Seriously though, just experiment - you don't have to do the same thing every day.

[ravenreed]

Anything can cause damage in the long run, which is why it is good to switch things up occasionally. Some people even get damage from wearing the same bun every day. I think the trick is to minimize damage while still enjoying one's hair. As someone else said, try not to wrap them too tight, and maybe use a bit of oil on the hair before doing them.

I am sure it felt fiddly when you first starting learning to play too. So get practicing those braids! :whip:

:p



I always use the hair ties without metal bits :) So am I safe to use those down the length of my hair?

It's actually a bass ;) Bass is my main instrument although I play many others!
I just find braiding hair so fiddly! I get all my fingers muddled up and the braid ends up a total mess :o

[KwaveT]

My sides aren't even long enough for a ponytail yet. If my hair were longer I would wear the heck out of buns. Again I am not the kind of guy that is gonna to give other men reassurance. I have zero insecurity on pushing feminine boundaries. I spend much of my life wishing I were a girl. Other men don't understand me and I don't understand them when it comes to these insecurities.