I'm an avid bunner/ponytail wearer. I plan to continue to do so until my hair reaches my goal of BSL. With that can come some adverse effects. Such as breakage along the hairline,edges, and nape. Also if you don't move the position of your bun/ponytail can cause some breakage and weakness in that particular spot. I had to learn that the hard way back in the day. Now I have been able to, so far, bun my hair successfully. Using a couple of simple tips.
1. Moisture, Moisturize, Moisturize
I keep my nape, edges, and hairline thoroughly moisturized. I moisturize and seal those areas twice a day. Doing so aides at keeping breakage away. I use 2 different moisturizers. The first is my ultimate fav, the Shi-Naturals Creamy Leave-In w/ the chocolate scent. This leave-in is very light and doesn't weigh my hair down but it moisturizes like nobody's business. lol The second is Bee Mine's Deja's Hair Milk. I really like this moisturizer. I have had it for awhile and I use it to help me stretch out the Creamy Leave-In. I also make sure that I do not neglect those ends. I M&S those as well. I use the Kurl Pop from Shi-Naturals when I lay my edges down when I air dry and I also use it throughout the week when I notice my edges are getting a bit puffy. It definitely adds some great moisture to my edges. I have noticed that my hair seems to be loving products that have aloe vera in it.
2. Move that bun around
I make sure that I am switching the position of my buns frequently. I wear them in the middle of my head, the lower right, the lower left, bottom middle area, etc. I don't want to cause my hair to tangle and mat from leaving it in the same spot day after day. I also don't sleep in my buns. Usually when I get home I am letting my hair down to give it a breather. If I don't have any place to be I won't touch my hair at all.
3. Deep Condition
This step was brought to my attention by LaToya in the comments section. I can't believe that I forgot about this and it can fall under tip number one. Make sure that you pay special attention to those areas when you deep condition. I always make sure that I am applying the deep conditioner generously and I sit under the dryer for 30 minutes.
I hope that these tips were helpful. If you have anything to add to them feel free to leave them in the comment section. I love reading about other techniques that I can possibly add to my regimen.
I TOTALLY agree with your tips. I had issues with breakage because I wasn't properly bunning my hair. My issue was the I didn't move my bun around and I was putting my hair tie on way too tight. Like you, I make sure I moisturize the heck out of my edges, hairline and nape when bunning. Great tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks Age!
DeleteGreat tips! I encountered breakage as well from wearing styles that were way too tight. My crown and edges are recovering, so like you I try to keep them moisturized very well and give them extra attention when DCing. I also make my ponytails very loose if I wear one at all. I try to stick to french braids now.
ReplyDeleteHow I could forget about the deep conditioning part. lol I definitely make sure I pay special attention to those areas when deep conditioning. I am always slathering them with conditioner. lol
DeleteGreat great tips! No sense in bunning to retain length only to loose your edges trying to get that hair sleek! Plus, messy buns will always be "in"
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Love your comment and messy buns. lol
DeleteGreat tips.
ReplyDeleteI've never move my bun position around, always wear a middle bun but after reading this i will try to move it around.
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Wow great post. I would love to try those products, I am such a product junkie and I am always on the lookout for a natural,very lightweight moisturizer. I had a lot of issue with breakage from bunning my hair and I have to be honest. I thought I knew about hair and it took time for me to realize that buns and braids themselves were the reason for my hair breakage. Unfortunately, low buns are very uncomfortable for me. I bought silk/satin scrunchies, used bobby pins, and sometimes a banana clip. No matter how loose I tried to be it would always end up pulling and creating scalp itching. Then when I would take it out...breakage. Moisturizing made it worse because my hair has a hard time letting go of water, especially in a bun or braid, it's low porosity. It would make my hair too soft and wet and then more susceptible to breakage. Sometimes too much moisture held on for too long can be a problem too. I ended up realizing that it's just not for me. My hair thrives much better being loose. It was also emotionally draining for me because although I love my hair long and want it to stay healthy without trimming, I don't like the confinement of "protective" styling.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, great post. My blog server is crazy right now but you can find me at http://www.paleobeautiful.com and http://www.youtube.com/chamarieq