Can bunning damage your ends?

curlsugar

Hi everyone! This is my first post, and I've scoured the boards for info but haven't seen what I'm looking for.

I wash and go and then bun my hair every day. When I bun, my ends are secured under the ponytail holder. I know bunning is supposed to be a protective style, but won't the tightness of the ponytail holder on my ends damage them? It's not a rubber band and there's no metal, but I still feel that somehow I am doing more harm than good, since my ends are beings stressed in the same spot every day. I can't vary the location of the bun from day to day, because my hair is different lengths and will only bun correctly if I do it high on my head.

Would securing them with a clip be better than securing them with the ponytail holder?

Thanks!

eyesthatlie

If it's too tight it could definitely be damaging. You can use clips or bobby pins, or maybe use a scrunchie.

Caleilani

Use a scrunchie,I've been using them for years.

mrl234

Yeah, pulling hair too tight in general can damage it. Use something gentler like a scrunchy or some clips?

wavy_woman

I think the over and over again with the same style can be damaging. Try changing up your up do's to different things, a twist or log roll sometimes. Also using differeny hair toys. Scrunchie, then pins, a claw or sticks or a flexi 8. Try to put your hair toy in different spots to secure your do so you arent constantly putting stress on the same section of hair day in and day out.

Amanda

thebeebinator

I'm a dancer so I have this problem too---I have to have my hair up EVERY DAY, and once it's up it's up you know? I just stopped straightening my hair mostly because it broke everywhere in a really inconvenient way so pretty much everything is the wrong length. What I do to get around the awkward bun issue is put leave-in curl creme on then take a center section of my hair, brush it down, and pull it back pushing it up a little bit to make a mini-pompadour. Secure the end with a clip. I pull the sides back, and pull the upper half back with a hair tie leaving the bottom loose, but not for long. Grab a bunch of huge bobby pins and just start pinning all the hair up and into behind your head from the hair tie down to just above the nape. If you use enough, and do it well you'll still see the shape of your curls, but the hair will be held securely. I like to put a headband in afterwards to hold down some of the angry short hairs. This hairstyle holds all your hair back well---it's pirouette approved---and I think it looks kind of elegant. I don't know what kind of hair you have, but if you this hairstyle while its wet it will look different than when you do it dry.

Spiralli

curlsugar, is the ponytail holder literally on your ends, as in the ends are held in place by the ponytail holder?

IME that was damaging. I tried that a couple of times and knew that my ends (which tend to be dry and fragile anyway) would break if I continued to do a bun that way.

Can you try gently tucking your ends under the bun and using some smooth hairpins to keep them in place that way?

WurlyLox

Just happened on this thread . . . I have never used a pony tail holder or any other type of elastic to put my hair up in a knot or twist. First, it just doesn't look good as it holds the hair too tightly, but it also isn't good for it because of the stress that holding that tightly puts on it. You can also bun/twist shorter hair without an elastic holder than with.

For either a knot or twist (French or similar), it's more flattering if I twist it up well then relax it slightly before securing it with a few pins or clips - for the past year I've been using these from Sally's:


Scuncii also sells the same thing under their brand. Sally's also has clear ones for those with lighter hair.

Before these, I'd just use 2-3 of the big bobby pins (those intended for magnetic rollers) like these, although mine were just Goody brand from the drugstore:

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