Anyone have great growth from buns but dried out choppy hair from them?

[kgard7777]

It's great to retain growth but sometimes I wonder if Cathy howse had a point about protective styles drying your hair out and causing more breakage after awhile. Especially if you are past shoulder length I am starting to think heat once every other week is better than buns. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this or agree with this statement?

 

[PinkPeony]

I keep my buns moisturized by adding condi or S-curl every other day.
My hair is very fragile and even heat once a month is going on my limits.
The only thing that saves me is protective styling
If this works for you go ahead but please be careful.
HHG

 

[luvinwife]

I dont know the answer but i can tell you that i dont really do protective styles and i also blowdry and flatiron once a week and my hair has always been just fine...

 

[Traycee]

I keep my hair well moisturized and I don't have any problems...It is easier for me to wear my hair up because my little ones climb all over me and this is how a day in my life usually goes ...So I try to keep it up because it gets on my nerves..I wear it down on the weekends

 

[luvinwife]

^^i'm just loving how you broke down your day with the smilies. very cute and it looks like my days.

 

[mzhotniz86]

I dont know the answer but i can tell you that i dont really do protective styles and i also blowdry and flatiron once a week and my hair has always been just fine...

and I am loving your hair .

OP: i think if you moisturize before making your bun , it will be just fine. I always moisturize my ends before clipping it up and it stays nice and soft when i take it down at the end of the day. this is the first time ever that i was able to keep my ends in tact. no splits or anything.

 

[zzirvingj]

I don't think that wearing protective styles dries your hair out necessarily. I wear a bun almost daily and I don't really ever experience problems with dryness...UNLESS I decide to stop moisturizing, then I might have some problems, LOL!

I take my bun down about every other day and spray my hair before "re-bunning", so that it stays moisturized. I think that as long as you do this you shouldn't have any major problems with breakage.

 

[shtow]

^^i'm just loving how you broke down your day with the smilies. very cute and it looks like my days.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of flat iron do you use? Do you use it on a low setting?

 

[MsCounsel]

I'm starting to think the same thing. I've been evaluating whether I should start to wear it out more. My hair seems "crunchier" with bunning and protective styles. I use moisturizer and such but it doesn't seem to necessarily help. I thought it was me. erplexed I'm gonna try an experiment over the next week and see how my hair does.

 

[PinkPebbles]

I use to think Protective styles wasn't working for me because I was missing the most important step - moisturizing my ends and sealing with oil.
Now that I keep my ends well moisturize I see the benefits of protective styles.

 

[MizAvalon]

I guess I can maybe see how breakage could occur but I don't see how wearing a bun could dry your hair out.

 

[silverlotus]

Do you air-dry? It might be that and not the bunning per se. I know when I airdry for some reason, my hair is dryer than when I rollerset.

 

[foxieroxienyc]

I actually started mixing it up between the protective styles and hair out. I can honestly say because I'm really conscious about the overall state of my hair, I'm seeing less breakage and porosity issues. I keep reminding myself that growth's going to happen regardless but instead to focus on the state of my ends and keeping the NG in check, lol. Heck I made a decision to enjoy my hair at all lengths and phases it goes through --- but enjoy it intelligently!

My hair has grown A LOT in the 2 mons since I joined this forum. I am not an avid bunner/protective styler, I like to flat iron my hair 1x a week after my DC wash day and wear it out. The other days I co-wash, and if I bun, I definitely moisturize and seal before throwing on my scarf to dry. I agree that that's definitely key.

Cathy Howse did say she never did PS-ing, and in my experience thus far if your hair is in a healthy state overall, it should be fine.

 

[MsCounsel]

I think for me it is simply a matter of moderation. I am going to wear my hair out when I feel like it. I've been such a PS slave for the last year and it's definitely been beneficial but I'm probably over doing it.

 

[Lavendar]

I have been bunning almost constantly for the past 2 years with absolutely no problem. I take my bun down every other day and moisturize/seal. But within the past couple of months I have been having problems with matting in the back and I just can't figure it out. I went through a shedding phase for the past 4-6 months and now my hair is growing faster than ever. I am so disappointed cause the buns protect my hair tremendously and I don't know what else to do with my hair now that it's almost BSL. I say all of this to get to my point that we all know different things work for different people, but also what worked in one hair cycle or phase may not work in another.

 

[lisana]

I think it just depends...my hair is not thick and I don't think bunning constantly works for me, it weakens my hair after awhile. My hair seems it strongest and most moisturized when it's straight and out but I can't have those ends brushing up against my clothes.

 

[ChanelNo5]

I just wanted to bump to say it may be in the accessories you are using. I believe my pony tail holders have thinned my ends a lot. I'm definately looking into those flexi 8 clips and other hair accesories that aren't exactly "buns".

 

[Fine 4s]

The ladies going to NYC on Sunday to hear Cathy Howse speak should ask about her views on protective styling.

I don't understand how a style, any style for that matter, can inherently dry your hair out. I have been doing protective styling for at least a year straight, no direct heat, no rollersetting only twists, on special occasions twist-outs, buns, cornrows (with two strands) and my hair has grown much longer and healthier than if I was going to the salon every two weeks like I used to about 3 years ago. The only thing I do wonder about when I bun my hair (which is in between twists or another style with a maxi of 2 weeks at a time) is my hairline. I don’t pull it super tight at all but still it worries me. I inherited my dad’s funky receding hairline- or it looks like it.

I can't imagine setting my natural hairstyles without moisturizing at least 2 days at a time. I can almost feel my hair singing when I rescue it with Giovanni direct leave in (which works MUCH better on my dry hair than wet hair) or some Aubrey Organics HS Rose. It's time consuming to undo each twist and moisturize or undo my bun to moisturize but I love doing this! My twists plump up and look so moisturized that I want to rock the "do" another week (I wash every week)!

Didn't babygurlNC grow her hair supah dupah long from bunning and protective styling?

 

[LovinLocks]

I think for me it is simply a matter of moderation. I am going to wear my hair out when I feel like it. I've been such a PS slave for the last year and it's definitely been beneficial but I'm probably over doing it.

You know what, as a newbie to all this what you say above just makes sense. I wore my hair down yesterday after wearing it protectively since I started posting here and 'bout spazzed myself out. I kinda got a grip on self by late evening and now to read this, it is on point for me. I like this philosophy! Thanks for being bold enough to share it.

 

[Honi]

I heard of protective styling from Wanakee (before Cathy). She said if your hair and ends go up dry....they come down dry. I always moisturize my length and ends before they go up. When i take it down it's always moisturized and never dry.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

IMO - Buns are one of the BEST ways to hold the length and moisture.
My mom - to this day - wears a bun.... a lot like traycee's bun tutorial...( everything that is old is new) and has waist to tail bone length hair...

So - I think it is how you handle that bun.