Bunning & Pony Ladies, Any bad experiences?

[MizaniMami]

Hey Ladies,

One more no heat question.

I have been doing this no heat, air-dry, ponytail thingy right...

So today when I was doing my daily moisture I noticed my pony looked... blah. I didn't look as thick as it should. There was no hair in the comb or anything and my air is quite moisturized, it's just that I expected it to look thicker.

Also, when I wash lately since my newgrowth is so thick, I detangle but not 100%. I am embarassed to say this but probably 40%. My newgrowth is sooo thick that I could hardly even detangle that 40% this last wash. I probably detangled about 25% of my hair. I can't run my fingers through my hair that well either

This may be the answer to my very concern that my hair is still tangled making me not see the length, but I am still wondering. I am considering doing this more often after my no heat challenge is over.

Have anyone ever had a bad experience with bunning or ponytailing?

How much do you detangle after you wash in terms of percentages? I am hoping I make sense.

 

[Sistaslick]

Hey Ladies,

One more no heat question.

I have been doing this no heat, air-dry, ponytail thingy right...

So today when I was doing my daily moisture I noticed my pony looked... blah. I didn't look as thick as it should. There was no hair in the comb or anything and my air is quite moisturized, it's just that I expected it to look thicker..

This happens to me about the 2nd or 3rd day after a wash. My hair starts to go limp and get stringy This typically means its washy washy time.

Also, when I wash lately since my newgrowth is so thick, I detangle but not 100%. I am embarassed to say this but probably 40%. My newgrowth is sooo thick that I could hardly even detangle that 40% this last wash. I probably detangled about 25% of my hair. I can't run my fingers through my hair that well either ..

This is why I wash my hair in large braided sections (c&G method). It cuts down on the detangling issues tremendously I make sure to use products (conditioners and leave ins) with lots of slip like CON conditioner/mixed with AtOne Botanicals reconstructor . . . or NTM silk touch leave in. They help the comb glide better through my hair. I also use a large seamless bone comb to detangle each section. I make sure to fully detangle my hair while damp b/c as an airdrier, this is really the only time I can work a comb through my hair from root to tip easily w/ little breakage until the next wash.

If you don't detangle your hair fully, you may be setting yourself for some unwanted matting in the future. This happened to me when i first started seriously airdrying fulltime. I wouldn't fully detangle and hadn't really gotten my products together right ---and one day I took down my bun only to find a big fat dredlock parked right under the holder. I picked that out and almost had to cut it out. Since then, I make sure my hair is tangle free before moving on. Tangled wet hair= even tanglier dry hair.

 

[MizaniMami]

This happens to me about the 2nd or 3rd day after a wash. My hair starts to go limp and get stringy This typically means its washy washy time.



This is why I wash my hair in large braided sections (c&G method). It cuts down on the detangling issues tremendously I make sure to use products (conditioners and leave ins) with lots of slip like CON conditioner/mixed with AtOne Botanicals reconstructor . . . or NTM silk touch leave in. They help the comb glide better through my hair. I also use a large seamless bone comb to detangle each section. I make sure to fully detangle my hair while damp b/c as an airdrier, this is really the only time I can work a comb through my hair from root to tip easily w/ little breakage until the next wash.

If you don't detangle your hair fully, you may be setting yourself for some unwanted matting in the future. This happened to me when i first started seriously airdrying fulltime. I wouldn't fully detangle and hadn't really gotten my products together right ---and one day I took down my bun only to find a big fat dredlock parked right under the holder. I picked that out and almost had to cut it out. Since then, I make sure my hair is tangle free before moving on. Tangled wet hair= even tanglier dry hair.

Thanks Sista! I am sooo glad you stepped into this thread. I was hoping you would. I should of just PMd you personally.

I tried the washing in big braids techniquw but my braids won't stay! How do you secure the ends of your braids? And how many braids do you do?

Also, how do you deal with detangling with a head full of newgrowth? I just feel like this is asking for breakage. And I am one of those people that can't see hairs in the comb. It kills me, I start examining them and carring on and that's a whole different story.

I usually part in 4 sections to detangle but do you think I should go for maybe 8?

 

[cocowhite]

On the bunning and pony question, I don't bun that much, but I do put my hair in a ponytail 98% of the time, but when I get home I take it down. I try to place the ponytail in different positions. I haven't had any ill effects actually my hair give the illusion of being thin-medium, until I take it down from the pony and it is thick my aunts don't want to braid my hair now.

On the detangle question I have about 1 1/2 inches of new growth and I start in small sections from ends to root and then once in the showe after I deep condition I detangle in the shower completely a 100%. If I feel a little snag I put the jilbere comb down and run my fingers through while under the water to help with the detangling and this is the last time I will comb my hair until my next wash day.

 

[*Frisky*]

I think I experienced breakage from bunning too much. I don't do it anymore.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

I think I experienced breakage from bunning too much. I don't do it anymore.

Hmmm..Yeah. I admit, I think sometimes air-drying and bunning caused me a lot of breakage too.

If I DO air-dry, I may rollerset and dry my hair under the hooded dryer with COLD air. Maybe that would be better.

Air-drying is good, but if I don't detangle REALLy well, my hair dries poofy, and fragile. And this is how my hair breaks.

 

[Sistaslick]

I tried the washing in big braids techniquw but my braids won't stay! How do you secure the ends of your braids? And how many braids do you do?

Also, how do you deal with detangling with a head full of newgrowth? I just feel like this is asking for breakage. And I am one of those people that can't see hairs in the comb. It kills me, I start examining them and carring on and that's a whole different story.

With the braids, if you braid them pretty far down the ends-- they will stay better. But I always leave about an inch of the ends unbraided b/c the skinny part is hard to detangle once wet for me. Some people use rubberbands or small cloth holders but my wet hair and rubberbands and such don't mix. Also, smaller braided sections stay better than bigger ones. My hair is texlaxed, so that might have something to do with my braids holding together better while wet. If the braids unravel, I simply braid them back up a little- no biggie. The point is to keep the hair sectioned and deal with small parts one at a time. Even if it comes down a bit as long as you aren't dealing with a big massive head of hair down at once, the detangling will be easier. And again, working with good detangling products will prove extremely beneficial.

My hair is kind of weird about detangling though. I can't detangle from the bottom up or my newgrowth acts a fool I wouldn't recommend this method to anyone else, but this is how I detangle: I take down each braid and work with it before moving to the next. (The NTM on top of a good slippy conditioner really helps me detangle my hair.) I go through with my fingers and make sure there are no massive tangles. Then I take my big bone comb and detangle the newgrowth first and inch up from the scalp. Kind of reminds me of picking out a fro. Then I move to the the ends and work my way up. I have to detangle the newgrowth first and separately or I have problems. I lose more hair from simply working up, up, up to the newgrowth.

 

[Sistaslick]

I think I experienced breakage from bunning too much. I don't do it anymore.

Yeah I also found that I got a bit of breakage from bunning but only when I did it really wet hair. Hair is stretched out of its normal shape when wet so if you ponytail and bun it then, the part under the holder/band won't be able to fully contract to its normal length as it tries to dry. This constant stretching can weaken the hair at this point, and lead to breakage. So now, I let it airdy down a bit first after detangling, then bun it from there.

 

[RabiaElaine]

With the braids, if you braid them pretty far down the ends-- they will stay better. But I always leave about an inch of the ends unbraided b/c the skinny part is hard to detangle once wet for me. Some people use rubberbands or small cloth holders but my wet hair and rubberbands and such don't mix. Also, smaller braided sections stay better than bigger ones. My hair is texlaxed, so that might have something to do with my braids holding together better while wet. If the braids unravel, I simply braid them back up a little- no biggie. The point is to keep the hair sectioned and deal with small parts one at a time. Even if it comes down a bit as long as you aren't dealing with a big massive head of hair down at once, the detangling will be easier. And again, working with good detangling products will prove extremely beneficial.

My hair is kind of weird about detangling though. I can't detangle from the bottom up or my newgrowth acts a fool I wouldn't recommend this method to anyone else, but this is how I detangle: I take down each braid and work with it before moving to the next. (The NTM on top of a good slippy conditioner really helps me detangle my hair.) I go through with my fingers and make sure there are no massive tangles. Then I take my big bone comb and detangle the newgrowth first and inch up from the scalp. Kind of reminds me of picking out a fro. Then I move to the the ends and work my way up. I have to detangle the newgrowth first and separately or I have problems. I lose more hair from simply working up, up, up to the newgrowth.

Hmmm...I might have to try this...

BTW which bone comb do you use?

 

[RabiaElaine]

Yeah I also found that I got a bit of breakage from bunning but only when I did it really wet hair. Hair is stretched out of its normal shape when wet so if you ponytail and bun it then, the part under the holder/band won't be able to fully contract to its normal length as it tries to dry. This constant stretching can weaken the hair at this point, and lead to breakage. So now, I let it airdy down a bit first after detangling, then bun it from there.

Once again things that make you go hmmmmm...

This is perhaps why I experience some breakage in the middle of my hair where I place the ponytail...I would always put my hair up really wet because it was easiest to detangle standing in the shower. I may have to try your method the next time I bun.

My next method to try for right now is Isis's method of using really big rollers to airdry quickly then get it into whichever style I want to do after that.

 

[ayoung]

My next method to try for right now is Isis's method of using really big rollers to airdry quickly then get it into whichever style I want to do after that.

That is next on my list to try also. I've been airdrying in a pony tail/wet bunning--but I am having to much breakage--I do much better drying in a rollerset or bantu knots.

 

[MizaniMami]

With the braids, if you braid them pretty far down the ends-- they will stay better. But I always leave about an inch of the ends unbraided b/c the skinny part is hard to detangle once wet for me. Some people use rubberbands or small cloth holders but my wet hair and rubberbands and such don't mix. Also, smaller braided sections stay better than bigger ones. My hair is texlaxed, so that might have something to do with my braids holding together better while wet. If the braids unravel, I simply braid them back up a little- no biggie. The point is to keep the hair sectioned and deal with small parts one at a time. Even if it comes down a bit as long as you aren't dealing with a big massive head of hair down at once, the detangling will be easier. And again, working with good detangling products will prove extremely beneficial.

My hair is kind of weird about detangling though. I can't detangle from the bottom up or my newgrowth acts a fool I wouldn't recommend this method to anyone else, but this is how I detangle: I take down each braid and work with it before moving to the next. (The NTM on top of a good slippy conditioner really helps me detangle my hair.) I go through with my fingers and make sure there are no massive tangles. Then I take my big bone comb and detangle the newgrowth first and inch up from the scalp. Kind of reminds me of picking out a fro. Then I move to the the ends and work my way up. I have to detangle the newgrowth first and separately or I have problems. I lose more hair from simply working up, up, up to the newgrowth.

Girl I thought I was the only one! I detangle exactly like you described only i give up when I have a lot of newgrowth. My arms start to hurt and I don't want to get fustrated on my hair.

But I will try the braiding techniqe and to let it air dry before adding the pony.

Once again thanks so much! You are so much help!!!

 

[Sistaslick]

Hmmm...I might have to try this...

BTW which bone comb do you use?

Here is the bone comb I use:

Super detangle rake comb



Then I follow up with my smaller combs.

 

[Isis]

With the braids, if you braid them pretty far down the ends-- they will stay better. But I always leave about an inch of the ends unbraided b/c the skinny part is hard to detangle once wet for me. Some people use rubberbands or small cloth holders but my wet hair and rubberbands and such don't mix. Also, smaller braided sections stay better than bigger ones. My hair is texlaxed, so that might have something to do with my braids holding together better while wet. If the braids unravel, I simply braid them back up a little- no biggie. The point is to keep the hair sectioned and deal with small parts one at a time. Even if it comes down a bit as long as you aren't dealing with a big massive head of hair down at once, the detangling will be easier. And again, working with good detangling products will prove extremely beneficial.

My hair is kind of weird about detangling though. I can't detangle from the bottom up or my newgrowth acts a fool I wouldn't recommend this method to anyone else, but this is how I detangle: I take down each braid and work with it before moving to the next. (The NTM on top of a good slippy conditioner really helps me detangle my hair.) I go through with my fingers and make sure there are no massive tangles. Then I take my big bone comb and detangle the newgrowth first and inch up from the scalp. Kind of reminds me of picking out a fro. Then I move to the the ends and work my way up. I have to detangle the newgrowth first and separately or I have problems. I lose more hair from simply working up, up, up to the newgrowth.

Your method is an interesting one Sistaslick. I've never tried making braiding sections first or detangling the newgrowth first, then working from the bottom. I may try that next time to experience the difference.

I do detangle with all my hair down, only after deep conditioning (Humectress) and using the force of water under the shower to rinse it out. I totally agree about the importance of working with good detangling products. For me, Headress or Biolage Leave-In Tonic on my wet, rinsed hair is a blessing and I can easily and quickly finish detangling (mainly the newgrowth) with one of these after rinsing my hair.

 

[peacelove]

Buns caused a lot of breakage in the front of my hair and so I don't do them anymore. I stopped brushing a while back, but the tension is still to much, especially with the wet hair. So I instead part down the side, put two hair pins on the side and put the rest back in a big hair comb/clip thingy. the front of my hair is never pulled at all. And I don't do this that often. I wear it out probably more than most on the board. It is the top and middle of my hair that break the most, not the back. So I figure I need to style in ways that do not put any stress on those areas.

 

[*Frisky*]

]Yeah I also found that I got a bit of breakage from bunning but only when I did it really wet hair]. Hair is stretched out of its normal shape when wet so if you ponytail and bun it then, the part under the holder/band won't be able to fully contract to its normal length as it tries to dry. This constant stretching can weaken the hair at this point, and lead to breakage. So now, I let it airdy down a bit first after detangling, then bun it from there.

This is exactly what I was doing almost daily...thanks for information because I could not understand the breakage. I used to be the ponytail queen and never experience breakage but the majority of the time my hair was dry.