Is the Ponytail Thinning My Hair or the Water??

[wyldcurlz]

in a previous thread you all advised me to stop damp bunning because it could be contributing to my thinning ends. is it the dampness or the bun/ponytail that's the culprit or is it the ponytail/bun itself? (the nylon band or whatever?)

i try to be careful and not bun/pony too tight and i try to vary the position. but, my lifestyle practically forces me to have damp hair 90% of the time. because i have very strenuous, sweaty workouts 5 mornings a week and 5 nights a week.

the only other option for me is to slightly dampen (run my hands under water then over my roots at hairline) in order to slick back my hairline so that i don't look like a wild woman. could this be causing thinning?

can someone tell me what they think could be the main factor to my hair thinning? stylist told me she thinks its the buns/ponytails. i trust the LHCFers more - and you've all said that the damp bunning could be the problem. i need to fix this, but i'm not sure where to start?
or how to style from now on to prevent further thinning...

help!!!!

 

[SoAnxious12]

BUMPING!!!!!

I am having a similar problem. I wear my hair in a bun/ponytail about 98% of the time and i've noticed my hairline looking a little sparse. I too would appreciate any advice you ladies have to offer

TIA

 

[glamazon386]

It's probably a combination of the two. When hair is wet, it's weaker. If you're putting your hair in a ponytail in the same spot, it could be getting weak in that spot too. Some people pin their hair up without using a ponytail holder (like with a clip or something) until it dries and then they bun. HTH...

 

[msjones]

in a previous thread you all advised me to stop damp bunning because it could be contributing to my thinning ends. is it the dampness or the bun/ponytail that's the culprit or is it the ponytail/bun itself? (the nylon band or whatever?)

i try to be careful and not bun/pony too tight and i try to vary the position. but, my lifestyle practically forces me to have damp hair 90% of the time. because i have very strenuous, sweaty workouts 5 mornings a week and 5 nights a week.

the only other option for me is to slightly dampen (run my hands under water then over my roots at hairline) in order to slick back my hairline so that i don't look like a wild woman. could this be causing thinning?

can someone tell me what they think could be the main factor to my hair thinning? stylist told me she thinks its the buns/ponytails. i trust the LHCFers more - and you've all said that the damp bunning could be the problem. i need to fix this, but i'm not sure where to start?
or how to style from now on to prevent further thinning...

help!!!!

Try letting your hair dry 60% of the way first, and then putting it up. If you use a hair elastic, try using hair pins (not bobby pins) to secure your bun.

 

[blazingthru]

Those combs were pulling my hair out I had enough of that and gave them up for now anyway. I keep hoping to make one for myself but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Soon.

 

[Nightingale]

I have the same problem. I'm going to pull the BT back out and try to not put up wet hair.

 

[jtsupanova]

The only way I can put my hair in a pony tail is wet its to coily a dense any other way

 

[ThickHair]

The damp bunning is the problem. Let your hair dry. You may want to consider a short style if you are going to constantly wet your hair. I know that may not be a popular thing considering this is a long hair care site. What you are currently doing is not good for future hair care nor your hairline.

 

[BillyJay]

I agree with the previous posters about the damp hair=breakage and thinning.

Another option is to lightly mist your hair with water/glycerin and pulling your hair back into a bun. Only mist the top portion of your hair, just enough to smooth it down and tame it.

Us satin ribbon to tie your hair and give the elastics a break for now. I also soak my ribbon in oil to help with slippage and to counteract any friction/breakage.
Hope this helps.

What do you think about two strand twists or box braids pulled back into a pony? It definetely works in my favor when I need to lay off my hair for a while.

 

[InNeedofHairapy]

MY problem with damp bunning and phony ponies was that my hair would develop this SMELL..to the point where I was shampooing or co-washing EVERY DAY..and still Damp bunning. I know now that I shouldn't have been doing that. I thought the fact that I was baggying was helping, but it wasn't My ends didn't thin out though..or not any worse than what they were. Could be b/c I was trimming a lot though

 

[RubyWoo]

It's probably a combination of the two. When hair is wet, it's weaker. If you're putting your hair in a ponytail in the same spot, it could be getting weak in that spot too. Some people pin their hair up without using a ponytail holder (like with a clip or something) until it dries and then they bun. HTH...

agreed.

Try changing it up. Do a single twist or braid and clip it up. Also change the position. For ex. low braid or twist one day and position braid or twist higher on another day. Too much tension to one area consistently can cause thinning on wet or dry hair.

 

[wyldcurlz]

thank you all for your replies. its really frustrating, though. i'm NOT going to cut my hair into a short style just because i work out. not an option. but, i can't just go out looking all wild & wooly, either. my hairline frizzes up quite a bit from my workouts. i have yet to figure out how to make it look cute when its down and curly (that's been a 3 year experiment)...so i don't know what i'm going to do. the easiet and best option after the gym is to rinse the sweat out of my hair, pull it back into a bun and get to work. i recent bought one of those (strong) ficare maximus clips. love it. those things are strong and, obviously, don't pull out my hair.

i'm hoping this bump will lead to some more responses. because right now, it seems like i have no options other than cut or just don't do it. unfortunately, neither of those work for me. i will try to just dampen the hairline just enough to put on some condish or gel and slick it back. that's one possible, workable option.

 

[jtsupanova]

Don't cut your hair! I know where your coming from, working out 5 days a week and trying to make my hair look cute for school and work is hard. I don't think the bun can do too much damage honestly. Maybe you should try co washing every other day. I know its kinda gross to leave the sweet in you hair but a day or two should not hurt and it will give you hair a break from being wet all the time.

 

[wyldcurlz]

thanks. yeah, i'm NOT cutting my hair. but, i'm sick and tired of looking like a frizzy, nappy, trashy trailer mess everyday!! pulling my hair back without it being damp leaves it even frizzier. and when its pulled back, even slicked with water, it still doesn't look its best. i'm so fed up with my hair, i contemplated shaving it off today (a la britney spears). fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, but...i need to do SOMETHING with this hair. i can't believe that i can't even find a nice curly style to rock everyday.

 

[SoAnxious12]

hmmm. i do put my hair in a wet pony tail a lot. I'm going to try just doing one big french braid or two french braids or just pinning it up, and i'll put extra moisturizer and a smidgen of gel to the hairline and then my scarf to see how that works. But if none of that works, i'll alternate my wash days or just twist my hair (but it takes me 2-3hrs ). Thanks for the suggestions ladies. (hope i didnt hijack the thread.... )