I noticed that as my hair grows longer, I find that periodically I need to change my hair care routine.  Shampoos and conditioners that had worked fine when my hair was BSL, no longer keep my hair manageable at waistlength.  Hair styles need to be modified, some given up, new ones learned.  Some hair toys work better now, or worse.

Have any of the rest of you experienced this?  What changes have you made to accommodate your growing tresses?  

Can I answer this with a related question? (Which hopefully won't discourage other folks from actually answering the question...)

I've started wearing braids a lot more to save my hair from dehydration and tangles. But now, I need something good to fasten the end of the braid. Any ideas?

I've got those elastic things, but I'm concerned about breakage, as that's the very part of my hair that's most vulnerable. I've also tried ribbons, but they tend to slide out. (I do a lot of running, so I need something that will stay put.)

Thanks for any ideas you might have!

Christine

Hm,yes,I have experienced that,too!Since my hair is now past classic length,my favourite hairstyle -the braided bun-somehow doesn´t work so well anymore.I can´t wear it with a scrunchie at the moment(just falls down),if I fasten it with hairsticks,my scalp is pulled and I tend to get headaches.Same problem with all other updos,like figure eight bun,etc. :-[ I haven´t found a solution yet,since I don´t want to go any shorter,I´ll just have to keep practising.
Christine-as for fastening braids,I use those tiny scrunchies(don´t know the exact name),the smallest you can get.(About the size of a ring).They don´t pull at the hair and don´t slide out easily.

wrote on Feb 16^th, 2004 at 5:39am:

I've started wearing braids a lot more to save my hair from dehydration and tangles. But now, I need something good to fasten the end of the braid. Any ideas? I've got those elastic things, but I'm concerned about breakage, as that's the very part of my hair that's most vulnerable. I've also tried ribbons, but they tend to slide out. (I do a lot of running, so I need something that will stay put.)

I have used thin grosgrain ribbon (the ribbon with little ribs on it) to tie off braids.  To keep the ribbon from sliding off, I use a long length of ribbon - a bit more than twice the length of my braid.  When I start the braiding, I gently tie the ribbon around the center section, then braid with the ribbons being used with the 2 outer sections.  When I get to the end of my braiding, I wrap the ribbon around the ends 5 or 6 times before tieing off.  When I do the wrapping, I try to not have all the wrappings on top of each other, as I try to distribute the tension to more surface area.

I also use Bunjii ponytailers on the ends of my braids.  These unique elastics also wrap around the hair to distribute the compression.  You can see them at www.bunjii.com (Brad the Bunjiidude is a very nice person - I highly recommend him and his products).

Hope this gives you some ideas.

wrote on Feb 16^th, 2004 at 1:00pm:

Hm,yes,I have experienced that,too!Since my hair is now past classic length,my favourite hairstyle -the braided bun-somehow doesn´t work so well anymore.I can´t wear it with a scrunchie at the moment(just falls down),if I fasten it with hairsticks,my scalp is pulled and I tend to get headaches.Same problem with all other updos,like figure eight bun,etc. :-[ I haven´t found a solution yet,since I don´t want to go any shorter,I´ll just have to keep practising.

Have you tried a double bun?  Start by taking only the hair from slightly above you ears (similar to a half up hair do) and twist it into a bun and secure.  Now take the remaining hair and twist it like a bun, wrapping it around the first bun and secure it.  I found this minimizes the weight on the front/top of my head as it is distributed more evenly.  It is also a great way to use 2 hairsticks - one to secure each bun.

I have just tried it -and it works like a charm!The bun feels secure now,and it doesn´t pull at all-even looks better than my regular bun.Thanks a lot for that info,bikerbraid! :D

Anne-Marie;
Glad it works for you!  I've not tried it, but I would guess you could do the same double-bun with braids as well.

Hi Bikerbraid and Anne-Marie,

Thank you both for the great suggestions. BTW: those Bunjii things are cool! (I can feel my lust for hair toys getting fed even as we speak...)

Actually, that would be a great thread to start: hair toys that didn't work out, but that you just can't bring yourself to throw away. Leopard-print headband, anyone?

Well, at least now I toss the lipsticks that fall into that category...

Christine

Just for you, Christine, I started a new topic for our flops.  Check it out!  It is under the Hair Care Product Reviews board.

Just read the posting about the double bun... :D...this sounded so amazing, I had to try it right away on my v.fine, v.long hair...IT LOOKS SOO GOOD and STAYED UP!!
Thank you so much for this suggestion! I will be using it a TON from now on ;D!
To the gal who wrote in about the scrunchie not holding her hair up properly...I find some scrunchies will hold my hair up in a bun no prob (or high ponytail, braid) - others seem to fall out right away..I think it has to do with the strength of the elastic used in the scrunchie...have heard scrunchies are Very easy to make at home if you're naturally inclined that way.

Q TIME! (Sorry,haven't been on in awhile ;))    ???
Does anyone know where to find NICE headbands..suede-covered that don't hurt??
Also, have noticed that when I braid with my right-hand the braid stays more tight?? Ideas as to why this happens?
Also, my hair is currently 29 inches long...when I braid it (usually french or regular braid..more complex styles don't seem to stay in as well..or maybe I'm not as good at them yet :D) around the neck/base of the shoulders the braid seems to LOOSEN after a few hrs..regardless of how careful I am to make sure it stays on outside of clothing, jacket, etc.
Any ideas what could be causing this??? ???

Just a general note to the q about hair changing as it grows..I've noticed the longer my hair gets, the less frequently I brush it, the better it is to me..I don't know if this is bc I have some very limited natural wave or bc my hair is so fine, but it reacts best to VERY limited brushing (I only brush it now when am braiding or putting up...headbands, etc...not when ponytailing it)...also I have ALOT of fine hair so don't know if this is part of it, but that's my comment...lol...

Think about this...
I'm hoping, in the near future, we will have the technology to permanently change the texture (or type) of hair that we were naturally born with.  My hair is too thin.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this, I will pay big bucks for hair like Nora Jones, Shakira or jennifer Lopez.

Ladies, picture having the  hair you have always wanted, growing out of you head naturally.
I don't know how it would work.. maybe a pill, injection or grafting???  I don't know but I'd surely be in line for it.  

Me too!!! Can u imagine?? I'd be able to get the soft, loose wavey rapunzle look i've always fantasized about!!!
Think really old Cinderella/fairy-tale hair...*sigh*

wrote on Mar 20^th, 2004 at 2:43am:

Think about this... I'm hoping, in the near future, we will have the technology to permanently change the texture (or type) of hair that we were naturally born with.  My hair is too thin.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this, I will pay big bucks for hair like Nora Jones, Shakira or jennifer Lopez. Ladies, picture having the  hair you have always wanted, growing out of you head naturally. I don't know how it would work.. maybe a pill, injection or grafting???  I don't know but I'd surely be in line for it.

Welcome, Hairtoothin!
Hey - the technology for changing the hair type might not be that far away.  I was just reading that they are closer to "curing" baldness.......if they can figure out the genetics to re-growing hair, why not change the hair type!

wrote on Feb 16^th, 2004 at 1:00pm:

Hm,yes,I have experienced that,too!Since my hair is now past classic length,my favourite hairstyle -the braided bun-somehow doesn´t work so well anymore.I can´t wear it with a scrunchie at the moment(just falls down),if I fasten it with hairsticks,my scalp is pulled and I tend to get headaches.Same problem with all other updos,like figure eight bun,etc. :-[ I haven´t found a solution yet,since I don´t want to go any shorter,I´ll just have to keep practising.

Anne-Marie,
How is it working for you, what Bikerbraid suggested? Back when my hair was really long, I used to occasionally put it up on the back of my head with one chopstick, but the weight and tightness on my scalp was painful. I think the key is to distribute the weight across a larger area of your scalp. Lately I've been pinning it up with half a dozen or so old fashioned hairpins, which I have in sizes from 1½" to 3". As the hair gets longer again, I can see myself pinning up the center of the coil, then the next, and finally tucking in the ends under the last coil.

There's very little tension with hairpins, but they hold very securely. You can always add a hairstick or two as ornaments.

Anne-Marie...

Here is another idea for you. I don't remember where I read it but this might work!

Start by pulling up the crown section of your hair into a bun, just like for the double bun. Then, instead of making another bun, wrap the remaining hair around the first bun. This might help distribute the weight  :)

eKatherine and Leia:
Yes,you're right,I have to distribute the weight of my hair over a larger area-especially when it's very hot,since I tend to get headaches then anyway :P :P

I wear the double bun then,and when I wear a single braided bun,I put the circles flat against my head and I have started using two hairsticks securing these.I find that only using one (which I did for years) is putting to much strain on one spot.I like to wear the sticks side by side,like bikerbraid did in her pic from her son's wedding.

I do use hairpins sometimes,I have had the 'Good Hair Day' pins for years,but my hair doesn't really like them...When I take them out my hair looks very frizzy & straggly in the areas where the pins were :P

These are the hairpins I'm talking about, the old-fashioned u-shaped metal ones.

http://store.yahoo.com/texasbeautysupplycom/blachairpinp.html

You can get little ones in the store around here, but the long ones are only available online. The long ones anchor really well, and they disappear into my hair.

The ends aren't rubber-tipped like the ones in the store, so I have to be careful not to catch the hair or scratch myself. I could probably coat them, If I got a round tuit, too.

wrote on Jun 13^th, 2004 at 11:43am:

I think the key is to distribute the weight across a larger area of your scalp.

You might want to also try braiding your hair first.  A braid will distribute the weight more evenly and will also help to secure the hairsticks while taking some of the load off of them.  A braided bun is also great for women who have very slippy hair that hairsticks tend to fall out of.

I love the double bun!  Also, it is hard to explain, but if you take your hair as if you were going to do a pony but make an actual knot, you can make a bun type thing out of that and it stays really well.   You can hold it with hairsticks. Also, the hair clip called The "Ficcarri," is awesome.  i have below the bottom, thick hair and this clip will hold it up in a french twist ALL DAY.  No headache. There are copycats of it but they really don't work.  they are kind of pricey but well worth it.  my hair pushes out bobby and hair pins so these are the only things that will really hold it.  thanks for all the cool ideas, BTW!!!

wrote on Jun 13^th, 2004 at 3:03pm:

These are the hairpins I'm talking about, the old-fashioned u-shaped metal ones.

They do look promising.I'll give them a try,I think I have seen them in the shops here in Germany too.
One thing I forgot to mention in my post above:
There's one style I can still wear comfortably with only one hairstick- the Figure Eight Bun.I do it the way Leia once described it here(a long time ago):
I make a loose bun at the nape,flip it over and stab it with a stick.Sounds like a loose hairdo,but really holds all day and *no* headaches ;D
I finally found my lost hairtoy,the Stylee,this is also quite comfortable.The only thing I don't like is that it's a bit ruffled&frilly -a bit like a decoration on a box of pralines ;D

wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2004 at 7:22am:

There's one style I can still wear comfortably with only one hairstick- the Figure Eight Bun.

You might want to try the infinity bun. Make a bun to the right or left side of your head, and then flip the top coil over to the other side. If you can secure a Figure 8 with one hairstick, you can usually secure that with one hairstick too!  ;)

Help!
I went to the website Bikerbraid listed for the bunji ponytailers, and the bunjidude is selling his bunji business!  He's not even taking orders on his site.

If anyone hears what happens to them, please post! My hair is actually long enough for a bunjii! Looked cool!

Thanks,

strawberryfine
a not-so-bright-redhead (my hair's not so bright!)
1c/2a Fii
12/16/36

Brad, the Bunjii guy, is in the process of moving to Florida.  He left NY last week not knowing if the home he was heading to had survived Hurricane Charley.  Brad has been looking for investors for some time.  He had assured me 2 weeks ago that the site would be back up in September.  He had to shut the site down for August so he could pack everything up for the move.

If anyone has an extra $45k, I think this would be a great opportunity.  I've tried to convince Susan to buy it, but, for some reason, Susan wants to devote her time and money to HAIRSTICKS!!!   ;D  (Thank goodness for that!)

I hope the site isn't down any longer than just August - I really like the new braid enders he added - the cord is much softer and works like a charm on the ends of my braids.

8)Thanks so much for the update on Brad and his site, Bikerbraid!

I'll keep checking back until I can place an order.

Wish I had the 45k ....

Quote:

These are the hairpins Im talking about, the old-fashioned u-shaped metal ones

eKatherine -
thanks so much for the site!
I, too have always used the old-fashioned hairpins to put up my hair (I've never experienced short hair - I've worn it long since the age of two - and that was 1965!) I became familiar with hairpins in  Jr.High school when wearing it loose was just too much to deal with toting a backpack, etc... and my grandmother gave me her 'vintage' pins - about 20 of each size.  I've only 8 of the miniature and 2 of the 3 inch remaining - and have searched for them at every beauty supply and trade show to no avail.  Even in this computer age, I never once considered looking for them on line (me, looking sheepish)... I cannot thank you enough for the site - I'm ordering tonight!  ;D  Nightowl