is smoothing hair unhealthy?

[inthepink]

I wonder if when you wear your hair back constantly (buns, ponytails, etc) if you are doing harm to the front section of your hair. You are pulling the hair back into a ponytail and if you like a smooth & neat ponytail, you're smoothing the front of your hair with a comb, brush, and/or hands. Does this cause unhealthy hair in the long run?

I am curious b/c I think the front of my hair is fragile. I feel like when I was relaxed, it was a little healthier there b/c I did not touch it. I wonder with becoming a natural and wearing my ponytails (ie smoothing hair more) will I cause my hair to thin out there...even though the ponytail is loose and not causing pressue. I am referring to the simple act of creating the ponytail.

Any thoughts? Sorry if I'm not clear...hope you understand what I mean.

 

[Teva]

Absolutly! I have a friend who use to brush her hair back in a pony tail every single day and the front started to thin out alot. I also noticed alot of Hispanic ladies in my area who have very thin hair lines. They brush the hair over the front but it is still thin all around the front line.


Your pony tail has to be very loose not to case breakage if you intend to wear it this way every day. Someone told me that people with fine hair has this problem much more. Why I don't know.

 

[Lynxdiva]

I have tried to avoid wearing a lot of ponytails very frequently throughout my life because I do think that the tension causes damage. As long as you vary your hairstyle, I can't see the harm. If you put the ponytail in different positions, or keep it fairly loose, for example. But overall, IMO I just think it leads to thinning after a while.

 

[Ayeshia]

I understand hairlove.... I dont think it will cause damage (using your hands), but I think it may make your hair in the front slightly thinner. I mean just imagine doing this twice a day everyday. this is why I never smoothed my edges with a hard brush only my hands.

 

[inthepink]

[ QUOTE ]
ayeshia said:
I understand hairlove.... I dont think it will cause damage (using your hands), but I think it may make your hair in the front slightly thinner. I mean just imagine doing this twice a day everyday. this is why I never smoothed my edges with a hard brush only my hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't touched a brush in almost a year! I only smooth using my comb and then my hands which I don't think is damaging in and of itself...but to do it everyday...that's what worries me. Makes me want a cute curly do that I don't have to smooth.

 

[Isis]

That is an interesting point Hairlove.

I was speaking with an acquaintance of mine recently who is white and wears her hair back in a tight ponytail always. She wears wispy bangs to cover her receding hairline. I see her like every couple of months or so and it's getting worse. I feel it can happen if we always wear our hair back, especially tightly. Now if the ponytail/buns are loose, smoothing it back to make that style, I'm not so sure. For me, I know I'll be smoothing my hair with my hands no matter what style I make. It doesn't feel like it's pulling on the front or any part of my hair though. I don't feel any tension on my scalp. However, this is a good point worth researching, especially since you're noticing the front of your hair may be fragile.

 

[Ayeshia]

[ QUOTE ]
hairlove said:
[ QUOTE ]
ayeshia said:
I understand hairlove.... I dont think it will cause damage (using your hands), but I think it may make your hair in the front slightly thinner. I mean just imagine doing this twice a day everyday. this is why I never smoothed my edges with a hard brush only my hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't touched a brush in almost a year! I only smooth using my comb and then my hands which I don't think is damaging in and of itself...but to do it everyday...that's what worries me. Makes me want a cute curly do that I don't have to smooth.

[/ QUOTE ]

I smooth my hair everyday when I co wash. Then I run my hainds though my hair after it completely dries (which is about 4-5 hrs after I co wash) after I do this it looks wild and curly, Kinda like Justin Guarini from American Idol

I dont know If Im causing that much damage to it though, it seems pretty healthy. Man now you got me worried a lil bit

 

[inthepink]

ayeshia - I would guess that if you're wearing your hair "out" that what you're doing is probably not causing any harm.

Loose ponytail or tight ponytail (I'm a big fan of loose ones)...still, sometimes I'll "feel" like my ponytail is too tight and reach up to check it and realize it IS loose. But, it's like I get this feeling...maybe the weight of the hair?

I read in Curly Girl that women with curly hair will just have to put up with the wispy hairs around the hairline b/c it is the hair that is messed with most and most likely won't grow as long as the rest of the hair.

 

[lsubabiedee]

my hairline thinned out horribly as a child from wearing my hair pulled back constantly

 

[Sweetyb]

I can feel my ends are thinner than my hair at the roots because of excessive styling in the past year and a half. I would constantly mess with my hair by doing twists, twistouts, flat twists, etc. without letting my hair rest. I now wear ponytails/ponypuffs and I know even though I use pantyhose hair bands that its stil stressing the ends of my hair. I think because my hair is natural securing it down (something that it's not ment to do) will stress it. My hairline, although not scanty, I can tell is not as thich as the rest of my hair from brushing it down every morning and tying it down with a scarf every night.
My remedy: wearing braided/twisted hairstyles. Also, keeping my hair's natural pattern if I'm wearing ponypuffs--I don't tug & pull and brush my hair when dry to get that 'smooth' look n-e-more. I come out the shower with my hair already washed and put in a ponytail--I barely touch it after that (I just take a boar brush over it and maybe some gel & oil, & tie down with a scarf for waves). Also, you have a lot of hair, so you can always wear your ponytails high up, to the side, down low, in a cornrow, etc. to keep your hair from pulling in just one direction. Giving the hair breaks will help keep your natural hair & hairline healthy. Esp. since you wear your ponytails loose, you'll be alright

 

[Allandra]

I think it could be unhealthy if one's hair is fragile. I've been wearing buns for YEARS (parted on the side, in the middle, heck, parted somewhere

). I haven't experienced any negative effects from this (thank goodness) after all these years. Also using a brush probably isn't the best idea. Also, try making the bun not so tight. Tight buns/ponytails are not good.

 

[Leslie_C]

I agree this can definitely be a problem. When I was growing my hair out for the past year or so I was wearing a phonypony 99% of the time. It grew like a weed bc I only lightly relaxed it 2 or 3 times so it was strong, but since I wore it pulled up tight in that style, my sides are sooo much thinner than the back.

Since Im all about obtaining and retaining length, I am holding on to them, but I will gradually trim those ends off(already have been)... but I wont cut it all even until its all really long, bc I dont want to lose the length in the back. Its easy to coneal, especially if Im not wearing it stick straight (braidouts,headbands,buns,half up-half down, or roller set). Plus it just looks like my hairstyles is supposed to be that way, it gradually gets longer, like a u or a v....thats how my stylist has been shaping it up...

 

[Kha]

Yes, I believe that smoothing the hair out everyday will cause thinness..big time. The only brush I use is the Denman, but not very often. When I wear my hair pulled back I alternate the ways in which it's going back (if that makes sense). Most of my smoothing comes from my hands, aloe gel and a scarf. I think that wearing any style where the hair is secured by something constantly can be damaging in the long run. It's better to alternate sometimes.

 

[Boadicea]

This was only unhealthy for me when I was smoothing my hair incorrectly and using the wrong brush. It resulted in broken off, frizzy hair.

I now only smooth the hair once a week with a paddle brush and every day after, I smooth it lightly with just my hands.

 

[Poohbear]

Hairlove, I've wondered about whether smoothing hair was unhealthy too since Im doing the bun challenge. I use a brush to smooth my edges, but I don't do a lot of brush strokes and I don't brush roughly. After brushing, I smooth with my hands and make sure my bun isn't tight to avoid future breakage.

I think if the bun or ponytail isnt too tight and as long as you're not combing and/or brushing excessively (maybe smooth once a day; or to be safe, 1-2X a week), your hair should be fine.

 

[FrizzMizz]

Hairlove,

I conditioner wash my hair everday and wear it pulled back in a ponytail.

The ponytail is kind of tight because if I leave it loose, the hair in the front is short and it will stray. Esp. after it dries in a few hours.

I've noticed some breakage at the top and towards the front. My hair is fine but dense and the front has always been a few inches shorter than the rest of my hair. I don't use a brush. I hate the slick back pontail on me. I think my head is too big for it.

I just put some shea butter on it and smooth it back with my hands, clip the short sides down and I think it still looks good.

I'm curious too see what your experiences will be with the ponytail once you go natural.

Good luck.

 

[Teva]

Not only will the hairs break off but your may pull the hairs from the roots causing alopecia (balding). This is very. very common with these Hispanic ladies who brush their hair back supper slick.

 

[calbear]

Yeah - I think it causes issues for some people. I now only wear loose buns or ponytails and I vary my part whenever I wash my hair. I change it from center to diagonal or left or right etc. to vary any stress I may be causing. I don;t smooth tooo much as I just don't care anymore (I know my hair has a small halo effect sometimes but since I'm just going to work and looking good at my job is a no no - I don't care).