Why is our scalp sore after we wear a ponytail or bun in our hair?
I was hanging out with a friend and told her to ask me anything!
Like if she could think of a hair woe, what would it be?
She proceeded to ask, "Why does my scalp get sore after I have worn it up all day?"
Lightbulbs were going off in my head because I realized that I knew the answer and I started drafting an email in my head about it haha this is how my brain works. I have a hard time shutting it off because I LOVE YOU ALL and want to share what information I know and learn how to better serve y'all.
SO, let's chat. When we put our hair up in a ponytail or top messy bun(where my millennial girlies at? haha), it pulls on our strands at the follicular level. For hours, our strands are being essentially being stretched and pulled. The tighter the pony, the more pulling it causes which actually leads to unhealthier hair over time and the potential for breakage.
SOLUTIONS would be to wear hair in a slightly less tight ponytail or for a shorter amount of time. A loose braid would be a lot more gentle on the scalp.
This is also the reason why we don't want to brush our hair when it is wet(unless you have curly/textured hair). For straight/wavy hair, when our hair is wet, it is at its most fragile stage and state due to the hydrogen bond being broken in the presence of water. The hydrogen bond makes up one of the many chemical bonds in our hair. When the hydrogen bond breaks, it makes hair more elastic which can make it more prone to breakage when wet verses dry.
Curly/textured hair girlies actually benefit to brush their hair when it is wet due to the structure. A little elasticity with the hydrogen bond breaking is actually a good thing because at each point where the hair structure bends or curls or coils, it is slightly weaker. So why curly hair is dry, there are a lot of 'snapping points.' But when hair gets wet and the curl shape softens, there are fewer shaping points, which makes the hair easier to glide through which in turn, prevents more breakage in comparison.
A great detangling brush for curly/wavy hair!!
All that to say, be cautious of wearing your hair in ponytails for days on end; especially if they are tight. I would recommend a good scalp massager to help massage away the tension after a day of wearing a bun or ponytail.
That is the wooden brush I sell on my website. Use it in gentle, circular motions on wet or dry hair. I love to use it in the shower to help massage my shampoo in.
