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Hi everyone,
I have been growing my hair out for almost two years now. Recently I have noticed I have been getting some tension-type headaches if I braid my hair and less so when I have it in a pony. If my hair is loose, I feel fine.
I suspect this has to do with my head and muscles needing to adjust to the longer hair, the greater weight and the extra strain.
My question is if any of you can confirm this or if you have experienced a similar type of issue? I usually wear my hair in a pony, but rarely I do experiment with braiding.
Mark
Hi Mark,
I did when I first began wearing my hair in a ponytail. It took me a while to figure out why... go-figuringly, because my ponytail was pulling the hair back on my head (my scalp), that new feeling told my eyebrows to go up with it giving me a "Happy Groucho Marx" type of look - pretty silly :p . Once I relaxed my eyebrows, my headaches went away >_> .
Hope this might help a little bit ;) ...
Sincerely,
Eric
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I get sore spots on my scalp if my hair is tensioned unevenly. This can cause a headache. My hair is over 3 feet long, so I have to tail it carefully so there is minimum tension on it. Tangles can cause uneven tension, so I keep my hair as tangle free as possible.
Scott
Hi Mark,
Basically you answered your own question regarding the amount of tension you place on your scalp with a tightly tied ponytail.Normally when I tail my hair I tie it tight initially so all the hair over my scalp looks neat and even then I slide the ponytail band down some to loosen the tension.This way it still looks neat but now there is no pulling of the hair.Hope this helps:)Cheers
Mârk
Hair hardly weighs anything so I regret to say that this is nonsense and purely in your mind.
If you have regular headaches I would suggest a doctor is your best port of call.
Scott,
I figure if anyone here has this sort of data, it's you. UK states that "[h]air hardly weighs anything..." Do you know approximately how much a typical head's worth of hair might weigh? Actually, I find it quite probable that the weight of one's hair, if long enough and thick enough, would be sufficient for causing muscle strain/tension headaches. Intuitively, it seems to me that a person's relative spinal health and neck strength would also be relevant factors.
Anecdotally and for what it's worth, following the filming of the fourth season of Stargate: Atlantis, actor Jason Momoa actually cut off his many-years-mature dreadlocks due to the severe headaches they were causing.
Of course, anyone who is suffering from chronic headaches would be well-advised to seek a professional medical opinion.
Thanks,
Val
Hi Validus,
C&W singer Crystal Gayle's knee-length (actually, almost floor-length) gorgeous hair is a good example of what you're talking about. A few years ago she was on a TV talk show, discussing her neck and back pain issues -- which resulted in her decision to, rather than cut length off, to severely thin her hair out instead. She has such a massive amazing amount of hair, and had grown it to such a mega-long length, that it's understandable how this much hair could indeed literally be, "a pain in the neck!"
I have met Scott (Absalom), including his hair (LOL), up-close and in-person many times; but Crystal Gayle still wins in both length and hair density (sorry, Scott) -- but the good news for Scott then is that probably because his hair is considerably thinner near the ends than Crystal's hair is, Scott will be able to keep his mane as-is...
Ahhhh, if only I had such worries myself, to be that kind of a hair god or goddess, I'd be bragging / "complaining" to everyone here about my plight! (LOL)
- Ken
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The total weight of my hair on my head I estimate at 200 to 250 grams. Uneven tension is probably more likely to cause headaches than weight.
Dreads can put uneven tension on some hair strands. (Not all hairs grow at the same rate.) This is most likely the cause of headaches. Jason Momoa would benefit from having his curly hair loose. I think that is what he has now.
Scott
Hair pulled tightly on the scalp can cause headaches I've noticed.
When I braid or tail my hair, I leave a little slack between the start of the braid (or pony tie) and scalp. That has worked well for me.
- Oren
I think Hairball is right, if you pull it all too tight then every root is being tensioned, thats going to cause discomfort and headaches. possibly :)
Dave
At knee length, my hair still only weighs a few ounces...so the actual weight of the hair is unlikely to be the problem. As others have said, having it tightly constrained, especially unevenly will cause headaches.
Also, if the roots are being pulled in a different direction from the way they normally fall, that can cause severe and long lasting headaches...changing my part was remarkably painful for days.
WOW, now that's an interesting comment, and something I've never considered or experienced myself yet (I guess because I tend to do a "non-part", brushing my hair basically in the back direction before bunning, braiding, or tailing it). But also, your hair is considerably both longer & thicker (fuller) than mine -- which would explain why you experienced the pain you describe above.
Hope all is going well with you, Trolleypup! I keep thinking that maybe one of these days I'll be bumping into you again whenever i ride on MUNI; but it's been awhile...
"Onward & Downward!"
- Ken
I know what you mean. I did change my parting years ago, the first time I grew it long. These days, it's almost always tied back, so that's not a problem any more.
One of my sisters, whose hair isn't as long as mine, used to wear her hair in a high bun and always complained of pain for the first 20 minutes or so when she let it loose, probably from the weight/tension on the follicles changing direction.