Next week will be really busy for me. So while I was preparing for a week of work and sleep and little time for anything else, I had a thought...
The braid bases are great for busy days because I can easily "reuse" them for different styles and go directly to sleep with the braids. But how long could I stretch the "reuse" period? How lazy efficient could I possibly get and still stand myself?
There are a few factors in this:
- My scalp loves water, so it will not enjoy going rinse free and not having the braids redone. My scalp is slightly dry and I don't produce a lot of sebum, so I won't get noticeably greasy unless I stretch the no-wash for... weeks? Irritation and itchiness could be a factor though.
- How many updos/buns I could do with the braid base. Doing a good braid base would be kind of pointless if I can't use it for different buns. I always get this irrational irritation at those who have long hair but can't do anything cool with it. The options of updos is what made me grow it this long in the first place.
- Flyaways/halo. I think this will be the limiting factor. I don't generally like messy updos: Why waste time on making something cool with your hair, if you're just going to mess up the structure anyways? Wouldn't you want your effort to show? There won't be much I can do for this, since you have "wear" from sleep, wind and rain. A strong leave in-conditioner might help, but there is only so much they can really do and I'm not willing to use stronger styling products.
What braid base to pick?
My theory is that although I would initially think a Dutch braid base would be the best for it's ability to tame the halo, the Dutch structure itself will increase rubbing against a pillow. The braid needs to be "flat" against the scalp instead of protruding.
My conclusion: Why not try four simple braids?
Styling options for four braids:
- Single bun options: Royal bun and (Complicated) Chinese bun
- Double buns options, horizontal: Royal buns, Chinese buns and Nautilus buns
- Double buns options, vertical: Royal buns, Chinese buns and Nautilus buns
- Quad buns options: Nautilus buns and cinnamon buns
I'm happy with the braid base.
Tomorrow I will start the experiment....
It's funny how everyone's scalp is different. Mine gets very sore with braids in for too long. I've always been that way--even my sleep braid was a loose one. I now just keep my hair loose and piled on the pillow as I am such a restless sleeper, the braid wasn't working.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you! The start looks lovely. I also hope your week isn't too insane. :)
Hmm, interesting! I didn't even think that soreness could be an issue. But then again, I've never tried to keep my hair in the same braids for so long. Do you have a lot of cowlicks or is it just that the skin on your scalp is sensitive to being kept in the same "pull"? Is your scalp generally sensitive to mechanical manipulation or pressure?
DeleteIt's the sensitivity of the same 'pull'. And it's odd, but I can wear high buns or ponytails fine, but you braid my hair for an extended period, and the scalp gets sore. Meaning a french braid--english braid I am fine with. I only learned how to do french braids in my mid teens, so I wondered if it was just my scalp wasn't used to it. I used to be able to wear hair barrettes for long periods of time and now, not able to. I often wonder if, as we age and lose collegan, if perhaps that affects sensitivty as the skin is not as 'taught' as is used to be :)
DeleteIt's really interesting how different scalps react. I think we might have similar hair (based on your product reviews, my hair often reacts the same), but my scalp is totally different. Greasy, itchy, and generally angry if I don't wash every day. I'd love to wash less, but it never adjusted, no matter what method I tried.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried using gel and/or hair spray? I normally don't use any product, but if I know I need to present something at work or if I'm going somewhere dressy, I usually use a really lightweight hairspray around my face to keep the flyaways at bay. Same on my length, if I need to have my updo looking clean for a long time: I put my hair up slightly damp, which helps and then either give it a light spritz of hairspray or very(!) little of a gel or wax.
I normally don't mind my daily halo at work, I actually like the rather messy look, but on those days where I need to look professional the little bit of product has served me well.
Hope your week goes fine and isn't too stressful!
How is the rest of your skin? Did we swap scalps/rest of the skin at birth? XD "Generally angry" is a good description of all my non-scalp skin.
DeleteI used to use a gel back when my hair was really short (The delightful time when it was so long it got into my eyes and nose but was too short to put up in any way!) but I haven't owned a gel for the past... 15 years?
How is your scalp reacting to hair spray? I would be really worried about how my skin would react to it...
(I like the messy look some times too, but it has to be deliberately messy, as in "select areas have loose parts", it needs to have contrast to the neatness)
Mine is exactly this way. If I don't wash daily, my scalp gets very grumpy--sore, itchy, greasy and I will scratch until it bleeds. I also get crusty scalp due to SD. I think Igor said her skin and scalp run dry, and I know many of my friends who have that skin/scalp type wash once a week, many of them use water as well. Oh, that would make my life so easy---if my hair is just wetted, it gets so gross and greasy. Ugh!
DeleteI've SD as well and will scratch until it bleeds. I tried wetting it only to see if that would dissolve enough of the sebum, but, like you Darkhorse, my hair just looks nasty and stringy.
DeleteI try not to get hairspray on the scalp but on areas where I got some it will get itchy after a long day. Scalp would probably get quite sore if I didn't shampoo the next day.
My skin is on the sensitive side, but I don't think it's anyway near as sensitive as yours, Ida. My body skin is dry but mostly happy. My face, back and neck give me trouble with breakouts, though it got loads better when I started going to a great cosmetician once a month.