Parents Ponytail question

[klv8]

My daughter has really straight, thick hair. Lately I've been noticing a LOT of breakage where her pony tail is. Her hair isn't really long enough to do a full braid. I've been putting her ponytail in different places (higher/lower), French braiding the top, etc., just to try minimize how often the hair tie hits the same spot. But I am curious if anyone else has had this problem, and can recommend a particular hair tie that will be more gentle on my daughter's hair? Or even a different hairstyle that holds up well for a little kid who likes to be upside down most of the time?

 

[twinmomma]

DD has this issue. I think honestly it's just part of the sport unfortunately. I've done the same with moving the ponytail up/down/etc... DD's coach requires a bun or what the girls call a "halfie" which is a ponytail with the last loop pulled ALMOST all the way through - essentially a messy bun. What I would recommend is what I do with DD when she isn't at gym is that she showers at night and I braid her hair before bed and make sure she uses a good conditioner and braid it while it's still damp to try and minimize the damage as much as possible.

 

[2G1B]

I have started braiding my girls' hair for practices because of all of the breakage!

 

[gymgal]

very common part of ponytail wear, unfortunately. Some hair is more prone to breakage. dd has hair like this. It makes competition hairdos harder because there are so many broken hairs all over that you have to gel/spray down. Doesn't help that dd likes to have 5 hair ties in her hair as tight as can be so that "it doesn't fall out" Really? I think 2 would do!

 

[cadybearsmommy]

These are the best ponytail holders we've found they hold hair tight without causing breakage. They are more expensive than tradional ponytail holders but last a long time and don't break easily either.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011PIKS9S/ref=sxts2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485899757&sr=2

 

[klv8]

Thanks, I'll look into those ponytail holders. There are probably lots of other hairstyles we could look into, but my daughter is pretty insistent on a ponytail. NOT a bun, NOT a full braid, etc. She lets me braid the top because......Shawn Johnson had braids into a ponytail in the Olympics.

She also likes to wear the scrunchie that comes with her leos, and it seems like those are the WORST for causing snags and breakage. They aren't required to wear them, so I try to discourage it when I can.....without squashing all her little girl dreams.

 

[kmc]

These are the best ponytail holders we've found they hold hair tight without causing breakage. They are more expensive than tradional ponytail holders but last a long time and don't break easily either.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011PIKS9S/ref=sxts2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485899757&sr=2

Thank you - I just went and ordered these. May even get the pack of black/brown/grey for myself after I see how they work for DD.

 

[twinmomma]

The plastic piece on those would be a big issue for my daughter's thin hair. I can't imagine they would be comfortable either. But maybe with thicker hair it's ok?

 

[cadybearsmommy]

The plastic piece on those would be a big issue for my daughter's thin hair. I can't imagine they would be comfortable either. But maybe with thicker hair it's ok?

My dd and I (although we both have thick hair) haven't found the plastic piece to be an issue. I usually pull up the ponytail so that the plastic piece isn't on the first part that goes directly around the hair anyway. Not sure if it would be an issue for thinner hair though.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

It looks like they also offer this style without the plastic piece

https://www.amazon.com/HBY8482-Stre...677&sr=1-8&keywords=hby+ponytail+holders&th=1

 

[sce]

My dd likes these braided ponytail holders.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/35978682...75035&wl11=online&wl12=35978682&wl13=&veh=sem

They hold her hair, but don't seem to damage it as much as the straight ones. Also, they last forever. She can use just one to hold her hair, which helps with not damaging the hair (She usually used three regular ones to keep her hair in place).

The scrunchy that matches the leo should be okay on top of the other hair ties. Just don't make it too tight.

 

[triplethreat+1]

Not sure if your dd would be ok with it, our current favorite is three French braids (top and each side) that meet at the back of the head (where you would do a ponytail) finish off each in a normal braid, then ponytail them together including the section for the back of the head. I braid that piece after the pony is in. So there is 4 braids coming out of the ponytail. It stays in super well, my DD has very flyaway hair. A skilled hair person could French braid the back section but I can't get it to lay flat upside down like that.
Anyways, because the elastic is around the braids it doesn't seem to do much damage.

 

[sce]

Not sure if your dd would be ok with it, our current favorite is three French braids (top and each side) that meet at the back of the head (where you would do a ponytail) finish off each in a normal braid, then ponytail them together including the section for the back of the head. I braid that piece after the pony is in. So there is 4 braids coming out of the ponytail. It stays in super well, my DD has very flyaway hair. A skilled hair person could French braid the back section but I can't get it to lay flat upside down like that.
Anyways, because the elastic is around the braids it doesn't seem to do much damage.

I think the easiest way to get that one to Kay that is to have her lay upside down while you braid it.

 

[e'smum]

thanks for asking this question! my dd is getting tons of breakage as well. at first i thought it was new hair growth. she's almost 10 but her hair has grown in in waves since she was a baby. it was like she had two sets of hair. but now i 'm seeing it's really breakage. we do two french braids for competition, it's the daily practice pony tails that are the issue. plus she wears it like that at school.

she has fine hair, medium thickness.

 

[klv8]

Right.....it would probably be OK if it was mostly just for practice, etc. But she wants a ponytail all the time, because you never know when you're gonna want to do a cartwheel or a handstand.

I like the idea someone said about braiding first, and then making a pony-tail. I'm not sure if her hair is long enough to make that work, but I think with some trial and error I could figure out a way. I wonder if there are better shampoos/conditioners that would help too.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

You could also do a "cheater" french braid thing where you take smaller sections of hair, ponytail, another smaller section, ponytail and so on until the real ponytail. Takes some of the weight off the "main" ponytail and is super quick.

 

[sce]

I think you need to talk with her too. Tell her that doing a ponytail all day everyday is breaking her hair. Tell her she has to wear her hair more than one way. Then discuss options with her, or the two of you can try some things together.

 

[klv8]

I think you need to talk with her too. Tell her that doing a ponytail all day everyday is breaking her hair. Tell her she has to wear her hair more than one way. Then discuss options with her, or the two of you can try some things together.

Good idea. I've tried explaining a little, but setting aside a time to sit and try some things might actually be fun for her.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I have had to make my daughter not wear her hair in a ponytail ever unless she is at the gym. And that seemed to help limit the breakage as well because now she only has her hair in a ponytail 16 hours a week versus every day all day which is what she would prefer.

 

[dmbgymnast]

My hair is chin-length, so I have no advice for ponytail holders. However, my hair is prone to breakage as well, and since I started using this conditioner by garnier fructise, my hair is super soft and virtually breakage free!

I use both the shampoo and conditioner, and after about 2 weeks, the difference was crazy. I've used it for over 5 years now, I highly reccomend it!