by Myra Limbaugh

Do you often get headaches after wearing your hair up in a ponytail or bun? If so, you're not alone. Many women suffer from this type of headache.

The best way to prevent hair headaches is to use a Flexi clip. This simple, yet elegant, hair clip works by holding the tension within your hair itself and not by pulling from the scalp. Alternatively, you can make sure that the hair is not being held too tightly in your ponytail or bun.

In this article, I'll go in-depth on some techniques and accessories that can help prevent a hair-do headache from forming.

Why does your hair give you a headache?

Tight hairstyles can put pressure on the scalp and the nerves in the head. This pressure can lead to pain and tension headaches. Also, if you wear your hair up in a ponytail or bun every day, you may be causing damage to your hair follicles. This damage can lead to inflammation and pain.

The reason we get hair headaches has to do with the connective tissue in our scalp.

While it’s true that our hair doesn’t have nerves, it’s also true that our scalp below the hair follicles has extremely sensitive nerve endings.

Putting too much pressure on those nerve endings is what causes the painful hairdo headaches. These headaches can also occur with headbands that are too tight or even tight braids.

Hairdo headaches can be quite common; one study of 93 women found that over half (50) of them ended up with a hair headache. Although these types of headaches are common, they can be more frequent for those of us prone to tension headaches or migraines.

To see more possible causes of your headache, check out Surprising Headache Triggers.

How to prevent hair-do headaches

The best way to prevent hair headaches is to use a Flexi clip to put your hair up, as these clips are designed to avoid headaches. If you don't have a Flexi clip, make sure your hair is not too tight. You should be able to fit two fingers between your scalp and the band of your ponytail or bun. 

Additionally, try using soft hair ties or fabric scrunchies. These will put less pressure on your scalp than hard hair ties.

Finally, avoid wearing your hair up in a ponytail or bun every day. Give your hair a break a few days a week to prevent damage to the follicles.

However, even if you try using softer hair ties or looser holds, it's still possible a headache could form.

In my experience, the only fool-proof way of preventing headaches is to use a Flexi Clip by Lilla Rose. 

I first discovered the flexi clip 6 years ago. My daughter and I looked over the selection and chose just one clip, a cat themed one, to try. We left for a trip to Washington DC the next week after the clip arrived in the mail.

Of course, we took our scrunchies because the trip was in July, in the hottest part of summer, but we wanted to test out our new clip so we brought it along too.

Not joking, my daughter and I literally fought over that one little clip. 

We would take turns wearing it for a few hours each throughout the day. It was amazing the difference when I would wear the scrunchie as opposed to when I would wear the flexi clip.

There was no pressure on my scalp with the flexi clip but when I would switch back to the scrunchie I could feel the dreaded hair headache sneaking up on me.

I knew right away that I needed more clips so we no longer had to share.

How does a Flexi clip work to prevent hair headaches?

Flexi clips work with the tension within your hair itself and not by pulling from the scalp. Normal elastics pull on your scalp and affect the nerve endings. When the hair is released from the elastic, it takes a while for those nerve endings to settle back down, causing that “hair ache” for about 15-20 minutes.

But with the Flexi clip, all the tension is on the hair itself. If you could see my hair when it is up in a Flexi, you'd see that it is pretty "loose" around my scalp even when it's pulled up securely.

When you get the right size clip it fits so well and you’ll forget you are even wearing it.

No pressure on those nerve endings and no hairdo headache. That means you can wear it all day if you want with no problem.

Additional Tips To Prevent Hair Headaches

I highly recommend the Flexi clip, but if that just isn't an option for you right now, and you're looking for some additional headache-prevention tips, here are some to try:

• Wash your hair regularly to prevent buildup of oils and products that can contribute to headaches.
• Use a leave-in conditioner or detangler to help prevent damage to hair follicles.
• Avoid using hot tools such as curling irons and flat irons. If you must use them, make sure to use a heat protectant spray.
• Do not sleep with your hair in a ponytail or bun. This can put unnecessary pressure on your scalp and lead to headaches.
• If you are prone to headaches, consider carrying around a ponytail holder or headband in case you need to tie your hair back.

By following these tips, you can help prevent ponytail and bun headaches. 

Where can I buy Flexi clips?

To shop for Flexi clips, simply click the button below!

Thanks so much for checking out my post on how to wear your hair up without a headache! If you enjoyed it, please share and pin. I appreciate it - thank you!