I have been running for about six weeks now and I've been having issues with my hair when I run. My hair is long, about to my hip bones, and VERY thick! The weight of it isn't an issue. I wear it in a ponytail when I run because if I try to put it in a bun or anything else it's so heavy it just falls out when I run. My hair tends to cradle in the back of my neck while I run. It's not a HUGE issue, but I wanted to see if I can stop it from happening.
Have you tried looping your hair? On the last twist of your elastic, don't pull the ends all the way through, let them stick up, leaving the rest of the length in a loop. It's sort of a half-way bun, might stay in better. Or maybe braiding it might help it stick to your neck less.
I am just starting to run, and I had my hair cut before that. BUT, I ride a motorcycle and exercise at boot camp--and when it was long and thicker (lost some with WL) I would do like in the 90s and tie it down with several ponytail holders at intervals. I would start right where it hugs the base of the neck and go down. The holders and the hair were weighted down so it did not flop and bounce quite as much. There is nothing worse than doing jumping jacks with flopping hair. lol. You won't be in style persay, but it won't move as much. Hope it helps!
My hair's not crazy long (mid back) and not all that thick so maybe this won't help at all.
I was always trying to put it into a bun, but it fell out (my hair is very soft/slippery) until I bought some heavy-duty non-slip ponytail holders. It takes me two of them to put it in a bun (one to make a ponytail and one creatively wrapped around the bun) but I bet 3 of these could hold almost anyone's hair. If you click here and click on the "Thick Elastics" at the bottom - that's what I have. They also have some "Stay put" claw clips on that page.. I've never seen them, but maybe that would work, too.
Yeah they work for me... these only have a little bit of rubbery stuff woven in, so they're better than some I've used that are basically ALL rubbery (ouch). And they're REALLY stretchy (I've got one stretched around my 4" diameter water bottle right now and it's nowhere near its limit) so that makes it easier too, since you can basically stretch them out far enough that they're not even touching your hair to take them out. (I don't know if that sentence makes sense, haha.)
There are some great ideas here so far!
mayness- I've never used those rubbery ones, I'm scared. haha
Although I have tried to put my hair in a bun... or the pull through thing where you pull your hair only halfway... but it just yanks out when I begin running - kind of irritating and painful.
A french braid might help.. I should try that one.. What do you do with the leftover hair at the bottom?
It seems as though I might just need to go get a few inches cut off...
I put mine in a ponytail, then plait it, then roll it up in a bun. There's nothing worse than hair wrapped around the back of your neck, especially when it's hot and sticky.
I french braid it, but only to just below my neck, leaving the rest lose like in a pony tail. That keeps the hair from sticking too badly to my neck, but doesn't leave me to be flogged by a giant rope of hair.
I have short hair now, but when I used to run with butt length long hair (curly and ridiculously thick...I couldn't imagine having hair that long now, heavy, heavy, heavy), I would braid it and then pin it up in a braid bun. I'm talking a crap ton of pins and a couple chopstick hairthings to get it up, but it eventually did the job.
I was running in the Mississippi Delta which I'm fairly sure in the summer is the most humid place on the planet. Hair on the neck was the worst.
Any long-haired runners?
haha
