Q: My head hurts and I get a headache when I put my hair in a high pony tail. Is that normal? Any advice you can give? I am a member of a dance group and we have to wear our hair in a high ponytail often.
A: My guess is that either you have A) very thick hair, or B) very long hair. Both of these situations cause women who try to wear ponytails discomfort, particularly when the tails are placed in positions on the
scalp that result in lot of localized tension (such as high on the crown).
The pain can begin as a localized ache from the weight of the hair isolated to a specific area, but the tension can lead to more generalized headaches as that pressure persists.
The advice I can offer is to discuss options for styling with your dance instructor and find out whether there are any variations which might be acceptable. It’s probably likely
that the instructor wants all of the girls in the troupe to have identical styles to create a uniform look, but perhaps you could ask about options like wearing a “bun” or a “twist” which would help you to avoid
the hanging tension of the ponytail.
If that doesn’t work as an option, you might try this:
Create a “double” ponytail. Begin by isolating a circle of hair along the crown of the head. Pull the hair up into the position you need the ponytail to rest and secure it in a
ponytail elastic. Next, take the rest of the hair and comb it back to the crown and gather it around the first ponytail. Take the second elastic and secure the outer tail around the inner one. This should help to
divide the weight of the tail and prevent the localized tension from being as intense. The result should be a more comfortable ponytail.
