Edges, Black Protein Gel, and Ponytails

When I don't feel like twisting my hair or wearing it out I tend to take some gel, slick it back, and brush it into a ponytail. This is a cool 'don't feel like doing anything with my hair but still look cute' style for me. Well recently I've noticed that my edges look a bit thinner - not completely bald but thin and I'm not liking it at all. I was hoping someone has some answers for me, but in the meantime this is what I do:

1. Co wash my hair and DC
2. Apply my leave in then section my hair and apply EVOO
3. Spritz my hair with some water and then apply my Leave in conditioner then EVOO
4. Apply some black protein gel, slick my hair back with a brush, and put hair in a ponytail holder (scrungee)
5. And last put on my satin scarf or bonnet then pass out.

If anyone has any answers to maybe what I'm doing please let me know. I noticed this wasn't happening until recently.

I will answer quickly off the head because there is a nagging toddler at my leg... I'm wondering if its the protein laden gel or the tension from the ponytail itself that is causing your issue. Most gels have protein but perhaps you could try something lighter like: ECO styler or Fantasia ic. You could add some oil to them to prevent crunchiness. For me crunchiness equals breakage.

I think it's the tension from brushing the hair back then putting it into a pony. Stop pulling your hair back (no matter how loose you're doing it) and brushing it down for a month or so and see if you notice any difference. I used to wear buns and ponys with my edges gelled down all the time (out of laziness) and my edges became dangerously thin. The moment I stopped, my edges filled back in nicely (no magic massages or oils needed).

Thanks ladies. I appreciate this. I guess I thought since I was soaking my hair with tons of conditioner and EVOO it would help my hair from drying or breaking off with the gel lying on top of it.

I'm co-signing with the ladies, and adding that when I used that protein gel my edges became thin too....It wasn't until I became natural that I learned what protein sensitivity was and stopped using it, that my edges filled back in as well.

@Fuzzypuff

Was the protein gel too much for your edges? Hmmm interesting. What other gel did you start using to slick your hair back in a ponytail? Eco styling gel is cool but it doesn't have enough hold for me.

I use my butter mix and my fingers. The protein gels were a bit too much for my edges. Maybe I was using it wrong, but I didn't like the crunchy or sticky feeling. It also flaked sometimes.

I just use a little of my butter mix, smooth it on with my fingers and very lightly tie a scarf on my hair. I do this before I go to sleep or sometimes while I'm getting ready to go out. Works like a charm.

mmmm it can be 2 things like the other ladies said either you're protein sensitive and may need a gel that's doesn't have as much protein in it , and i also read to not wear highly stressed styles and to not do your ponytail in the same spot each time like do side puff and so on and not to tight that can cause thin edges as well and like everyone i would switch gels at first to see if i noticed difference than if not i would stop the gel and lay off the ponytail for a while and see if that shows a difference than massaging your edges with Emu or castor oil can also help

@Emartini04: I honestly think so. I used straight aloe vera gel (found in the health food stores) and tied a scarf around my edges to make it lay flat. When it was dry, everything was smooth and in place.

I've recently experimented with KCCC on my edges....That seems to work well for me, although it still takes a while to dry

Emartini04 wrote:When I don't feel like twisting my hair or wearing it out I tend to take some gel, slick it back, and brush it into a ponytail. This is a cool 'don't feel like doing anything with my hair but still look cute' style for me. Well recently I've noticed that my edges look a bit thinner - not completely bald but thin and I'm not liking it at all. I was hoping someone has some answers for me, but in the meantime this is what I do:

1. Co wash my hair and DC
2. Apply my leave in then section my hair and apply EVOO
3. Spritz my hair with some water and then apply my Leave in conditioner then EVOO
4. Apply some black protein gel, slick my hair back with a brush, and put hair in a ponytail holder (scrungee)
5. And last put on my satin scarf or bonnet then pass out.

If anyone has any answers to maybe what I'm doing please let me know. I noticed this wasn't happening until recently.

I think the brush could also be contributing to the problem. My edges and nape are too fragile to take the stress of brushing,

I found that the use of the brush was causing breakage on my edges. I looked at my brush and noiced a lot of broken hairs in it even though I don't brush through my hair.

I now use a di Prima comb and my hands to just smooth it back that area with pomade or a light gel like Kiss My Face Upper Management...

I agree that the brush may be an issue also. I wear my hair back in a puff a lot. I make sure not to pull back to tight. I also use aloe vera gel only and slick back with my hands. Then I smooth it with a soft bristle baby toothbrush. I bought it just for that purpose. Then tie a scarf on it for about 15 mins. It looks tight and smooth, but it's actually not tight at all.

I think its a combination of brushing WET (maybe therefore fragile?) hair, gelling it,a nd then pulling it and leaving it pulled back ALL night.
try doing part of that routine in the morning, and wrap a scarf around it for 20 minutes and maybe your hair will lay down how you want it to? if not, put a cute headband on and loosen the ponytail.

Also when I do my buns, I make sure my dry buns are loose. I lightly brush down baby hair with my hands in the front and back to make sure I'm not putting any tension on it.

i agree about the stress of brushing your edges. if you want to continue to wear pulled back styles i would try 2 changes:

1) don't brush, but put the gel in the palms of your hands and smooth it on with your hands only...followed up with a scarf to "set" and your hair should still look slick in the end.

2) don't try to get all of your little "baby" hairs into the bun. By this, i mean those curls at the very edge of your forehead. even if they are long enough to reach into the bun (once stretched out), let them shrink up & stay outside of the pony. then you'll haveone or two baby hairs around your hairline. Also, once I place the scarf over them, they tend to flatten out and lay against my head anyway.

Thanks for all the feedback ladies. I will be going to TJ this week and getting me some aloe vera gel - glad you ladies bought this one up because I didn't think about using this gel. Also I'll try not putting my hair in a ponytail so many days at a time. I have my lazy days where I really don't feel like twisting it so the ponytail is a life saver

At first I was using a hard bristle brush and then switched over to the soft bristle brush but was still noticing the edges becoming a bit thin. Sigh the longer my hair gets the more cautious I have to become.

I make/use the flaxseed gel (I got the recipe from Naptural85's youtube channel) and smooth back with my hands only. sometimes i will give in and LIGHTLY brush my edges back with a soft toothbrush. i tie a scarf on for about 15-20 minutes and it's set. what i like about the flaxseed gel is that it gives my front edges and hair a shiny, curly (not frizzy) look all over. the dreaded "halo" has decreased a lot as well.