11 December 2010

Undercap Blues

Bones, undercaps, headbands.. whatever you want to call them, they do the same thing and that is slowly and mercilessly thin your hairline. I know that I have done a post on them before (paradoxically, I was saying how versatile and useful they are), but I highly recommend that you do not regularly wear them especially if you are noticing your hair is getting thinner at the front.

Here are some simple tips to prevent your hair from thinning:

1. Scrunchies are a lot gentler on your hair than elastic hair bands. Yes, they are those ugly things from the 1980's but they don't pull on your hair as much because they are made from fabric. I think the best scrunchies to go for are those big, vile velvety ones.. Don't make that face.. No one's going to see!


2. Don't tie your ponytail back too high

3. Never tie the front parts of your hair (i.e. fringe) back with the rest of the ponytail: this will thin your hairline before you know it. Always leave the fringe part untied and..

4. ..pin your fringe with hair pins to the sides of your head. This means there is no weight on those hairs and also means that you don't have to wear an undercap to prevent hair from peaking through.

5. Don't tie the ponytail or headscarf too tightly

6. Not that I think most of you would like to wear them anyway, but I would recommend steering well clear of two-piece hijabs like the Al-Amiras.
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(The top photo was taken from yesstyle.com)

17 comments:

fifianggun said...

very beautiful

lala said...

I have to wear at least 3 hair ties to keep my hair concealed under hijab because it's long and thick, even though it's not heavy :( Before wearing hijab I never wore my hair up, except at night when I tied it loosely back in a low ponytail to keep from tangling. Because I have such dry hair it's better that I wash it every other or even every 4 days (it was never noticeable) but now with hijab, if I wear it for like 18 hours my hair is going to come out crimped and crazy and I will need to wash it to set it straight. It can be so annoying and hard on me to deal with because I've never had to worry about such stuff. Do you have any suggestions? I can't use scrunchies bc they would add so much volume lol and I wear full hijab so I need at least one bobby pin with the traingle scarves...

Nikki said...

Without an underscarf my hijab NEVER stays in place and I've got hairs popping out all over the place. :( I did notice thinning when I first started wearing hijab, though. I don't really notice it now but maybe I've just grown accustomed to those little broken off hairs.

L.L. said...

why should we stay away from al-amira's? Those are the only one's I know how to wear.
Which part is fringe? The "bangs"?

hannah said...

I almost always wear an undercap with my hijab (otherwise I can never get it to stay in place!), but alhamdulillah I have never had a problem with it affecting my hair (well, it does make my hair very flattened to my head when i take my hijab off! lol)

Unknown said...

I wish I could forgo the undercap entirely, but unfortunately the scarf absolutely will not stay in place unless I use one. I have very thin hair that is slowly falling out, but that was happening before I started wearing hijab. I found that without an undercap, the scarf constantly rubbed my head, creating static and making the hair break. The undercap at least keeps all the hair in one place. Now if only I have find a way to keep it from pulling at the hair in the front!

Anonymous said...

I've never really liked two piece al-amiras. they're too school girlish and not in the cute way.
what are you saying!?!! I LOVEE scrunchies! they come in so many vibrant colours they're awesome <3

I'm one who just cannot do without an underscarf. what do you suggest as a an alternative cuz sadly i am sensing my hair thinning :( and i do not have a fringe.

çiğdem said...

very nice skirt

Baji said...

omg im glad someone finally talked about this! i thought i was the only one who found under caps a bit off. besides, after about 2hrs they give me a headache!

Muslim Mommy said...

ASA great tips, keep them coming!
And if you ever wanna read about some mommy stuff or if you are a truth seeker, stop by my blog... www.dig4knowledge.blogspot.com

StylishMuslimah said...

wanttowearhijab: Salam, yes the fringe is the same as the bangs :)
Al Amiras stick very tightly to your head and essentially have their own version of the undercap - not good for thinning hair :S

xxx

Anonymous said...

asalaamu alaikum

some suggestions...one, only sisters who have very very heavily textured hair can usually get away from wearing an underscarf...most sisters need them, otherwise hair will be coming out. ive worn hejab for like 13 something years now and have always worn undercaps...but I dont have thinning.

First, I dont tie them uber tight...okay,
Second, stay away from slipper hejabs, they tend to slide against the scarf too which means the underscarf moves a lot.
Third, try a bandana...back in the day before underscarves were the norm...we used bandans...LOL...yah, like those ones from the dollar store, they r a bit heavier in material and stay put better, also try putting it down further on your forehead, less movement.

Condition your hair regularly...use henna or just a good quality hair conditioner of some time...sleep with your hair out unless its uber long.

Also silk really works wonders on fragile hair, if you can find a square of pure silk material, try that as your underscarf and then wear a silk scarf over. This trick is often recommended for sisters with fragile African hair (coarse, dry, kinky)...also if you have fragile, dry, kinky hair many sisters slather shea butter or almond butter on their hairline and ends daily and esp before covering...it helps to keep those areas mosturized.

I think most problems come about when sisters wear underscarves made of polyester and not cotton or silk, or wear very fancy hejab styles that put a lot of stress on the head...I say, keep it simple.
I have naturally thin hair that is quite fine but other than flat hair issues post hejab wearing, ive never had issues with hair thinning and thats because I stick with natural underscarf fabrics, keep it simple and regulartly moisturize, pamper my head and scalp

Anonymous said...

http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=35240

Nice. I finally have something relevant to post.

Imran

StylishMuslimah said...

Imran: Interesting read, especially the comments lol. "..Let's all be Western" cracked me up :D

Salam

StylishMuslimah said...

Umm Ibrahim: Thanks for the extra tips!! :D Good luck with your exam btw!

Salam
xxx

Fatima said...

sorry for my sister aliya's copy cat version of your article. i thought she made it herself until i came and realized that she copied everything off u. sorry again.

-Leila

StylishMuslimah said...

Leila: Aw that's OK. I was just taken by surprise because most people that repost my stuff without asking are definitely not Muslim. Anyway, good luck with the blog :D

Salam