It sounds like your ponytail is too tight. Try taking some of the pressure off it and see if that helps. It should.

You might be pulling your hair too tight. I know that if I do, my scalp hurts and I get headaches (my hair is to my ass). Try different ways of tying it up, try not tying it too tight, move the position of your ponytail so the weight of your hair is more on your back than on your scalp.

How long is your hair? It could also be too heavy for you. If it is, it still can be worked with. You just have to be more careful with how you tie it back and with washing it.

Also, if I do not wash mine often enough, or too often, my scalp becomes more sensitive. Every three days is best for me.

don’t put it in a ponytail!
haha my dad always says things like that to me. I’m just kidding.
Is it tingly or does actually HURT? personally I enjoy a tingly scalp every now and then ;), but if hurts you might want to try a ponytail a little lower on your head, or a different hairstyle, however convenient and stylish a ponytail may be.

I’ve thought that maybe my ponytail is too tight, but I have to have a tight one to make it stay in. It gets really annoying when I have to redo it every half hour.
@Arisztid My hair is about halfway between my shoulders and my elbows, and it’s layered. But it’s really thick. That’s kind of why I have to have a tight ponytail, because if I don’t, the weight of it will pull it down.

This brings to mind another question:
What’s a hairdo that’s easy to do, doesn’t take much work, and will be as versatile as a ponytail?

@starshine it’s somewhere between tingly and actually painful. All I can say is that I want a solution because it’s so…painful. I guess that’s the only word to describe it.

Try different binders for your hair. There are thick binders that are much gentler on the hair and hold better. You can also use more than one binder, neither terribly tight. My hair is fine shafted but thick and very long (obviously). I have a problem with binders coming out.

Another way to escape it is to do a relatively loose braid and not have a binder tight to your scalp. You do not need to have overly long hair to braid it. You can get one round of braid (whatever that is called… the three wraps that makes up a section of braid) and bind it. That would take the pressure off of your scalp.

I rarely actually put mine in a ponytail due to the pain. I braid it either partway down or all the way down.

Ok, my wife @Keysha does it for me these days. :D

A braid is, once you are used to it, quick and easy. Even I can braid mine (basic braid) all the way down in about 10 minutes after decades of practice.

Another thing you should try are hair clips. The claw-type things to put your hair up. Pull up like a ponytail, twist it a couple times, not as tight as a ponytail, and clip.

@Keysha My mom has huge jaw clips, but my hair is so thick that they really don’t work.

Mine is, too. That is why I have to twist it a couple times. If I do not, the clips do not work. and the huge ones do not work for me, anyway. The best ones, for me, are the ones about 4 inches long.

@Arisztid yes, I do. You are getting lazy, old man.

@ChocolateReigns If you want to try a braid, you can wrap the binder tightly around it. You have to be careful to not have sections of it pulling but, if you do not, the pressure is equalized.

@Keysha I just love having your hands in it <melt>. Ok, I am also lazy but I still like it. :D

It does sound like it’s too tight. You should try a slim bobbin or binder?? That might help. I find when I use a lighter bobbin in my hair, it’s more gentle on my scalp. Aside from that, maybe try clips, etc.. or opt to leave it loose, braid it, etc. There’s lots of ways to keep hair out of your face without wearing it in a ponytail.

I used to have that happen too. I believe your hair grows in a certain direction. If you change it by putting it in a pony tail, you pull the follicles in another direction. That works, until you take it out, and suddenly all those nerve endings are on fire all at once. I’ve also seen the same thing happen when I’ve been parting my hair in a certain place, and then I change the part.

@ChocolateReigns Do you use hair product to make your hair sticky so it will hold better? Use a firm hold Mousse before drying your hair, so your hair is not slippery, but will still have a dry look. Unless you want a wet look?

@ChocolateReigns I had another thought of how to give your scalp a break.

Now, I do not like the look of these on a Lady but I have been told they are comfortable: plastic headbands . Here is what they look like.

Some have “teeth” and some do not. I have not heard people mention the “teeth” hurting, just helping hold the hair in place. Also, while I do not like the look of them, I know many who do.

French braids are pretty, and kind of help spread out the pressure of the weight of your hair so it isn’t all being held at a single focal point.

It happens to me, too. And @snowberry is exactly right. It helps to wash your hair.

edit: I’m not implying that you don’t wash your hair, but if it really hurt and then you take a shower, it will probably go away.

Tight.Ouch. :)

I get that same feeling @ChocolateReigns .

I think @snowberry is right about the “direction”.
Sometimes I do a kind of faux French twist, pull into a pony tail and not bind but twist up and secure with a Barrett up high. Let the ends kind of fall where they may.
I wish I had someone to braid my hair :(

Wrapping your pony tail too tight tugs on your hair follicles and irritates them, plus you might want to get people to stop grabbing your pony tail as well!

@phil196662 Tell that to my dad… ;)

Ahh Ha!!! Now we know the souce of the discomfort?

Idea- cut your hair short so there is no pony tail…

@phil196662 Yeah my mom would never allow that.

After wearing a pony tail,brush your hair hard at the crown where it hurts. Brush it one way,massage,brush it the other way,massage. I think the overall circulation to the scalp helps a great deal. After brushing,the discomfort isn’t as extreme and doesn’t last as long with the hard brushing. My hair is very long and heavy and this works for me.

Don’t wear it so tight

@YoH OK sounds like a good idea. I’ll try it tomorrow some time.