Hello there! Ok I'm having the worst time evah! My edges are thinning again. I had it bad with perms. Now it's probably from buns because I do it everyday. Problem is, I don't have alternative STYLES to reduce tension on my sides. Wearing it down is iffy because I'm transitioning from a texturizer that left my roots straight but my ends curly. So now I have beautiful new growth, straightness, then curls. School makes it worse because of time & look. Please help! WOO sorry for craziness:)
Woo chile that is complicated lol. (Not to make light of your challenge) Kudos to you for sticking it out this far!!! Thinning edges are a plague!!! I have the same issue and made it worse a few months back when i got my hair braided. Now i alternate between my  DIY U-Part wig i made and when i do wear my hair out i wear a puff. Buns don’t have to be so harmful to your hairline with proper technique. If you wear your hair in buns most of the time that should mean your hair is already set and shouldn’t require you pulling it so taut. If you prep your hair say the night before ( slick and then tie down with a scarf) it should help prevent further damage. As far as hairstyles goes i’ve been working on making my tumblr a better source for hairstyling dilemmas by tagging them with Labels like twists, flat twists, braids, accessorizing etc. All the photos i’ve be able to update with tags can be accessed under the general tag “hairstyle” (http://hi-imcurrentlyobsessed.tumblr.com/tagged/hairstyle). It may offer you some options to try or expand upon.  Also don’t forget that you can wear your hair down if you do a twist out or braid out or bantu knot out. Those styles create a uniformed pattern to disguise the various textures you are working with. I do hope this helps!!! Please follow up and let me know ok?