updos with or without accessories

[mommy2one05]

I don't know where to start. I see that alot of people recommend wearing hair in braids or up to protect it and I have a bad habit of wearing mine loose alot, but I am willing cause I really want to get my hair to grow more and to be healthy. So where do I go to find instructions for easy updos? Also where can I find hair accessories like forks, etc. that are inexpensive? I can do a 3 strand braid but would like to learn to french ... I can get a french braid but the top is always messy, not smooth and how do people flip the french braid up...what do you hook it with. Now if I wear my hair in a braid for a day or two then when I take it out to wear loose to church my hair is more wavy what do I do to get rid of that? SOrry about all the questions. Thanks for all help.

[FoxFire]

Welcome, mommy2one05! It can be a bit overwelming when you first start taking proper care of your hair. Here are some links to things I enjoy, on this and other sites:

There are lots of instructions on braids at Dreamweaver Braiding:
http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/Braiding_Tips.htm

I have french braided my own hair for years- mostly it just takes practice and concentration. Here is a link on how to french braid your own hair, also on Dreamweaver's site:
http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/b...elf_french.htm

Some of my favorite threads/recipes found on LHC:

The Caramel Treatment: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...hlight=caramel

Kimberlily's Defrizz Spray: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ight=hair+mist

Keep an eye out on the swap board for hair toys you would like to try at a discounted price.

Also, you can sometimes find hair friendly toys at Claire's, Icing and department stores.

When I flip my french braid up (actually tucked under) I usually secure it with some kind of a clip. You can also secure it with pins, so that it looks as if nothing is holding it. Here is a picture of my newest swap board find, a Flexi 8 (highly reccomend, by the way!) holding my french braid up:


If you want to get rid of "braid waves" as we call them, the only way I know is to wet or mist the hair down. You might try Kimberlily's Defrizz Spray and comb or finger comb it in.

Hope that helps! PM me, if you like.

[intothemist1999]

I can't help much since I wear it mostly down, too.

However, I DO know inexpensive hair toys! Most of mine are from Claire's, Icing, dollar stores and drugstores!

ETA: I'm not sure if it would work, but maybe you could put some pins or a comb in the top of your hair before you start braiding, then remove them when you are done?



.

[Tapioca]

Another cheap-o option is the wavelength pin. At Wal-Mart or a craft store, you can get a pack of four aluminum knitting needles (used for knitting socks and things) for about $5. If you bend one into a U-shape (a lot of people wrap a handkerchief around so it doesn't scratch, and bend it around a doorknob), it makes a nice simple fork. I make simple hairsticks by cutting a wooden dowel ($2 at Wal-Mart, and you can make several from it) to size, sharpening the ends with a pencil sharpener, and sanding them down.

[FoxFire]

Oops! double post

[lora410]

well you could make your own sock bun!!You take a long black sock if you have dark hair or other color to match in (I grabbed one of my fiancées)cut out the toe, and start rolling it like a donut.Can someone please give details instructions how to make the actual bun with the hair?? I am terrible at instructions. Maybe someone can direct you to a link. Anyway its a free hair toy and looks beautiful.

[mommy2one05]

thanks lora 410 for the sock bun idea...if someone could get me the instructions that would be great

intothe mist1999: thanks for the ideas...maybe I can practice and make a decent looking french braid tapioca: thanks for the idea .... I might be able to try those soon

FoxFire: thanks for all your tips...i would pm you but i cant figure out how you do that or how i add friends, read blogs, etc. tapioca: i love the updo in your pic on the sig line...is it a hard do

[Tapioca]

It's a braided bun, and it's very easy. Put your hair into a regular ponytail on the back of your head with some kind of hair-safe elastic. Braid the ponytail and secure the end with another elastic. Then wrap it around in a circle (it looks better if you don't twist it) and secure it with pins or clips. I usually use about four of those little claw clips.

[Anje]

I'm a huge fan of the "Wavelength pin" (described above, invented by our member Wavelength). I also got 10-pair packs of nice finished bamboo chopsticks for about $6 at World Market, which I cut to length and file down with a nail file, then re-finish with a bit of clear nail polish. Good fairly plain hairsticks, but you can paint them or potentially add a nail/pin and beads if you want. Regular U-shaped hair pins aren't that expensive and are worth-while, and I've found some very hair-friendly hosiery-like elastics in bright colors at the dollar store ($1 for 26, instead of $4 for 12 of the scunci brand brown ones). I also found thin women's socks in a nice brown at the dollar store. Good size for a sock bun, since my hair isn't thick enough to cover a big athletic sock, and it's a better color.

Hope that helps you.

[lora410]

Let me see if I can type this out

1. Make a ponytail,

2. Pull the donut around your ponytail like a scrunchie..

3. Bend forward, and spread your hair out so it covers the donut evenly on all sides.

4. place the rubberband around the bun (if you can do it twice).

5. pull remaning har that is around the bun towards the nape of your neck.

6. part the hair into two separate pieces (or braid if your hair is long enough) and wrap around the bun and pin with hairsticks or some bobby pins.

in the end it should look like this