Protective styles for medium wavy/curly hair, blunt at (just below) APL?

[Freija]

I was just wondering - as the thread title suggests - what sort of protective styles should work at this length, please? At the moment I'm below BSL but I'm thinking of cutting off my layers now that the shortest have grown just past APL. Below this point, although healthy and strong, my hair is sharply tapered with very little shape. I want a subtle u-hem!

I do want to know that I won't lose all chance of being able to put my hair up if I go ahead with this, though. When I was at APL before it was awful; I couldn't do anything except half-ups, but then I had chin-length layers. I'm really hoping that this time, I might be able to manage an English plait and maybe even a basic bun held with spin pins?

I'd love to hear about any of the things that do/don't work for you. : )

[Freija]

Anyone? : )

[donnalouise]

APL is a really difficult length, i found. The easiest protective style at this length was a simple ponytail, just choose your hairbands carefully so you don't get damage from the bands (no metal bits being the most important!).. a ponytail at this length will keep most of your length up out the way from rubbing on your clothes and causing friction damage, and isn't too heavy yet to cause issues with pulling (which i get sometimes from ponys on my longer hair). As soon as your hair is long enough then a simple English plait is good to start protecting the length.

Also, two ponys is good. Or two English plaits, it'll be easier to plait APL hair if you divide it into two.

[XcaliburGirl]

My guess is that the layers were your issue before.

At APL, I can do a cinnamon bun with a fork, a pencil bun or a disc bun with a stick.

Well before APL, I could do cinnamon bun with spin pins and a loose scrunchie slipped over it.
Also there's always braids and French twist.

[ravenheather]

Peacock twist with claw or flexi8

[Nesoi]

I'm only at shoulder but already peacock twists are my saviour. I also do ponytails, bunches, and two low buns held with mini spin pins :)

[Kaelee]

I recommend trying disc bun (not sure if you could do it at that length or not, I live in one now at almost-waist.) flipped bun, and the 'sort of like a cinnabun with all my hair squished into an octopus clip' bun. :lol:

[Saldana]

You might be able to do a French braid with the end tucked under and pinned.

[velorutionista]

I have APLish length with layers, and I do a lot of french/dutch braids with the ends pinned up, lazy wrap buns around knitting needles (hair sticks are too thick, I think, to hold--or I'm not doing it right! but that's user error, I'm sure!), and sock buns (just around the house to get the hair out of my way). It's tricky b/c my layers want to crawl out of whatever I do, which may not be a problem if your hair is more of a blunt cut w/o layers!

[littlemonster]

I'm a bit below APL when wavy, around 21" (around short BSL/24" straightish - combed out wet) - I can easily do braids, including french, a very quick twist up bun (like a cinnabun but it doesn't go around enough times to look like one) and I've found with using 1-2 fingers I can also do a baby nautilus, which holds very strongly with a single stick and looks kind of cute. I also have non JML versions of ez-combs (butterfly combs), which I can just shove my hair up sort of wrapped up and down or whatever, and keep it up with. Honestly they've often been my staple as I can shove them into tangly hair without pulling with some practise. No spin pins, but no reason they wouldn't work.

I don't do ponytails as oddly they can give me headaches, so I manage with other things - really just a plain braid or quickly thrown up in some sort of bun, either with my combs, a stick or a elastic band (a metal free ponytail one). Whatever's near by.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I recently did the chop to get rid of some layers and dead ends that put my from BSL to APL. I find I can do most styles that I usually did still. Admittedly, buns don't look as thick as they did when I had longer hair, but I can still braid my hair which is all that really mattered to me, to be honest.

[Firefox7275]

I don't ponytail anymore, I damaged my hair badly even with no snag elastics. I can do regular buns with Spin Pins, French twist, a sort of 'figure 8' twist with a beak clip, pineapple topknot with a scrunchie, have done a Gibson tuck a couple of times - everything loose.

[Freija]

Thank you so much, everyone! I had the cut today, and the layers are almost completely gone - but I'm still just about hitting BSL! I had longer hair than I'd realised, almost to my waist at the very back. I'll experiment with styles tomorrow, but here's hoping I can just do everything I could before. : )