How do you feel prettier with hair up?

[HintOfMint]

Basically the thread title, haha. I've grown so accustomed to the idea that loose, wavy hair means "va va voom," and "I'm ready for my close-up," that if I want to go somewhere and look my best, say for a date, I don't even think about an updo. I may, may do a ponytail if it seems to suit the outfit, but 99% of the time, I'm leaving it down and wavy.

But there are so many pretty updos out there, and I have plenty of inspiring pictures saved. I look perfectly nice with my hair up and there's no reason why it would clash with an outfit. I want to start wearing my hair up more to keep it protected, but it's hard to break the mindset that if I want to dress to impress, I leave my hair down.

If wearing updos on a regular basis took getting used to for you, how did you adjust?

[bananahanna]

I'm curious about the answers because I always wonder the same.

[0xalis]

CONFIDENCE! :D Confidence is absolute key~ I just remind myself that I'm always pretty. :o lol!
Also, I wear my hair up so it'll look good down! :) I wanna protect it and surprise people with growth~ When you start wearing your hair up on a regular basis people get used to it and are more impressed when you let it down ♥ My hair's only shoulder length and people tell me how pretty it is when I actually take it down.

I used to never wear my hair up either, but I started wearing it up this summer cause the heat was killing me. I then learned that updos are very protective and will keep my hair growing, so I just stuck with it. I also have a fringe, and that softens the updos a lot. I can't stand updos on me when I have no bangs of any kind. >.<

[Stray_mind]

I can't do many updos with my lenght but with some of them i really feel pretty because it fits me well. You have to choose an updo that will go fine with the features of your face. I also like half ups, but i can't do much of them yet too. I ususally leave my hair loose only if i am too lazy to do something with them or have no time. I am an average girl, not very pretty actually, but i try to keep my confidence up at all times.

[Andeee]

I just think of all those beautiful Medieval, Renaissance, Georgian, Victorian ladies (or whatever time period you're into). And Audrey Hepburn was gorgeous in the 60s with her classy updos.

Anyway, when you're over 40 and running around with long loose hair, it looks a bit hippie-ish and I did that look all through the 90s and 2000s. I like looking a bit more polished now.

[Bagginslover]

I find looser updo's feel prettier, rather than severe, tightly scraped back ones. Adding a 'poof', or having a parting to change things up a bit can help too.

[freesia]

Also, I wear my hair up so it'll look good down! :) I wanna protect it and surprise people with growth~ When you start wearing your hair up on a regular basis people get used to it and are more impressed when you let it down ♥ My hair's only shoulder length and people tell me how pretty it is when I actually take it down.

Now that is a really good point !

[askan]

If I dress up I like to make an updo. For one thing my short length is really boring so it doesn't give me any extra good-looking points. (Not saying short hair is boring, it's just my haircut that's very blah!) I think an updo will look extra fancy combined with a pretty dress, and I LOVE jewellry so that way my necklace and earrings get more attention. I can still still make a really pretty updo, but I like my updos to be a bit bohemian-looking and messy which makes it looking less formal.

[florenonite]

I'm the opposite - my hair's pretty boring loose, so I don't feel properly dressed up unless it's in an updo (the exception is if I do rag curls or something the night before).

[TiaKitty]

I like a dangly earring, or even a dangle that's soft and will brush my neck or shoulder, kind of a nice sensuous tickle of a feather or the tinkle of cool little metal drops.

A necklace that isn't too long or too short and has a nice effect with my outfit.

Of course, the hair toy!!!

And if I have to feel dazzling, makeup.

And as EmilyLightning said, confidence! Stand up straight, suck in my lower belly, out with the chest, shoulders back, and present yourself with grace. That does it for me more than anything... :flower:

[Kwantslonghair]

I prefer mine down. I rarely go anywhere so it's usually in a bun or ponytail. So if I do go out for something special I wear it down

[panffle]

I love wearing my hair up in a high bun, with pieces of hair loose around my face. I have bangs too though, I simply love how it looks on me! I always feel super pretty when my hair is up like this.

[Lyv]

I prefer my hair down but keep it up most of the time so I like to do braids in the front and keep the little pieces around my ears out to soften it a little. I think it helps if you find an updo that suits you. example: Buns aren't the most flattering on me but a gibson tuck w/ a pair of earrings always makes me feel pretty and it's just as simple.

[verenikiscoma]

Loose bun with a nice hairtoy and long earrings, makes my neck look longer and protects my hair, win-win!

[Crabbyco]

I wear my hair up for work and running around at home so it feels very informal to me. Hair down or in a half up feels more formal to me, too. I need to play with fancier buns.

[Kherome]

Simple, I'm not fooled by the media that tells me I have to be a certain way to be beautiful. I'm smarter than that.

[schnibbles]

Simple, I'm not fooled by the media that tells me I have to be a certain way to be beautiful. I'm smarter than that.

I love this answer! And I agree.
I struggle also with thinking I only look good with my hair down, not so much up. But you know what, life is not a Victoria's Secret commercial. I think we are too hard on ourselves. I know I need to work on that. Actually, I get a lot of compliments when my hair is up (mostly from women...) so I think I need to re-program my thoughts. Healthy hair is sexy hair. When you are healthy (not only your hair, but your self image and attitude) you can 'get away with' wearing your hair however you please! Hope I'm making sense, lol.

[AspenSong]

I never feel particularly pretty in general, lol....BUT, when it comes to wearing my hair up (since I usually do) and feeling like I look nice, I'm all about what earrings I pick for a start. When my hair is down, you can't see them that much so I take advantage of that since my hair is usually up and always wear fun, dangles. And if I really want to feel prettier with my hair up and want it in something more than my usual bun, I put in accent braids and a clip in flower or something pretty and try to accessorize my hair. :)

[Madora]

Simple, I'm not fooled by the media that tells me I have to be a certain way to be beautiful. I'm smarter than that.

Kherome, you're a person after my own heart! You go, girl!

To comment on the topic, I don't feel "prettier" wearing hair up or down. My features are pretty bland and bookish so wearing hair up or down isn't going to make much of a difference. I will say that wearing my "Madora" braids always made me feel much more confident and I was happy with that.

[neko_kawaii]

Being a kid who almost always wore unbrushed hair down, in a ponytail or english braid I consider updos to be more formal and formal is associated with prettier than every day.

But really, what does pretty have to do with it? I noticed in college that when I felt confident people looked at me. When I glanced in a window to see what they were looking at I saw a confident person. Confidence is attractive on any face or figure, hair length or style.

[torrilin]

Basically the thread title, haha. I've grown so accustomed to the idea that loose, wavy hair means "va va voom," and "I'm ready for my close-up," that if I want to go somewhere and look my best, say for a date, I don't even think about an updo. I may, may do a ponytail if it seems to suit the outfit, but 99% of the time, I'm leaving it down and wavy.

That is probably the key difference. My hair isn't the pretty, Hollywood or magazine sort of straight. And no matter what I do to it, it's never va va va voom wavy. Think 60s hippie with dreadfully straight hair, only a lot more windblown even on a day with dead still air. On rare occasions, it will sort of stay put and I won't wind up with lipstick streaks all over my face from my hair flying everywhere. Just turning my head with loose hair can leave me looking like cousin It.

It does not look *bad*. But down definitely does not show my hair in the best light.

And well, my hair is a good feature, but by itself I don't think it's my best feature. I have a nice long neck, nicely shaped eyes with an interesting changeable color (sometimes they look blue, others grey, others green) and intensely bushy eyebrows... which sounds like a bad feature, but is actually a plus. If I want some particular eyebrow style, I can pretty much have whatever I want, and it will grow back to bushy caterpillars fairly quickly. Fashion changes? I can have the brows to match. Kind of fun. Sometimes I go very in fashion, but a lot of the time I go with minor improvements on my natural caterpillars. Depends on my mood.

My go to styles for looking good are braided ones. A simple French braid shows off pretty much all my hair's good points and all my other good points. It really suits me, and it minimizes hair escapes and manages to make hair escapes look *good*. Truly a miracle style for me. If I want something easier/sturdier, I'll do something based on twin braids. Heidi braids give my face a heart shaped look, chin included. Since my face is pretty round and chinless, I appreciate this. There's a bunch of options like the oval bun too, where it may not be my best look ever, but it's easy, sturdy, out of the way and tidy.

Plain English braid (single or twin) is easy, fast, and comfortable. It's a good everyday style. If my hair isn't in that or a nicer style, it's in a Celtic knot bun.

But part of why I lean this way is my hair is stupidly fine and fragile and floaty. It is a prissy prissy princess that isn't well suited to following fashion. It laughs in the face of fashion. From your posts, yours is a lot more flexible. I don't think there's a problem with wearing hair down in general. Sometimes there are safety issues, and a lot of times there are taste issues (as in I don't like eating my own hair, and quite a lot of people share this sentiment). But barring safety and taste... there really isn't a whole lot of reason to lean one way or another.

[battles]

I never, ever wore my hair up until a few years ago. After being completely uninterested in my looks for a long time, I sort of associate wearing my hair down with not caring.

An updo feels like I've put in the effort to look nice.

[AmyBeth]

I like to master a new updo (I am so totally all thumbs) and incorporate a hair toy, or ornament, as I prefer to call them. I feel very elegant and feminine with my hair up. I truly am so paranoid about tangling and damage that I don't enjoy my hair down so much anymore.

[leslissocool]

I like romantic fancy updo's, I feel prettiest that way actually.

Washed hair looks better IMO down, because of my texture updo's look poofy and have a lot of flyaways. But second/3rd day of not washing, aslightly oiled, fancy braided do's look amazing on my hair even if it's too dark to tell what's going on.

I get the most compliments with my hair down though.

[CurlyCap]

Nope.

My hair is a lot like my personality. I prefer it down, doing whatever it wants. I HATE wearing my hair up, but often have to out of practicality.

So I try to make my updos pretty as consolation, but it's still not the same.

[HintOfMint]

That is probably the key difference. My hair isn't the pretty, Hollywood or magazine sort of straight. And no matter what I do to it, it's never va va va voom wavy. Think 60s hippie with dreadfully straight hair, only a lot more windblown even on a day with dead still air. On rare occasions, it will sort of stay put and I won't wind up with lipstick streaks all over my face from my hair flying everywhere. Just turning my head with loose hair can leave me looking like cousin It.

It does not look *bad*. But down definitely does not show my hair in the best light.

And well, my hair is a good feature, but by itself I don't think it's my best feature. I have a nice long neck, nicely shaped eyes with an interesting changeable color (sometimes they look blue, others grey, others green) and intensely bushy eyebrows... which sounds like a bad feature, but is actually a plus. If I want some particular eyebrow style, I can pretty much have whatever I want, and it will grow back to bushy caterpillars fairly quickly. Fashion changes? I can have the brows to match. Kind of fun. Sometimes I go very in fashion, but a lot of the time I go with minor improvements on my natural caterpillars. Depends on my mood.

My go to styles for looking good are braided ones. A simple French braid shows off pretty much all my hair's good points and all my other good points. It really suits me, and it minimizes hair escapes and manages to make hair escapes look *good*. Truly a miracle style for me. If I want something easier/sturdier, I'll do something based on twin braids. Heidi braids give my face a heart shaped look, chin included. Since my face is pretty round and chinless, I appreciate this. There's a bunch of options like the oval bun too, where it may not be my best look ever, but it's easy, sturdy, out of the way and tidy.

Plain English braid (single or twin) is easy, fast, and comfortable. It's a good everyday style. If my hair isn't in that or a nicer style, it's in a Celtic knot bun.

But part of why I lean this way is my hair is stupidly fine and fragile and floaty. It is a prissy prissy princess that isn't well suited to following fashion. It laughs in the face of fashion. From your posts, yours is a lot more flexible. I don't think there's a problem with wearing hair down in general. Sometimes there are safety issues, and a lot of times there are taste issues (as in I don't like eating my own hair, and quite a lot of people share this sentiment). But barring safety and taste... there really isn't a whole lot of reason to lean one way or another.

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply!
I can see how you'd prefer to have your hair up, what with very unique eyes, strong eyebrows and a long neck. For what it's worth, I adore strong eyebrows with light eyes. Overall, your look sounds gorgeous.

My hair is fairly thick, dark, wavy, and it takes to bun waves really well. All I have to do is take down my hair from a bun a day after washing, and bam! Victoria's Secret hair. With this little effort, there's not a lot of incentive for me to wear my hair up unless it's dirty, and chances are, when I have a nice occasion, my hair isn't going to be dirty for it. Basically, when my hair is clean and I don't feel like a total bum, it's hard for me to go, "why don't we wear our hair UP?" It feels like a waste of good waves.
I like my features for the most part--big brown eyes, nice smile, soft features--but my hair is definitely the most striking part of my appearance.

Normally, I'd agree, if it ain't broke why fix it? But it's the same style all the time, and I'm a little bored. I also want to put my hair up more often to protect it from tangles and the dry air (yay Winter!). It's a block that I'd like to get over. I see cute hairstyles on tumblr all the time and I think, "Ooh, I should try that!" and then I just never end up doing it.

Some great ideas on this thread! Thanks you guys!

[wildkratt]

Hintofmint, the exact same thing happens to me! The waves I get from a bun look so nice, and gives me such a nice look that I love to see. But then leaving my hair out all the time won't be so good because
a)it can stupidly get in my face all the time and be impractical to deal with, and
b)people will get used to it, so it'll start to lose its "wow" factor.

I always try to do cute easy buns, ponies, or braids (but mostly buns to not show all my length) so that when I do decide to let down my hair, everyone will be astonished and think it's beautiful and grown long so quickly since they're no accustomed to it.:D

[jacqueline101]

I don't know about feeling prettier but I feel like I've achieved something. Like I can style my hair and look at it sense of pride. I can look at the style and my toys take pride in my work. Its like art work it's something to be admired.

[sweetinlace]

I work in a restaurant, so I have to wear my hair up every time I work. I've been doing this for years, so I'm just used to it. Plus, I'm much more comfortable with my hair up. Even though I'm at BSL, I still feel like my hair gets in the way when it's down. Also, when it's down I'm always worried about damage. And wearing it down makes me hot, which is saying something because I'm always cold.

[angstroms]

I also have to wear my hair up to work and for most of my classes. I actually really like the formality of an intricate updo! I feel sort of under-dressed if I go out and about with my hair down, honestly. I love the waves I get after wearing it up, or just letting it air dry, but honestly I always feel like they're a bit much. Maybe too sexy?

[goldcopperbrown]

I feel like a church lady with an updo. I wear a high bun for work sometimes because I don't care about looking sexy at work. But for date night I always wear it long. Maybe different variations of long.

[lapushka]

Up or down, makes no difference to me, really. Not in how I feel. Might be in how I look - but I don't care. Ever since I hit about APL, wearing it up has just been easier for me.