Buns, tutorials, mastery and headaches

[thistledown]

Hi all :)
As I'm going back to school soon (21st Feb! Epp too close!) in a science based field I really need to get on top of this bun business, last thing I need is my braid to flip into some acid or something :rolleyes:, I've never really worn buns as 1. they aren't 'me' and I don't love them, a simple 3 strand braid is my go to and 2. I'm really hopeless at doing anything with my hair (I mean that, think of a 6 year old. They are better at doing their hair then me! LOL), at the moment my only bun 'like' hair-do is I twist all my hair up into a lump and secure with a ficcare.....it often goes lopsided and the ends come loose and I need to redo several time throughout the day, it sometimes also pulls at my scalp too. It also gives me a headache and makes my neck ache :( Heres a pic of my ficcare twist or mess as it may be ;):
http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/p679/aintnograve1897/IMG_0245_zps63da8e01.jpg (http://s1345.photobucket.com/user/aintnograve1897/media/IMG_0245_zps63da8e01.jpg.html)

I'm going to google (of course ;) ) for some tutorials but if anyone can point me at some good long hair bun tutes that'd be great, I only know of Torrin at the moment-I posted a while ago about hair forks/stick buns so I'm going to look that back up and rewatch some of the recommended videos. It's times like this I wish I had broadband :justy: I'm interested in pretty much any bun but probably the simpler the better....I'd also love to know about sock buns in long hair, I like the idea of being able to take it out after school for curls :) Any tips or trick welcome as are any recommendations for hair sticks/forks for newbs :) Also anyone else have trouble with headaches and neck aches from buns? Or does that go once you've worn them for a while and adjusted?
Vanessa

[neko_kawaii]

Your preference for a braid makes me think of one of my favorite buns - the pinless braided - I posted a tutorial for it in my blog (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=114369). It can be done with a variety of toys.

There is a long list of buns with links to tutorials in the inprogress reference thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=112682&p=2608650&viewfull=1#post2608650).

[thistledown]

Thanks I'll check both those out :)
Vanessa

[ashke50]

The first bun I learnt was the pencil bun, which amazed me with how easy it was. I do a folded pinned plait held with a flexi8 which is pretty easy and holds well too.

[truepeacenik]

Just to make you feel better, I'm pretty hopeless at buns, too.

Get two or three down. Then...well, that is what different hairtoys are for!

[Madora]

The Chinese braided bun with hairsticks is pretty simply and comfy.

[Kitten1030]

I am pretty inept when it comes to buns too. I can only do a lazy wrap or a disc but I have found them to be a lot more comfortable than braids or ponds. They don't pull and I can put up my hair more loosely. I don't entirely love the look from the front but I love the rear view and hairtoys are my new obsession.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I'm going to school for science-y things too. I went with either a dutch braid or a regular old cinnabun for lab.

[Kherome]

Always a nautilus here. Or maybe a Pha.

[julee]

I mostly do a lazy wrap bun, but my hair isn't that thick and I don't generally get headaches. If you're not so keen on buns maybe try a logroll with a ficcare? I think they look quite elegant, a bit like a French roll. Here's a tutorial http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7XKBUtl7O0 :)

[Panth]

Fellow lab-goer here. I wear a braided cinnabun with spin pins. I like it because a) braid - it's contained twice (and it means I can cycle to/from work with the braid down, rather than loose hair. Erm. It's at the length where it might get into the back brakes if I wore it loose...). b) braided buns are often more secure (on me, the braided cinnabun holds like a rock and rarely comes down and, if so, it's a slow sagging conversion to a beebutt, not a complete sudden collapse of all my hair onto my lab bench). c) it sits at the nape of my neck plus is fairly tight/compact, both of which reduce pulling and headaches.

I'd probably bother to learn some other styles if it weren't for the cycling requirement (and the fact I find them very difficult). The only other styles I do regularly are the coronet (aka faux crown) braid and the orchid bun. The former is pretty but requires several bobby pins (it is my go-to "party" hair). The latter is of somewhat erratic success in my hands and tends to give me headaches, but that's an issue with my hair preferring partings and the orchid bun preferring unparted hair.

[Lirona]

This is a link to the first bun that really worked for me, a lazy wrap, essentially. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9PPb8gCsI) I found this woman's tutorial clear and simple, and she verbally explains everything she's doing as she goes. Tip that helped me a lot: if your hair is shorter than hers, don't start the bun by wrapping it around your whole hand, just pull it over 2 or 3 fingers. You can also stick some spin pins in it for extra security (they hold best for me if I put them in parallel horizontally) if your hair is an escape artist like mine.

I also agree with Panth that braids give an extra level of containment. A single English braid, coiled around cinnabun style, held with spin pins (can you tell I like spin pins?) would be very secure.

As a last resort, would some sort of cap work? I'm thinking shower cap style (not exactly fashionable, but if your hair falling down would be dangerous...).

[thistledown]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely try braided buns, also I've found this tutorial which is pretty good for showing a few buns (including braided) with hair sticks/forks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Ctosf46_E
Her hair isn't as long as mine but her hands are nice and clear to follow.
She also has a sock bun for people who can't get their hair to roll neatly (who? me?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkcknCgfkq0
Worth watching! Also found this:
http://growbeyondyourlimits.blogspot.de/2013/04/flechtwerk-chameleon-bun.html
Can anyone point me to a 'how to' for spin pins? I've looked for them in shops but can't find them, so I'll have to order them online.
Vanessa

[ashke50]

With spin pins it is pretty much a case of "Put hair into bun. Twist in spin pin(s) like a corkscrew. Voila!"

[Kina]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely try braided buns, also I've found this tutorial which is pretty good for showing a few buns (including braided) with hair sticks/forks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Ctosf46_E
Her hair isn't as long as mine but her hands are nice and clear to follow.
She also has a sock bun for people who can't get their hair to roll neatly (who? me?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkcknCgfkq0
Worth watching! Also found this:
http://growbeyondyourlimits.blogspot.de/2013/04/flechtwerk-chameleon-bun.html
Can anyone point me to a 'how to' for spin pins? I've looked for them in shops but can't find them, so I'll have to order them online.
Vanessa


These are spin pins, and here's a link to them on amazon:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H%2BzezPPKL._AA160_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H%2BzezPPKL._AA160_.jpg

[thistledown]

Thanks! I was wondering how often do you rotate your hairstyles? Different everyday (over 7 days) or do you just cycle through 3 or 4 styles you can do? (like braid, braided bun, sock bun, half-up then repeat) Just curious, I pretty much always wear my hair in the same way but I want to get a few good styles to rotate to reduce damage, I really want one of them to be a hair fork held bun (I'm thinking lazy wrap) and another to be a sock bun (I think they looks so classy+neat for the lab and then curls the next day!), but I'm going to have to practice a lot to get them down and I always worry about damaging my hair and give up before I get them mastered :(
Vanessa

[Panth]

Spin pins work better if you insert them a bit like a hairfork. I.e. point directly into your scalp, or even slightly in the opposite direction to your bun, twist a half turn or so (until you just feel it touch your scalp), then "flip" the held end of the pin so the whole thing is pointing into the bun and continue to twist it in.

As for rotation, I wear my braided cinnabun probably 90-95% of the time (i.e. every work day, most weekends). IMO, if you have a good style, the whole "damage from repeated use of one hairstyle" thing is pretty minimal/non-existent. IMO, it probably only occurs if doing more damaging styles, i.e. PONYTAILS (particularly if you re-tighten your ponytail by splitting it and tugging both halves in opposite directions).

[tigereye]

I pretty much do a nautilus on the daily, or celtic knot on wet-hair-days. Other styles I just wear if I have time to mess around with my hair.
Torrin has a tutorial on the nautilus somewhere. Braided cinnabuns are definitely pretty secure. If you can't find spin-pins, I use a double-ended knitting needle, bent in half and inserted like a hairstick, though I'm starting to get to the stage where I need two to hold it.

[Ahl]

This one was my first go-to bun: http://youtu.be/iG9PPb8gCsI

[QMacrocarpa]

I was wondering how often do you rotate your hairstyles? Different everyday (over 7 days) or do you just cycle through 3 or 4 styles you can do?
I like to mix it up, so I'd say I have more than a week's worth of hairstyles in my repertoire, but I don't have any rules about "no repeats on consecutive days" or anything.

You can make a lot of hairstick buns extra-secure by anchoring with a Ficcare instead. A Ficcare is also great for securing a folded braid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l47CpIiCB80). Your updo in the photo looks a lot like a log roll (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT2tt3TNC5k), so if you're not happy with how well yours stays put, you might be able to find some useful tips on youtube. There are good Ficcare style ideas in this thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=85651).

If headaches are a problem, you might find milkmaid braids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8Sbbn-7cw) comfortable, as they distribute the weight of your hair very well (there are lots of tutorials, I picked that one more or less at random). A more "standard-looking" bun with good weight distribution is the double-braided bun (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=100274&page=2).

[frizzinator]

The log roll and cinnamon bun can be secured with your ficcare.

A cinnamon bun can be flipped up for a totally different look, hold it with the ficcare, stick or fork.

An orchid bun is twisted and coiled like a cinnamon bun but it is more secure and can be held with a stick or a fork. It doesn't look at all like a cinnamon bun.

The rotation basically means that you want to alternate twisted and coiled buns with braided buns and with buns that are not twisted and coiled, like the wrap buns and Chinese buns. Too much twisting and coiling can damage hair.

Neoma posted this video recently http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=118935&highlight=Spanish that has excellent visual instruction of a couple of Chinese buns and the orchid bun. No hablo Espanol.

[ashke50]

I have a handful of buns I do for daily use, and which one I choose on any given day depends on how much time I have, what clothes I'm wearing (if I want to match my hair toy to my outfit) and what I'm doing that day. The standard ones I use are plaited cinnamon bun, folded plait, hypno bun, pencil bun, infinity bun, figure 8, equilibrium bun, but everyone will have their own favourites.

For ideas of buns people use a lot I recommend looking through the Wear hair up for a month/few months/year challenge! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=102) thread, and then trying out some of the buns that pop up a lot and seeing if you find them comfortable.