Simplest updo ideas for long-haired friends who find buns complicated

[meteor]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who runs into this situation sometimes: long-haired friends of yours ask you how you put your hair up so "intricately" and it all appears to be very complicated to them when you try to explain.
What's that one simple hair-friendly style you'd like to teach somebody with no updo experience?

Mine is probably a braided cinnabun - both easy and hair-friendly.

[MadeiraD]

I find the cinnabun easy, but also the nautilus

[Bagginslover]

lazy wrap, nautilus, cinnabun, and gibralter are my go-to buns. I learnt them all from youtube (except the gibralter-I came up with it myself, then reaslised it was already a thing, I just had never come across it ;) ) in a few tries. All very easy to secure with one, or 2 sticks, or with claw clips etc.

[Natalia]

Id start with cinnabun, nautilus, then maybe a wrapped bun, after they get the hang of one have them do it braided, then have them do it flipped if possible. If you go to my profile the bun looks complicated but really its a half up wrapped in an English braid took more time to braid the lower hair than anything else :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

The pencil bun is the first one I learned.

[torrilin]

A lot depends on thickness and texture. I've got fine, fairly straight and slippery hair that slithers *everywhere*. A style like a looped ponytail just slithers out. Without careful anchoring a lot of buns slither out. I rarely do a nautilus or pencil or lazy wrap bun because on my hair they're just asking for fits of slithering. I can do a cinnamon bun easily but it's tempting to do it super tight to "make it stay". Flipped cinnamon buns or figure 8s or infinity buns work better. My default is a knot bun or a Celtic knot bun. Gibraltar buns work, but they take a fair bit of length to work on my ii thickness.

My sister has hair that's a iii thickness, tho much less inclined to slither and slide. At APLish, most styles demanded a *lot* more length from her than they do for me. A plain cinnamon bun wasn't possible, but a vortex (cinnamon bun with 2 or more sections) was. A single braid is doable, but double braids are more comfortable. Pairs of buns can work, or accent braids wrapped around a bun.

Probably my #1 recommendation is learn to braid. Start with twin braids, they tend to be a bit easier, and that way if you don't know how thick your hair is, you won't end up with an unpleasant surprise as you start trying to put it up. There are scads of styles built around twin braids ranging from simple like Heidi braids to classic like the oval bun. Really tho, twin braids can be a workable protective style to at least tailbone, all by themselves. It works for straight hair. It works for curly hair. Works for a i thickness or a iii. And it gives you lots of options.

[MINAKO]

I find the cinnabun easy, but also the nautilus

These are my go to buns, i can do a few more but they do not stay as out, so i second this!

[Lippytoes]

The lazy wrap bun was the first "LHC bun" that I learned. For some reason the nautilus has never worked for me as well as the LWB. I found the LWB easy to do after my hair was long enough, and it was the first bun I was able to secure with a single hairstick. So perhaps worth recommending. :)

Also, yes to braids - it's much simpler to secure a bun if you've braided your hair first.

[lazuliblue]

Me too ^^ the lazy wrap is still the only one I can do. (But I think that's more to do with my hair length...at least I hope so!)

[ravenheather]

lwb or nautilus/pencil bun.

[Cowgirl16]

You tube David Killingsworth- How to fix long hair.

I have calf length hair and it is holding like a rock with one stick! My new go to bun!

[lapushka]

Cinnabun, definitely, because a LWB can already be too intricate. And next to that a peacock twist, for ease of use!

[Wosie]

I still can't do a cinnabun. :( It just unravels no matter what I do. Am I doing it correctly? I twist the hair into a coil, around itself, until there's no more hair and tuck the ends in underneath, use my hairsticks through the outmost edge, down to the scalp hair and through to the other side. Then it twirls and falls out.

I can do pencil bun (nearly always works and feels secure :crush:), lazy wrap bun (also getting easier, and it feels and looks rather pretty if I get it to work), wrapped hairstick bun (rather tough to get it to work consistently), French twist (still can't make them look elegant) and a disc bun (every now and then it stays).

I would advise them to try out the pencil bun; it works on my stubborn hair, then I'm sure it'll work for them too. :)

[Adiro]

I am incredibly "bun challenged " as well. Nothing works exactly like on you tube, and nothing turns out quite right for me either. I keep blaming on not having enough length, but I am past hip length and it's still not enough.... It must be something with how my brain works, or how my fingers get clumsy. I just don't get it. Beside, all the buns, the nautilus, gibraltar, lazy bun, all are mixing in my head, and in the end I get a "blended" bun of sorts.....

For example, my cinnamon looks something like a zucchini coming out of my head. the first coil is so thick and it uses up so much of my hair, while my second coil it skinny and it just goes underneath the first coil, and I end up with the said vegetable coming out of my head ..... it just doesn't lay flat. In order to make it less ridiculous, I flip it after, and end up with something actually quite elegant, in my lucky days.

[Madora]

Assuming that the friend knows how to handle her hair (that is, hold it, smooth it, detangle it before starting the style), then the easiest style would be a single braided bun.

She could "cheat" and use a ponytail holder as the base..but better if she dispensed with that.

Of course my standard go to is the beautiful sectioned double braided bun. Easy to do, holds like a rock, comfy all day. Take out the pins and you can wear the braids at night.

[tokugawa.miyako]

A lot depends on thickness and texture. I've got fine, fairly straight and slippery hair that slithers *everywhere*. A style like a looped ponytail just slithers out. Without careful anchoring a lot of buns slither out. I rarely do a nautilus or pencil or lazy wrap bun because on my hair they're just asking for fits of slithering. I can do a cinnamon bun easily but it's tempting to do it super tight to "make it stay". Flipped cinnamon buns or figure 8s or infinity buns work better.


I have this exact problem. I have never been able to get a pencil bun or nautilus to stay. I agree 100% about braiding-- it makes things a lot easier and braids can be really beautiful on their own, even if you don't plan on putting them up. Another solution I've found for the "slithery" hair problem are claw clips. They aren't exactly elegant, but, in my experience, they keep things in place when hair sticks don't.

[meteor]

Adiro, what helps me with cinnabun is loosening the second (or third, etc) coil significantly to be able to wrap it around, rather than underneath, the first coil. Also, pinning each coil as you go can help.
On the other hand, I could never figure out how to flip the cinnabun, like you are describing. It looks amazing, but I can't figure out how exactly it's done. Are there any Youtube tutorials or tricks you'd recommend?


Assuming that the friend knows how to handle her hair (that is, hold it, smooth it, detangle it before starting the style), then the easiest style would be a single braided bun.

She could "cheat" and use a ponytail holder as the base..but better if she dispensed with that.

Of course my standard go to is the beautiful sectioned double braided bun. Easy to do, holds like a rock, comfy all day. Take out the pins and you can wear the braids at night.

Thank you, Madora! I really agree with you - there is no easier bun than braided one, because once the hair is braided you have all the time in the world to position it properly around the scalp without worrying about keeping the tension going or preventing hair mass from unraveling on you while you are putting it up.

I really admire how you can start your updos with a French braid base: how do you do that with such super-long hair? :D Any tricks for keeping those sections untangled? And once you've done that French braid base, can you just use it a few days in a row? Because I can't imagine doing all that hard work every day.

[meteor]

tokugawa.miyako, Wosie, what's a "pencil bun"? :)

[lapushka]

tokugawa.miyako, Wosie, what's a "pencil bun"? :)

This:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0k3dD4qX34

[chen bao jun]

Your hair is thick, that is probably causing you issues.
I suggest the disc bun. Kaelee has a great video, but I can't find it at the moment, so here's another one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtXho_Av-08
It's also easier to do a cinnamon bun if you use claw clips around the edges to secure as you go rather than a stick.

I am incredibly "bun challenged " as well. Nothing works exactly like on you tube, and nothing turns out quite right for me either. I keep blaming on not having enough length, but I am past hip length and it's still not enough.... It must be something with how my brain works, or how my fingers get clumsy. I just don't get it. Beside, all the buns, the nautilus, gibraltar, lazy bun, all are mixing in my head, and in the end I get a "blended" bun of sorts.....

For example, my cinnamon looks something like a zucchini coming out of my head. the first coil is so thick and it uses up so much of my hair, while my second coil it skinny and it just goes underneath the first coil, and I end up with the said vegetable coming out of my head ..... it just doesn't lay flat. In order to make it less ridiculous, I flip it after, and end up with something actually quite elegant, in my lucky days.

[Madora]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]Aww, Meteor, you made me smile! Thanks, I needed that (working off days of sleep deprivation). You see, the secret is...I don't start my updos with a French braid base (I did, several years ago, but not any more).

My bed bun braided updo is just a simple single braid. But I do it in an unconventional way: bending down at a very steep angle, that is:

1) Bring all hair in front, like a curtain/detangle gently
2) Head should be down -- steeply
3) Divide hair in 3 sections, begin to braid slightly loosely (either Dutch or English style. 4 strands if you're really dexterous/adventurous)
4) Braid down to end/fasten with elastic...or leave loose
(I don't fasten with anything and only braid until I have about 2 inches of tassel left
5) Take the braid. Hold it flat against your head with your hand. Use the other hand to pin it with crimped hairpins in the 4 directions. Tuck in tassel
6) Bingo: one handy dandy single braided bun!

7) This method also works for a 2 braid bun

Special note: It DOES take a bit of finagiling to get the position of the braid situated on just the right spot on the top of your head. You want to aim for the back of the crown...but not too far back!

End product can sometimes leave you with a lovely little "pouf" around the forehead, so you don't wind up with that horrible "skinned back" look.

The tangling issue is easy to tackle if you remember to ALWAYS separate the strands after EACH cross over. Hold the braid with one hand and with the other, spread your fingers WIDE, like a rake, and SLOWLY go down the strands, separating them thoroughly. Don't rush with this! This applies to all braiding. Helps tremendously to keep things on an even keel and avoid frustration with self-braiding ends.

[meteor]

^ Thank you so very much, Madora! :flower: That's a wonderful technique! :D

[Madora]

You're welcome, Meteor. Sort of "don't raise the water...lower the bridge instead"..or however that saying goes.