Flat-head problem while wearing a bun?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

You make the perfect sleek bun on the back of your head, insert the prettiest hairtoy to secure. You look like a million dollars from the back, but...the front?

My head is kind of flat at the top so when i gather my hair and sleek it back, top of my head looks just "bleh". I also don't have bangs which makes it worse. My mom warned me a dozen times now for the same issue and she has a point. Women tease their hair and spray it in place to remedy this situation but it's out of question for us. Who has the same problem? What can be done about this?

[hafattack]

me! to counter this I usually make my buns high on my head. I also use bobby pins (not everyone would agree that this is long hair 'kosher' but they allow me to do so much more) and you can give a little volume and hold it up with the pins. I also do the poof :)

[Leeloo]

I try to do french Dutch braid to poof hair up on top to low pony and then gather loose hair and then bun it.

[Pallas]

My head isn't particularly flat on top, but it's quite thin, and to take the weight off of the front hairs, I literally just put my hand flat on top (after I've finished bunning) and gently but firmly shove it forward. It sort of pushes the top/front hairs up and it makes me look way less... 'bald'.

[ARG]

I don't have bangs, but I take an itty bitty claw clip and clip my face framing layers on top.

[velorutionista]

I sometimes do the same as ARG...I'll also dry my hair like that, and then (at least for day or two), the front keeps a little more volume all on it's own as along as I remember to leave the top a bit loose.

[Beborani]

Do you have double crown? I do and for years I wore only top-knot to counter this. Now for dressier occasions I section as if there is bangs and wear non-defined buns with curls showing on top. So even though I dont backcomb it has that effect. You seem to have curly hair so you may try not tucking in those ends. A lot of lhc buns do not flatter me at all. Also check out the curly bun thread.

[maskedrose]

I like to loosely do two side twists away from my face, secure with a small claw clip/bobby pins and then place the bun over the clip/pins. I have a high forehead, and if I pull my hair straight back it looks like I don't have much hair from the front. This adds a lot of softness around my face and makes it much more voluminous around my face. I also have a few face framing bits that tend to casually slip out of the twists, which adds even more softness.

[Chromis]

Heads are supposed to be kind of flat on top. Just means you are perfectly normal! Straight hair does not usually have much "lift" and really that is okay. Most of the "poof" hairstyles look a bit odd to me and some of the more extreme bump-its remind my of a hadrosaur. As a geek, I love dinosaurs...but that probably was not the look they were going for...

[eadwine]

I just create a bit of fluffy on top haha.. make it not so sleek.. simply run your hand over it in the opposite direction a bit, and done. :)

[Alaska98]

Heads are supposed to be kind of flat on top. Just means you are perfectly normal! Straight hair does not usually have much "lift" and really that is okay. Most of the "poof" hairstyles look a bit odd to me and some of the more extreme bump-its remind my of a hadrosaur. As a geek, I love dinosaurs...but that probably was not the look they were going for...
Haha not too long ago I ask my nephew why all the girls in his high school wanted dinosaur head hair! Glad I'm not the only one.

[neko_kawaii]

Heads are supposed to be kind of flat on top. Just means you are perfectly normal! Straight hair does not usually have much "lift" and really that is okay. Most of the "poof" hairstyles look a bit odd to me and some of the more extreme bump-its remind my of a hadrosaur. As a geek, I love dinosaurs...but that probably was not the look they were going for...

Tee hee hee. I agree.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I just create a bit of fluffy on top haha.. make it not so sleek.. simply run your hand over it in the opposite direction a bit, and done. :)

I literally just put my hand flat on top (after I've finished bunning) and gently but firmly shove it forward. It sort of pushes the top/front hairs up and it makes me look way less... 'bald'.

That's actually a great idea thanks! will try it tomorrow :)


Do you have double crown? I do and for years I wore only top-knot to counter this.

I don't think i have that, it's noticable even with long hair right?


I like to loosely do two side twists away from my face, secure with a small claw clip/bobby pins and then place the bun over the clip/pins.

I also do that :) But sometimes i need a quicker solution because i need to leave for work quite early.


Heads are supposed to be kind of flat on top. Just means you are perfectly normal! Straight hair does not usually have much "lift" and really that is okay. Most of the "poof" hairstyles look a bit odd to me and some of the more extreme bump-its remind my of a hadrosaur.

My head is a little more flat than a normal person though. My father's head is even flatter, it's a genetic issue. I actually have coarse hair but even that doesn't provide enough lift to counteract the flatness. I just want a little lift to make me look taller, not a dinosaur-do like those you mentioned :)

[MINAKO]

My problem is the oppostite, i have a very small face, that looks best if all the hair is as smooth and close to the scalp as possible when in a bun, otherwiese my head just looks out of proportion and too huge on top and in the back. Usually i damp bun my hair and finish with a goat hair brush to even out the hair, that is tightly pulled, so there are no gaps or comb marks. I sort of do look the same way i would with a buzz cut from the front and it suits me well i think.

[Nightshade]

The photos are broken, but the directions are still on the archived site for my updo lift:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110124093010/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=87

I do this daily and love that I don't have a severe pulled back look from the front. You can actually see the twisted section from the back here:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4iYt4-epJR4/U1Eq7KUbjNI/AAAAAAAAG8o/d7cAWLWZ_1Y/s512/Infinity-Fail-2s.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eKHa0DIB3MI/U2qoS3brEGI/AAAAAAAAHUc/EAzClw9p060/s506/Lorien%2520Clip.jpg

ETA: It's close to steps 1-3 here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Hair-Styles-With-a-Bump

But rather than backcombing I twist the sectioned bit and push it forward and pin it with a bobby pin. Then bun up the rest of my hair, taking care not to pull the bump flat, then adjust it/remove the bobby pin/tuck the bobby pin in the other way behind the bun, depending on how my hair is or isn't behaving.

[eadwine]

My head is a little more flat than a normal person though.
Do you have the same issue as I have (I am a pointyhead) with the headbands? Stupid things that are generic don't fit my head :lol:

[Marika]

Thanks Nightshade! :flower: I'm definitely going to try this!

[ravenheather]

That's brilliant Nightshade. I can't wait to try it.

[Kimberly]

Most of the "poof" hairstyles look a bit odd to me and some of the more extreme bump-its remind my of a hadrosaur.

People in the coffee house just turned around to see why I was laughing like that.

My hair gives me lots of lift in front and on top (because of the curl). My friends kindly compare it to a Gibson Girl instead of a reptile. Though, thinking about the time some woman cornered me in a store, insisting I admit I was a member of a Warren Jeffs-style polygamous cult because, "they wear their hair like that too", I think being a hadrosaur would be an improvement. Then, instead of looking for store security to help me, I coulda just bit her face off.

[Chromis]

People in the coffee house just turned around to see why I was laughing like that.

My hair gives me lots of lift in front and on top (because of the curl). My friends kindly compare it to a Gibson Girl instead of a reptile. Though, thinking about the time some woman cornered me in a store, insisting I admit I was a member of a Warren Jeffs-style polygamous cult because, "they wear their hair like that too", I think being a hadrosaur would be an improvement. Then, instead of looking for store security to help me, I coulda just bit her face off.

I'm now tempted to make a joke about her being a vegetable. :D

Dinosaurs are definitely a better comparison than cultists! I get the odd person chasing me down insisting I must be Mennonite because I have my hair up and am wearing a skirt...I suppose it is a change from having them look down my cleavage at least since I am invariably wearing something lowcut when this occurs :lol:

[Kimberly]

I'm now tempted to make a joke about her being a vegetable. :D

Well, I have read that some beaked dinosaurs supposedly ate nuts ... ;)



Dinosaurs are definitely a better comparison than cultists! I get the odd person chasing me down insisting I must be Mennonite because I have my hair up and am wearing a skirt...I suppose it is a change from having them look down my cleavage at least since I am invariably wearing something lowcut when this occurs :lol:

I dressed Plain exclusively for a while, and from my experience most of the people asking questions are SO excited that they might be meeting a real, live Amish or Mennonite person. It's almost like a hunger, and I think it is partly from the trend of Amish romance novels, and also just a longing for and curiosity about a simpler life. Fortunately most people are not like the potential hadrosaur victim!

::roars like a hadrosaur::

Then again, maybe the others were just too intimidated by my hair-crest to cross me!

[Nightshade]

Hahahhahaa Well I think I manage not to look like a hadrosaur ^_^

I actually do this right out of the shower, sleep with it and then redo it in the morning. I find doing it on wet/damp hair makes it easier, and also makes it dry a little lifted.

New pictures for everyone!

1. Section a bit of hair. I go from the sides of my forehead and back about an inch. If you have face framing layers, pull them out here. I normally do, but for clarity's sake left them in because it'd muddy up showing what I was trying to do.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C1ROzax0BzA/U5mq8y32icI/AAAAAAAAIA8/j46BOCLH_do/s512/Updo-Lift-1.jpg


2. Twist the back part, leaving the front loose.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-32Bf3r94o6E/U5mq8-_ZegI/AAAAAAAAIAw/uZ92ryZnLSM/s512/Updo-Lift-2.jpg


3. Push the twisted bit forward and press it to your head; this makes the front poof up a bit. It's okay if it's a little lopsided or not perfect, you can adjust it after the rest of your hair is bunned. You're just making a bit of hair that won't be pulled straight backwards into your bun. Stick a bobby pin over it so the open end is pointing towards your head and secure it in place.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sfzH6JePrBU/U5mq86udnbI/AAAAAAAAIAs/4jFpxloucfc/s512/Updo-Lift-3.jpg


4. Bun up the rest of your hair, taking care to gather your hair in such a way that you're not pulling on the bit that you twisted and pinned. Then you can remove/move/fiddle with the bobby pin to make sure the front bit looks right. Here it is when I'm done:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rC7YXKcw9mw/U5mq9iqG9LI/AAAAAAAAIA0/FHb9x_mMjkg/s512/Updo-Lift-4.jpg


And with some of my layers pulled out:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VbyEL53fcmY/U5mq9_IeSDI/AAAAAAAAIBA/IUHURyNDhi8/s512/Updo-Lift-5.jpg


I think it makes it soft and gives it a little lift without making me look like I have a bumpit or something XD

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Do you have the same issue as I have (I am a pointyhead) with the headbands? Stupid things that are generic don't fit my head :lol:

I might have that issue! I also cannot fit most headbands either! I also cannot fit into hats, my head is somehwta bigger than average o_O;



I actually do this right out of the shower, sleep with it and then redo it in the morning. I find doing it on wet/damp hair makes it easier, and also makes it dry a little lifted.

New pictures for everyone!

I think it makes it soft and gives it a little lift without making me look like I have a bumpit or something XD

Wow that's a great tutorial, thank you! I tried it today, but somehow mine didn't look as messy as yours and i ended up with a diva pompadour on top of my head :( Maybe because i don't have any layers?

[velorutionista]

Thanks for doing a walkthrough, Nightshade! I know what I'm doing next wash!

[Nightshade]

I have a knack for messy hair, even when it isn't supposed to be XD

To make the poof smaller after you're done, you can remove the bobby pin, flip it, and pin the twisted bit right behind your bun, then smooth it back. This evens out the poofed bit a lot, but keeps it secure so it doesn't come totally undone. Also make sure you're not taking too much hair, you can see how tiny my twist is in the pictures, and it's probably about an inch square of hair at the scalp :)

[Kimberly]

Nightshade, I might mistake you for an elf or fae, but not a reptile. Nice tutorial. :)

[Nightshade]

Nightshade, I might mistake you for an elf or fae, but not a reptile. Nice tutorial. :)

Aww, thank you! That's so sweet of you to say! It totally made my day :flowers:

[Mainesongbird]

I add visual interest to the front, with a braid or twist and those can be fluffed up for more volume!

[roseomalley]

Oh, thank you for this thread and thank you, Nightshade, for the photo tutorial! I so have an issue with my hair being pulled too severely back.

[peachyleshy]

I have a problem like that. It seems some people look good with the sleeked back look, but it doesn't work for me. So I would do like maskedrose said and do two twists to the side - or one to add some movement. Or you could try to create a bump in the front with bobby pins or a headband without teasing. And I don't know if you'd be against it, but those texturizing hair powders work pretty good for me as well.

[roseomalley]

I love this thread.