Semi-formal/Formal Hair Style Picture or Written Tutorials

[brickworld13]

I'm going to a wedding in a couple weeks. I'm the date of one of the groomsmen. I currently cannot access any video streaming services due to filtering on this internet connection. I need a relatively easy hair style that is semi-formal or formal. Written or picture instructions only because of the video issues listed above.

I was thinking of doing a French style herringbone braid, but I'm going to have to teach it to my sweetie. I can't do that one to myself, and he wanted to learn how to handle my hair anyway.

I have the combs and pins for a French roll, but at this length it's really hard to make that style work.

Any other suggestions? I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who can't access videos so this thread will most likely be very useful.

ETA: Anything social media like Pinterest is also blocked here. A lot of things on Pinterest do have a source link if you look around for it. I may be able to see those.

[Chromis]

My favourite site for learning braids: http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/Braiding_Tips.htm I actually find the pictures and diagrams here easier to follow than most videos since it is a lot easier to see what is going on!

You might also like: http://www.howtohairgirl.com/2013/07/game-of-thrones-hair/ and there are links at the end to more :)

[brickworld13]

Oh those definitely have some potential. Now the only issue is, will I be able to do that to myself. Hmmm. I guess I'm practicing hair styles tonight instead of knitting.

[sarathar]

This is prettyhttp://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/08/ae/09/08ae091f46565652982a6cad2f631032.jpg

[Aurum]

I was going to suggest a Gibson tuck, which is an extremely easy yet elegant updo with tons of fun variations. For the basic version, put the hair in a ponytail and leave a little slack below the band. This should create a little "pocket," when you hold the ponytail away from your head. You can then pull/part it open and tuck hair into it, creating a basket made of your own hair. :) You can add a clip-in flower or something decorative on top to cover the hole or for added effect.

However, at TB this style might not work for you... It's fine at waist but I have no experience with hair longer than that.

Here is a tutorial that might explain it better than I can (with pictures)
http://www.freckled-fox.com/2012/08/hair-tutorial-gibson-tuck.html

[brickworld13]

sarathar, wherever that photo is hosted is blocked by the firewall here. If you can find another picture of it, that would be awesome.

[Madora]

Lace crown braid:

1) Bring all hair in front of you, like a curtain
2) Detangle gently
3( Carve out small section of hair near right eye (take the hair about an inch in from forehead, near the right eye)
4 Divide in 3 sections
5 Do only ONE cross over!
6 Take thin section of hair from left. ADD it to the section nearest the left
7 Cross the added to hair section over the MIDDLE strand. Hold the braid with one hand. Use other hand to gently RAKE down the stands to keep them separate
8 Take hair from right and bring over center. Hold. Use other hand to rake down strands to keep separate
9 Take another thin strand of hair from left. Add to left hair strands
10 Take all left hair strands and cross over Center section. Hold. Rake down strands. Take strand from right and cross it over center section. Hold. Rake down strands.

Continue this pattern until you reach front of LEFT EAR.

Change hands.

Direct all hair back towards the back of the head..on a slight angle..

Now, continue adding to the left strand, cross over the middle, hold, rake, cross right strand over center, hold, rake...around the rest of your head. When you reach end of hair, just braid normally. Tuck in tassle under braid already made.

Voila: one lace crown braid
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/61912Lacedutchcrown_edited-1.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/61912Lacedutchcrown_edited-1.jpg.html)

Tips: do not pull braid tightly! A little looseness in front gives you a tiny pouf.

Use small crimped hairpins

Holds like a rock and is comfy (modified from a video by Lilith Moon).

[brickworld13]

I was going to suggest a Gibson tuck, which is an extremely easy yet elegant updo with tons of fun variations. For the basic version, put the hair in a ponytail and leave a little slack below the band. This should create a little "pocket," when you hold the ponytail away from your head. You can then pull/part it open and tuck hair into it, creating a basket made of your own hair. :) You can add a clip-in flower or something decorative on top to cover the hole or for added effect.

However, at TB this style might not work for you... It's fine at waist but I have no experience with hair longer than that.

Here is a tutorial that might explain it better than I can (with pictures)
http://www.freckled-fox.com/2012/08/hair-tutorial-gibson-tuck.html

Hmmm. I will attempt it. I have a fair amount of taper. It may work.

[Becs]

Just a word of caution if you want to try a french herringbone/fishtail for your hairstyle...while they are lovely, I have found that they tend to sag after a while and it is quite hard to keep them tight, especially if the person doing it for you is not an experienced braider. A dutch fishtail might be a better option in my opinion just because they stay in better http://www.pinterest.com/pin/455004368575220684/ Here is a picture of one I found on pinterest. It's the exact same as a french fishtail, you just cross the pieces under instead of over

[brickworld13]

Lace crown braid:

1) Bring all hair in front of you, like a curtain
2) Detangle gently
3( Carve out small section of hair near right eye (take the hair about an inch in from forehead, near the right eye)
4 Divide in 3 sections
5 Do only ONE cross over!
6 Take thin section of hair from left. ADD it to the section nearest the left
7 Cross the added to hair section over the MIDDLE strand. Hold the braid with one hand. Use other hand to gently RAKE down the stands to keep them separate
8 Take hair from right and bring over center. Hold. Use other hand to rake down strands to keep separate
9 Take another thin strand of hair from left. Add to left hair strands
10 Take all left hair strands and cross over Center section. Hold. Rake down strands. Take strand from right and cross it over center section. Hold. Rake down strands.

Continue this pattern until you reach front of LEFT EAR.

Change hands.

Direct all hair back towards the back of the head..on a slight angle..

Now, continue adding to the left strand, cross over the middle, hold, rake, cross right strand over center, hold, rake...around the rest of your head. When you reach end of hair, just braid normally. Tuck in tassle under braid already made.

Voila: one lace crown braid
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/61912Lacedutchcrown_edited-1.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/61912Lacedutchcrown_edited-1.jpg.html)

Tips: do not pull braid tightly! A little looseness in front gives you a tiny pouf.

Use small crimped hairpins

Holds like a rock and is comfy (modified from a video by Lilith Moon).


Thank you for the nice instructions Madora. Lace braids only pull in scalp hair from one side, right? I haven't done one in a very long time. If I'm understanding your instructions, you add hair in from the center of the head all the way around while leaving the outer edge without adding sections.

[brickworld13]

Just a word of caution if you want to try a french herringbone/fishtail for your hairstyle...while they are lovely, I have found that they tend to sag after a while and it is quite hard to keep them tight, especially if the person doing it for you is not an experienced braider. A dutch fishtail might be a better option in my opinion just because they stay in better http://www.pinterest.com/pin/455004368575220684/ Here is a picture of one I found on pinterest. It's the exact same as a french fishtail, you just cross the pieces under instead of over

They sag quite terribly when I do them to myself. I would have not thought to try one Dutch style. It sounds like a pretty viable option. I can't see Pinterest pics. :(

[Madora]

brickworld13, you start on the right hand side, and always add hair from the left. I can't manage doing it standing erect, so do it with my hair in front of me, my head slightly bent down.

[Becs]

They sag quite terribly when I do them to myself. I would have not thought to try one Dutch style. It sounds like a pretty viable option. I can't see Pinterest pics. :(

Oh no I am sorry! I thought the only things you couldn't see were videos. But it looks a lot like a french fishtail, but it sticks out because it's dutch. I actually think it looks prettier than a french :)

[brickworld13]

brickworld13, you start on the right hand side, and always add hair from the left. I can't manage doing it standing erect, so do it with my hair in front of me, my head slightly bent down.

Yep, we are saying the same thing with different words. :) I definitely would have to bend and have the hair flipped forward or I would get super frustrated.

[brickworld13]

Oh no I am sorry! I thought the only things you couldn't see were videos. But it looks a lot like a french fishtail, but it sticks out because it's dutch. I actually think it looks prettier than a french :)

Our list of blocked sites on the work connection is huge. I suppose I should edit the OP to say videos and social media because that covers most of the blocked stuff.

ETA: Is this what you were trying to show me? http://www.princesshairstyles.com/2012/11/inside-out-fishtail-braid-tutorial.html

[brickworld13]

Becs, I think I need to try that one again. Major fail. I also immediately took a shower after this. Stretched the washing one day too far.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13304&d=1411740827

[Madora]

[http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/410b37f7-3620-4edc-a7ad-c71279d8eb9a.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/410b37f7-3620-4edc-a7ad-c71279d8eb9a.jpg.html)

This is a creation of a lace twist braid featured in Lillith Moon's video.
It uses only 2 strands
Same procedure as for the 3 strand lace braid I previously posted.
Hair is always added to the section on the left.
Do not pull tightly.

[brickworld13]

Oh that is really pretty Madora. I will see if I can manage those crown braids. My braid skills are pretty puny even though I've had long-ish hair my whole life.

[Becs]

Becs, I think I need to try that one again. Major fail. I also immediately took a shower after this. Stretched the washing one day too far.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13304&d=1411740827
It looks like maybe you took too large of pieces each time. To give it the fishtaily effect they need to be pretty small

[brickworld13]

That was part of the failure. The other part of it was that I totally stink at Dutch style braids and always get some pieces just having a party not where I want them to be.

[brickworld13]

So a lot of these styles are more difficult than I realized because I'm closer to classic than TB. As in, I could probably be at classic by the end of the year even with trimming. I wanted to show off the length, and worst case is I do something really simple since it's getting difficult for me to manage.

[Entangled]

Half ups can be very elegant, and easy. My favorite easy one is two rope braids tied together at the back.

[Vanilla]

What about a braided bun? If you've got some sparkly hair pins or a flower clip to adorn it, it would be really nice!

Here's how I make mine:

Make a high ponytail.

Split ponytail into two and make two english braids and secure them with elastics.

If you're doing it on yourself, you're going to want to use two mirrors (so you can see the back of your head), start arranging the braids in a wavy spiral pattern around the ponytail elastic, securing with pins as you go.

Then decorate the bun, and that's it!

http://babesinhairland.com/hairstyles/double-braided-bun-for-shorter-hair/

This is the link that I use, but it works for longer hair as well. I use it on my hip length hair and it looks fabulous. Really distributes the weight evenly and looks formal especially if you add a nice clip.

[velorutionista]

^^ That's a cool tutorial, thanks for sharing it! I bet that bun would look awesome for a formal occasion with a sparkly paranda in each english braid, too!

[brickworld13]

It's definitely a pretty bun. I'm not sure I would be able to do it to myself tho. I'm all thumbs when working on my own head. I will give it a try and see how it goes.

[Lunnafindel]

If you want to show off your length, I'd definitely say go with a half-up do. two twist behind the ear held together with a clip or an elastic at the back will do - that was good enough for me at prom, so I think it counts as fancy.
If you want an updo, my go-to pretty-look is a... lace roll? I'm not sure what to call it. It's crazy easy, and very elegant looking. The best part is that the longer you wear it, the looser it gets and it looks better! more romantic and soft.
You take a small piece of hair at the front of your head twist it towards the back of your head, and then add sections on like you would in a lace braid, but keep twisting everything back. (instructions are here (http://blog.hairandmakeupbysteph.com/2012/04/how-to-twist-braid.html) - ignore the BS about hairspray) the instructions have you stop at the top of your head, but I keep going until all my hair is incorporated into the twist, and then I roll it back into a cinnabun. Actually, now that I think about it, it's Elsa's hair in Frozen:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/d6/09/87/d6098742a1d416304bf02721a55d04dd.jpg (can you see that?)

Here's another option:
http://content.latest-hairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/frenchwrap.jpg
although it might be difficult - it took me a while to get the hang of it, but it's definitely doable on yourself.

[brickworld13]

I can't see the one picture, but I know what Elsa's hair looks like and agree that the linked directions give that effect. I'm so excited to try all these styles when I get a moment.

[Narya]

My go to crown braid is the Tymoshenko braid (instructions here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65871); if you can't see the photos there, tell me and I'll do my best to do a photo tutorial for you).

I can manage regular lace crown braids, but they always end up looking messy when I do them on myself, and this gets worse as my hair grows. Now, Tymoshenko braid looks great basically always, I don't have to worry about parts and such, and it looks really neat once you've got the hang of it. Of course, it may take some tries to be able to do it on yourself and have it sit where you want to, as everything. Also, I can even do it without using a single pin or hairtie, and if you have taper I bet you could too (not that it is inherently better or worse this way, but I like not having to worry about hiding a hairtie)

[Laurenji]

My go to crown braid is the Tymoshenko braid (instructions here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65871); if you can't see the photos there, tell me and I'll do my best to do a photo tutorial for you).

I can manage regular lace crown braids, but they always end up looking messy when I do them on myself, and this gets worse as my hair grows. Now, Tymoshenko braid looks great basically always, I don't have to worry about parts and such, and it looks really neat once you've got the hang of it. Of course, it may take some tries to be able to do it on yourself and have it sit where you want to, as everything. Also, I can even do it without using a single pin or hairtie, and if you have taper I bet you could too (not that it is inherently better or worse this way, but I like not having to worry about hiding a hairtie)

Thanks for linking to these awesome hairstyle instructions! This is a really cool-looking variation. I can't wait to get home and try it out!

[Narya]

You're welcome, Laurenji! It was such a discovery to me that I couldn't pass the opportunity to share it :)

[hypersensitive]

Do you have any sparkly hair accessories? They make all the difference in transforming a look. I recently attended a wedding and wore my hair in a half up held in place with a small sparkly flexi. It showed off my length and my hair kept me warm at night! haha!

[brickworld13]

I have a sparkly comb, 3 large (4-5") sparkly U pins, and six small (3") sparkly U pins. I have to be careful with the pins. I had to superglue one of the starfish back on from it snapping off. I got all these a couple years ago for French rolls but I can't really do that style anymore. I might poke around in my mom's box of sparkles to see if there are other things that would go well in the style I choose.

I learned how to do a double braided bun a couple days ago with Dutch braids. It seems to be a hit with my friends and it's pretty easy for me. It takes forever tho because I'm painfully slow with the braiding part. I'm still failing at any variations of the Herringbone. I haven't done that style in a long time and it's difficult now.

ETA: I'm not worried about being cold. I'm wearing a turtleneck sweater dress with tights and flats because I'm not in the mood for sore feet from the heels I own.