Styled my first Nautilus!

[Ephemia]

Yeah, I've been trying to teach myself the darn thing for several days now. I was getting really frustrated because I couldn't figure out how big a loop I needed, and I kept obsessing about snapping hairs, and I was worrying about the mechanical damage I was causing through the learning process. And that made me panic about starting to use hair toys, because I could see myself breaking loads of hairs whilst learning to position them and scaring myself off the idea completely. I hate not being able to see what I'm doing at the back of my head.

But today, I finally cracked it! I got a Nautilus to stay. I took a picture on my phone and was fully expecting to see a mess at the back of my head that looked like it had been put there by a five-year old, but it actually resembled a Nautilus! It slid out after a few minutes, but then I did it again, and that one stayed for probably half an hour. I did another one later on, and that stayed for longer still!

I think I need a few tips though. How long do Nautiluses tend to stay in for without a hair toy? I'm not sure whether my current duration record is due to my hair type, my lack of practice or whether it's simply normal for Nautiluses to need a lot of redoing. Also, how do you get it more central? Mine are always more to the right, which possibly looks intentional and nice, but the ones I've seen are all central.

I was going to post pics of my first two attempts, but I'm not sure how to do it. Do you have to go to a site like Tinypic and get a URL?

[gthlvrmx]

You can go to photobucket and the URL from there.
I am not sure how long a nautilus can stay without a hair toy, but for me, with spins pins or sticks, they can stay all day (even up to 3+ days with spin pins). Also, congratulations! That is exciting news.

Edit: Here are some videos on how to make a nautilus bun stay without hairtoys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzouUHSWHjM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVkg9TJDrL4

[Anje]

Some days, I can get them to stay for hours. Other days, I can't get them to hold, even if I put a stick in. I'd have to pay more attention to know if it's dependent on which conditioner I used or days since washing or whether it rained last a Tuesday. I usually secure with with a hairtoy so I don't have to worry about it. Nautilus buns are more backup need-it-up-now fare.

[W2]

Mine can hold for the entire day ... sometimes. Others fall out if I wiggle my ears

[tigereye]

Mine fall out without anything to hold them. Just the nature of my hair type. With a ficcare or fork or other hair toy, they can stay all day, or multiple days.

[PrincessBob]

Welcome to the diverse world of fiddly updos! Soon it will take less and less effort and time to get that right amount of tension and perfect outer loop sizing (I am teaching my care-giver how to do some buns on me, but she's most comfortable with braiding). The 1a-1c type range has a tendency to slip out without securement, in my experience. You will save yourself from more mechanical damage using quality hair toys than the amount of damage you will be doing in the learning process, in my experience. The biggest secret to learning to use hair-toys safely is to get high quality and smooth hair accessories to start with as opposed to the cute but poorly finished things you might find imported at your local Saturday market or Ayu Jewelry as they tend to be a little splintery and under-sanded, in my experience. I suggest affordable ones like Eaduard and NWGoods, but a glance around Conventional Products and Hair Accessories will get you plenty of opinions on various hair-toy makers. My nautilus will not stay on its own, but sometimes a Piggy's Pork Bun (I think some also call it the Gibraltar Bun) will hold for a while on its own. For that you make a Bee Bun and pull the top coil around all the bun.

[meteor]

Congratulations on your first nautilus! :happydance:
Mine doesn't stay up (I do it from a braid) even with a stick or fork sometimes, if I get the tension/loop size/positioning wrong... The thing is, there are tons of different nautilus videos on YouTube with slight changes, and they make a big difference to how it will ultimately hold.

I'd try a few videos and see which variations give the best hold and are most comfortable for you. :)
Also, I suggest twisting hair for the nautilus for better hold. It's what makes Gibraltar bun (it's basically a twisted lazy wrap) hold tighter than an LWB, for example.

[MeowScat]

I wish mine would last a half hour, my hair is too slippery. They hold all day if I use one stick.

To answer your question about it not being centered: start your ponytail a little off-center, only an inch or two makes a difference.

[Ephemia]

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful! Looks like I'll figure out over time how long I can get a Nautilus to hold for. Now to teach myself some more updos! I can see myself becoming a hair-tutorial addict! :laugh: I might give the Gibraltar a go. I was thinking of trying the LWB next, since I saw a tutorial for that and it doesn't look a million miles away from a Nautilus. Someone even thought they were the same bun.

Here are the pictures. They aren't the best (and very big, apparently!), since I took them with the intention of seeing how awful (or not) my hair looked, but they show what they need to show!

http://i59.tinypic.com/2ljokdu.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2wqww34.jpg

[Betazed]

I'm incredibly envious! I've been trying to learn the nautilus off and on for weeks. You'll probably find the LWB easier by comparison. It only took me a few tries to master it and the disc bun. But that blasted nautilus has been a real pain in the arms!

Felicitations on your awesome nautilus! It looks great! :thumbsup:

[meteor]

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful! Looks like I'll figure out over time how long I can get a Nautilus to hold for. Now to teach myself some more updos! I can see myself becoming a hair-tutorial addict! :laugh: I might give the Gibraltar a go. I was thinking of trying the LWB next, since I saw a tutorial for that and it doesn't look a million miles away from a Nautilus.

Yay! Your Nautilus looks super nice! :D
You are right, LWB is relatively easy - and what an awesome, hair-friendly bun it is! :applause
Check out this Haartraum's tutorial for different tips and tricks on nailing LWB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIpMdKZu9g or her written instructions in English (you need to scroll down a bit): http://haartraumfrisuren.de/2014/09/29/lazy-wrap-bun-neuauflage/
And Gibraltar bun is the same thing, but from twisted hair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxDRAEkbpV4

[Ephemia]

You'll get the hang of it! :D Seriously, if someone with hair-styling skill as negligible as mine can do it, then I reckon anyone who has enough hair for it can. I've never been able to do anything remotely fancy with my hair at all. A few weeks ago at college I had to get one of my tutors to plait it for me because we had a practical session and I'd had to take my hair down because it got too uncomfortable.

[Ephemia]

Thanks Meteor, I'll check those out. :)