Help! quick festive updo for just past shoulder length hair

[Saproxylic]

My hair is about halfway between shoulder and APL with a bit of odd layering and a grown out fringe which barely reaches to a high ponytail. It's fine, pretty thin, stick straight and really slippery (think teflon hair). I have a somewhat formal ball (not super formal, whimsical stuff is ok, but the theme is Vintage Prom) tomorrow night, I would like my hair up, and I have no idea what to do.

My braiding skills are pretty basic (I have done French and Dutch single and twin braids, I might be able to do something more intricate but it's a hit and miss) I do not have any fancy hair toys (I o have basic U and bobby pins, elastics, a sock bun doughnut and a beak clip and a claw clip, but the two latter aren't super pretty) I do not have access to any curling rods or flat irons (and even if I did I wouldn't like to use them)

I'm open to any suggestions on how to style my hair, preferrably ones that can be done in a public bathroom (I have a band practice just before the ball in the same building and will probably dress up for the ball on site or at least add the finishing touches there)

I'm going to bed now, will get up tomorrow morning, see your suggestions, wash my hair and proceed from there (I think if I'll get up and shower wash my hair early enough, I could even do some heat free curls if that's what's required)

[lillielil]

What about something like this pull-through braid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W0yYvZX8c8)? I haven't tried it, but the video makes it look easy enough. Ignore the teasing!

[lapushka]

A Gibson-tuck would be pretty straightforward, I think.

[Entangled]

Gibson tucks are pretty, and a lot more manageable at your length than mine. You can dress it up by adding rope braid accents to the sides before pony tailing. Check out Artic's blog for ideas, as well.

[Entangled]

Whoops! Double post.

[Nique1202]

Lilith Moon has done a lot of fancy hairstyles that only require "medium" hair, many of which I was able to do between shoulder and APL. Here's a quick search result list (https://www.youtube.com/user/lilithedarkmoon/search?query=medium) for you to skim through. A lot of them are very similar to each other, variations on a theme rather than requiring a lot of different techniques, but they're all pretty and all good practice for more elaborate styles as your hair gets longer, too.

[meteor]

My first thought was: try a Braided Beehive. :)
It's based on just 3 (or 2, if you don't have time, or more braids, if you want) English braids, stacked on top of each other, looks big and fancy, but it's ridiculously easy to do and holds like a champ with simple U-pins.
Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsQ15IxkWMA

Also, check out Vortex bun (ponytail divided in 2 or more sections braided and pinned like a wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZn-vwgaEw), or Serpentine/Medusa bun (ponytail divided into strands, each twisted and pinned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZOUGxD_a2M) - but the latter can take a bit of time.

[Seventy7]

Is a french twist nice enough? Also a tucked Dutch braid can be pretty and gets a similar, but I think more special look. Like this video (https://youtu.be/_qVsOE3lh64).

Whatever you do - have a ball! (And take pictures of your hair ;) )

[TR]

My go-to fancy style at that length was multiple mini-buns all over the back of my head, with decorative hair pins distributed throughout. I have straight slippery hair so I needed to start with damp hair to make sure the buns would stay put.

[Zesty]

My first thought was Gibson tuck. Super easy, works great at shorter lengths. You might want to run and pick up a little decorative clip to cover the hole.

Everyone else has great suggestions as well. Let us know what you end up choosing!

[lillielil]

So what did you end up doing? We're all waiting for pictures :whistle:

[Saproxylic]

Hey! Thanks for all the suggestions! I did attempt the pull through braid thingy and failed (I think my hair does not respond well to pancaking), so I ended up going with meteor's suggestion, which resulted in...

Behold the tiniest, fuzziest Braided Beehive!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20354&d=1449957206

I'm aware that there is a U pin sticking out of the middle, I fixed that before leaving the house :D the fuzziness is just my baby hairs going everywhere! And sorry about blurry phone pic. I think I should joint the puny bun club with this. (as my braids were too short to go all way around, so I started by coiling the middle one, then wrapped the bottom one around the right side and top one around the left side and tucked the ends under)

The ball was a blast though! Thanks to you all!

[TR]

So pretty! I'll be sure to remember it when my hair gets to that length!

[meteor]

^ It looks beautiful! :D So classy and shiny! :applause Well done!
Oh and, by the way, that's not puny at all :), especially considering it's done on shoulder-length hair! It can be truly, truly difficult to bun hair at that length... I know I certainly couldn't.

And I'm so happy to hear that the ball was a blast! :D

[lapushka]

That is so cute! :D I hope you had a wonderful time; your hair looked wonderful - at least, that's gotta count for something, no? :D

[lillielil]

So cute! I'm so glad you came back and shared a picture :) I'm really impressed that you were able to do such an intricate bun on shoulder-length hair, too.