Easy 'formal' updos?

[Flossiebell]

Hi everyone

I'm going to a charity ball (black tie) in 2 weeks and I need ideas for my hairdo. I've never been to anything formal like this so am pretty stumped.

I have wavy (poss whirly?) hair just past apl that is almost all one length, and i think it is a type 2? Mostly fine anyway (I can't post a pic because it won't let me). My normal style is wavy / messy because I get frizz especially all the broken hairs on the the top and sides. I admit I'm pretty rubbish at updos and it always looks unfinished or untidy like I've just shoved it up quick to dig the garden or something.

please help? I don't want to go to a hairdresser in case they damage my hair or pull it out, and this is before I start worrying about what to wear 😫

The only hairtoys I have are scrunchies, mini clamps and an x small, small and medium flexi-8 clips (but they don't seem to want to stay in my hair).

[mira-chan]

At the length you have, maybe a french twist or a gibson tuck? I think a gibson tuck would be great with wavy/ wirly hair, especially with a nice hairpin decorating it.

These instructions might be good? http://www.freckled-fox.com/2012/08/hair-tutorial-gibson-tuck.html

[Arete]

Maybe put a bun up with spin pins, then add the flexi in as a decoration. Flexi's can definitely help dress up any bun and make it fancier. Chigons might be worth trying too

Other easy ways to dress up buns:
1) Tie on beads (glass pearls, faceted glass, etc) with thread to bobby pins or hair pins. Add them throughout the hairstyle for a pretty accent.
2) braid and then style. A braided cinnabun for example looks so much more complicated and fancy than a plain one
3) a few strands kept out of the bun and curled is face framing and looks good on most anyone. No need to use heat. Most likely with your texture, you'd have good results with pin curls.
4)accent braids and twists
5) a loose french twist leading to the bun on one or both sides adds texture, depth, and softness.

[Entangled]

Sparkles will dress up any updo… You could buy some pins online. (Wedding sites often have some bling).

Since your hair has texture, and looking into messier updos--those have been popular. Conversely, you could use a heatless curling method to get a more uniform texture. I second gibson tucks and peacock twists. Those look pretty good.

[animetor7]

I really like rose buns for formal events. I braid my hair in two rope braids and then coil one into a cinnabun and wrap the other braid around that bun. It creates a pretty and intricate bun without it being difficult which is always a nice thing. :)

ETA you can secure it with any pins of your choosing. I like bobby pins or Amish pins for this but lots of different methods will work.

[hayheadsbird]

French plait and the fold up the end in a bun and secure with a flexi. The braiding should help hold it in place better.

[PixieP]

I find this chignon tutorial to be very easy:
http://beauty-zone.org/elegant-chignon-for-long-hair/
You can control how big or small the chignon is based on how big you make the roll when rolling up :)

It wil look great with wavy/wurly hair as well, the messy updo has been a big trend for a long time :) A few u-pins with some decor on them or a decorated comb goes a long way to make a messy updo more formal if you wish, and these things you can ususally find at H&M and other clothing stores who also have jewelry and hairstuff.

[lapushka]

If it's that short, maybe taking small pieces and securing them individually to your head would be something. torrinpaige did something like that in her latest tutorial (the bun flowers) - really pretty. I'll link it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JMEZLIEwx8

[Flossiebell]

Wow, thanks guys! I've been trying some of these ideas out....I had to google a rope braid - i'd been braiding for 3 mins and couldn't understand why it wasn't getting anywhere hahaha. I like the idea of a rope braid but I think I'll have to get a bit more length to do anything with it, so definitely one to save for later 🙂, Gibson tuck is a possibility if I can control my hair - it keeps popping out the pocket but has somehow gone flat - will need to work on that. Sparkles and beads are a fab idea and torrin Paige's sock bun has given me some inspiration too - I think I may have a bun ring somewhere so I may be able to do something with that.

I need to spend a lot of time trying to French braid and do chignons because I like them a lot on other people but don't seem to have enough hands to do them myself 😕

I'm sorry I cannot thank everyone individually but I'm having a few technical issues but thank you all so much....I've definitely got some fantastic ideas to try out now 😀 xx

[animetor7]

If your hair is too short to make a bun out of the rope braids but you like the look of them, you could always just rope braid or french rope braid the front bits and wear it as a half-up. To french rope braid all you do is start with a small section of hair near the front, split it in two, then twist them around each other twice. Then start rope braiding and before each twist add a bit of hair. If you just want to use this as a half-up you can stop wherever you choose and either rope braid the rest of the way down the section or just pin it where you decide to stop. I've done this before and think it looks quite pretty. It's also how I normally make the rose bun to add some interest to the front of my hair. :) Sorry I probably should have added that in my initial post as an option/explanation and explained rope braiding. I forget after having been here for a while that most people don't spend their free time learning new braids for the heck of it, I'm just a weirdo. :) Oops!! In any case, you have lots of fantastic ideas/suggestions from everyone to choose from. :) :flower:

[meteor]

I love sectioned braided buns, and they can be done on shorter hair. The shorter and/or thicker the hair is, the more sections one may need to use to be able to put hair up.

Here is one option, for example (from 3 braids, sectioned vertically and wrapped around the braided cinnabun base): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y8or_RC6wM

You could also bun just the back/nape area, then create 2 accent braids from each side and pin them around (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnJ6h7ivFKo) or first make a bunch of smaller braids/twists and twist/braid them together before bunning.

For more interest and texture, you could combine different braids, for example, herringbone/fishtail braids with rope twists with simple English braids or tight braids with pancaked ones. There are so many options... :D Torrinpaige, ladollyvita333, Kayley Melissa and others on YouTube have lots of great ideas for formal updos.