"Next Level" Hairstyling - what can I do with 40+ inches of hair?

[XiaoBaiTu]

Hey everybody,

I haven't been around the forums much lately, but have continued to grow my hair and recently hit 40 inches. My hair grows very, very quickly (about an inch and a half per month) and I've started to notice that some of what I used to do with it doesn't work at this length, and I'm expecting other hairstyles to become less practical as I grow from here.

Some of what I've encountered:


Braids are long enough to get caught in zippers and chair backs now, but still work well for preventing tangles.
More elaborate hairstyles are difficult to manage because the potential for tangles to form is greater with longer hair.
A plain Lazy Wrap Bun is now heavy enough to become loose after only a couple hours (it used to last all day).
Styles that prevent matting and tangling are a MUST.


So, what types of styles do you all suggest? I really want to continue growing my hair, as I love it even more the longer it gets.

[lapushka]

Have you tried making the loop bigger when making a LWB? I find that once I hit classic (compared to hip) I have widened the loop of the LWB so much by then, and it keeps working that way.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

There are many, many styles you can learn. Check out Torrinpaige's videos on You Tube.

[Jo Ann]

Torrinpaige: https://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige/videos

Sarahlabyrinth: https://www.youtube.com/user/SarahlabyrinthLHC/videos

Hypnotica: https://www.youtube.com/user/4ypn0tica/videos

All of these ladies have videos (the older ones) when their hair was about your length, XiaoBaiTu

[Chromis]

I find sometimes I just have to browse about for new styles when things no longer work. Also, sometimes I need new tools! When my hair was a couple of feet shorter, I could do a LWB with a thinner stick, now I absolutely need to use a thicker one or a fork. You might just have sized out of some things.

Nautilus and braided nautilus seem steady at most lengths. Cinnabuns, figure eight and such work at some lengths for me and not at others. Mostly you will need to experiment. The Modified Ellingwoman is another that seems to work at most lengths.

[leayellena]

nautilus,
braided buns: braided nautilus, braided lwb, etc.
start with french or dutch braid then bun the braid

[Borgessa]

Torrin does a vortex bun that is amazing and oh so pretty.. but that's not a 30 second bun thou.

[nicolezoie]

Larger accessories designed for extra thick hair work well. also, wrapping, folding, and twisting techniques can be adapted to accommodate more length. also, I use double ended knitting needles for hair sticks: 7mm for wrapping buns around, and bending the skinny ones into U shapes make for great 'oversized' amish hairpins.

[XiaoBaiTu]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Nicolezoie and Chromis, getting better hair accessories or tools wasn't something I even considered, so thanks! The ones I use right now are homemade (repurposed chopsticks that are given a pointed end and smoothed) and are very thin.

Jo Ann Wow, thanks for the references! Lots of hairstyles to look through, hopefully some that will work on curly hair.

I'll be sure to try out the techniques and styles you've all recommended. I'm off to YouTube to learn some new buns!

[Chromis]

Oh yes, chopstick thinness would be much too thin for me now! There are many makers of thicker sticks, or if you wish to do some carving, you can cure tree branches or reclaim wood scraps. Living in the US, you have lots of choices though :D

[spidermom]

Making 2 or more buns is also an option.

[Pigfarts]

I'm a big fan of a crown braid!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDGz7pgT22E

My process is similar except the excess braid tail at the end is much longer so I let it spiral inside the circular braid. Then it's really easy to either weave the braid tail into the crown braid or pin it in. My hair is around 37" now but this braid will last all day without any bobby pins or spin pins if I weave the braid tail around! When I add a couple bobby pins to secure the ends, this will last overnight as well. It only takes me about 5 minutes to do this hairstyle now!

[Cg]

Or, if your hair is classic or past, you can probably make a true crown braid: English braid, wrap the braid around your crown, pin in place.

[meteor]

Check out braided L-Infinity bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fzn4gNWIVQ) and braided Spidermom's (double lazy wrap) bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBA2OhZrcU). They create 2 loops rather than 1 (in LWB) so they can help make the bun more balanced at greater lengths.

[Kikyou]

Disc bun is the most stable for me at tailbone+