Updo Tips for Beginners

[SweetPea88]

As my hair continues to gain length, I want to try to keep it protected a bit more often. I am just so used to keeping it down, I don't really know how to begin. I have been braiding a lot lately, but what can I do to incorporate some new styles?

I guess I'm looking for some styles that I can easily go to on a regular basis.

Note: I have one pair of hair sticks, a fakkare, and some small flower hair forks.

Thanks so much everyone! :flower:

[WavyGirl]

Well if it's buns you're looking for start with the cinnabun & sock bun. The french twist and peacock are also nice updos for medium hair lengths. If your braiding is good then you should find the variations fairly easy, french, dutch, herringbone, rope they can all be done as classics too. Dreamweaver braiding has excellent pictures and okay instructions (I found Karen Ribble's instructions much easier to work with but you'll have to pay for them). All the braids can be pinned into buns too. I like open grips (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1000-x-Brown-2-Pins-Lotus-Triple-Wave-Salon-Hair-Grips_W0QQitemZ250225454371QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1125 60QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) for that and would recommend you buy a pack, they're really cheap and can be used alone or with your other hairtoys for a firmer hold of most styles.

[Kupferzopf]

Another nice style is the flirty flip: http://www.vkdesignsandfindings.com/hairstick_instr.pdf

[SweetPea88]

Thanks Wavygirl! The dreamweaver site looks really helpful, braid variations have always been something I've wanted to start doing. Can the wave pins be found in stores as well?

Kupferzopf, thank you for the link! It's very helpful!

[florenonite]

Thanks Wavygirl! The dreamweaver site looks really helpful, braid variations have always been something I've wanted to start doing. Can the wave pins be found in stores as well?

Kupferzopf, thank you for the link! It's very helpful!

I know you can get pins like that in Boots here in the UK, so probably a similar store in the US would have them (some kind of drug store).

ETA: do you have Shoppers Drug Mart in the US? I think they have them there, but it might just be a Canadian store *has no idea as to what she's going on aboot*

[SweetPea88]

Florenonite I've never heard of a Shopper's Drug Mart, but I'll be sure to check out CVS or Walgreens when I get a chance. Thanks for you help! :flower:

[getoffmyskittle]

Most of the Dreamweaver styles can be held with the large, flat (i.e. no ridges) bobby pins. I know Goody's makes them, just check in the hair aisle.

ETA: I would imagine that on shorter hair they can be held with regular bobby pins too, but my hair is heavy enough that regular ones generally don't work.

[WavyGirl]

Thanks Wavygirl! The dreamweaver site looks really helpful, braid variations have always been something I've wanted to start doing. Can the wave pins be found in stores as well?

Kupferzopf, thank you for the link! It's very helpful!

You're very welcome, you would have been able to find all that info in threads on the old site, I didn't have to research or anything. ;) Yes, you can find those pins everywhere. I get mine in my local everything-for-a-euro shop. I'm sure Walmart's or Sallys will carry them.

[AJoifulNoise]

Have you been to www.longhairloom.com (http://www.longhairloom.com) ? They have a lot of ideas and tutorials in the section marked "Styling Station."

I was around your length when I started wearing my hair up. Cinnabuns, sockbuns, figure 8s, and Chinese Buns were and are my favorites. I use sticks, pins and little claw clips to hold them.

[SweetPea88]

Thanks Getoffmyskittle and Wavygirl, I'll probably just swing by the store when I get a chance and pick up the pins and some flat bobby pins (I'm such a big spender ;))

AJoifulNoise thank you so much! That is the site I had bookmarked awhile back but had lost. :cheese: You deserve dancing cheese!

[AJoifulNoise]

AJoifulNoise thank you so much! That is the site I had bookmarked awhile back but had lost. :cheese: You deserve dancing cheese!

Woo! Dancing cheese!

[anna1850]

Have you seen this site?
http://www.dressytresses.com/hair/gallery/default.asp

If you have a Claire's near you they normally have all kinds of bobby pins (and sometimes some other nice hair accessories too!)

It's a shame we don't have all the old updo articles from the old forum as there's some really good styles there.

[SweetPea88]

Thank you Anna for your help. I'm gathering a nice little collection of updos to try, how exciting!

[MeMyselfandI]

SweetPea

Thank you for starting this thread. I would love to learn how to do some of these updos.

As for wave hair pins that look like the lotus pin.

I used to buy them in regular stores. Eventually I could not find the more solid lotus hair pins, I could only find thinner hair pins. I could not stand the thinner pins. I found they did not stay in or support my hair in a bun at all. I gave up using the thinner pins. I still have bundles of them with the elastic intact. I will start looking for the thicker ones.