"Suzuki" Method Hairstyle Repertoire Building

[Happymaman]

Hi, all,

One of my haircare goals for 2023 is to GREATLY expand my hairstyle repertoire. I basically can only do a basic bun, basic 3-strand braid, French and Dutch braids, and fishtail braid, so that's my starting point.

As a child, I took violin and piano lessons using the "Suzuki Method." One of the hallmarks of this method of learning is that you learn a specific 'repertoire,' learning each piece to mastery before moving on to another. When you do move on, you continue to play each piece that you have learned before so that, in theory, a musician who has 'finished' the entire Suzuki repertoire should be able to play ANY piece from the entire series at a very high level of precision because they never stopped practicing even the simplest pieces. You would always simultaneously have Mozart concertos as well as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" fresh and not rusty, in your wheelhouse, so to speak. And you would always have the techniques applied through this study, from the simplest to the most complex, in your wheelhouse as well. I have applied this concept to other areas of my life in the past and have found it very useful at various points. For my goal of working toward greatly expanding my hairstyle repertoire, I'm planning on adapting this Suzuki style concept yet again.

Question for the hivemind: What are some techniques (e.g. how to do two-strand twists, how to fluff up a braid to add volume, how to use a hair-stick, etc.) that you would consider fundamental to expanding a theoretical haircare repertoire? I plan to incorporate about 3 styles that I like per new technique so I can gain mastery over skills across styles.

And what do you consider the ESSENTIAL styles using any technique? I've taken a good look at some of the style lists for braids, buns, and half-up/half-down styles, but I'd like to know what you'd consider your essential say, 10 styles or so.

Lastly, any interest in doing this with me? I'm going to be embarking to learn a lot more and practicing on my family as I go. I thrive on accountability so anybody wanting to do the same would be a welcome buddy.

[Hedera]

Interesting approach! :)

Will have to think about it for a bit, but off the top of my head I would say

- English braid (the equivalent of Twinkle Twinkle, perhaps ;) )
- French Braid
- Dutch Braid
- French Twist

Some styles / buns would become easier or just different as hair gets longer, others might become uncomfortable or more or less impossible (like a Gibson Tuck)

[SeppV]

Oh, this sounds like something for me! I, like you, don't know many styles. One style I find essential is the milk maid braids, where you cross at the back (makes it look like a braid that goes around the entire head)

It's simple, doesn't pull and you don't need super long hair to accomplish it (like with a regular crown braid, I can't make that yet at BCL)
Other than that... the nautilus, of course, a classic (and the only bun I know how to make...)

I feel like I can't contribute so much to this thread, because I don't have much knowledge, but at least I would like to join the journey!

[lapushka]

I think I have about 3 styles that I do. A lazy wrap bun, a Nautilus bun (my go-to these days/past couple years), and a side-braid, quite loose.

[neko_kawaii]

Check out the list of terms at the bottom of the second post in the Hairstyle Thesaurus (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=145554). All the styles should list one or more of those hairstyle elements that are used in their constructions.

[tuanyiji]

I have over 30 variations on the Lazy Wrap Bun alone.
I have a dozen variations on the cinnamon bun.
And I am just discovering the wonders of various knot buns.

[mochichichi]

I use two things: a cinnabun (what I think is one at least, I do pull the center out lazy wrap style but I don't hold anything with my fingers), dutch braids (pig tails style). I wear the bun almost every day; for me, having one solid updo that I can do in 1 minute is all I need.

[embee]

for me, having one solid updo that I can do in 1 minute is all I need.

Oh, this is me. Although I'd love to have many choices, my hair is not friendly to many buns or styles - too thin for most, too short for many. :(

It takes me longer to brush/comb the hair than to make the bun, but without brushing or combing the bun will not be presentable.

[Happymaman]

Thank you everyone for your feedback! It was great in compiling a starter list and I've added pretty much everything suggested here to my spreadsheet. Neko kawaii, that specific section of the Thesaurus was extremely helpful in giving me some starting points. What a great resource!

I'm sitting at 100 styles as my future "repertoire" I hope to learn. That's a lot... I know. It doesn't include some stuff I theoretically want to learn in the future (Amish Bun... infinity braids...), but it does include all the styles I really want to be able to do in the next like 3 years. I have time (hopefully) to learn more. The rest of a long life and at least 7 planned additional years of growing out my hair on top of these first 3. I had forgotten that I can also already do a donut/bagel bun with a scrunchie base and also a simple French Twist (and my hair is currently a great length to start wearing that regularly, so thanks Hedera for reminding me it existed). I have therefore not included those in my curriculum, but those elements are included in other styles I've assigned myself. I'll be experimenting on myself, my husband, and two of my children as I can (I'm pretty certain I'll have to wait at least 2 years before I'm able to do locstyles on my middle child and most of the locstyles I'd like to do are not these in particular, but the technical basis will help!), so I included styles that will be good at various lengths but that also have flexibility to them. The ones truly requiring longer hair are toward the end of my curriculum, as I'm thinking it'll take me at least a couple years to work through. Who knows how long it will actually take me, but I vow to be consistent about practice through this time 2023 as that's what I can commit to and we will see how far I can go in that time. Again... my focus is on acquisition of solid techniques into my wheelhouse, less so on getting through them at a clip. It was important to me to look at various historical styles as that's a major interest of mine, and within that, to draw from my heritage cultures (Celtic, pan-Western European) and that of my husband (Han Chinese). And within that, to include male and female historical styles, though we will not be exclusive about who gets what around here. Some of the styles are so simple they barely deign mentioning, but that's the point... I'll be rotating through my repertoire so some days super simple will be called for. So all in all... 100 it is. That's how I'm justifying such a long list.

I found myself pulled towards certain techniques, so my curriculum includes not the most basic techniques out there, but just ones that I need to complete styles that I like in the future. The techniques I've pegged (in order of progression) are:

1. Tuck (my shorthand for elements where you tuck things in and make them invisible)
2. Topsy (my shorthand for a lot of elements where you flip sections of hair over on themselves)
3. Accent braids (lots of applications!)
4. Milkmaid (various styles)
5. Tornado (single-strand twist)
6. Fluffing (braids and buns and slicked canopy for volume)
7. Taping (wrapping/sewing with ribbon)
8. Lace braids (French/Dutch braiding where you only add to one side so can be applied along hairline, nape, hem, or parts)
9. Rope braids (two-strand twist)
10. Hairstick/hairfork application
11. Victorian / Hanfu "puff" (adding extra volume like a pompadour, I'll be learning it both with styling as an illusion and I'll also be collecting my hairfall to use as my own puff inserts)

And I won't post all 100 styles here (unless someone is really curious), but it's an excellent mixture of braid, buns, other up-dos, and half-up/half-down styles. Also a decent back and forth between casual and fanciful. A mix between styles that will take 1-3 minutes on deft hands and the upper end of the spectrum seems to take... a while. I'm going back and forth in terms of tension and pressure points on hair and the methods used to secure it. There's a mix of more childish options and very grown up, sophisticated looks. Exactly 50 of the styles contain just one of the above techniques for focused practice, 39 of them contain combinations of two technical elements, and 11 of the styles contain 3-4 of them for super combos! By necessity, most of those are the showstoppers I'm including toward the end, such styles as: "Fluffed Maypole Ribbon Pigtail Milkmaid Updo" and "Hanfu Topsy Hairstick Braided Tuck Updo," and we will see if anyone's hair is truly long enough by the time we come to "Double Dutch No-Part Fishtail Crown Braid."

To any mods in the house, does this post belong in the Hair Projects category now? I plan to update as I go along... I'll be starting right away.

SeppV, care to join me in creating your own curriculum (maybe like 20 hairstyles and not a hundred...)?

I think what excites me most about it is the idea that I've always aspired to be good at hair... I've just literally never done anything about that idly wistful dream. I didn't even know how to French braid until this year... So this is me actualizing a part of my identity that has been dormant since I was a little girl.

[Ylva]

To any mods in the house, does this post belong in the Hair Projects category now? I plan to update as I go along... I'll be starting right away.

In my opinion, it’s perfectly fine here.

[Happymaman]

Thanks for the quick response, Ylva!

[lapis_lazuli]

I wear the bun almost every day; for me, having one solid updo that I can do in 1 minute is all I need.

Me too! Maybe it's boring, but I love it, and it's one less thing to think about in the morning.


As for other styles, I'm also still building up my repertoire. I only learned how to French/Dutch braid last year. I also have a list of buns and braids to attempt, but it's kind of overwhelming and I haven't looked at it in a while. The next "basic" skill I could learn is how to twist hair with one hand, like for a cinnabun or a rope braid. That would open up a lot of styling possibilities, but most times I try I end up snapping hairs, so I've avoided it up to this point.

This is a really interesting project to undertake and I wish you success!

[Happymaman]

This first week of working on this was extremely fun! I'm sure my enthusiasm will wane but I feel like my hair skills truly progressed, and feeling that gave me a sense of self efficacy and it gave me hope that in the future, I'll be able to do the things I want to do with my hair (and everyone else's).

I worked a lot on my STYLE 1: Dutch/French Braid, Tucked. I tried a hack to include a ribbon underneath the braid to be able to then easily tug the braid up against the scalp (found that in this video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zVlbkBxdYM) and it worked really well, but also largely wasn't necessary on the length of hair for DH and P. I took pictures of each braid and as I am still pretty new to Dutch and French braiding, I can see serious improvement in the photos across the span of the week. DH had a great time wearing my creations to work and said the braids were really sturdy and he liked keeping it off his neck because when his usual braids fray, his course hairs really irritate his sensitive skin with their needle/dagger power. My most recent attempt at the style had a French braid on P that actually managed to last 24 toddler hours and still looked pretty good. That's easily the best braid I've ever done and it was not too tight (P is not shy about letting me know) at all. It was gorgeous!

STYLE 2: Two-Pony Topsy Tuck Updo (https://youtu.be/zDwMsesOmxM) (https://youtu.be/zDwMsesOmxM) was really only suitable on P's hair, but it looked so stinking good. My hair is too short and too floppy because it's so fine. DH's hair is too stiff and too long for it. And 2 days with it on P really was enough to gain proficiency with the style so I felt confident moving onto something else while I continued the practice on STYLE 1 with all three of us.

STYLE 3: Topsy Braid, Tucked (https://youtu.be/9Z8ecgYVguk) worked great on P. I have yet to try it on myself as my hair is still too short.

STYLE 4: Double Topsy Single Pony (https://youtu.be/XzCCK2lYyLU) is pretty much the absolute perfect style on DH currently. His side edges are significantly shorter than the hem at his back, and they are perfectly contained and off his face with this style without any pins or anything. He will probably wear this style to work at least once a week now. It also is adorable on P.

So that's where I've left off for the week. I'm primarily still working on STYLE 1 for myself (learning to truly master the French and Dutch single braid on myself with my short hair is proving a challenge but I have made major progress. I am really just wanting to get better at managing the scalp cleavage). My hair is short enough that I'll move from STYLE 1 to STYLE 4 for myself for now. I'm ready to move on for DH with STYLE 1 and STYLE 4 being adopted into his usual rotation, and I need a couple more repetitions of STYLE 3 on P to gain total mastery. Looking forward to more practice this week! It'll be slower progress moving through the styles from now on as I'll still be practicing what I've learned from before.