High Buns

[Morrighan]

How do you all do high buns? Mine wont stay up. Whenever I do one that's higher than the nape it just falls back down to my nape immediately. It doesn't matter if it's very high up or just a couple inches from the nape. When it falls it still stays in a bun form, and it creates this poofy thing underneath the bun from my nape hair that was going up towards the bun, but then falls into a poof when the bun falls.

I use sticks and I'm pretty sure that I'm grading scalp hair while spearing the bun.

I've tried tieing with a small scrunchie before making the bun, but it still falls. And even though I tie tight, the scrunchie still slips down the "ponytail" while it's in bun form! So then it's like sitting on the outside middle of my bun. When I was younger I tried to make ponytails with those elastics that have the metal thing on them, and they wouldn't slip, but they would fall to the nape just like my buns, so I don't think elastics would work either.

I thought it might be my hair texture, so I tried scrubbing clarifying shampoo on my whole length with no conditioner or oil afterwards, and no combing before making the bun to try to make my hair rougher. But that didn't work either.

I've tried flipping the hair upside down, making the bun on top of my head, then standing up straight, but it still fell down all the way to my nape.

I also have problems getting the hair up that high to begin with. I can't just grab it and lift it up. It wants to stay pointing down. I have to lean back as far as I can, lean my head back, and then spend the next 5 minutes or so manipulating the bottom half to go up against my head. I thought maybe it just needs to be trained to go in a different direction. But I've been trying for about 6 months now and also wearing buns around the house and I'm still having these problems.

Anyone have any high bun tips?

[UncommonTart]

I tend to wear high buns when I have a headache- less weight hanging from the back of my scalp just feels better. I usually use hair pins for them, though. Three or four around the perimeter seems to do it. I do mine without a ponytail, but with the pins I've never had them fall on me. If you think a ponytail base would work better, have you tried those "no slip grip" ponytail elastics? I have some of the Goody brand ones that I use for regular ponytails and they're pretty good at staying where they're put, even through my dance classes.

[Melisande]

It may depend on the kind of buns. If you make a more spread-out bun like a celtic and fix it with scroos or pins all around, I can't imagine how it can fall down. Or maybe try a fork?

[Torrin Paige]

You have slippery hair...that's not a bad thing! :) Unless you want a higher bun. After pony-ing it, braid it so the elastic will stay and then bun it. The braid should keep it in check, and when you put your sticks in, just make sure they're under the elastic. I do that for my cousin who is also cursed with slippery hair (totally virgin and baby fine and so lovely to pet) and it holds up pretty well for her.

[Helen Baq]

I've always had slippery hair that won't hold a pony tail and I can successfully wear a high bun.

First I comb my hair out well, then flip over so my head is hanging down and comb my hair into a high ponytail (held with hand, no band needed).

Twist the ponytail and make a cinnabun, then grab the bun and twist the opposite way to loosen the un-bunned hair and make it look fancy.

Pin with bobby pins. I've used as many as eight bobby pins, but less would probably suffice. It's comfortable and holds well. I've slept on these buns before, though I'd take out some of the bobby pins or your scalp will get sore. :p

[hellkitty]

I have slippy hair too, and my buns are normally splat flat back of head. If I want a higher bun, I 'cheat' and do a figure 8 bun or a 'flipped bun' (plug for the awesome bun articles on this site!)

I've also found that for some reason, oiling my hair (lightly) makes it behave better in buns of all sizes.

I can only keep high buns up with two crossed wooden hairsticks though. Plastic doesn't work, forks don't work. Has to be wood, and they have to cross at 90degrees. Weird.
HK

[Themyst]

I have to wear hair clips to keep mine up - hair sticks won't hold it at all, but then I've never really mastered the stick.

[Anje]

Most buns slip a bit for me, too, unless I've actually got them sitting on top of my head. Slipping partly depends on how the bun is secured, too. For me, sticks are more secure than pins, but if I really want something to stay put I'll use a Ficcare.

To minimize the "poof", I find it helps to brush the hair into position.

[SpecialKitty]

I think with heavy, slippery and long hair, it might be more challenging. But I like the idea above about a braided bun. I also think it will help you to find the right tools to keep it up. Whether it's a ficcare, flexi8, or pins, I think you may need to use something other than sticks and scrunchies.

I bet your hair is beautiful though! :flowers:

[Morrighan]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

UncommonTart, I haven't heard of the no slip grips. I'll look for them next time I go shopping.

Torrin Paige, thanks I'll try a braided bun next.

Hellkitty & SpecialKitty, I'm using plastic sticks from claires accessories. It's all I can afford now. I'll save up and try some wooden sticks, ficares and flexi8s later though.

Anje, most of the time I use a comb to get the hair in place.

I've tried bobbypins, but they were to small and hardly caught any hair. Are these the type of pins you all are talking about? I'm thinking of looking for bigger pins.

[lambhair]

I sometimes have this problem too, depending on the style. I have found that using small clips helps a lot, or larger plastic hairpins ("good days" hair pins) works too. My favorite hair stick is about 10cm long and is made of bone and works well to hold my slippery hair all day when I'm at work. I think the braided bun idea is great too, and you might want to try some variation of the knotted bun-those seem to hold for me.

[Periwinkle]

I don't like high buns, but do sometimes wear them when swimming and stuff. I flip my hair upside-down and gather it into a ponytail directly on top of my head, then flip the right way up and secure (it always ends up further towards the back than I think, in the correct place for a high bun). Then I loop it around and put another elastic over to hold the bun and finish with a couple of pins or clips to hold it up.

[Deborah]

Have you tried a 'flip bun'? This one ends up higher than you start, so maybe it would help you get the higher look you want. My hair is super slippery, but I can keep it up in most buns quite easily by using a fork, a stick, or when it's uncooperative, a handful of wee claw clips. Works great!

Good luck on finding a solution! :)

[Morrighan]

I can't find instructions for the flip bun anywhere. Google didn't help. Anyone have a link to instructions?

I tried the braided bun, but my hair fell as soon as I let go of the pony tail. I didn't use no slip grips, but I did use a small and tight elastic thing. It didn't slip, it was still tight against my scalp, but the bottom of my hair just kinda fell. I don't know how to describe it better than that. I'll still try again later with the no slip grips though.

I also tried the figure 8 today. I love it! It doesn't show from the front, and it did slip a ittle, but not all the way down. It feels great to wear a bun up off of my neck! Maybe when my hair is a bit longer it will show from the front? Or maybe I just have a big head. Anyways I wanted to share a pic bucause I'm a bit proud of it. It worked on the first try when most updos don't for me.

http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0001331f.jpg

[Morrighan]

Hmm. That picture isn't showing for me. Here's the URL. http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0001331f.jpg

[Deborah]

I tried to answer this, but I goofed. Anyway, I answered in the "flipped bun" thread that I managed to accidentally pull up. Go there. It will be on this same page, or very near by. It contains a video and lots of posts about how to do a "flipped bun." :o

[Fethenwen]

A quick question that came into my mind now reading this, does chop sticks work well as hair sticks? I happen to have quite a lot of those around.

[Merlin]

Would putting a bun cover over it help? When my wife had long hair a couple of times she put it up very high with a crochet cover and it stayed as firm as rock - and she has heavy hair.

[UncommonTart]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

UncommonTart, I haven't heard of the no slip grips. I'll look for them next time I go shopping.

Torrin Paige, thanks I'll try a braided bun next.

Hellkitty & SpecialKitty, I'm using plastic sticks from claires accessories. It's all I can afford now. I'll save up and try some wooden sticks, ficares and flexi8s later though.

Anje, most of the time I use a comb to get the hair in place.

I've tried bobbypins, but they were to small and hardly caught any hair. Are these the type of pins you all are talking about? I'm thinking of looking for bigger pins.


I can't speak for anyone else here, but I couldn't use bobby pins to hold up a bun to save my life. They go shooting out ::fwing!:: across the room, sometimes, but mostly they just fall out and my hair falls down. By "hair pins" I mean the v or u-shaped pins, like the Amish pins, or these:
http://www.sta-riteginnielou.com/product_images/0000/0525/LOOSE_SL_HP.jpg
(Sta-Rite tipped hairpins)

They come in black, silver, and bronze, and they usually have them at Sally Beauty for about two dollars a pack of twenty-five. I also like the plastic Good Hair Days hairpins, but I find them better for lower, looser buns, personally. The metal just seems to work best for me for high buns.

[Torrin Paige]

A quick question that came into my mind now reading this, does chop sticks work well as hair sticks? I happen to have quite a lot of those around.

Yes, they totally work! One word of advice. Run some fine grit sandpaper over the ends so they won't rip at your hair. They work great and are an easy way to make custom hairsticks for cheap. I just paint the fat ends with nail polish and voila! One of a kind hairsticks. :)

[KaeleyAnne]

A quick question that came into my mind now reading this, does chop sticks work well as hair sticks? I happen to have quite a lot of those around.

Yes, they work. The only two hair sticks that I have are chopsticks that I cut to approximately 6 inches and sanded so that they would be slightly smoother.

[Helen Baq]

I can't speak for anyone else here, but I couldn't use bobby pins to hold up a bun to save my life. They go shooting out ::fwing!:: across the room, sometimes, but mostly they just fall out and my hair falls down. By "hair pins" I mean the v or u-shaped pins, like the Amish pins, or these:
http://www.sta-riteginnielou.com/product_images/0000/0525/LOOSE_SL_HP.jpg
(Sta-Rite tipped hairpins)

They come in black, silver, and bronze, and they usually have them at Sally Beauty for about two dollars a pack of twenty-five. I also like the plastic Good Hair Days hairpins, but I find them better for lower, looser buns, personally. The metal just seems to work best for me for high buns.

Haha! That's totally the opposite of me. I've never had success with hairpins. It sounds like you get too much hair in the bobby pins. I used to do that.

This may sound silly, but could you explain how to use hairpins? I think I just have no idea how to use them correctly! :confused:

[UncommonTart]

Haha! That's totally the opposite of me. I've never had success with hairpins. It sounds like you get too much hair in the bobby pins. I used to do that.

This may sound silly, but could you explain how to use hairpins? I think I just have no idea how to use them correctly! :confused:


Hehe... my mum says that very thing. She uses bobby pins to hold up her bun. I, on the other hand, can't seem to figure out what the right amount of hair is with them... either they fly out and across the room or they stay in but my hair still falls down. With the hairpins, I stick them in straight down, grabbing the side of the bun and some of the scalp hair, flip them a bit so that the prongy bits are parallel to my head, and slide them in. It's pretty simple, once you've gotten used to it. They work beautifully for me, and I always reccomend them to anyone who, like me, has trouble with bobby pins. (Think of them going in opposite the way a bobby pin does. "Sideways" as compared to a bobby pin.)

[Helen Baq]

Hehe... my mum says that very thing. She uses bobby pins to hold up her bun. I, on the other hand, can't seem to figure out what the right amount of hair is with them... either they fly out and across the room or they stay in but my hair still falls down. With the hairpins, I stick them in straight down, grabbing the side of the bun and some of the scalp hair, flip them a bit so that the prongy bits are parallel to my head, and slide them in. It's pretty simple, once you've gotten used to it. They work beautifully for me, and I always reccomend them to anyone who, like me, has trouble with bobby pins. (Think of them going in opposite the way a bobby pin does. "Sideways" as compared to a bobby pin.)

Ok, I'm gonna give them a try again!

With the bobby pins, I separate them so they are the same space along the length, then hold them like that while I insert them into my hair. They sort of close up as I insert them, so they just grab the right amount of hair. With bobby pins you have to use more pins (or larger ones) rather than grab more hair. :p

I'd like to get hairpins to work, they seem like they'd be better for my hair. :)

[UncommonTart]

Ok, I'm gonna give them a try again!

With the bobby pins, I separate them so they are the same space along the length, then hold them like that while I insert them into my hair. They sort of close up as I insert them, so they just grab the right amount of hair. With bobby pins you have to use more pins (or larger ones) rather than grab more hair. :p

I'd like to get hairpins to work, they seem like they'd be better for my hair. :)


Somehow, I missed your reply to this thread. I'm pretty happy with hairpins for my buns, But I'm definitely going to give bobby pins another shot now that I have a better idea how to use them. I'd like to be able to use them for pincurls and the like.

Thanks for the advice, and good luck with the hairpins! :blossom: