Tips on up-dos for us with <BSl hair?

[ikn]

Hello all,
I really want to be a bit more imaginative in my choice of up-dos, but I have slightly layered hair which is BSL at its longest (inconveniently cut in a "v"). What I do fairly regularly right now is: Chinese bun, Gibson tuck, random hairstick bun, English braid, horrible French braid (I lack skills but practice vigorously) and pony.

At my disposal I have a good number of hairpins, bobby pins and elastics. Also a couple of haircombs (none of which will allow a French twist sadly), hairsticks and some Flexi-8 arriving next week hopefully.

Does anyone have any ideas of what might work? Suddenly I feel as though there is nothing to do with my hair until it reaches waist and my layers are gone and I know that just can't be true!

/ikn

[going gray]

Sorry I have no suggestions, but will one day soon (I hope) need the same advice. Sure there must be a lot of ways to wear your hair.

Sure the ladies here have some great updos.

[Pierre]

A style I like, and which works well at BSL, is two Dutch braids, one on each side. You can tie them off with elastics or mini Flexis, make a bun, or join the two braids and fold the joined braid on top of your head (see my pictures for this last one).

[rogue_psyche]

I have BSL hair and I can do a sort of braided bun. I braid my hair and fasten it with an elastic. I then lay the braid flat against my head in a swirl pattern. A diagonally placed hairstick keeps it up. It doesn't pull your scalp and is relatively secure. It isn't a formal updo, though. If anyone knows if I can get that to stay without the elastic, I'm all ears.

You can also do a sock bun at APL and longer (maybe shoulder?). Here's a link on preping the sock (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=340556&postcount=59), and another on actually making the bun (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=288240&postcount=4). Sock buns are versitale and make a substantial-looking updo at a shorter length. You can leave the ends down, braid them, or wrap them around. However, it does get heavy after a while.

I can't get a neat figure 8 with no ends sticking out without pins, though. :( It is one of my favorite updos.

[ikn]

Thanks :) I think I might be off to try and create a sock bun now! I think figure of 8 looks so nice but unfortunately my hair isn't long enough / too thick at its current length to be able to make it... My French braiding seem to be improving though - I usually try to make one to sleep in (means it doesn't matter if it's not perfect..) and the one I did last night actually felt half-decent!

[vampodrama]

I have barely-BSL-layered hair too.

My regular style is either a french or a dutch braid (practice makes perfect ;)). Spiky, of course, due to the layers.

I can also do a lazy wrap bun (spiky) with a stick, and an occasional nautilus bun (most of the time it falls out though, but sometimes holds like a rock - I have no idea what's up with that).

Sometimes I do a cinnabun with pins (spiky).

Lately I've done a sort of a french twist held with a random metal beak clip. If I position it right, it stays all day, doesn't pull or sag, and it is somewhat spike-free.

Chinese bun and gibson tuck are downright impossible to do with my hair because it's way too soft and slippery.

[ikn]

I think a lazy wrap might be what I usually do with my "hairstick bun". Ut then again maybe not. I usually split the hair in two sections and twist them around each other, then up in a bun and secure with a hairstick. This usually eliminates the spikes for me. Also Vampodrama, did you try securing your gibson tuck with a wide comb? That's how I do it, looks really pretty. My haircomb is almost 11 cm wide though (roughly 4 inches I think that is) and has perfect curvature to fit to the back of my head. Couldn't do it without that...

My cinnabun never wants to looks like a cinnabun :(. It can have two swirls the moment I make it but five seconds later they are mysteriously gone... Right now I'm wearing a bun I found in the articles here, ponytail with four sections coiled and pinned to my head with bobbypins. Feels surprisingly secure!

Btw the metal beak clip you use in a French twist, would that be a alligator clip? I'm still trying to figure out ways to hold one... I suppose my flexis might help when they finally arrive. :)

[vampodrama]

I can't do a gibson tuck because my hair is too thin and the tail will fall out through the pocket. Tried everything, doesn't work. I do have a large comb with long prongs, but it's not helpful in my case (plus it's way too fancy and will not look good as an accessory next to my combat boots and military clothes :D)

As for alligator clips... I know they're something you can start your car with from another car's battery, but I've never secured my hair with one before :eyebrows: When I said beak clip I meant one like these ones (http://www.qclothing.co.uk/images/DSC09806.JPG). The names of the hair toys get lost in translation so often for me! :D

[ikn]

Haha imagine having one of the car ones in your hair.. Not so good perhaps. :) We seem to be talking about the same thing though, they are sometimes (always? there seem to be issues with different regions of English about this kind of stuff...) called alligator clips. Now I might go and try to dig out mine and see if I can finally manage a French twist... Hello YouTube!

Shame that you have too thin hair for a Gibson tuck. It's one of the hairdos that makes me feel grown-up and proper (which to be fair I don't desire most of the time).

[ikn]

I finally managed to make a French Twist today! My flexiclips finally arrived (well it only took about a week, not to shabby for a delivery overseas) and that made it so easy! Plus I think my French Braiding might finalyl be there now! As is my Dutch. My normal issue is that I for some reason French one side of the braid and Dutch the other. Makes for some strange results...

[heatherdazy]

I have shoulder length hair and have been wearing updos since chin length. I guess my main tip would be to get out of the mindset of gathering all the hair together in one spot, since that requires more length.

For example, for a french twist, I might section off everything from the ears forward('front'), the crown, and the bottom. I'd do a part up part down style (leaving out the 'front'), then do a french twist with the bottom section. Lastly, I would take each 'front' section back and pin it over any gaps/hairbands... basically cover up the mess.

You can do a lot of variations on that starting with the half up/half down (but leave out the 'front' sections), do whatever you like with the bottom (twist, bun, pincurls, upside down french braid), then pin back the front sides at the very end.

I also like this method because it gives you a lot of control over how your updo will look from the front. I personally like a bit of height on top and don't like the sides too slicked back. Securing each section separately makes it easy to do without teasing or lots of spray.

[Pierre]

I finally managed to make a French Twist today! My flexiclips finally arrived (well it only took about a week, not to shabby for a delivery overseas) and that made it so easy! Plus I think my French Braiding might finalyl be there now! As is my Dutch. My normal issue is that I for some reason French one side of the braid and Dutch the other. Makes for some strange results...
That's one sort of Belgian braid. My first attempt came out Belgian - I flipped the braid sense when I got near the back of my head.:D

[klcqtee]

My hair is also layered, but backwards (short in the back, long in the front) with my longest length being APL. I like the gibson tuck (which I just learned!), the sock bun, a cinnabun (held with 2 hair sticks!!) and my absolute favourite that I just learned: The reverse french braid! Someone on here had started a thread on it not too long ago.

Basically, you braid from the base of your neck up to the crown of your head (or the high ponytail area) then put the rest of it in a bun! It's so interesting compared to a normal bun. Oh I love it so much, even though my hair is a bit short in the back to have it really "stay".

Also, I love the crown braid (it's a pain to do, but I love it, and it stays for a couple days), pig tails are always fun, if your hair is long enough you can do twin sock buns. This girl teaches the perfect sock bun (no left over hair!) and she's adorable to watch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13J7ArHTkM
With her version of the sock bun, you can do twin sock buns (like pigtails, only monster bun like).

Half updo buns are always an option as well. You could do a half updo braided bun! That'd be pretty. It'd be like a miniature rose bun!

[EtherealOde]

I like a french braid but with the tail of the braid tucked up and under the braid on your head. Looks really pretty with some cute pins or clips in it.

[ikn]

I never figured out how to do the thing where you tuck in the rest of the braid at the bottom to make it look neat... Maybe I just braid to tightly because there is nowhere to fit it?

Klcqt: can you crown braid when your longest hair is APL? Wow.... You must have some mad skills....

Am now going away to Google Belgian braid and Reverse French Braid.

Otherwise my current hairstyle is two french braids in the front of my hair gathering up in the back at ponytailheight held together with a flexi, the rest of the hair being down. Turns into a very pretty half-up kind of thing...

[ikn]

Ok additoonal question here - when I search for reverse french braid the hits I get are all for Dutch braids. Which I suppose kind of make sense but wasn't what i was after (looking for the one that starts at the bottom). Can someone recommend a tutorial/article/video/thread please?

[klcqtee]

Klcqt: can you crown braid when your longest hair is APL? Wow.... You must have some mad skills....



My crown braid is not quite a "crown" braid (it's about midway between my crown and hairline). It takes a bit of time to get up (and my arms get so tired!), but it's cute and lasts quite some time for me.

[missmagoo]

I just figured out something fun to do with my hair- I have some short, shoulder-length layers, some APL layers, and my longest layers are between APL and BSL.

First I made a (messy) figure 8 bun with the hair from my crown up (like you would if you were going to wear your hair half up/half down) held in place with a hair stick.

Then I took a section of hair below that and made another figure 8 bun, held that in place with a hair stick.

I still had a smallish section of my longest hair hanging down my back- I took that section and wound it around the lower bun, and resecured with a hair stick.

I think it would also work to divide your hair in half (instead of basically dividing it in thirds like I did) and just make two buns.

Hope that makes sense!

[eshta]

If you can't make most buns yet because of thickness, look at this variation on the orchid bun. I can't make real one yet but this works on me.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=15710&highlight=wrap+orchid

[Rentlle]

take a look in my album.
these are all made with bsl-hair