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atlantaz3
August 19th, 2009, 08:29 PM
My car club is having an Oktober Fest costume party so of course I want to wear Heidi Braids. (Beer wench costume) I can braid just fine but I don't quite know how to pin up the braids - plus they might need to be able to stay in a convertible! I have amish pins, regular bobby pins, the good days pins (love love love these) and even the goody style amish pins -what will be the best way to get the braids pinned up over and stay???
Also I now have layers in the bottom 2 inches of my hair so I have about an 1.5 inches of tassel - what do I do so the tassels don't show?
Thanks a bunch in advance

Heavenly Locks
August 19th, 2009, 08:34 PM
You are meaning the two braided pig tails that are wrapped up around the head like a crown braid, right?

PIC -

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2297602936_8646fd983e.jpg?v=0

Kimberly
August 19th, 2009, 08:38 PM
atlantaz3, I have the same problem with Heidi braids . . . can't figure out what to do with the tassel. I'm a curly and I have a lot of taper, so they're big and poofy.

spidermom
August 19th, 2009, 09:17 PM
I've seen some incredibly messy but beautiful Heidi braids around the web. Try a search; maybe you'll be able to approximate something you find.

UncommonTart
August 19th, 2009, 10:24 PM
You'll want short pins, much shorter than you'd use in a bun. I prefer regular wire-type hairpins. (I usually use the little metal Goody brand pins because they seem to be the best size for this, but I just bought some short Amish pins that I haven't had a chance to try out yet.) Bobby pins always seem to pull out too much hair when I try to remove them, but it's possible that I might just be "special" that way. :o

For the best hold, I've found that it works well if you anchor the two braids at the very top of your head. Cross one over the other and pin them togther, with at least two pins, one inserted left-to-right, one right-to-left. (Yes, you'll have a bit of a lump where the crossover is, but I haven't been able to anchor them successfully any other way. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.) Once the braids are anchored togther over the top of your head, pin them down around the circumference, parallel to each other. You should be able to tuck each end under the opposite braid and pin it down over top, but you'll probably need twice as many pins for this as you used for the rest of the braid. If you get the ends damp or oil them after braiding, it might make them easier to conceal.

It's important to place pins in both the "front" and "back" of each braid as it sits on your head. I overlooked this the first few times I wore my hair this way and by mid afternoon the braids would begin to slide either forward or backward off of my head in one piece, like a too-loose headband.

Hope that was some help! :blossom:

eadwine
August 19th, 2009, 11:44 PM
Convertible: remember what women did back in the day? Cloth over the hair, tie under chin. It's only for the ride, and then you can take it off again :)

willowcandra
August 20th, 2009, 01:50 AM
hijacking to say..... my tails are too long for heidis....would you bun them middle at back or in middle on top where they cross over?:D or fold them upwards and try to tuck under?

Katze
August 20th, 2009, 03:48 AM
my ends are so thin that I can bring them back along the other braid and pin or claw clip them in place. I use mini elastics and long bobby pins.

I saw a woman a while back with something similar who had used lots of mini claw clips to hold the braids along their length. It looked like she had a crown of flowers, and because her hair was messy as mine is the 'do looked better that way.

For these 'fake crown braids' I prefer to do an upside down French braid (instead of pulling downwards to make them smooth, pull up as you go so they lay flat along the crown of your head. Then continue braiding the length and hold the braid along the top of your head as you do so).

I have messy, wavy, layered hair and these kinds of 'dos look best on very dirty, or oiled hair, for me anyway. These 'dos are also the only time I really brush my hair, so I can get it as flat as possible.

hth!

Kimberly
August 20th, 2009, 12:50 PM
hijacking to say..... my tails are too long for heidis....would you bun them middle at back or in middle on top where they cross over?:D or fold them upwards and try to tuck under?

I try tucking my poofy tassels under, but they always make these dumb looking lumps and then escape. Nothing has worked. It's really been one of my greatest hair disappointments that I can't get this style to work.

GeoJ
August 20th, 2009, 01:29 PM
I usually use a combo of Bobby pins and Amish pins for this style, because I can never get Amish pins to work below my ear level. If you use Bobby pins, hold them open when you take them out so they don't break hairs or pull hairs out.



hijacking to say..... my tails are too long for heidis....would you bun them middle at back or in middle on top where they cross over?:D or fold them upwards and try to tuck under?

If your ends are thin enough you could try folding them back and tucking them under, but as your hair gets longer I think it is easier to alter the style. You can make your two braids, but instead of bringing them straight up the sides of your head, you can cross them at your nape and bring them up the opposite sides of your head- this will help with the long tail issue.

misstwist
August 20th, 2009, 04:06 PM
A couple pictures of this from Burda Style website. Burda is a German pattern maker and magazine conglomerate, for those who don't know.

http://www.burdafashion.com/en/Patterns/Main_Collection/7870_Dirndl/1270778-1128998-1005105-1534169.html

http://www.burdafashion.com/en/Patterns/Main_Collection/8949_Jacket/1270778-1128998-1003469-1377514.html

The pictures get bigger if you click on them.

Also, I wonder if you use Spidermom's ribbon wrapping technique to end the braids maybe if wouldn't matter quite so much to hide the tassel. It would be something interesting to look at in the braid.

And, hair taping may be a good way to secure them and add interest. Torrin Paige has a tutorial on ye olde youtube and I think I remember that GladtobeMom's instructions on making Nanny Pauline's coronet braid include a ribbon for securing. I'm not finding that thread at the moment, though.

Kimberly
August 20th, 2009, 04:11 PM
I like the hair taping idea!

atlantaz3
August 20th, 2009, 05:13 PM
I'm not sure what hair taping is so I will have to search that. I don't think I have talent enough for a coronet braid - plus my luck at styles the night I need it to work is when it absolutely won't.
Clarification - do the braid lay one on front of the other, one on top of the other, or could they be twisted together and then pinned.
Thanks for the front and back pinning advice - hopefully that will hold.
Thanks also for the scarf tip - I think the maid type hat might work well for that.

off to ye old you tube
ps love Burda patterns!

Anje
August 20th, 2009, 05:42 PM
hijacking to say..... my tails are too long for heidis....would you bun them middle at back or in middle on top where they cross over?:D or fold them upwards and try to tuck under?
Probably not too long... Cross the braids in the back first, then bring them over your head. It actually lies a lot smoother to your head when it's long enough to do this way, rather than folding the braids upward from your ears.

podo
August 20th, 2009, 07:36 PM
Her hair might not be long enough to cross in the back first.

If it's not, play with pins where the braid starts. I was always able to make it lay fairly flat. Or you could turn upside down and start braiding like that - so the braid isn't turned back against itself.

For the ends, I tuck mine under the braids and pin the braid on top/around, but my ends are fairly thin and the tassel is small. For yours, maybe instead of trying to hide the ends you might make them purposely noticeable. They should fall in the same place on either side, so maybe divide them into pieces and create twists and pin them into flowers? Or leave them straight, flare them out and pin them into a flattened spray? You'll have to experiment.

This is a pretty good link for Heidi braids: http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip312.htm

When I do Heidi braids, I use regular bobby pins since they seem to hold better (but again, my hair is very fine and thin). I put one one each braid about halfway between the cross on top of my head and the tail, with the open side going BACK up the braid (away from the tail) but angled slightly back. I make sure that the single pin holds the braid in place if I let go, then I pin with a mind to keeping it in place if I move my head after I've let go with my hands. Always pin back up the braid or perpendicular to it so if the braid loosens elsewhere it won't just slide off of the pin. Enough pins and a car ride shouldn't be a problem. I've slept in mine and it still looks ok the next day.

I wouldn't mess with a crown braid unless you've done it before or you have lots of time to practice. It's kind of difficult to get the hang of, and it's a slightly different look than Heidi braids. Taping would probably secure the braid very well, and take care of the ends, and depending on how you did it you might not notice it at all.

Good luck! Don't forget to take some pictures!!

AnneAdeline
August 20th, 2009, 07:45 PM
I use a combination of hair pins and hair taping (ribbon + yarn needle) to get my braids to hold. I've also started with dutch braids, then folded them back against each other.

misstwist
August 20th, 2009, 08:13 PM
I don't think I have talent enough for a coronet braid - plus my luck at styles the night I need it to work is when it absolutely won't.

I wasn't suggesting that you do a coronet braid or a crown braid. You don't have enough hair for a coronet and crown braids are just plain hard to do on yourself.

Just suggesting that GladtobeMom's coronet braid thread might have some ideas about securing a braid on top of the head.

Although, you have time to practice and you could look at Torrin Paige's dutch crown braid tutorial and decide if it is something you want to attempt.

My crown braid attempts always came out better at shorter lengths. Longer hair really seems to get in the way of the in-braiding around the crown in a way that shorter hair doesn't.

UncommonTart
August 20th, 2009, 08:52 PM
I'm not sure what hair taping is so I will have to search that. I don't think I have talent enough for a coronet braid - plus my luck at styles the night I need it to work is when it absolutely won't.
Clarification - do the braid lay one on front of the other, one on top of the other, or could they be twisted together and then pinned.
Thanks for the front and back pinning advice - hopefully that will hold.
Thanks also for the scarf tip - I think the maid type hat might work well for that.

off to ye old you tube
ps love Burda patterns!

When I do mine, I cross the braids once where they meet at the top of my head, but keep them lying flat next to each other after that. It's all a matter of personal taste, I think. I just seem to get the best hold if they're crossed on top. Twisting should work just as well, I'd think.


Probably not too long... Cross the braids in the back first, then bring them over your head. It actually lies a lot smoother to your head when it's long enough to do this way, rather than folding the braids upward from your ears.


Mine has only just gotten long enough to wrap all the way around, but because of my taper I don't usually do it that way. I start the braid a little looser at the beginning and sort of "turn" it 180 degrees from the base so that it lies flat in the opposite direction. It looks much more "sleek" this way than if you just flip them up and over, in my opinion.

atlantaz3
August 21st, 2009, 07:25 AM
I'm now wondering if my hair is long enough to wrap backwards from base to top - I don't think so though and of course the braids get thinner as they get longer. Something else I wasn't too happy with was the bump where the braid is pulled up - I'm going to try that upside down braid idea - my braids across the top basically go ear to ear each side. I guess it will also depend on where I start the braid
I hope I didn't sound snippy about the coronet braids - all suggestions welcome. I haven't had a chance to check out the you tube links, hope to do that this weekend.

St.Germain
August 23rd, 2009, 04:51 PM
When I do "heidi-braids", they tend to go more around my head, an inch or two back from my hairline, rather than over the top. I wrap them across the back, then around the top/front, crossing them at the top, then back down, where I tie the ends of the braids in a square knot, and tuck the tassels under the braids. They usually stay pretty good. Then I take two barrettes, like These: http://img.en.china.cn/0/0,0,461,16841,375,500,0b70f8a1.jpg, only black, and them behind the braids, on either side of the crossed part in front, one on each side. The way my hair is pulled around my head, the braids can't slide forward, so the barrettes only have to keep them from sliding backwards.

I thought I had pictures of this, but I apparently don't.

St.Germain
August 23rd, 2009, 04:53 PM
Sorry, meant to do that as a link, not a picture, and it won't let me edit it.

EDIT: Fixed the above post, but can't seem to delete this one.

spidermom
August 23rd, 2009, 05:14 PM
I have a picture of 2 types of braids in my albums; I think both can be called Heidi braids (although I don't). In one, the braids cross in back then go over the top of my head. In the other, I folded the braids in half and brought them up.

Most of the time I can't get these to say in place, though; it makes me crazy.