getting discontented-updo ideas?

[cleanbug]

Hi there,
I'm in the process of growing out my hair. As of late, I have been getting a little tired of how my hair looks. I leave the house with a quick glance in the mirror thinking i look good but then out at gatherings etc, someone snaps a picture of me or i see myself in the mirror & am dissapointed with my hair...it seems too flat.

Just to give you some background, i always had bangs cut even when my hair was very long. This time, I have grown out my bangs & they are almost the full length of my hair.
My biggest dislike, is when I put it back in a ponytail, I feel like i look "bald" as there is nothing around my face.
I am really hesitant to cut bangs as at 33 years old, I have finally accomplished growing them in (tried many, many times over the years & always ended up cutting them).
Do you have any cute or fun hair ideas for shoulder lenth hair?

I think I also am frustrated with "winter hair". We live in a very cold climate & the static is unbeliveable with the furnace running all the time.
Thanks

[Honestwitness]

Hi, Tami! You have gorgeous hair!!! You might want to do a youtube search for 1940s hairstyles. I've been fascinated lately by the pincurl waves of that time period. My hair is APL, so it's already too long to do anything like the "middy" style, but I do have bangs and I have used pincurls on them a few times. It definitely gives more body!

I like to watch old movies on TV and see the gorgeous hair they had back in the 40s. Especially on "dames" like Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, etc. I saw Lauren Bacall in the Maltese Falcon the other day. Her hair was absolutely gorgeous and it was about the same length yours is now.

Have you tried aloe vera gel for body? It works very well for me. I also use Organix Coconut Milk Mousse for body. It does contain dimethicone, but it seems to be exactly what my hair needs the most. It also contains eg whites, which really give me a lot of body. And the coconut milk and coconut oil give me just the right amount of moisture and softness.

[embee]

I quite understand the "bald" look, I have it myself! My recommendation? Try a little braid or roll at the front, as the hair goes back to the updo. If you have any thickness to your hair it might help. Or to slick your hair back gently, leaving (or creating) a bit of poof. I can't do that because of my thin hair. :(

Another idea (the one I use, because I have no thickness to my hair and the braid/roll disappears) is to wear big dangly bright earrings.

Perhaps do a little braid/roll thing and secure it with something a bit sparkly? Or look at a Veronica Lake swoop of hair, which might work if you have any wave at all.

My final conclusion was that I do not photograph well. Sad.

[lapushka]

Here are some ideas for shorter, layered hair - they may not all be very hairfriendly...

Single pony tail updo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehb_2FADHaw

Old Hollywood fluid bun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM2XdKXp6u4
Her channel with other updos: http://www.youtube.com/user/cerinebabyy

2 minute spring updo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LD-HoEfPiE&NR=1&feature=fvwp

[bumblebums]

Why not leave a few layers hang out even when you have an updo? Don't know how current the picture is in your signature, but it looks like the layers around the face are short enough for that. It would work if they are at chin length or even a little longer.

Another idea is to add some height to the crown by twisting the hair and then pinning it before putting the rest of the hair up. Then it won't look as slicked down.

[GoddesJourney]

Have you tried twisted or braided pulled back temples? Your hair would still be pretty short if it were curly... have you thought about leaving the front out of your updo and curling it so it still frames your face without being to long?

[Madame J]

If you can see my albums, check out my updo album -- I had just past shoulder-length hair when I joined the community, and I did some fun braids. I did one where I did two French braids and tucked them under each other, to make a kind of U-shaped braid. It worked well with shorter hair, and I'm not sure how it'll work now for me.

Oh, and if you can't see my albums, shoot me a friend request, if you're interested.

[angelthadiva]

I don't think we've met :waving: I went to your profile to check out your other pictures and woman, you are gorgeous!! I love your hair cut, color and your make up...You are stunning! :flower:

If I were you; I would to 1/2 ups; that style you did with the little poof was cute and very flattering. This or a variation of this would give you some volume and much less "flat" looking.

[cleanbug]

thanks for the great ideas everyone! i'm going to check out the links on youtube & see what i can find out for updos. i do make a poof with my bangs sometimes but i have a long narrow face & i guess i feel that the poof ads to the overal length...maybe i'll find some pics & see what you all think.

okay, here's a link to my photobucket: poof bangs with back up
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/1.jpg

poof bangs with rest down:
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/1w.jpg

computer generated pic with bangs & messy bun:
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/cleanbug/11.jpg

[Nocturnal]

How about keeping a side part when wearing a pony tale? So you would have a side-swept bangs look without actually cutting them?

[cleanbug]

How about keeping a side part when wearing a pony tale? So you would have a side-swept bangs look without actually cutting them?
I think I'm going to experiment with that a little more. I remember a hairdresser telling me one time that i could take some hair from around the front & take it sideways to the side of my face above my ear & bobby pin it. She said if you do it right, the rest of your hair falls over the bobby pins hiding them & looks almost like sideswept bangs.
I tried it at the time but it was a lot shorter than it is now & it didn't seem to reach.
I'll give that another try.
Thanks

[Kristin]

I feel your pain. I've been trying to wear my hair up more, too, and I hate the way my face looks with all of it pulled back. So... I cut myself some long "bangs" in the front the other night. They look pretty decent and are still long enough to pull back if I want. That said, I still felt like the top of my updos looks too flat, so... I started taking a section from the top, twisting at the roots, push forward and then pin. The proceed with the updo. This suggestion is somewhere on LHC (maybe "hair styles"?). Good luck!

[rach]

I too have just grown out my facial layers/bags and find i'm needing to adapt to it also.
I do these if i want something different-
french/dutch braid starting from the opposite side over the other side and it breaks up the front a bit.
and the parting of the front can be pulled over differently to the natural parting.
Also found loosing my layers at the front i concentrated more on pretty earrings instead :D

[florenonite]

I've been growing out my fringe. I do look better with it, because I have a long face, but find it such a pain because it needs washed just about daily (and it only seems to get properly clean when I wash the entirety of my hair). I always at the very least wear a side parting when I wear my hair up. I also like doing different braids or twists at the sides. Nightshade wrote an article on adding a bit of lift, too, that might be of use to you.

[RocketDog]

I started growing out the bulk of my fringe in '08 when I started really growing my hair out in earnest (read - gave up going to the stylist every 6-8 weeks) and I ended up trimming in a very light fringe about 8 months ago since I don't like the way my face looks when my hair is all pulled back. I know you've spent a lot of time growing your bangs out, but if you're genuinely unhappy with your appearance you could always trim in a very small amount of fringe, even just a tendril or two on each side of wherever you part, and it would soften updos and frame your face a bit...