PDA

View Full Version : I need help with topsy tail!



celelu
January 8th, 2010, 02:03 PM
Hi everyone,
I've been trying for so long to make a nice topsy tail... I fully understand the basis of it, how it's a simple pony tail rolled on itself, but there's probably something somewhere I miss, or a secret tip I never found... But for now, that's (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4616&pictureid=59757) what it looks like. It's so full of bumps I can't make a neat looking victorian bun with it, and it's kind of small and odd... I wish it was puffier and wider. Can anybody help me?

Sara Smile
January 8th, 2010, 02:16 PM
I think your topsy tail looks fine. :) It is a tad off-center (I always got mine off-center when I did them), so you can try to make sure that your "part", where you poke through the top of the pony-tail, is dead-center on your head and hairs.

Also, if you want more of a Victorian look, you could try making your pony lower on your head, and maybe even doing the loop two or three times (when you put your tail through the top and pull it down, repeat that in the same place several times) for more of a roll-look.

Gypsy
January 8th, 2010, 02:29 PM
I think it looks cute!
I don't see what the problem is, but then again, I am not clear on what it is you are trying to achieve but I think it looks good!

AJoifulNoise
January 8th, 2010, 02:37 PM
That's pretty much what my topsy tails look like.

My only example is a three teired topsy tail... But that just means there are three examples. :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/SycoTrekkie/2010/100_4116.jpg

Auryn
January 8th, 2010, 03:05 PM
I think it looks great!

If you're concerned about bumps, you could try combing them out. I know when I french braid my hair, the sides get kinda lumpy, so I use a comb to smooth them out.

TheCatSaidQuack
January 8th, 2010, 03:10 PM
a joyful noise - that looks awesome!

i agree, celelu, that it looks fine - but i know the type of look you are trying to achieve, and pulling it through a few more times (while not keeping it as tight the first time) will give you the Victorian roll look.

GoddesJourney
January 8th, 2010, 03:11 PM
I agree with the making it lower and making sure it's combed out first. Don't fiddle with it too much, either. It contributes to bumbs. Also, try parting the hair with a pick or a pencil instead of your fingers so it makes a straighter part in your hair. That should make it look neater.

celelu
January 8th, 2010, 03:16 PM
Ajoyfulnoise: it's beautiful!
Thanks to all for your replies. I have good ideas for how to finish it into a victorian updo, but I'm more concerned by how to have a good start with it. How loose do you make the ponytail before you roll?

Chrissy
January 8th, 2010, 03:54 PM
That's what mine always looks like. Unless I turn it into a gibson tuck.

Sara Smile
January 8th, 2010, 04:03 PM
How loose do you make the ponytail before you roll?

Try a bit looser than before, and then a bit looser than that. I always made mine fairly loose, but that's not very descriptive. Go ahead and experiment. :D

csm--carla
January 8th, 2010, 05:08 PM
I think it looks great and I want the ability to do this!

Where did you get your topsy tail tool?

I've searched all over for them in the past--no luck.

Thanks in advance.

Carla

AJoifulNoise
January 8th, 2010, 05:21 PM
I think it looks great and I want the ability to do this!

Where did you get your topsy tail tool?

I've searched all over for them in the past--no luck.

Thanks in advance.

Carla

I got mine at Claire's. But, I just did a quick search on ebay and there are some listed there, too.

celelu
January 8th, 2010, 06:43 PM
What's a topsy tail tool? I thought I just needed a normal pony tail elastic...

Johanna
January 12th, 2010, 07:15 AM
When my hair was shorter I used to love doing the reverse topsy-tail. By reverse I mean pull the hair through the opposite way. It looks really cool.
I like the look of a normal topsy-tail with a barette over the top of the elastic. Sometimes I even manage to take out the elastic from underneath the berette. It just gives it a softer look.

On a side note, I used to have a doll that was called 'Topsy-tail'. She had a pink streak of hair and came with a tool for making topsy-tails easier.
....That was untill I gave her a haircut.

Carolyn
January 12th, 2010, 08:19 AM
My hair looks the same as yours when I do a topsy tail pony. You can do them with just your fingers, you can get a Topsy Tail tool or you can make your own. I made one out of a long pipecleaner. It wasn't the greatest but it worked. Sort of.

heidihug
January 12th, 2010, 09:56 AM
Real Topsy Tail tools are hard to find now, though you can get them off of eBay, or in packages with other hair merchandise elsewhere on the internet. I don't think they manufacture them any more, though I could be wrong. You can get knock-off ones at Claires, but (I speak from experience) they break easily, so take care when pulling your pony through.

I think the ponys pictured look lovely, I will have to find my TT and use it this week. It's been a while.

Sisko
January 12th, 2010, 10:35 AM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/SycoTrekkie/2010/100_4116.jpg

How cute! Three-tiered and two-hearted. Very Valentine's day.

If it's any consolation, OP, I can never get those topsy tails right either. Fingers work better. Or hairsticks for parting, and simply pulling through. TTs are handy for ponytail wrapping, though (the remaining piece of hair is pulled through with the TT).

lesbia
February 15th, 2010, 06:33 AM
hi girls :) i want also try to make a topsy tail...where I can find some instructions?? thank you in advice :)

sherigayle
February 15th, 2010, 09:57 AM
Yours looks much better than mine! It looks sleek. Mine always look frizzy from all the new growth sticking out.

little_cherry
February 15th, 2010, 10:38 AM
Ooh...that looks lovely, girls! I used to do this all the time without the tool. I find that if you don't make a tight pony, it seems to work better!

I've never considered doing it the opposite way though! What a neat idea! Thanks!

yellowchariot
February 15th, 2010, 12:25 PM
Hi everyone,
I've been trying for so long to make a nice topsy tail... I fully understand the basis of it, how it's a simple pony tail rolled on itself, but there's probably something somewhere I miss, or a secret tip I never found... But for now, that's (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4616&pictureid=59757) what it looks like. It's so full of bumps I can't make a neat looking victorian bun with it, and it's kind of small and odd... I wish it was puffier and wider. Can anybody help me?

IMO, I don't see anything wrong with it, the folds are very smooths.


That's pretty much what my topsy tails look like.

My only example is a three teired topsy tail... But that just means there are three examples. :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/SycoTrekkie/2010/100_4116.jpg

^ That is the coolest looking topsytail by far!

Fiferstone
February 15th, 2010, 01:26 PM
Hi everyone, you DON'T need the topsy-tail tool ;). I just stick my thumbs up behind the ponytail holder, split the hair behind the holder into two more or less even halves, open a 'channel' and then lean forward. I then pus the ponytail holder into that 'channel' I've opened up, and carefully pull the tail through. The trick is to NOT snag the tail on any individual hairs as you are passing it through.

To have more volume in the resulting roll, have the ponytail holder less snug against your head, (start the ponytail lower or hold the tail "out" away from your head as you put the ponytail holder in, giving the back more "drape." It took a while for me to get the hang of this, but it really works. Hope that helps.

celelu
February 15th, 2010, 07:01 PM
Thanks everyone for the advice, I'll try again. Fiferstone, I think this is going to be very helpful!

Debra83
February 15th, 2010, 07:12 PM
For my second job, I work at a dollar store - and we sell versions of it there. Sometimes it comes with other things in the package too.