Updo advice for ii hair?

[akka naeda]

Can anyone suggest any updos for DD12? She has waist length ii hair (3" and no taper), but it's too short to go into any kind of bun and stay that way, and too long for a French twist. I'd usually do her a French plait but she wants something different and it's too long to do her a tucked French plait. The event is a school concert in which she's playing in the orchestra, and we have about a week to come up with something.

We have available to use
medium maximas Fakkare;
medium aquapearl Ketylos, but only one of each colour;
various 5" hairsticks in bone, metal and wood
2 pairs of Mei Fa sticks
5.5" working length Quattro bodygems sticks (a pair), these are the thinnest sticks that would fit her, I think they'll look like aerials though and might be considered dangerous by the school, there's a pic of them in my hairtoys album.
4" Quattro u-pins (a pair)

everything else I have is too big for her.

Any ideas would be much appreciated, I did mention her on the thick hair thread before she told me she wanted a special updo for the concert but no-one seemed to have any advice for a ii person with her problems:)

[Kyamo]

Too short for a bun at waist length? Really? I have the same 3" thickness, and at a couple inches past waist length mine goes around two full coils plus plenty of tuck-in length in a regular bun, can do a figure-8, etc. I was able to start bunning around 10 inches of hair ago. Is it that it is long enough to bun but it doesn't stay well? I have better luck with hairpins than forks or sticks. If you are getting small hairs sticking out of it after pinning, try adding a large hair elastic around the whole thing after pinning. It will tuck in under the bun on its own and barely show, but help keep it in place.

[GoddesJourney]

I agree, I'm at about 4" and I can finally bun my hair securely as long ar the pins are good. It doesn't stay well with just a hair stick, but three to four u pins or good hair days pins hold it all day.

[Carolyn]

She should be able to do several buns with 3" circumference, waist length hair. Have you tried a Lazy Wrap Bun? That works well for me. I can hold mine with a pair of Mei Fa sticks.

[GlassEyes]

I'm 3.5 with layers at just below BSL, and I can manage a few buns.

If it's that much trouble, try a sock bun. That should work on anyone with shoulder-length or longer hair.

[countryhopper]

How about trying dutch or herringbone braids? they use the same technique you already know how to do with a french braid.

How about if you make a single english braid and try pinning that into a bun? it should stay better than if it was just twisted.

[tralalalara]

When I was in orchestra, we had to take extra bobby pins and hair ties to make sure everyone's hair was out of their faces. They all wanted it loose and flowy =/

I always did half ups, but I could get away with it down since I played bass.

Sleek ponytail with a section of hair around the hair tie should be elegant enough, don't you think? Or a rope braid could be wrapped into a bun and held with sticks?

[akka naeda]

Thank you for the suggestions, this is her a month or so ago with her hair in a Fig 8 held with the Fakkare, it's the most successful bun I've ever managed on her but it just doesn't stay. You can see she has about two coils when the hair's twisted, and yes, it is 3" thickness. Quite honestly I really don't know what the problem is with her hair as to why it won't stay in updos, it just doesn't. I'll try her with a sock bun and see how that works because never having done that myself I didn't think of it; I don't see how Kyamo's suggestion of putting an elastic round the bun would work as we don't have elastics large enough.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/akkanaeda/eboots1.jpg

[indigonight]

I'd say a sock bun should definitely work or failing that try a gibson tuck.

[Irishred]

If she wants something more "elegant", how about a victorian type style.

Do a flipped pony tail then braid the tail into 3 braids and tuck or clip them up under the flip.
kinda like this from dressy tresses: http://www.dressytresses.com/hair/gallery/instruct/victorian-updo/

[teela1978]

How long is her hair? (inches) I'm guessing waist-length is a lot shorter on a 12 year old than on an adult... which could be causing some of our confusion :)

Down to about BSL on me (24 inches/61 cm) I could get a french twist to stay very well. Lately I have too much extra hair sticking out.

[bumblebums]

Looks like it's very straight and sleek, which is probably why it falls out. I had this problem when I was a kid. Nothing would stay up.

You might have better success if you put some product in it for the updo. Even aloe vera gel would make it stick better, or perhaps some homemade flaxseed gel?

As for styles, how about a sock bun, and braiding the ends to wrap around the base?

http://www.youtube.com/user/torrinpaige#p/u/47/EcTLnOvOEyw

[clichepithet]

I'm with Irishred - the flipped braids could work nicely in her hair, and it does look elegant. I've done this on DD7's hair, which sounds much like your DD12's.

Also, bumblebums has a point. Her hair looks very soft and slippy which would make updos that stay a terrible chore, trust me, I know. I've got it and so does D7. Oil helps.