tucked up under braid

[wonhwa]

Hello,

Would you all have advice on doing a French braid with the ends tucked underneath? I love the style; see it often on soldiers. But my hair is almost classic length.
So I tried it, and have managed to tuck it in by rolling the braid up first, then tucking underneath the part against my head. I am holding there with four long hairpins.
BUT how long it stays up is another matter! I have not moved since I did it, but I want to be able to dance like this!
Advice welcome! Thank you.
Wonhwa

[Adora Belle]

I use a flexi-8 to secure my hair like that, maybe roll it and put the long part of the flexi-8 through the center? My hair is only slightly past APL so I don't have the problem of a very long braid yet.

[Kristin]

Maybe try those hair scroos? I don't have any, but I hear they are easy to use, are easily concealed in hair, and hold pretty well.

[squiggyflop]

i second hair screws.. almost classic at 38 inches? aaahhhh i hate being tall..

[marimara]

When I was in the military I had BSL+ hair and I french braided my hair all the way down (actually someone else did it for me), put a band at the bottom so it wouldn't come undone, folded it a few times and banded it again, then pushed the whole mess up behind the french braid and then put another band around the bottom so it won't fall out. It would stay like that for days at a time, with running, crawling, sweating, etc. I used nothing but hair bands (non metal, soft, ouch free ones). I can't say that it was exactly hair friendly but my hair survived and it was still long and thick.

[Finoriel]

I use a lot of small u-shaped pins (like 15) to keep the foled length a bit more distributed under the french part, otherwise it lumps together, pulls and sags down. And then I close the "pocket" from hmm kind of underneath with a hair-slide holding each side together.

[wonhwa]

I will also try the hairbands, Marimara, because I need to do some serious training (martial arts) and it needs to be out of the way. Thanks!
Squiggyflop, I need to update my length; it is actually 40 1/2 right now, and once each year I cut off six inches so I don't go crazy when I sit on it. I always think it would be so elegant to be taller!
Thank you all, you've helped me start a new and lovely style. AdoraBelle, thanks, I am looking at flexi-8's.
Wonhwa

[GRU]

aaahhhh i hate being tall..

But I bet you don't have to ask complete strangers to get things off the shelf for you at the grocery store!

[misstwist]

I have never been able to make this style work for me.

Entirely aside from the fact that in-braided hair gives me a whopper of a headache in pretty short order, I've never been able to get it tucked under the braid in a way that doesn't feel like I'm pulling hairs or is un-lumpy.

I wonder if part of the reason is because my hairline is high at the nape and goes down on the sides, like a frowny face.