Braided Nautilus = Magic!

[rhysiana]

I was starting to think that I'd never have anything to say on the boards anymore, now that I've settled into a routine and I'm pretty happy with my hair, but something exciting happened last week! I figured out how to do a braided Nautilus and subsequently realized that it was the Most. Stable. Bun. Ever. So I tested it out to see if it could make it through a karate class.

Result:

http://dkwatson.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/karatebun.jpg

That's it after a full day of work, a karate class, and a shower. (I kept my hair out of the water so the fork didn't get wet.) I didn't once have to rewind the bun or reposition the fork.

I was also rather startled when DH showed me the picture, because my bun looks HUGE.

All in all, I'd say this calls for dancing cheese: :cheese:
Even though I may not say much, I do love this forum for supporting my hair geekery! Thanks, y'all!

[spidermom]

Beautiful! I've got to try this again as the last trial was a miserable fail.

[sweetestday]

Very pretty! I discovered that bun by accident when I had a long braid in, and wanted to put it up in a bun. I figured it would work, and sure enough it did! I agree, it does hold well.

[LaurelSpring]

Off to revisit and relearn the Nautilus. Your bun is amazing!

[freckles]

wow! It's gorgeous :) I've never even done a 'standard' nautilus but now I want to try :)

[rhysiana]

Awww, thanks guys!

I discovered that I do the braided Nautilus much the way that Hypnotica does in her video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=466690622319220011#), even though that never quite worked for me when I tried it with loose hair.

Now I have to keep myself from doing this bun every day. :p

[Capybara]

That looks great! Awesome that it stayed all day, you've discovered a keeper :D

[Kome]

Wow, that's really pretty. I'm getting tired of putting my hair in a ponytail when I got jogging. It sticks to my back too much. Yuck! I don't know if my hair is long enough for this, but I'll keep it in mind for the future, thanks. :)

[whoanellie]

Gorgeous!

And can I just say, the lack of frizz you have after an entire day of activities and a shower is astounding. :D

[NorthernDancer]

Wow, this looks really awesome! I'll have to give it a try sometime. I can't get a regular Nautilus to work well, so maybe this will make it easier for me.

Thanks for sharing!

[eamane]

Really pretty :) I, too, have to look in to how to make the nautilus! I wonder if my hair is long enough yet?

[tofuowl]

This might be a super silly, obvious question >.> but . . .

How do you start the braid for this? I imagine you'd need it to be about ponytail height, rather than starting at the nape of the neck. Do you actually put it into a ponytail, then braid it, and the wrap it?

I love the idea of this, because it does seem like it would be super stable, and I need to add more stable-yet-not-destructive hairstyles to my arsenal before nursing school starts in the fall ^^; If there's a way to do it without using a hair elastic, this may be my new favorite thing.

[tinker bug]

I have some hair envy right now. It looks like you and I have about the same kind of hair hairtyping-wise, but your bun is SO HUGE!!! GAH! I CAN'T GET OVER IT!!!

[Sissy]

wow, it's lovely... I really need to learn some decent updos!

[little_acorn]

WOW that looks fantastic - one to remember for when my hair is a little longer :D

[MissManda]

Thank you so much for sharing your discovery! My hair is currently too short for a nautilus bun, so I will have to wait a while before I try this style.

I am so amazed that your hair looks so nice and neat even though you had a busy day!

[JenniferNoel]

Wow! I agree, the bun is absolutely gigantic. It's a beautiful hairdo, I can't wait to be able to it myself again. Thanks for sharing. :)

[rhysiana]

This might be a super silly, obvious question >.> but . . .

How do you start the braid for this? I imagine you'd need it to be about ponytail height, rather than starting at the nape of the neck. Do you actually put it into a ponytail, then braid it, and the wrap it?

I love the idea of this, because it does seem like it would be super stable, and I need to add more stable-yet-not-destructive hairstyles to my arsenal before nursing school starts in the fall ^^; If there's a way to do it without using a hair elastic, this may be my new favorite thing.

It's actually just a regular English braid. I think I maybe start mine a bit above the nape now, because I like to braid tight since I have a lot of flyaways up front, but I think you should be able to accomplish that by tilting your head back when you start braiding. I used to do a ponytail braided and then into a cinnabun kind of thing, but the top elastic was always too pulling, so I was glad to find a braided bun that didn't require that, too!


I have some hair envy right now. It looks like you and I have about the same kind of hair hairtyping-wise, but your bun is SO HUGE!!! GAH! I CAN'T GET OVER IT!!!

It's an optical illusion, I assure you! I think it winds up looking that way because the thickest part of the braid ends up on the outside, rather than covered up on the inside. Whatever is causing it to be such a head-eater, I like it!


Thank you so much for sharing your discovery! My hair is currently too short for a nautilus bun, so I will have to wait a while before I try this style.

I am so amazed that your hair looks so nice and neat even though you had a busy day!

MissManda and whoanellie, I suspect it didn't look quite as neat from the front. :o Overall, though, it does seem like if I start from a nice tight braid, it will stay largely frizz-free. Hooray!

[slythwolf]

Oh, I can't wait to be long enough to try this!

[paperwhite]

That's awesome! I can't wait for my hair to get long enough to do this!

[Gumball]

That's my "not a wash day" shower style, which makes it used most every morning. It is really super secure! It's always a kick when the morning starts with a braided nautilus and during the day I switch it to a regular nautilus (post comb-out so it doesn't tangle too much of its own accord).

[rhysiana]

That's my "not a wash day" shower style, which makes it used most every morning. It is really super secure! It's always a kick when the morning starts with a braided nautilus and during the day I switch it to a regular nautilus (post comb-out so it doesn't tangle too much of its own accord).

Heehee... today I did kind of the opposite of that. I had it in a regular nautilus at work, but when I got home I switched it to a braided one. The regular one was pulling on my scalp too much; must have wound it too tight. But either way, the nautilus seems to be my go-to style now, too.

[Masara]

I haven't yet managed to get a nautilus to look presentable; too many flyaways. This looks like it will be a good transition style- I can practise the nautilus and keep my flyaways under control.

I'm impressed too at how unfrizzy your hair looks after a whole day.

[Loreley]

It looks gorgeous and it's so big! :)

[Alaia]

Bloomin' lovely! And huge! :D

Having only just figured out the Nautilus in my layered hair (it doesn't normally hold very well), I'm wondering if a braided one would work. The problem is I doubt my hair is long enough for it since it's almost too short for a normal nautilus (I know, 33" and still too short... it's the layers)... but the braid sort of equalises the layer problem (though I get stick-out bits).

[jel]

Looks great! Gorgeous thick braid!

Also, thanks for reminding me of the Nautilus bun... It's been such a long time since I wore one, and here I am today wearing it at work! OK, it's not braided, but my sleep braid was to fuzzy this morning, and I didn't have the time/energy to rebraid before bunning.



(I know, 33" and still too short... it's the layers).
I'd say it's the thickness! :D

[Aliped]

I have to agree with Rhysiana, this bun is seriously stable!

I just thought of doing this with a braid and was surprised at how secure and comfortable it is ...

Here's mine (unfortunately not huge, but ...)

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/aliped99/Buns/braidednautilusbun.jpg

[bunzfan]

I love your braided nautilus it looks great, unfortunately i can only just about do a un-braided one if i don't twist round the base but i will try this when my hair is long enough:D

[Jezerellica]

WOW!! It's just beautiful! And ya gotta love that it stayed put all day through all your activity!

[constantki]

I just tried it, and you're right!! It's super comfortable too.

[Octave]

That is such a beautiful and classic hair style. However, I can't even manage to do a regular Nautilus bun yet, so my hair will definitely be even longer to do that beautiful braided version.

[enfys]

I'd never tried this style before but I actually quite liked it. It's very study. I used an XL Flexi-8 to hold it:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nAAkad2ZHE0/TMX23uMKW_I/AAAAAAAAAEk/bzjoludimXY/s320/251010+Braided+Nautilus+Bun.jpg

I don't think this would be self holding though, which is one of the main appeals of the nautilus bun for me.

[lara grace]

Wow that's lovely. I wish my hair was long enough for styles like this.

[Aliped]

Wow that's lovely. Looks great with a flexi 8 too (Enfa).

[Anje]

I love Nautilus buns, and braided nautilus buns are natural when I try to put a braid up quickly. Once you grow into the style, you don't seem to grow out of it, which I also love! Unfortunately, mine aren't nearly so head-eating.

[jojo]

I like big buns and I cannot lie! loving your big bun and its on my to-do list!

[Madora]

Enfys, your braided bun is lovely, and the hair adornment compliments it beautifully.

I'm a fan of "less is more" and your flexi 8 is a perfect example of adornment that suits the
hairstyle.

thank you for posting!

[RedStripe]

I tried this yesterday and it was brilliant! Even though I don't usually keep my updo when I go to the gym, I tried leaving it up and it didn't budge. And it looks great!