Flattering Updos for thin hair/small head?

[MsBubbles]

I want to put my hair up more to protect it as it grows, or when I go outside in the wind. Trouble is - and this is the reason I abandoned long hair whenever it got to BSL in the past - with me being tall (5 ft 10), slim but wide (40" hips!), and having a teeny tiny head with flat, thin hair, I look headless when I put my hair up.

Are there any updos you can suggest that would pouf my hair out a bit (without damaging it)? I don't feel so small-headed with my hair down, but I want to protect it now & then too.

If I wear a pony tail, I look ok from the side or back, but from the front my head looks like just an extension of my really long neck :disgust:. Same thing with an English braid. I can't do French braids yet. I don't have bangs and am fighting the impulse to get them for the sole purpose of having something poufy when I put my hair up. I do the carefully-spazzed out uptwist with the fountain pony tail in the back, but from the front I still look like I'm bald with spray-on hair.

Any ideas?

[Anje]

How about a "double" style? Two braids/french braids can give your head a little width. Side rolls might be nice, too.

I suspect you're being a bit hard on yourself, honestly. Lots of people look better in updos than they think -- they're just not used to seeing themselves with hair pulled smoothly back, so it looks strange. If you're not shy about pictures of yourself, post a few so we can confirm or deny that you look headless.

[Riot Crrl]

I am short, have a huge head, and a fair amount of curly hair, so I am perhaps the worst person ever to reply to this topic.

But that said!

Have you considered to try first a half-up, with a clip or something, and then put up the bottom length? You can control exactly how the front is going up that way, and get it configured in a way that pleases you.

[MsBubbles]

Anje: I don't think I have enough posts yet to be able to put up any pics. I'd love to be able to though. I like the idea of 2 braids (I hereby declare it ok for a 41 year old to wear 2 braids :D). I think I will have to learn how to do french braids. Maybe I can figure out how to do them looser.

Riot crrl: I haven't tried clipping in separate chunks. Sounds like a good strategy. I think the trick for me is to have it loose enough to look like a hairstyle, but not so loose that it all falls down again.

[Deborah]

Hi,

Maybe you could put your bun up a little higher, not right on top, but high in the back so just a teeny bit shows above your head from the front. That can look really pretty, and adds a little fullness/height.

Also, if you can French braid (some of us can't :() try that. A French braid can add a little fullness too, and can look a bit sophisticated.

[Poolsoflaughter]

You can add some volume by dividing the hair on top in rows, twisting and clipping them with little claw clips..then gathering all of the hair in the back of your head into a messy bun. If there's a problem with flyaways, a little aloe gel dabbed here and there will do the trick.

[maskedrose]

Try clipping the sides up, making them kinda loose and poofy, they finger comb the rest into a messy bun. Also, a deep side part also helps - I can't do updos with my hair pulled straight back - it makes my head look way too small and bald :) Since you have straight hair, seriously consider some long, side swept bangs or long face framing layers that fall naturally out of updo's. They make everything softer and more romantic as well as visual interest.

[sapphire-o]

Maybe it's just me. Every time I make a single braid, then put it up. My hair on the sides are very loose, almost covering my ears. Maybe give braided bun a try?

[Nevermore]

http://www.intimelyfashion.com/hair/gibson2.htm Something like that, perhaps? There's a variation on it as well, that may work better for you http://www.intimelyfashion.com/hair/gibson1.htm. Otherwise, the standard styles, just done more loosely. Heidi braids might work well, later on.

[Lisa-Maria]

Also two french braids or two lace braids could work if you want to broaden your head.

[Avrilon]

Hi MsBubbles :) I feel your pain! I'm also 5'10" with a long neck and small head. I always called myself a "pinhead" and that's one of the reasons I permed my hair for 23 years - for the big hair. I thought it balanced me out. My hair is also very fine even though it does have some body to it. I'm almost to tailbone and still prefer to wear it down for the reasons you listed. I do believe we are our worst critics, but I understand how you feel. The updos that balance me out the best are the ones that are low and big. The sock bun works well on fine hair since a rolled sock adds "big-ness" to the bun and adds size to my small head - lol. Right now it's the only updo I wear "in public". Here is a picture:

http://images35.fotki.com/v1127/photos/1/105445/550264/baerreislightfork2-vi.jpg

My fine hair can't make a bun near that big on its own, so I like this style. There are directions on YouTube if you do a search for sock bun instructions. It's quite easy to do.

By the way, I am also in the Atlanta area!

I hope this helps a bit,

:)

Avrilon

[embee]

Once my hair got long enough I tried a wrapped braid and it did a remarkably good job of adding some width to my head.

Also I found a center part did something for my look.

[Babyfine]

I'm just 5'6" but I have a small head,very narrow shoulders and wide hips, and a long neck.
I'm also rather busty, with very fine/thin hair, so I look like a pin head on a big body, with either short hair or a flat laying updo.
This is also why I permed my hair for years and cut bangs/fringe!! To even out the pear shape! yes we are our own worst critics.
I second the sock bun, peacock twist, and the claw clips that were mentioned.
I use claw clips to poof out my front, both when I wear it up and down.
I use my inverted ice cream cone shape as an excuse whenever someone suggests I cut it short- I tell them I can't as it makes my head look too small- unless I poodle perm it.

[MsBubbles]

Oh this is great stuff! Thanks so much for all the suggestions and sympathies. It's good to know I'm not alone in my (somewhat true) self-image :). I'm relatively new on here so there are some styles and terms I can look up now. Those Gibson girl things look like they might work. I have not tried the sock bun yet either. It's funny because it only just occured to me about a week ago that the reason I never grew my hair longer than bsl is because of my small head/flat hair complex! Oh yeah I have sticky out ears, too, just to make it worse. Those make thin hair look even thinner, and people come up to me and say things like "'Scuse me but this is really bugging me - your ear is poking out through your hair. Can I just...um..." and they flick my hair with their hand so it's covering my ear.

Thanks for letting me vent a lifetime of insecurities! I appreciate the updo suggestions and will post about what works.

[rubyann]

... people come up to me and say things like "'Scuse me but this is really bugging me - your ear is poking out through your hair. Can I just...um..." and they flick my hair with their hand so it's covering my ear.

No freakin' way! Can you say "personal space violation"! I'd be pushing that hand away and saying something to the tune of "do it again and you'll be pulling back a stump":hatchet: or "did your mama raise to be this rude or did you learn it on your own?" :hmm: I mean, really!

It took me a long time to get used to the way I look with my hair up. I'm also 5'10" and pear shaped with fine/thin hair. I wore my hair permed and a poofy fringe, as well. Go figure. Now I go through spurts where it's up every day and others when it's down every day. Except when I'm home and then it's usually up, to get it out of my way.

[Masara]

Apart from the height, you could be describing me (including the the sticking out ears) I have always had a fringe (bangs) because that way, from the front, people can see that I really do have hair.
Otherwise, I use most of the suggestions already here: I clip up the front of my hair in a small half up before doing some styles, I use two Dutch braids (they stick out more than French braids)... I've found that low loose styles soften the look, but my hair isn't really long enough at the moment for me to feel comfortable with them. When I do buns, I generally put them a bit higher, so my hair doesn't get that "pulled straight back" look.

[MsBubbles]

So there are people in the southern US with thin hair! Most people around here have enormously thick and curly hair, and if it's straight (usually blow fried or straightened anyway), it's incredibly thick. I'm actually originally from England, and when my Mother visited once, she commented "It's amazing - American women seem to have such long, thick hair. It's their crowning glory". I think she was actually paying someone a compliment :D. I'm noticing many northern European (Scandinavian, British) gals have similar hair to me. I'm so glad to hear other people who are conscious of being tall & having thinner hair, and even some who also went the permed & bang route! I finally realized I look ridiculous with a perm and love my straight hair. It'd just be even better if my body matched it a bit.

I just went and learned the difference between Dutch and French braids. It sounds so easy to do. I think I need to go to the hair idiot thread now!

[PseudoScot]

Here is a picture:

http://images35.fotki.com/v1127/photos/1/105445/550264/baerreislightfork2-vi.jpg



Avrilon, that's gorgeous!!!

One way I used to wear my hair a lot was in a bun, but clipped with a beak clip so that the ends splayed out. It was soooo easy to do but also the cute little ends pop up and give it some shape and sort of a modern flair to a classic bun.

I just took the hair, wound it around, and secured the ends about 3" from the end with a beak clip. The beak clip just slides in and doesn't hurt your hair. That was my primary updo for like a year!

You could do that with half ups at first, perhaps. They make baby beaks which could work really well!

[Tangles]

Actually, I think people with small heads look GREAT in tight updos and that it's those with larger skulls that need to avoid this. Am I missing something here?

[Riot Crrl]

Actually, I think people with small heads look GREAT in tight updos and that it's those with larger skulls that need to avoid this. Am I missing something here?

That's what I always thought but I am of the big head persuasion myself! Perhaps it's one of those grass is greener things.

[Poppy Seed]

I would say you've got the things I was going to suggest!

The gibson girl links are awesome (might try them myself), likewise try parting the hair. I cannot do an updo that doesn't have a parting: side or centre, otherwise my head just looks too sleek - I have a very small head in proportiion to the rest of me. Perhaps to creat a different illusion you could experiment with one of those wacky zig-zag partings?

I have a very tall friend (I'm a shorty) whose favourite style is either a high poytail or bun. However, as has already been mentioned, she actually keeps a chunk of the hair at the front out of the main style. Then she folds it back over the top of the head and secures it with a couple of hair grips just in front of the hairband. The beauty of this is that you can make it as pooffy as you like, or smooth and flat. You can then incorporate the 'leftover' hair into your bun, or leave it to hang with the rest of the ponytail.

Another alternative which occurs to me is doing a loose french pleat with a rat: you can arrange the top/front section to be pooffy if you like and as your hair gets longer the pleat gets bigger...

[MsBubbles]

Actually, I think people with small heads look GREAT in tight updos and that it's those with larger skulls that need to avoid this. Am I missing something here?

I don't really have a way to quantify this, but I'm pretty sure my head-to-whatever ratio is not as favorable as the typical model, celebrity or cartoon female. I just looked at pics of Angelina Jolie, Karolina Kurkova and Gwyneth Paltrow. Angelina & Gwyneth are both pretty skinny (widthwise as well as sideways), and their heads look like they fit on their bodies way better than mine does on mine! Would you say they had smaller heads? If so, mine's even smaller, and my hip bones and shoulders are probably twice the width of Gwyneth's. :violin:. So this is why I wanted to try to even out the whole image with some non-heat-element volume up top.

I would have posted a pic but I'm not up to post count yet!

[MsBubbles]

[quote=Poppy Seed;120624]
she actually keeps a chunk of the hair at the front out of the main style. Then she folds it back over the top of the head and secures it with a couple of hair grips just in front of the hairband. The beauty of this is that you can make it as pooffy as you like, or smooth and flat. You can then incorporate the 'leftover' hair into your bun, or leave it to hang with the rest of the ponytail.

Ok I think I can handle that! I think my hair is short enough to do that one.

[Tangles]

MsBubbles, that explanation makes sense, but I'm sure you'll look great with any updo. We are our own worst critics. I think I look horrible in a severe bun, but other people seem to like it on me. *shrugs*