Hairstyle suggestions for APL+ to BSL

[ddiana1979]

My hair is kind of at a weird length now. It's long enough that I should be wearing it up, but too short to wear in complicated buns or braids. Plus, I have long layers, so certain styles don't hold well.

Things I've tried so far: Gibson Tuck (which looks lovely, but the ends slip out a few times during the day & have to be re-tucked), sock bun, French braid (easy, looks nice & professional), regular braid (kind of boring), pony tails of various heights (worried about the damage from hairbands), & French twist with a claw clip.

Does anyone have any suggestions for things that worked well for them at this length? My hair is quite straight & rather slick/slippery.

Thanks! :)

[Intransigentia]

Sounds like we're hair twins. I'm at about the same place. I can make the short-lived/exploding version of quite a few buns. A simple braided bun works pretty well, and a cinnabun works if I put it in a bun cage but otherwise just pops out bits of hair everywhere.

The other things I can thik of that I've had any luck with, and that might keep you entertained:
- Learn to Dutch braid as well as French - the challenge doing it inside-out can be fun.
- French braid with tuck - you can carefully open the pocket that forms between the braid and your scalp, and then tuck the loose end of the braid into the pocked and pin it there. Looks pretty sophisticated.
- Rope braids work OK with hair this length
- I'm trying to learn the crown braid but it's tricky
- Pairs of French/Dutch/Rope braids, you can leave the ends down, braid them together, or bun them together

But yeah, my list plus your list is pretty much all there is for us from what I know. I hope someone comes and tells us I'm wrong and here are so many other ideas...

[Vermelha]

I'm there as well. I also have long layers, which makes my hair look piecey =(

I usually do two rope braids for bed, or I start with a rope braid and change to a regular braid mid-braid (my hair is curly, so it keeps it secure.) It helps to disguise the wispy layers. It's kind of an inventive twist to the regular braid (cause they can be boing),

When my hair was APL, I would pull it in a wet, high ponytail, then take the ponytail and make multiple twists (like 6-8) and then turn that into a bun or leave the twists hanging.

There is one bun I tried when my hair was shorter, and it worked. I'll see if I can't find that tutorial for you. I was able to get my layers in it and it held up all day. I didn't have a hair toy, so I used a pen from work, lol...I'll go look for that...

[Vermelha]

Here's one video. I've tried this and it worked well for me. I just did a lot of tucking, but I think someone with APL or longer could get away with this: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=72

Also, there's the (cheaters) figure-8 bun. I'm going to try this today and see if it works. It looks doable: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=40

If I see others, I'll post them. In fact, I NEED to go back to doing these myself...I've worn my hair out long enough :p

[phistash]

There are a few hairstick styles that I can pull off. Mostly I just twist my hair up, coil it, and secure with a Ficcare. I'm frustrated right now, also, as I can't do my favorite updos, but my hair is long enough that I can't wear it down as much, or it gets caught in everything.

[Intransigentia]

I can only do the short-lived, exploding version of the lazy wrap bun. I think it would stay if my layers were at least APL, but the shortest are just barely shoulder-length.

And because of the thickness combined with the shorter layers, my bun really only goes around once. I don't think I'll have two turns until well past BSL.

[torrilin]

Plain cinnabun should work. Barely. Depending on how badly your hair is layered, you may need the help of aloe vera gel.

A lot of half up variations should work at that length. My default is just turn the half up into a cinnabun, but many of the fancier buns will work on the strand from a half up.

Flip throughs are useful, since they add volume and shape and they can create a foundation for more elaborate looking hairstyles.

Learning to do hair rolling is useful, for the same reason.

Learn to use side combs (http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1TSND_enUS399US399&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=side+combs#q=side+combs&hl=en&rlz=1C1TSND_enUS399US399&prmd=ivs&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=uPPJTLnILIrmnAfE-_DKDw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC4QrQQwAA&fp=ddfbf15c2e2f4021) to help control the layers while you get them into a more manageable shape. They're a godsend for slippery hair. I'd be careful with the twisted metal ones, but the plastic ones are very hair friendly.

Likewise, learn to use hair pins. The usual recommendation is use finer pins for fine hair, but in my experience that's on complete crack. Most of the time the only pins that will hold my hair are huge. The lone exception I've found are spiral pins like Goody's Spin Pins. Scunci makes a hairpin that is like a 2 tooth version of a side comb that should be really easy to use once you have side combs down.

If updos are really important to you, it's probably time to kill the layers. They don't add volume on fine, straight hair, and they don't add movement either... unless the movement you're talking about is your hair escaping from whatever style you attempted.

[AreWild]

I'm a few inches longer than BSL, but my hair is pretty thick and I have a bit of a V shaped hemline so I still have trouble with updos that other are able to do at my length. I can do a cinnamon bun, but only with spin pins. Nothing else holds it. I can also do a flipped bun (a little messy, but passable) with a medium ficcare. Single or double French-Dutch braids are in my frequent rotation, but I can't seem to do a neat regular French braid, just the Dutch version. Those are all my go-to updos. I know it's pretty limited. I'm thisclose to being able to do a figure 8 bun, too.

[pepperminttea]

A peacock twist (starts like a french twist, don't tuck the ends in) can look really quite dressy at that length, as long as you've got a strong enough hairtoy to hold up the 'fountain' of hair. :) Incidentally, you mentioned the Gibson tuck falling out a bit; have you tried putting a barrette over the top to hold the bits in? I never had any luck with one holding without help.

[Intransigentia]

If updos are really important to you, it's probably time to kill the layers. They don't add volume on fine, straight hair, and they don't add movement either... unless the movement you're talking about is your hair escaping from whatever style you attempted.

I need both a "like" and a "dont like" button for this statement, because it's so, so true.

I'm constantly vacillating between taking the layers all out now, even though that would put me back at shoulder length, or holding at BSL (once I get there) until the layers catch up.

[Vermelha]

I need both a "like" and a "dont like" button for this statement, because it's so, so true.

I'm constantly vacillating between taking the layers all out now, even though that would put me back at shoulder length, or holding at BSL (once I get there) until the layers catch up.

I was doing just that I've been at past APL for a year because every time I reached BSL, the rest of my layers still were SL or APL. I kept trimming until my ends were thick enough. I really want to do some of these fab buns.

Sometimes it makes me want to ask WHY DID I GET LAYERS?

[Intransigentia]

I know why I got layers: it was pre-LHC. I thought my hair was sooo thick and soooo long and layers would be the only way to keep it from being too bulky to get into an updo. ahh.. hahahahaha... sigh...

[redneckprincess]

my hair is 22" and heavly layered... I have some pics of styles I can wear, i need to update my pics as well I found a couple more I can do or do diffrently.

*I like chineese buns (done with wet and oiled hair)
*sock buns (again wet and oiled) crossing ramaining hair under bun splitting in half and crisscrossing and wrapping around and sucuring on top with a hair fork.
*braided pony tail
I cant think of anymore at the moment
HTH

[akuamoonmaui]

I have layers, too and while not perfect, Chinese buns work, I've also had good luck with one braid, then wrapped around a hair stick. Forks are handy-dandy, too.

[Lize]

I am at that length and I can wear cinnamon buns. But there's no way I can use hair sticks to hold them or Ficcares, they just fall out. I too have slippery and layered hair. I use hair pins to hold my buns and it works just fine. Sometimes I do a ponytail and do a sock bun like bun but without the sock and I fasten the hair with pins. I gives the bun more volume that if I do a plain cinnabun. Good luck!

[Valdeon]

Maybe Nautilus bun will work? I am also APL+, and it seems to hold my hair pretty well, I just use three fingers instead of all five to make the first twist :)