At what length could those with thick hair do most buns??

[jenjen10]

Right now my hair is at BSL but I still cannot seem to do most of the buns that are mentioned on here :mad: My hair seems to be too thick and I am getting so frustrated. I know that I have to put it in protective styles to keep it growing but I can't do many of them and the ones I can do require a LOT of bobby pins to keep them in place.

I know there are a lot of others on here with thick hair and am wondering at what length could you start pulling off the buns and updos that are popular on here? :confused:

[jojo]

You do have thick hair! Well mine is more medium to thick and I could do most buns at BSL but I do remember reading a post where a lady on here had thick hair not unsimilar to yours and she struggled to do certain buns due to the thickness; she was at just past waist I think.

[KajiKodomo]

The last time my hair was around BSL (and actually almost waist and no layers), the only bun I could do was a regular cinnamon bun, and sometimes it wouldn't even stay.

The only thing I can tell you is to divide your hair in half vertically (like you would do to do a half-up), and do a bun on each half, stacking them on top of each other. That way, you can experiment with some of the more elaborate buns until your hair gets longer. If you hair is as thick as mine, it might be a while, which is one of the bad things about thick hair.

[Igor]

The regular cinnamon bun did not work for me until below waist

[enfys]

Tailbone is where I can do most but still not all. The chain bun for example is not an option until about knee! I struggle with some of KarenLynn's buns too.

Another option it to do the bun with half your hair then wrap the other half around it like a cinnamon bun. That works better with rounder buns I find.

[halo_tightens]

I'm at just-past-BSL, and I still can't do most buns. I can juuuuust barely sort of do a lazy wrap, but I have to do it extremely tight to make it work, and it pulls too much to actually wear it that way.

I'm waiting very impatiently for the day I can do buns easily!!

[pepperminttea]

I've got medium/thick hair, hovering around the 3.8"-4" circumference mark. The first bun I could do was a nautilus, at just past BSL - skipping the step where you wrap around the base (Torrin's video helped me a lot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b86ZH0J7xtE)). At waist, my cinnabuns are still a bit wonky, but they do stay (sometimes) - they're not something I use often since I find I have to tighten them too much to be comfortable, whereas the nautilus barely requires twisting. Fig-8s and infinity buns are just do-able now, but my ends still pop out at the bottom. I can't do a Gibraltar yet, but I did recently manage to do Spidermom's 'bun that stays', and it, well, stayed! :) (Hypnotica's video was invaluable. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBA2OhZrcU)) I've never had luck with other split buns though, so I'm afraid I've no idea on those.

Ditto what KajiKodomo said about double buns though - I could do twin cinnabuns with that method long before I could do a single one. Good luck! :D

[jenjen10]

I am relieved to see that I am not the only one who has struggled with this but am wondering what you did to protect your hair while you waited to get to the lengths where you could do the buns? I do not look good with braids.

[princessp]

I am at hip and still cannot do a lot of the buns. Cinnabun is my old standby I could do that one somewhere around BSl-waist. I haven't attempted a lot of them lately though so if I manage to find others I'll check back in here and let you know. BTW, there is an awesome thick hair thread that talks a lot about this topic. You might want to check it out: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=43020&highlight=thick

[pepperminttea]

I am relieved to see that I am not the only one who has struggled with this but am wondering what you did to protect your hair while you waited to get to the lengths where you could do the buns? I do not look good with braids.

Up until BSL I used the French twist and folded braids quite a bit. Sometimes I would tuck my braid in a circular, almost horseshoe shape for a braided bun (I still do a larger version of this, since I can't hide my hairtie with a braided cinnabun yet). Can you do the Gibson tuck? Mine always turned out to be tangle monsters so I gave up on it after one too many frustrated attempts. The Chinese bun's a good one if you don't mind buns that start with a ponytail (if you're like me and ponytails hurt, try one with a braided start (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N54V8o-XGuE)), but it can be tricky to secure - pins help. It does look pretty though, and since it divides the hair into two, the thickness is less of a bother. :)

[lapushka]

At BSL I could just manage a cinnamon bun, not that it stayed in my hair for long, and the bun barely closed on itself, but I was proud of it anyway. :)

I'm an inch from WL now and I still wear a peacock twist (folded 2 times) with a claw clip most times. My hair's long enough for a pencil bun, lazy wrap, nautilus (buns looped around one finger instead of a hand), but they won't stay in for long and due to the remaining layers in my hair they're not exactly smooth.

I think I need unlayered hiplength for most buns to be comfortable, so they have some staying power to them.

[Kaijah]

At BSL, all I could do was a cinnamon bun, and a folded braid type thing. Everything else was a complete fail.

Around midback/waist I started being able to do modified french twist type things. Mostly, everything I tried still fell to pieces, but I don't know if it was all just thickness or my lack of talent....

I'm now around hip/BCL when wet (still with old layers, so thinner ends) and I can finally do figure 8's/infinity buns without feeling like I'm giving myself a face lift. xD I haven't experimented with a lot of the complex buns, though.

[Kristin]

At BSL I could only do cinnamon buns which did not stay very long. At just past BSL I could do lazy wraps, and now at waist I can do nautilus buns. But that's it :( I third the suggestion to split the buns into two vertical sections; that's actually one of my favorite ways to wear my hair up.

[rymorg2]

I can manage a sock bun at shoulder, but a cinnabun not until APL or longer. I'm 4" in circumference. At least I was then. LOL....who knows what I'll be this go round.

[princessp]

At BSL I could only do cinnamon buns which did not stay very long. At just past BSL I could do lazy wraps, and now at waist I can do nautilus buns. But that's it :( I third the suggestion to split the buns into two vertical sections; that's actually one of my favorite ways to wear my hair up.

Oh yeah forgot about this I love to wear my hair this way. Great suggestion!

[jeanniet]

I'm at BSL and basically I can do a pencil bun (using one or two fingers) and a hybrid between a cinnabun and French twist. I don't like doing buns where I have to use a hair tie, and right now those are the only two that really are holding for me. My pony circumference is about 5", give or take a bit. At this point, I'm pretty resigned to needing to hit waist length before I can increase my bun repertoire.

[halo_tightens]

At BSL I could only do cinnamon buns which did not stay very long. At just past BSL I could do lazy wraps, and now at waist I can do nautilus buns. But that's it :( I third the suggestion to split the buns into two vertical sections; that's actually one of my favorite ways to wear my hair up.

Me too! It's really the only way I can enjoy most buns for now.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3760&pictureid=83661

[moonbeam]

I am just past BSL and the only way I can do a bun is to take a half up, and start rolling and then thake the botton half and roll it around the first section. This holds really well and only needs one stick to hold it.