*Easy* polished updos for 'almost mid-back'

[AreWild]

I need a few professional looking updos and have no idea what to try! I've been stuck in a rut for a while and haven't really learned anything for my current length. I'm a smidge above mid-back, and have fairly thick hair with a slight v hemline. All I can do is a ponytail or a messy bun and that won't cut it for job interviews!

I have a medium ficcare, some spin pins, and metal free hair bands at my disposal, but I'd be happy to pick up some new toys. I can do an english braid, but that's about it. I'm pretty updo challenged, so the easier the better, but I'm willing to spend time practicing. Any recommendations?

[pepperminttea]

Cheater's version of Torrin's way of doing the nautilus bun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b86ZH0J7xtE); skip the part where she wraps length around the base, just pull it straight through. Only pull it half through if you want to the ends to loop back inside the bun. Secure with whatever you're most comfortable with, it's held wonderfully for me with a ficcare, forks, sticks, and pins. :)

[Jessica Trapp]

French twist?

[kwaniesiam]

A neat single french braid can look professional. Or you can always do a sock bun if you can't get any twisted buns to hold yet.

[Coan-Teen]

How about a braided bun? Simple and pretty.

[jojo]

A very simple but looks complicated bun is the rose bun, but not using a rope braid. I think its called a rose bun!

Just put your hair in an ear length pony
Have some bobby pins at the ready
Take small sections and twist, until they fold on to them self and bobby pin them in place
Keep doing this until all twists are secured! easy but looks nice

Or if you don't like twisting just curl the hair around your finger and bobby clip the sections underneath, keep doing until all sections are up!

Or the poofy bun

Put a high pony tail in your hair
Tip your head forward and place a comb clip above the flipped over bit
then bring your head to a normal position, the pony should now cover the comb clip (I am not sure of the real name of these but they look like mini combs)
Curl the ends under and secure with a decorative barrette

heres mine on just past apl! http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/CIMG0014.jpg
and back http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/CIMG0011-3.jpg

[QMacrocarpa]

I've fallen in love with the flipped bun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up3ftEV45_c) lately, which just lasted me all day fuss-free with a couple spin-pins. At first I thought my hair wasn't quite long enough for it, but when I started the spiral for the bun _below_ the base of the pony it worked great! I'm thinking of it as my consolation for the Gibson tuck, which doesn't seem to be working well for me anymore.

[1hunky5monkeys]

Check out this lady's videos. :)


http://www.youtube.com/user/lilithedarkmoon

[misstwist]

The poofy bun Jojo described can also be done at the nape.

You can secure the top of the bun with bobbie pins rather than a com or with thick hair a jaw clip can work without showing through.

You can roll the bottom around your hand and secure it with more bobbie pins. If you put a ponytail holder on the ponytail toward th end of it you will find that it wants to curl under naturally and you can easily tuck it under and pin it in place. Go to YouTube and search for the chesnut bun to see this.

Another way to make the top of the bun flip over is to make a pulled through ponytail pulling up through the bottom to get the hair to fountain over the top. That may be demoed in the chestnut bun video, I don't remember.

Find the chignon bun in the hairdo of the month section to get more variations on this.

If you can't tell I am a big fan of this style. :D

[pepperminttea]

A very simple but looks complicated bun is the rose bun, but not using a rope braid. I think its called a rose bun!

Just put your hair in an ear length pony
Have some bobby pins at the ready
Take small sections and twist, until they fold on to them self and bobby pin them in place
Keep doing this until all twists are secured! easy but looks nice

Or if you don't like twisting just curl the hair around your finger and bobby clip the sections underneath, keep doing until all sections are up!

This sounds a lot like the wiggle bun (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=171). It also works nicely for half-ups. :)

[Purdy Bear]

The Chignon is a goody, and pretty easy todo.

French braid with the tail either made into a bun or tucked under and pinned.

The Sock Bun is the one used by some of the Military women Iv seen on You Tube.

[Marjolein]

If I want sleek polished updo's I make a lazy wrap bun or a pencil bun. I believe we have about the same hairtype and length, so these probably work good for you as well.

Lazy wrap bun: http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm169/savuinen/?action=view&current=j001.flv

Pencil bun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0k3dD4qX34

[ravenreed]

I love the gibson tuck but I found it too late. I already had too much hair to pull it off.

[jojo]

This sounds a lot like the wiggle bun (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=171). It also works nicely for half-ups. :)

Yes thats the one! the wiggle bum love the name!

[Marjolein]

Yes thats the one! the wiggle bum love the name!

haha, Freudian slip :eyebrows: ??

[misstwist]

The video I was referring to is this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_26-xc6JIB4).

I couldn't direct to it last night because the cut and paste on my itouch drives me batty. :)

[Intransigentia]

Super-easy: folded braid.

Make a tidy English braid at the nape of your neck. Fold the braid up in half lengthwise (or thirds if half is too long) and pin it up against the back of your head, or secure it with a large barrette or other decorative thingmy. Use a couple more pins to secure the braid over the tassel so it doesn't pop out.

[misstwist]

Super-easy: folded braid.

Make a tidy English braid at the nape of your neck. Fold the braid up in half lengthwise (or thirds if half is too long) and pin it up against the back of your head, or secure it with a large barrette or other decorative thingmy. Use a couple more pins to secure the braid over the tassel so it doesn't pop out.

For a lovely version of this that starts with a french braid look at TorrinPaige's video called the Masara

[ddiana1979]

French Twist held with a Ficcare Maximus is EASY, elegant and holds all day. If you have thick hair you may need a large Ficcare though. I'm going to be really mad when my hair gets too long to do that without making drastic changes. (Well, not really, because I want long hair, but still, that's my favorite style.)

[jojo]

haha, Freudian slip :eyebrows: ??

LMAO ha ha I meant wiggle bun!! ha ha that was a Freudian slip haha thats so funny!:D

[bridgetsgirl]

I need to have my hair up neatly for work...The Lazy Wrap with a wooden 2-prong fork has been my daily go-to for months!

[LisaB234]

Jojo-

LOVE your puffy bun style with the clip in the bottom. I'm having a hard time getting my ends anchored under with the clip. I have a normal barrette, but I'm all thumbs with getting it in with ends under. . . I ALMOST can get it UNDER the loop - but I love how yours shows. What does the barrette look like? How do you roll ends under, hold and get the clip on top? It looks so nice!

Thanks for your help!

[jojo]

Jojo-

LOVE your puffy bun style with the clip in the bottom. I'm having a hard time getting my ends anchored under with the clip. I have a normal barrette, but I'm all thumbs with getting it in with ends under. . . I ALMOST can get it UNDER the loop - but I love how yours shows. What does the barrette look like? How do you roll ends under, hold and get the clip on top? It looks so nice!

Thanks for your help!

Its quite a long barrette, but you could bobby clip it under. If you are struggling heres a cheats way, instead of the comb clip use 2 long bobby clips as close to the elastic and then toss the pony over them, dampen your hair a little and then curl it under. A little gel will help keep it smooth! good luck,it is a lovely bun and gives the impression of more hair, it can still be done on longer lengths you just place the pony lower and the comb clip further away from the elastic!