But, how do you STYLE your hair when down??

[eri401]

Hi LHC,

I've relied on everyone's wisdom to get my hair in a healthy enough condition to grow quite long. As it has grown, I've kept my hair up or in braids, oiled and away from heat. So far, so good right? Pretty much no one here ever talks about their routine for letting their hair DOWN and when they do, it seems almost self-evident what to do with it.

But

Today I wanted to let my hair down (it is my birthday!). My hair is naturally quite coarse and slightly wavy, more so due to the nightly braids (sleep at night). Now that it is halfway down my back and I've ditched all products, I don't know what to do with it. I wouldn't even know how to begin blow drying it or curling it. In the past, I always had it straightened via Asian thermal perm so I could just "leave it down" and it would fall sleek and smooth. Now, I can't bring myself to get that terrible treatment.

tl;dr: Health-wise, my hair is fine but style-wise, it is a mess. How do you "style" your hair when you leave it down?

[Firefox7275]

Happy birthday! :cheese:

[Mirsha]

My hair is straight so I comb it out, add a shine spray or oil lightly, add a nice headband, spray with some sugar water and I'm done.

I recently started using sugar water as a natural hairspray. It keeps everything where I want it. Wet hair if you want it out.

edit: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

[morecowbell]

I haven't really worked out a routine to wear my hair down yet, either, so I will be watching this thread. :)
I have issues with frizz and too much volume for my short length (not to mention a texture that can't make up it's mind!), and as a result I hardly ever wear it down out of the house.
The few tidbits I have discovered for a better result so far are:
Day 2 hair looks best when I wear it down
For less frizz dry hair in a loose multi-scrunchied ponytail (or pigtails)
Use a leave in conditioner
a few drops of oil

I would be really interested to see members with longer hair describe the routines they go through to wear their hair down. :D

[vanity_acefake]

Happy birthday.
:cake:

[bella77]

my hair is shorter than yours, but it is very fine and thin. I usually wear it up all day, but if I do let it down, I use the really small claw clips and make little section of rolled hair- use your 2-3 fingers like a curling iron- wrapping the hair around and then using the clips secure it while it's damp, let dry and then finger comb, you can use a bit of mousse for some extra hold or aloe gel, whichever you prefer. I find my hair is getting frizzy and wavy as it grows longer, so to encourage a little body and curl makes it look soften and "more styled" so tp speak. If I let it air dry naturally and do not style it, it looks like I had a bad perm, kind of wavy but not really forming a curl. It looks horrid, so I have to do damp buns or curls to make it look nice.

[CrisDee]

I am a huuuuge fan of hair wrapping (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51781). It leaves my hair looking as though it's been blown straight. I started this last August when my hair was still quite short, somewhere between pixie and skaterboy - so I've kind of grown with my hair in my ability to get it all wrapped around my head. I usually do it at night, so it's dry the next morning. If I do it in the daytime, it takes at least 5 hours to dry, and my hair is still pretty short (see avatar, upper back length). Not sure this will be helpful for today, though - but I wish you a very happy birthday regardless of what you decide to do with your hair! :cake:

[jaine]

I dry mine in a bun and then take it down when the front is dry and the bun is still damp, if I want to wear it down and "straightish" (which for me is more like big fat loose waves). Most of my pics in my album are a result of that. It gets rid of frizz around my face if I dry it with a hard-hold gel in it.

My other favorite styling method is the "curly girl method" - scrunch hard hold gel into soaking wet hair, blot with paper towels, leave it to air dry until it's completely dy and hard, then scrunch out the crunch. That gives me soft, clumpy waves or curls depending on the day and what my hair wants to do. It shouldn't be touched while it's drying if at all possible which is why I usually only do it for special occasions...damp-bunning seems logistically easier.

Another thing I do if I want to wear my hair down is to avoid putting it up in an asymmetrical updo like a peacock twist or French twist - that gives me a very wonky shape compared to more symmetrical updos like a sock bun or cinnabun or a braid.

[Yozhik]

Happy birthday!

I'll be watching this thread, too, because I've been trying to figure out how to wear my hair down at a longer length, too. I have wavy hair, so just having it down causes a lot of tangles. :(

Maybe a half-up would help keep it out of your face, plus look pretty, too. :)
I find when I do wear it down, I have to brush it a lot more frequently to keep it knot free, so it may also be a good idea to have a comb on hand.

[jaine]

my hair is shorter than yours, but it is very fine and thin. I usually wear it up all day, but if I do let it down, I use the really small claw clips and make little section of rolled hair- use your 2-3 fingers like a curling iron- wrapping the hair around and then using the clips secure it while it's damp, let dry and then finger comb, you can use a bit of mousse for some extra hold or aloe gel, whichever you prefer. I find my hair is getting frizzy and wavy as it grows longer, so to encourage a little body and curl makes it look soften and "more styled" so tp speak. If I let it air dry naturally and do not style it, it looks like I had a bad perm, kind of wavy but not really forming a curl. It looks horrid, so I have to do damp buns or curls to make it look nice.

That's the exact same bun that I dry my hair in!! :) what a coincidence.

[owlathena]

I just let my hair do whatever it wants to do: I get out of the shower, scrunch in some leave-in, then sometimes I'll blowdry just the roots for a little volume if I plan on leaving the apartment right away. I try not to touch it while it dries, and then I comb it out a couple hours later. If I slept on it funny or if it dried weird for some reason, I'll run my brush under the water and wet it down.

[pepperminttea]

Happy birthday! :)

When I wear my hair down, it's normally the second day after a wash (that little gap in between the scalp frizz calming down and the roots getting too oily). I take it down from my sleep braid, fingercomb it (not too much), and scrunch a little light oiling through it. That's pretty much it. Sometimes I wear it in a half-up, sometimes all the way down. I find this is a lot easier when I use a 'cone-y serum on my damp hair after a wash, so the tangles aren't too bad to get out later. It does go a bit 'wild' looking, but I've learned to love that. :D

[terpentyna]

I just realized the only two styles my hair has when it is down are braid waves and no braid waves. :yinyang:

[Venefica]

My favorite styles when having my hair down is either just letting it hang there, or wearing a hairband or a scarf to add a bit of color to it. Sometimes I will take some hair from the side and make accent braids, or fasten them with some sort of hairtoy at the back of my head to at a bit of flair to it. But usually when I let my hair out I let it fall free and wild and I like to wear wise skirts and blouses with that and just go with the whole wild and free look.

[cm006j]

I liked this method of wearing hair down, keeps it more manageable for me:

http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/how-to-wear-your-hair-down/

[spidermom]

I only wear my hair down if it just so happens to look pretty all on it's own. I'll usually pull the front part back with a pretty jeweled little claw clip so that it's not falling in my face all the time; that's pretty much the limit for "styling". Oh, and I might give it a light mist of spray gel so it doesn't look so fluffy.

But most of the time I put it up; it's easier that way.

[CurlyCreature]

I have poofy hair too so I can't just "leave it" - when my hair was longer, I was very fond of half up half down dos... google image "elvan hair" or "LOTR hair" lol, those are always my inspiration, for down dos with just a little back to keep in under control. Also I am a fan of side parts and pretty hair clips

[scarlett_nynpha]

I'm so used to wear my hair braided that when I'm wearing it down I just don't know how to deal with it, is always too frizz or it hangs up everywhere :brickwall

[HintOfMint]

I've been wearing my hair down most of the time lately. I put a bit of product in it when it's wet, let it airdry a bit, damp bun and in the morning, I'll have bun curls. Otherwise, I'll set it in pin curls. I haven't wrapped it (wrapping it around your head to straighten it) in quite some time, but that used to be a favorite.

Happy Birthday!

[Delila]

I put a bit of product in my hair while damp, then let it dry.

At shorter lengths, I'd pull my hair over my left shoulder and twist it along the length and just let it dry like that, no tie at the end, just loose. Once it was dry, the waves would be a bit more organized than they are when left entirely to their own devices.

At longer lengths, I seldom wear it down outside the house, and freely admit that I don't pay as much attention to the way it looks when it's loose as perhaps I should. Oddly enough, it seems to look okay anyhow, but styling product does help.

I prefer the GM InStar spray, sometimes with a dab of their Frizz Away. I've never tried their gel, perhaps I'll get some of that next time I order from them.

[cm006j]

Here's another possibility, I haven't tried this yet:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=200

[eternallyverdan]

I think I've mentioned this in another thread, but I think that it all bears repeating, so here goes!

If you're 1B/1C, you might be able to get your hair relatively straight by gently brushing or combing it while it's still damp-- that often works for me. I do that most days, and I'll sometimes throw in some coconut oil, aloe, or glycerin if my hair is misbehaving. I find that I look better when my hair isn't in my face, so I'll often do a French-braided headband, which for some reason seems to reduce tangling and conceal frizz.

When I wear my hair down, I usually put it up in a bun for the journey to wherever I'm going and then take it down once I get there, so if you need one bring a stick, fork, clip, or other hair-wrangling tool of choice. Like others, my hair seems to look best on Day 2 after washing-- it's at that sweet spot between frizzy and greasy. Wear a silky or satiny top to reduce friction and prevent tangles, and enjoy your birthday party!

[eri401]

I am a huuuuge fan of hair wrapping (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=51781). :cake:

Incredibly interesting - I will try that tonight!

When my hair got past BSL, I have usually done a bun with some light oiling and if I took it down, it would be wavy. However, I haven't quite figured out how and where and how many buns will produce good waves so my hair just stays in that one big bun.

The only thing that has worked for me in terms of producing long waves was a rag curl/ sock bun variation -- I do 4 giant rag curls using long socks. However,
1. tossing and turning creates uneven curls
2. it is a little tedious to do at night
3. due to my hair texture, the curls straighten out by midday and I do not want to put product in it to keep the curls in longer


In any case, thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!
Right now my hair is in a ponytail because it started to rain :pinktongue:

[Venefica]

I have poofy hair too so I can't just "leave it" - when my hair was longer, I was very fond of half up half down dos... google image "elvan hair" or "LOTR hair" lol, those are always my inspiration, for down dos with just a little back to keep in under control. Also I am a fan of side parts and pretty hair clips


I only wear my hair down if it just so happens to look pretty all on it's own. I'll usually pull the front part back with a pretty jeweled little claw clip so that it's not falling in my face all the time; that's pretty much the limit for "styling". Oh, and I might give it a light mist of spray gel so it doesn't look so fluffy.

I like fluffy and poofy hair. I have never managed to get my hair either fluffy or poofy, and I have tried, it is just straight, but I do love the look of fluff and poofy.

[nucleardelusion]

Usually if I leave it down, it's right after wash day. I don't blow dry or curl. Since it's usually up, I get so many compliments on how pretty it looks down. I don't style it, just let it fall wherever it wants. :)

[Lostsoule77]

Happy Birthday!

I usually only wear my hair down on wash day. I use my conditioner as a leave in on wet hair, finger comb, and let dry. I like my natural waves and that is the only way I can get them to show. They are a bit poofy, but soft and flowy (I know that's not a word, but it fits.) If I'm wearing it down any other day I usually sleep in a braid the night before and just do a light finger combing. If the front looks too frizzy I'll sweep it back with a pretty clip either into a half up or to the side with a comb.

[Slinks]

I wear my hair in a half updo, if I want my hair to curl - otherwise it's very straight, see siggy pic !! for some reason if the top half is off the underlay it will spiral, slightly .. not always .. I feel lucky when it does tho :-) but yeah, I do what others have said I comb when wet and let dry, if I want it dried in a hurry I stand out in the sun or in front of the fan ..

[spidermom]

I like fluffy and poofy hair. I have never managed to get my hair either fluffy or poofy, and I have tried, it is just straight, but I do love the look of fluff and poofy.

It's funny how so many of us covet what we don't have. My hair drives me crazy; it gets so bushy. In some pictures, it looks more like a big messy cloud of frizz than hair. Oh how I long for straight and sleek and smooth. Once every couple of years of so, I have my hair stylist flat iron it for me.

[tinti]

I just put a pump of Aussies curldefinitionerwhateveritstcalled serum in my hands, warm it up there and squeeze it into my damp hair with my head whipped upside down. Then I put a roller under my bangs, right at the hair line and blowfry my bangs, just to give them a lift. But sometimes they flip outwards when I'm finished blowfrying them and have taken the roller away, so I have to shape them into place with my straightener. That's all I do, if I don't do a front lace braid or a pompadour.

[Venefica]

It's funny how so many of us covet what we don't have. My hair drives me crazy; it gets so bushy. In some pictures, it looks more like a big messy cloud of frizz than hair. Oh how I long for straight and sleek and smooth. Once every couple of years of so, I have my hair stylist flat iron it for me.

Grass is always greener as they say. Well honestly on most days I adore my straight hair, it is just at times when I go for the wild gypsy style I wish I had more fluff. I am sure your hair look beautiful. And how do you flat iron hair? One do not do it with what one use on clothes? I have never heard of doing something like that before.

[dollface]

first of all, happy birthday :D

i may not be much help but when i wear my hair down all i do is oil the ends slightly and let my natural waves do their thing, but i do keep something to secure my hair handy in case it's windy outside. i normally wear my hair up when walking around outside and take it down when i'm out of the elements.

[meowmeow]

I'm of the opinion that my hair styles itself, so I usually just detangle and go on my merry way. If the curls get stretched out, I just recurl them with water. :)

Happy Birthday BTW :)

[estelwen]

Hi eri401! I like to create a little volume by my face by: taking small pieces of hair from the sides and braiding to join in the back (maiden braids), doing the same thing but twisting instead of braiding, or pulling it back into a barrette. Also I like to make a "half-up" bun, using just a little hair.

Headbands are a blast, and there are some really great ones available now. I also wear a lot of scarves in a band or bandanna style.

Have fun with it!

[|Xei]

I usually style the layers with wax or clay to give them definition and volume. Otherwise, I don't do anything to it at all.

[Lostsoule77]

It's funny how so many of us covet what we don't have. My hair drives me crazy; it gets so bushy. In some pictures, it looks more like a big messy cloud of frizz than hair. Oh how I long for straight and sleek and smooth. Once every couple of years of so, I have my hair stylist flat iron it for me.

Before I hit puberty I had straight, smooth, frizz free hair, probably 1c, and wanted curly hair so badly. Well in puberty my hair changed to the frizzy wavy mess I have now.
sometimes I love it, most of the time I just wish I had the hair I had back then. :D

[jojo]

happy birthday :cake:

The very rare moments I wear my hair down, I just use a small claw clip to hold the fringe back and thats about it really.

[LittleOrca]

To style my hair down I.... just leave it down! Brush it out and go. :)

I also have some tailsocks. :hmm: but I tend to wrap them into buns after they are in my hair. :)

[Lianna]

I often do this: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=20761

...because I don't have patience to let it dry without touching.

[NouvelleNymphe2]

I blot dry with an old t-shirt or something else soft and then let it air dry. When it is damp I finger comb and wait about 5 minutes or so. Then I comb/detangle using a seamless wide tooth pick. Once it is dryer I use my seamless fine tooth comb. Sometimes when it is wet I'll put oil or aloe on the ends. Once my hair is dry and detangled I flip it over and give it several BBB passes for volume and to distribute oils. Today I added a little ION styling wax for texture. I just massaged it into the roots. Great thread OP, I'll be watching for more ideas.

[Schmoomunitions]

I either use a headband or rat a little (yes backcomb, GASP) and put the front in a barette sorta pompadour. I just look too wierd with ALL my hair down.

[telegraph64]

"Pushed" backward (not parted), and dangling loose down my back with light oil.

[eri401]

*bump*

Thanks for all the bday wishes! So I've been experimenting...

My hair is past BSL but not quite waist length right now. I'm alternating between SC and CO. Before washing, I'll do a deep coconut oil soak and then damp oiling afterward. This has helped my hair stay hydrated since my hair is coarse and prone to dryness at the ends. I was loose braiding at night when my hair is 90% dry but I'd wake up and just end up bunning my hair, every single day. My hair is prone to denting and instead of getting celtic looking waves, I just look....confused (top smooth, bottom crimped). I want to show off my hair and let it swing down smooth once in a while. But, I am trying hard to stay away from all heat and expensive/damaging products.

Here is how I've experimented:

Experiment 1. Brush out the dents
I tried brushing my hair out so that the waves are smoother - more Veronica Lake, less ramen-head. After detangling with a wooden comb, I flip my head upside down and use a regular brush and then a BBB.
Result: Fail. It is detangled but nothing lies evenly smooth and the waves are resilient. I tried putting a bit of oil on the tips to weigh it down but it just looked like....greasy braid dents haha.

Experiment 2. Rewet hair
I woke up and spritzed my hair with water until it was damp. Then I combed through with my wooden comb and waited for it to air dry.
Result: Fail. I do not like rewetting my hair and getting some of the braid waves out did not necessarily translate into "style."

So if I'm fighting the braid dents for style, the easiest thing would be to replace the braids right?

Experiment 3. Big rag curls instead of braids
I did 5 giant rag curls in my hair at night and slept in them.
Result: Somewhat success. This works fine for the days I want big bouncy waves, as long as I can make sure the rag curls are even. On a dry day, the curls lasted all day with no product. However, I'm worried rag curls put stress on the hair and will damage the hair if I do this too often. Also, I haven't figured out how to have straight/smooth hair yet.

Experiment 4. Silk scarf wrapping.
I haven't bought this yet but I'll update when I do. There has been some discussion here already on wrapping but those suggestions were mostly for curly haired people who want to straighten their hair. Also, my hair is too long (it seems) for the methods here. However, this method (http://lovelyladyluxe.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-wrap-your-hair-in-silk-scarf.html) at least seems like a good alternative for braids. Once I try it, I'll let you all know.

[WaitingSoLong]

I have quite a bit of trouble wearing my hair down so I usually don't. I am considering going shorter for this reason (between waist and hip somewhere). When I do wear it down, it is almost always only on wash days as it is drying. I use Garnier Fructis' Smooth and Sleek leave in gel stuff on wet hair. My hair does pretty well until it dried and I go to brush it. Once it has been brushed it has a mind of its own and I get major flyaways that wrap around me everywhere, so once it is completely dry it is usually up in a bun of some kind.

I prefer to wear my length braided, which I consider as wearing "down". This works best while the hair is still damp and has the added benefit, if I also sleep in the braid, to produce lovely braid waves the next day so I can wear it down the day after a wash as well. Down and loose are not the same to me. I can also wear a high pony, but this really pulls after awhile. I wear low ponies only if the length is secured every 6" or so with another elastic of I get majot tangles, especially at the nape.

I do not have fringe/bangs, when I wear my hair loose it is not "styled". It just is what it is. If I blow dry it, it will be very smooth, shiny and straight but I cannot keep it tamed.

[growingpains]

I like to bun it when slightly damp for bouncy curls, or twist is into several sections while it dries for more defined but sleek curls and smoothing it with argan oil.

I am still experimenting/perfecting these methods. I too struggle with wearing my hair down since I prefer straight hair, but it seems I cannot achieve sleek and straight without heat or lots of effort (wrapping is kind of beyond me at this point)

[SwordWomanRiona]

I have quite a bit of trouble wearing my hair down so I usually don't. I am considering going shorter for this reason (between waist and hip somewhere). When I do wear it down, it is almost always only on wash days as it is drying. I use Garnier Fructis' Smooth and Sleek leave in gel stuff on wet hair. My hair does pretty well until it dried and I go to brush it. Once it has been brushed it has a mind of its own and I get major flyaways that wrap around me everywhere, so once it is completely dry it is usually up in a bun of some kind.

I prefer to wear my length braided, which I consider as wearing "down". This works best while the hair is still damp and has the added benefit, if I also sleep in the braid, to produce lovely braid waves the next day so I can wear it down the day after a wash as well. Down and loose are not the same to me. I can also wear a high pony, but this really pulls after awhile. I wear low ponies only if the length is secured every 6" or so with another elastic of I get majot tangles, especially at the nape.

I do not have fringe/bangs, when I wear my hair loose it is not "styled". It just is what it is. If I blow dry it, it will be very smooth, shiny and straight but I cannot keep it tamed.

Ah, join the club! I like wearing my hair down, but it usually behaves more or less as I would like on wash day. After that, my super-fine straight hair gets charged at anything and gets tangled...But with some brushing I think that lately I have got it reasonably tamed...reasonably :rolleyes:
And I don't style it...just brush it and that's it.

[Fethenwen]

Very interesting thread!

I usually wear my hair down only after I have washed it, or the day after. I just brush it and leave it down, sometimes I blow dry my bangs. I love the length I'm having now, it falls very neat without any styling, I could not wear my hair like this when it was shorter.

When my hair gets a little dirtier it starts to loose a lot of volume on top of my head, so I on those days I put it up.

[RitaPG]

I just use a silicone conditioner the day before, a drop of leave-in on the ends, and my hair usually stays sleek and shiny the whole day.
Sometimes I braid the upper half, like this
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=96683&albumid=6249&dl=1300402436&thumb=1 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=6249&pictureid=96683)
I've also seen some girls here on LHC doing rag curls, they always look lovely but I want my hair to be a little longer before trying that one :o

If you're going to weear it down, you'll want to have a comb on your purse, though. It helps if you detangle a couple times through the day.

[skyblue]

I like to wear it down at least a few hrs a day usually after I get off work, I'll just comb it out and thats it, my hair is different every day lol sometimes it behaves mostly its all over the place, I just let do what its gonna do