BSL to Waist Advantages?

[LisaB234]

Hi LHC'ers,

So, my goal was waist. I am now between BSL and waist and my hair is getting heavy and hard to handle. I'm really debating holding at BSL. It's heavy to bun and hard to hold up without pulling.

Of course I'm not going to make any quick decisions here, but I'm wondering, what styles have you gained between bsl and waist? I love all of the beautiful intricate buns but I'm wondering if my scalp is too sensitive to hold them up?

Suggestions, ideas?

[cowgirllong]

I can't speak for styles on this because when my hair was a bit longer, I just did the same styles as I do now(bsl). I take it you prefer to put your hair up rather than braid it?

Are you using hair sticks or hair pins? Would a few more pins help or just cause more pulling?

I'm sorry your hair is causing you trouble. There's nothing worse than your hair hurting your head!

[LisaB234]

Cowgirl-

I do wear my hair in a french braid and a single braid, but I figure I can do that at any length. I gained so many styles between apl and bsl that I wondered if I'd gain more longer.

I use sticks and spin pins, you are probably right, more pins would distribute the weight better - thanks for that idea. Two sticks seem better than one, so I will experiment with more anchor points!

You're right - hair hurting is the worst - I ended up with it down in church a few weeks ago because my fork was pulling. Hair down is not ideal with a 10 month old, but I just couldn't stand it. . . ;-)

[Bene]

Honestly, I'd say stick with scrunchies or other things that don't hurt (claws, elastics, whatever) until you grow a few inches and can manage fork/stick buns without pulling. If it's pulling, it's too tight, and if it's too tight, you might need a little bit more length to manage that particular bun.

[cowgirllong]

I hear you on 10 month olds and hair implements that are too tight!

My hair is just bsl now and I get tired of the same old buns and braids every day. A lot of a the buns I would really like to do require about 6 more inches of hair than I have right now. A variety of hair styles is always nice!

[jojo]

I can not understand how your hair feels heavy in a bun. I have thick hair and I am at waist and have never had this problem. Maybe what you are using to put your hair up is causing problems? hair sticks or hair screws are brilliant.

[xoerincolleen]

My longest layers are about waist right now but I have a lot of shorter layers that are closer to BSL and I have a hard time doing braids. I'm sure if I had a few more inches I would have a much easier time of it- my goal is to be able to do a single five-strand braid without pieces sticking out everywhere. So, I would definitely consider that an advantage to having those extra inches.
If buns are hurting your head, maybe you could try anchoring them in a different spot or using different pins or sticks to hold them up!

[TrudieCat]

My hair is starting to feel really heavy and uncomfortable, though I get less pulling in updos now that it's getting longer. But my go-to style when I can't deal with my hair is a high cinnamon bun held with at least 4 spin pins - 5 or more is better. It distributes the weight and a higher updo doesn't end up feeling as heavy at the end of the day as a lower one.

[LisaB234]

Thank you everyone!!

Bene- I hadn't thought of if it's pulling it's too tight - you are probably right.
Jojo- I bet it's a combo of what Bene suggested and what you said - what I'm using to hold up my hair.
oxerincolleen - are you going to do that five strand braid on yourself? WOW - LOVE
trudiecat- higher, huh? Hadn't tried that - love the look of a higher bun, though.

Off to try some loose high buns with spin pins. . . (note the plural on pins). Gotta find a few comfortable 'do's for summer - I think I might need those extra inches for more styles! ;-)

[Kherome]

BEST way hands down to hold a bun without pulling is with tiny claw clips. Holds like a ROCK, super easy too.

[jojo]

yeah, maybe a braided bun, done low may help.

[LisaB234]

Kherome- what type of bun? I'm thinking a cinnamon bun with clips around the outside? That would look pretty. . . I wonder what my daughter has in her hair toy supply I could raid?

[IcarusBride]

Hair styles I can think of that you can only do with longer hair: some accent braids, rapunzel braid, um... sailor moon hairstyle.... That's all I can think of.
Waist length has been more irritating than BSL. I have to work harder to keep it healthy. It looks thinner and stringier when I wear it down.
But the good feeling of having longer hair is worth the negative aspects to me.
In short: if your hair goal is to LOOK GOOD, BSL might be better. My hair goal is to have longer hair even if it doesn't look quite as nice.

[celebriangel]

My hair is currently BSL and I wear it often in an infinity bun. It's super-comfortable and holds like a rock. I am *almost* able to do a nautilus; perhaps that might work for you? Many longhairs find it extremely comfortable as it is self-holding and only uses the hairsticks for extra anchoring. Additionally, you can probably do a braided bun right now, and I think those are more even in weight distribution.

If your buns hurt...yeah, I would agree they're probably too tight. I only ever get pain when mine are too tight.

Additionally, do you use cones? This might not work for everyone, but when I used cones my hair was sooooo much heavier feeling. Since giving them up, my hair is so incredibly light and soft! Might be worth a try.

For updo inspiration, try Torrin Paige's youtube channel. Her videos brighten my day *and* make me wish for waist length hair!

[Rivanariko]

The celtic knot bun has been my go-to basically since I joined (not quite two years ago). I was waist then, but I'm pretty short and very short-waisted, so waist for me was only 27". The main thing that I noticed is that my buns have gotten neater as I've had more end left over that I can coil around the bun and tuck under it, and my buns have gotten a lot more secure. When I started I'd have to get the stick just right in order to get the knot to hold, and as soon as I took the stick out it would fall out. Now it's self-holding for the most part if I don't move too much, and stays like a rock with the stick in. That aspect makes maintenance incredibly easy as I can literally put it up and forget about it as long as I don't bump into something with the back of my head or stab someone with my hairstick (happens more often than you'd think...)

The main styles that I can do now that I couldn't before are mostly wrapped braided styles, crown braids and the like. If your bun is feeling heavy you might want to look into something more balanced like the equilibrium bun.

[|Xei]

When I had my hair several inches past BSL, waving/curling my hair would eat up 3-6 inches of my hair. While I liked the texture, I didn't like that I had to lose so much length for the look. When my hair reached a couple inches beyond waist, there was more room for my hair to "shrink". So while I lost around the same amount of length when I waved/curled my hair, it still felt and looked long. I was satisfied that I could have both the texture and length.

[torrilin]

Infinity/figure-8 buns are something I added between BSL and waist. Flipped cinnabuns are pretty new to me, and I doubt they'd work on my hair much shorter than it is now.

A braided cinnabun at my nape is just barely doable now, and I'd need a bit more length to make it look good and be stable. A cinnabun built around a braided ponytail might be doable sooner in the abstract, but in practice? My hair is still too short for it to really work.

A nautilus/Artemis style bun means I need to be a bit past BSL.

A knot bun is new a bit past BSL. I'd need another 6" or so of length to do a knotted ponytail, and over 12" more to do double knots.

Some of the wrapped bun styles are starting to work for me. A lot of them are based around hairsticks, which isn't something I'm super fond of. But I've come up with a wrapped and flipped variation that holds with spin pins or u pins... very happy-making.

I need a bit more length to try Emichee's Gibson Tuck variant, or Torrin's regency updo.

My hair was too short and slippery to make a French twist work until I hit elbow length.

I think it is probably common for slippery hair types to make pretty tight buns. When slippery hair is short, it doesn't hold most styles well, and keeping things tight and compact helps the style hold together. As your hair gets longer, it acts less slippery and you can loosen up a lot.