Chopped hair to shoulder length - protective hairstyles?

[Ravenwind]

Hi everyone :)
In January I cut my hair back to shoulderlength from BSL to get rid of damage and such to grow it out healthier. My only dilemma is figuring out protective hairstyles for this length! I have a lot of layers starting a little above my chin and I'm not able to make a bun unless I use a sock bun.

Any tips or advice? Thanks!

[kidari]

a french twist may work, also tails up peacock twists are the best at that length... I remember I used to use two mini claw clips and put half up and clip, then twist the bottom like a french twist and clip that in place when it was really short

the youtube channel "yayalifestyle" she used to have long hair and she cut it short, lately she's had a ton of great updos for shorter lengths

[Ravenwind]

I will have to try those. Thanks!
Also, for the peacock twists, should I apply oil at the ends sticking out so they're protected?

[BrightEyes]

I like to wear half up styles. I either pull the top half back and secure it with something like an xs flexi 8 clip. Or I'll do a half up twisty thing (basically the beginnings of a Cinnabon). I secure it with a couple micro mini forks from Grahtoe Studios or a pair of short hair sticks. I have a pic in my album if you're interested:)

[Pecheresse]

I would say coconut oil on the ends and length... It seems to be working wonders. :)

[kidari]

I will have to try those. Thanks!
Also, for the peacock twists, should I apply oil at the ends sticking out so they're protected?

I'm not too sure... if you want the ends protected then tucking them in to make a french twist is probably best. Make sure you don't twist too tightly. I love Flexi-8s and Ficcares for these.

[Ravenwind]

I like to wear half up styles. I either pull the top half back and secure it with something like an xs flexi 8 clip. Or I'll do a half up twisty thing (basically the beginnings of a Cinnabon). I secure it with a couple micro mini forks from Grahtoe Studios or a pair of short hair sticks. I have a pic in my album if you're interested:)

I like the mini fork :) looks like it works really well. I just might have to get one of those!

[Ravenwind]

I would say coconut oil on the ends and length... It seems to be working wonders. :)

I had a jar of coconut oil a while ago, but it slipped out of my hands and broke >.< I've been wanting to get another jar, but when I used it, I didn't really notice any difference (plus at the time my hair wasn't in good condition). Does it take time through continuous use to notice results?

[PixxieStix]

I would say if you are only oiling the ends, it'll take a couple weeks to notice results other than less tangling, etc. You might consider putting the oil on the ends of your hair after washing when it is damp, that's when I oil my ends to help lock in moisture. :)

As for hairstyles, the Gibson tuck might be a good choice for you, as well as a french twist and maybe a twisted crown "braid"?

[Ravenwind]

I would say if you are only oiling the ends, it'll take a couple weeks to notice results other than less tangling, etc. You might consider putting the oil on the ends of your hair after washing when it is damp, that's when I oil my ends to help lock in moisture. :)

As for hairstyles, the Gibson tuck might be a good choice for you, as well as a french twist and maybe a twisted crown "braid"?

I noticed when I used olive oil in my hair after a shower my hair felt so nice and moisturized. I'll have to try that with the coconut oil too :) I have tried the gibson tuck but some of my shorter hairs fall out :( I've been thinking about trying lace braids around my head and see how that works. Thanks for the tips!

[Pecheresse]

I had a jar of coconut oil a while ago, but it slipped out of my hands and broke >.< I've been wanting to get another jar, but when I used it, I didn't really notice any difference (plus at the time my hair wasn't in good condition). Does it take time through continuous use to notice results?

If you take a really tiny bit and rub it on your ends the results are visible right away. It protects and nourishes the ends right away and in the long run, prolly strengthens the hair.

[Ravenwind]

If you take a really tiny bit and rub it on your ends the results are visible right away. It protects and nourishes the ends right away and in the long run, prolly strengthens the hair.

Good to know. I think I'll buy some more later :) Thanks!

[tinti]

Have you tried double buns? Make a half up cinnabun and then another cinnabun with the rest of the hair, they are so cute and easy to do :) Or braided buns, or pin curl buns. And gibson tuck, with two little accent braids. And if you can do a little braid you can braid your hair without tying it and put it against your head with pins or claw clips, and you can either tuck the ends under or let them be sticking up like a peacock twist. If you can do a French braid you can make a french tuck.

[Ravenwind]

Have you tried double buns? Make a half up cinnabun and then another cinnabun with the rest of the hair, they are so cute and easy to do :) Or braided buns, or pin curl buns. And gibson tuck, with two little accent braids. And if you can do a little braid you can braid your hair without tying it and put it against your head with pins or claw clips, and you can either tuck the ends under or let them be sticking up like a peacock twist. If you can do a French braid you can make a french tuck.

Never tried double buns before. I'm kinda worried my hair isn't long enough to even pull those off :\ but, it doesn't hurt to try. Thanks for the ideas. I've got lots of experimenting to do! :)

[tinti]

I could do double cinnabuns at shoulder lenght. They looked a bit messy sometimes but I like messy, and when I didn't like them I just pinned the messy bits down.) And if double buns are too difficult you can do mini buns, say 3 or 4, they look really cute too :)

[GeoJ]

When my DD's hair was that length I would often do Dutch braids along each side of her head, then loop them up and pin or sew in place (with silk or satin ribbon and bodkin); or do multiple buns, or pigtails. Sometimes I twisted her hair up and held it with a Flexi-8. I don't remember at what length I started doing crown braids on her.

When my hair was that length I knew nothing about haircare, and I just left it down all the time (but the ends rubbed my clothing at that length really badly and gave me extra split ends).

[oktobergoud]

Maybe try a sort of fake crown braid? I dutch braid the sides of my head and put the ends up with some bobby pins :) Your hair is longer so you could definitely do it! :)

[Ravenwind]

I didn't realize there were so many things you could do, haha. My hair hasn't been this short since I was like 8 or 9.. (I'm 20 now).

[skraprchik]

a french twist may work, also tails up peacock twists are the best at that length... I remember I used to use two mini claw clips and put half up and clip, then twist the bottom like a french twist and clip that in place when it was really short

the youtube channel "yayalifestyle" she used to have long hair and she cut it short, lately she's had a ton of great updos for shorter lengths

Thanks for suggesting this channel. There are some great tutorials on it.

[Myao]

How do you feel about hair wraps? :) I love wrapping my hair in scarves! I am shoulder length when curly, and absolutely I love the Sue Maesta hooded headband. (You can get it at RickysNYC.com, or Amazon.) When my hair is inside of the hooded headband, I twist and wrap the free end of the hood into a bun, and then I wrap a pretty silk scarf on top of that. I usually tie the loose ends of the scarf into a bun, or some other decorative design. I love it! I have 3A curls, and it's great for when I have less-than-spectacular second day hair. I don't know if it's your kind of look, but it definitely keeps your ends and hair protected!

[caiti42]

Maybe try some half up styles as well. That will give you move variety and keep the hair from tangling a little.

[Ravenwind]

How do you feel about hair wraps? :) I love wrapping my hair in scarves! I am shoulder length when curly, and absolutely I love the Sue Maesta hooded headband. (You can get it at RickysNYC.com, or Amazon.) When my hair is inside of the hooded headband, I twist and wrap the free end of the hood into a bun, and then I wrap a pretty silk scarf on top of that. I usually tie the loose ends of the scarf into a bun, or some other decorative design. I love it! I have 3A curls, and it's great for when I have less-than-spectacular second day hair. I don't know if it's your kind of look, but it definitely keeps your ends and hair protected!

I've never worn scarves in my hair before, not quite sure if it's my style o.o. I do agree it's probably really protective, so who knows? Maybe I'll try it someday :)

[Ravenwind]

Maybe try some half up styles as well. That will give you move variety and keep the hair from tangling a little.

Sometimes I'll do that to get the layers out of my way, lol. I've only done a basic half-up half-down style, but I'll do some experimenting and see how I can do different kind of half-up styles.

[Macaroni]

I'll suggest what I call a ponytail bun.

A ponytail rolled under and secured with long bobbypins, you can oil the ends before tucking them under.

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVZzv0VOEDPcQMfO1EUzBFRBEwH0lwa XRobBdGp2uJLKvV2DmCgg

[racrane]

When I was just below shoulder (between shoulder and APL) I used the gibson tuck a lot. I had to use some pins to keep my layers in place but it worked nicely. I hope you find something you like!

[Ravenwind]

Thanks for the tips :)