August 2018: Gibson Tuck

**lemonlife** · August 24th, 2018, 02:36 PM

I can get the topsy tail done. But, my hair isn't long enough to flip over & not spring back out despite pins. This time next year, right?

**hobbitlocks** · August 24th, 2018, 03:21 PM

I love it with the flowers, Lady Stardust!

**Lady Stardust** · August 24th, 2018, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by hobbitlocks

I love it with the flowers, Lady Stardust!

Thank you

**psyc2321** · August 31st, 2018, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by lemonlife

I can get the topsy tail done. But, my hair isn't long enough to flip over & not spring back out despite pins. This time next year, right?

That's the spirit!

If it helps you now, though: when my hair was shorter (all the way to APL even), I would just loosen the ponytail, make a hollow behind it, and just tuck my hair into it (so don't go all the way through like a topsy tail, if that makes sense?). You can encourage it to stay by wrapping it around a roller before tucking, or veeeery gently back combing - and then just clip or pin the filled hair-pouch against the back of your head to hide the hair elastic.

**windflowers_mel** · September 1st, 2018, 12:06 AM

Ooh I love how you got the front to swoop like that.

**Kat** · September 1st, 2018, 10:12 AM

I love this style, but my hair is too long for it... by the time I run out of hair to flip through, I have this weird log-roll at the back of my head, not a Gibson tuck. (The log roll doesn't necessarily look bad-- I call it the "log bun" lol-- it's just not a Gibson tuck.) Or, some people flip through a couple times then just tuck the rest in, but I have too much to tuck in as well and at best I've made it look like this weird wad at the back of my head, and at worst it's popping out and through and under. I watched TorrinPaige's because her hair is similar to mine in length and volume, to see how she managed it. To me it doesn't look like a Gibson tuck... just a sort of roll at the back of the head; I think she also has too much hair. It seems the Gibson tuck only works if you don't have to pull the hair through more than two or maybe three times, and if it's not too thick.

I like to also roll the sides back sometimes when I do a style like this (start at front hairline, start twisting toward the inside until I get to nape of neck) as it continues that visual "twist" that you get from topsy-tailing your hair, but I'm also roll-challenged and whenever I do nifty side-rolls, they always unroll themselves no matter how tightly I do them initially.

I've seen tutorials for this style also done where on the first time, you topsy it through in the middle, then for the next two times, you do it to either side of the original. Either way, it helps to spread the hair out a bit width-wise so you don't have just this narrow knot that continues to build up (that's partly how I end up with the log roll).

The braided version someone posted is lovely, though I have a feeling that on me it would look more like a messy wad of braided hair than a polished, classy little bunch like hers...

Originally Posted by hobbitlocks

Have you ever tried one of the topsy tail tools? My hair is fine/slippery enough that I can just grab and pull, but TorrinPaige always seems to use one when she does something like that on her hair. I think they're generally pretty cheap.

I've bought the cheap version before, and the first time I used it, I tugged on it to get my hair through and the loop broke. Maybe the actual Topsy Tail brand tool is more durable...

**neko_kawaii** · September 2nd, 2018, 09:40 AM

I did the braided version.

_DSC6884

**Kat** · September 2nd, 2018, 10:41 AM

I tried the braided version yesterday (only two loops for braids, not three). Every time I tilted my head back, the braids bumped up against my shoulders. Not that comfortable.

Later I tried modifying it, pulling the braid loops tighter (much as neko_kawaii did above), and that was annoying, too... now the braids were against my head and neck, and all the little fuzzy bits sticking out itched like crazy. I couldn't wait to take it down!

Maybe start higher on the head next time...

**jane_marie** · February 4th, 2020, 06:26 PM

Hello lovely people!

Sorry to bug you on this old thread but I'm curious if anyone knows where there might be a tutorial for this style that doesn't use a hair tie. I've spent a good degree of time looking for one with no avail.

**AmaryllisRed** · February 4th, 2020, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by jane_marie

Hello lovely people!

Sorry to bug you on this old thread but I'm curious if anyone knows where there might be a tutorial for this style that doesn't use a hair tie. I've spent a good degree of time looking for one with no avail.

I have sat through many videos in the last several minutes, watching hopefully until inevitably a hair tie appears. NEXT!
So I have no videos, but here are my thoughts:
Have you tried braiding maybe four-ish stitches and then starting the topsy-tailing?

Not exactly a Gibson tuck, but I tried a style on my daughter (whose hair is admittedly little kid hair) starting with twisting each side back, starting at the front on each side, then when they meet at the back, twist both sides up and just kind of tuck and pin them. It looked really pretty. I took a pic and I'll try to post it.

Again not exactly a Gibson tuck, but what about the headband trick where you tuck your hair up and over the headband until you run out of hair? It gives a similar final look.

My final idea was what if you had like a hair rat or... something else small and soft that matches your hair color and you just rolled it up and pinned it?