I dreamed last night I was at a big blogging conference, and someone next to me said, indicating a popular blogger, “She’s popular—but no one actually likes her, and I think she thinks she’s proud of that.” I was like, “Come. sit. next. to. me.”—but then I had to rush back to my own seat because I was taking care of two babies for someone else. And, once back to my seat, I fretted that the blogger who’d made the clever and insightful remark would think I meant that I wanted to hear endless snark and mean mocking, when actually all I want is the occasional Highly Insightful well-placed remark TINGED with snark/mocking, and I spent the rest of the dream mentally composing ways to indicate that. So…basically exactly how I think a blogging conference would go for me.
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Yesterday I gave a ride home to a 16-year-old girl. She very kindly explained blogs and feed readers to me, using the kind of language I would use if talking to someone quite elderly who didn’t even have a computer. I kept trying to interject little comments that indicated that I was up to speed on that, but it was not working. So instead I asked her to explain Tumblr to me, because that’s an area where I really could use a little education. It sounds like it’s like blogs, except instead of writing posts, you mostly post what other people have written. She says it started as a way to share other people’s writing while still making that writing traceable all the way back to the person who wrote it, and also it’s a way to read a selection of posts by various writers but on the same topic. So Tumblr is basically Pinterest for blogging. I get it now.
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I would like to grow my hair long, but I would like to wear it up not down. In another time period, this would not have been weird, and I would have had about 50 new style choices every season, plus perhaps a young girl from a local farm to put it up for me before she got on with the household chores. In this time period, most of the updos are:
1) fancy-event fancy
2) better suited to someone in college (“Just twist here and braid there and put a feather here and some insouciance there for that ‘I’m effortlessly and carelessly beautiful’ look!”)
3) so old-fashioned looking, I’d increase the “she probably belongs to a peculiar religious sect” look I’ve already got going on with the long hair and the glasses and all those children
4) too difficult and frustrating, so that I can’t even figure out how to PRACTICE doing it
5) too Pinteresty (see #2 and #4, and also see “I am not going to blow-dry, tease, and style my hair BEFORE putting into ‘an easy updo'”)
My favorite way to wear it is to put it in a fountainy French twist: twist it from the bottom up, then put a clip right at the top and let the ends splay out cheerfully. I think it looks casual but still pretty. But my hair is now too long for that: there is no fountain, there is more like a long flop of hair. Normally at this point I would switch to a bun—but the last time I was in that hair stage, I caught sight of myself unexpectedly in a store mirror and realized it was looking more matronly than ballerina on me.
This morning what I did was loosely French braid it starting on one side, down and around like I was going to make a ring around my head; and when I would have had to switch hands to keep going, I instead ended it in the usual French twist. The braid used up some of the extra hair, so that was good—but the resulting style is college on one side and sect on the other.
I think it might help to add some hair in front. In those period movies, the women always have all these bunches of curls right in the bangs area; the modern equivalent would probably be one long-bangs piece that keeps getting into my eyes and is allllmost long enough to tuck behind one ear.
I love the part about the hair. “..college on one side and sect on the other.” This made me laugh, and yes, I know what you mean. My hair is almost waist-length, and super-slippery, too. I’m interested to see what suggestions you get.
When I had longer hair, I also did the fountainy French twist, and when it got too long for that, I would twist it at the bottom, then twist it back down at the top and then clip it. No cheerful splayed ends, but it felt a little more casual and loose than a bun.
I’ve been growing my hair out for the past year and am quite pleased. There are I’m sure many blogs that show nice hair styles. I like http://www.hairromance.com/ because some of the styles are actually easy enough and appropriate for one approaching 40 (me). Perhaps we can share hair blogs we enjoy here?
Do you use spin pins? I like them a lot for making, like, one twist low on my head and then another on top to use up more hair.
So, now I want pictures. You will have to fix your hair a bunch of ways and show them all to us.
I can’t pull off long hair. Mine is too fine and thin and just looks scraggly when long.
When I want my hair up, I do exactly what Suki described, since my hair doesn’t fountain nicely at the top of a twist, either. I use a big barrette to hold it all together. It looks contained but not matronly or like I’m trying to be ballerina-y. I also occasionally use spin pins, as suggested by Joanne, to make a bun; they work for a low one or a high one.
“College on one side and sect on the other” made me laugh and laugh!
I second the suggestion to use spin pins. They make so many hair styles easier. Doing loose buns is easy with them.
Ha ha ha college/sect = brilliant!
That German country two braids that come up on top of th head can look pretty cute.
Spin pins spin pins SPIN PINS. They are the greatest hair invention ever. I started with spin pins, and after using them for a few months I got confident enough to style my hair without them into updos. I went on Amazon and bought a u-shaped hairpin, about 3.5 inches long, and several tortoiseshell combs. My hair is fine, a little bit past my shoulders. What I do is twist it up like I’m going to do the fountain with clip, but at the top of the twist, where you would let go of the hair and let it fountain, I bend the twist and tuck it under the hair that’s twisted against my head. (This is surprisingly difficult to describe in writing.) Then, I take one of the combs and hold it backwards against the twist, so that the curved side of the comb is against the hair. Slide the comb across the twist and flip it right side up just as you come around the edge of the twist and push it into your hair. It holds really well, and looks really chic and elegant. If you have layers in your hair, you can pull a few of the short ones around your face out to make it a bit more casual.
With the hair pin, twist your hair as if you are going to put it in a bun. Don’t tuck the ends in–leave two or three inches out. Turn the pin so that the curved side is against your hair and stick it up through the bun. Then, flip the hair pin up, so that the U is upside down, and push the pin down through the hair so that it presses against the scalp and is secure. This gives you the hair out of your face-ness of the bun, and keeps a few pieces sprayed out into a fountain to soften the look.
One more thing, (I really should have written a blog post and just linked back to you, jeez) I went to the salon with a photo of Reese Witherspoon (google “Reese Witherspoon long sideswept bangs) and asked for her haircut. It’s got long layers that frame the face when it’s left down, and the bangs are juuuuuust long enough to tuck behind your ear. I love it, and think everyone with long hair should consider it.
Oh, and youtube is crawling with hair tutorials if you want to visualize these moves better.
There are two great sites for hair growing tips and styling ideas:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com and http://www.untamedtresses.com
I’d recommend the second one as it’s a bit friendlier.
Is your hair long enough for a figure eight bun? That looks a bit more casual than a bun-bun and is similar to the splayed french twist in some ways. A hair thing like an african butterfly might work for you, too – two combs held together by elastic. Mine’s too long and heavy for it, but it’s great for keeping hair up while not being too sect-y.
Mine’s almost getting to the point where it’s too long. It’s a couple of inches shy of knee length and it’s really heavy. I need to tape it more often to distribute the weight, but it takes so long.
Top knot. It is all I ever do and I couldn’t get by without it. Also, I count on my tattoos to carry me out of conservative mom territory, maybe some “non-religious sect” accessories could leave you free to take the pressure off your hair?
I always enjoy the idea of people mistaking you for a Mormon, if they only knew what you say when you are here!
I found some cute simple pony tail styles for you with video tutorials. They seem pretty simple- especially if you pick one and do it every day. It will become super fast and easy. There are TONS on this blog, but these seemed to match what you are looking for.
http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2012/10/not-just-ponytail.html
http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2012/05/wrapped-bun.html
College on one side, sect on the other.
Oh, Swistle. How I heart thee. Nobody makes me laugh out loud as often as you do.
What about a chignon? Part your hair on the side, put it in a low pony tail at the nape of your neck. braid it and then swirl it around and bobby pin it?
I tried growing my hair out with the intention of wearing it up. I could never figure it out. I finally cut it and realized, I like it much better shorter anyway.
Swistle, I LOVE The Small Things Blog that Kate linked to up there. She has some great tutorials that look great, even though some of them take practice.
Two styles I’ve done with long hair are the deep side part with a really slick low pony. I cover the elastic with a section of hair from underneath the pony and hide the pin under there too.
The other one is 3 Buns. They are cute in the usual location, across the back of the head. They are also cute up high where you’d put a topknot, and way down low at the base of the head. That’s where I ususally wear them. My hair is shoulder length and layered now, and the 3 Buns (low) works well because some hair gets into the outside 2 buns that wouldn’t reach if I were to pull it all together in a single bun.
Also, I live deep in Amish/Mennonite country, and the defining characteristics of their hairstyles seems to be their receding hairlines due to keeping pulled so tight all the time. In order to achieve Secular Hair, I think intentional, face-framing layers (not broken wispies)are key.
Sock bun? I find the sock bun so terribly pleasing. And I feel like it’s easier to control the matronliness or lack thereof.
Ooh, Swistle! I just tried a style last night that might be great for you–mine wasn’t long enough, but I’m well inside of the fountain-at-the-top-of-the-twist length. It’s a pulled-through ponytail. Really easy–just one step beyond a regular ponytail. It’s the fourth one down on this link, called topsy-turvy pony (some other ponytail ideas too):
http://manouvellemode.com/2012/10/22/10-creative-ways-to-wear-a-ponytail/
Also this bun looks cute and easy, and also my hair isn’t long enough for it:
http://pinterest.com/pin/108227197266804497/
I have no skills and absolutely no patience to learn any hairdo-making skills. But I desperately want to make hairdos!
Hairdo? That sounds old, doesn’t it?
Love: “the resulting style is college on one side and sect on the other.”
It’s all about the sweepy bangs.
I have long been explaining Pinterest as Tumblr for crafters and ladies. So, that.
as someone else who is completely uninterested in 1)-5) (with the possible exception of 3, only because i’ve not YET been mistaken for being in a religious sect [half of my brain: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!]) i offer my favorite, from Hillary @ Style Lush: http://www.stylelushblog.com/2012/05/hair-tutorial-easy-2-strand-braid.html
i love that it takes 2 mins, looks like it took a lot longer, and can be “dressed down” by making the ponytail/bun at the nape of my neck slightly messy.
1) Thank that 16 year old for explaining tumblr to me TOO. Goodness is it confusing.
2) French milkmaid girl braids do not look bad on anybody, I am convinced. Up-do-ey without, you know, fancy. But you need ALOTs of hair. Several Alots.
When my hair was too long for the French twist with fountain, I would simply add an extra twist at the bottom–kind of twisting it around itself and then wahhlaaa! SAME hair style adjusted for longer hair. Never did it occur to me to do more than that because, evidently, I am not creative in this way. Hair? Meh.