Thank you for all the suggestions on the casual updo topic! I clicked every link, leaning forward in my chair as eagerly as if I were searching a dating site. Also, I am planning a trip to the stylist to get long sideswept bangs, and a trip to Target to get packets of spin pins. I have a bun spiral pin, but I can’t get it to work at all: it just tangles into the bun, without being twistable all the way to the scalp as required to hold the dang thing together.
I noticed in some of the tutorials that the updoer had first blow-dried and/or curled her hair, then styled it and teased it and sprayed it and so forth, THEN put it in the “quick-‘n’-easy” updo. Those seemed perfect for second-day hair for someone who typically spends a lot of time on a style in the morning and doesn’t want to waste all the effort—but what I like about the French twist fountain is that it takes seriously less than a minute from towel-wrapped wet hair to done. I AM willing to add a little time now that the kids are older, but if I spend drying/curling-level amounts of time, I don’t want to end up with a PONYTAIL. Hillary’s “office boho” style (recommended by Alice) looked like the type of thing I was looking for, so I tried that first.
(Aside: I read with GREAT INTEREST a comment on that post from someone who was recommending my SAME French twist fountain, and for the SAME reasons! And lo: it WAS me!)
I first tried the side bun, but realized I didn’t know how to bun it in that position (I think I need the spin pins!). Plus, I generally think I look better with hair HIGHER rather than lower: a medium-high ponytail is better on me than a low one, for example. So I tried a hybrid: I twisted the hair like Hillary did, but I did it on both sides and then tried to bring it into my previous French twist fountain at the end. Here’s my first attempt (no, YOU’RE wearing plaid flannel):
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| Right side |
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| Left side, kind of, and taking no advantage at all of the available natural light |
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| THERE’S the natural light, finally, just in time to shoot the messy back and the hanging mismatched towels |
I’d say it worked pretty well, and that more practice is indicated. I’d like to try twisting so that the endpoint is HIGHER; I accidentally made the whole twist pretty low, and I think higher would work better with the fountain. I’d also like to try it with a high bun.
With the lower endpoint, I’d like to try using a large barrette instead of a claw clip, and then tucking in the ends or making it less effusive in some other way—but I think that might look TOO tucked/dressy for what I like. I’d also like to see if I can bun it, or if an off-center bun nudging my neck would drive me crazy.
And I’d like to try all those things with just one side twisted.
I like it! I also clicked on all the links in the earlier post because I’ve been looking for similar help. I thought once my hair was long I’d be able to do all these great looks, but it turns out a lot of them look better with thicker hair I think. So I end up with severe looking ponytails and not much else.
It looks great! I’ve never been good at updos either. I just don’t have the patience or the hand-eye-mirror coordination. Also, I like your shower curtain :)
That is a seriously well-done twist–very pretty! I think someone with the skill to do that twist should have no problem with styling. One thing I’ve noticed with pinned or combed updos as opposed to clipped or barretted (is that a word? hmmm.)is that they don’t work as well on wet hair. The hair has more stretch when wet, and as it dries, the pins/combs get too loose–at least, this is how it works on my hair. I also hate blow drying and lack the time for it, as well as lack the round brush skills, so I just flip my hair upside down and blast it on high for few minutes, flip it up and over to one side, blast again, flip to the other side, blast, and after about 7 minutes, hair is dry enough to avoid the stretch issue. So, not as good as a minute from towel to done, but not as bad as round-brushing, drying, curling and teasing for 15 minutes, either.
I apparently have lots to say on the topic of hairstyles.
I love it! I wish I had enough hair to pull off the french braid twist thingy :( Generally I wear it the same as you without that.
It looks really good!
Also, I am envious that you can even get all your hair into one clipy thing. Mine is so thick that leaving it down and attempting to style it is a nightmare/black hole of time suckage, so I almost always wear it up or back. But if I do put it up I have to use TWO clips right next to each other to hold it all, and make sure there’s enough hair “fountaining” down around it to cover up the two clips or it looks really dumb.
1. You’re pretty.
2. Your hair is so thick! Mine is too fine to be held in those clips.
3. I like that look.
4. When I need quick and easy updo, I put my hair in a ponytail, but leave the front part of my hair out. When I’m making the ponytail, I actually tuck the ends in – so I don’t pull it into an actual ponytail, know what I mean? Then I pin the pretend ponytail with bobby pins to make it look a bit like a bun, with some pieces out to look cute. THEN I part the front part of my hair like side swept bangs and add a hairband to keep that part from hanging in my face. I wish I could post a picture because I fear I’m not making sense.
5. I like your shower curtain.
You are the cutest girl in the world.
I have long side swept bangs and LOVE them, but beware, they are super annoying and intolerable on a windy day.
I love when I’m impressed by an old comment and then later realize I was the one who wrote it.
I think the updo looks good.
That is really cute. So cute that I may now be regretting cutting mine off.
*trying to remind myself that my hair is far too fine/thin to look that way anyway*
that looks really cute, and I love it with the clip. I think it makes it look perfectly casual. I’ve never gotten the hang of doing the side twists like that, but I love the look. I do something similar with French braids and a low bun or ponytail, which works best on days I don’t wash my hair.
That looks great! I’m trying to do it to my hair right now, actually. (It’s probably too short.) Also, I like your glasses.
This: “the updoer had first blow-dried and/or curled her hair, then styled it and teased it and sprayed it and so forth, THEN put it in the “quick-‘n’-easy” updo.” Um, yes. As a coworker and I have discussed, why won’t the hairdresser believe either of us when we say, “No! No, I can’t ‘just blow dry it’ and go [that is too much work].”
You look lovely!
I have NEVER been able to get my hair to fountain out at the top like that. That’s awesome, particularly for a first attempt.
I love it! It almost makes me want long hair again. And then I remember the hell of growing out a pixie and that feeling fades. Quickly.
I’m catching up and can’t quite decide where this comment makes the most sense…but just wanted to say that THIS morning, over two years since I took the plunge and got long, sideswept bangs cut, I thought, “I can’t believe how much my bangs changed my hair for the better — why on earth was I so reluctant to cut bangs?!” Based on your pictures, we have pretty similar hair, so I hope you have the same experience. The key is to make sure your stylist knows you want them to be SIDESWEPT. It may take a few tries to figure out the ideal length (but err on the long side as you get used to them).
Looking forward to more pictures!
Since you are on the topic of hair, I saw this for little girls and thought of you. http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com.au/search/label/little%20girl%20hair%20tutorial
Good luck with this. You inspired me to evaluate my daily hair do.