Hi folks!  I have been in some serious hair blues lately and contemplating a cut to at least waist length with the assumption I would keep trimming to mid back.  I had decided to go for it the other night, and asked my hubby to snap a picture for posterity and ended up liking the picture too much to cut.  Soooooooooooo I thought I would try to do something different with my hair a few times a week and see if I can fall back in love with long hair.  

Anyone want to join me?  We could post pictures if ambitious, or just descriptions for regular days.  

I've had to retire my trusty bun hairstyle.  I worry about my forks/sticks poking my son in the face, and they aren't comfortable enough to use pins which take more effort to put up and down.    

Hello Valerie!

I know how you feel about the hairsticks being dangerous. I've poked DH in the neck and face quite a few times now, when he comes up for hugs. I've actually been experimenting with hairstyles that don't use pins or sticks, mostly while I wait for my Amish hairpins to arrive.

Have you checked out JJJ's bun page? She has a few that use claw clips. I tried the "pretzel bun" today with two clips like she did, and it was very nice and contained.

Here's a video from youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElSCHnzYtM8

Wow, that is some amazing hair!

That is some awesome hair--and a great bun!  

Today I managed a topsy tail braid.  Nothing spectacular, but I did get a compliment on it from a co-worker so its a start!

Yesterday, I wore a nautilus bun all day with hair clips. I actually really liked the way it turned out, because, since the clips are off to the side, you could really see how the bun looked.

Today, I am wearing my hair in two french braided pigtails. The coworkers are being merciless with their teasing!  ;D

Hi Kitten--I've never tried the nautilus bun, but watched a video on it and really liked it!

I wore a variation of heidi braids to work the other day and my co-workers had a hay day with it too!  My double buns (I suppose princess leia buns, but they were at the top center of my head instead of over my ears) gained a lot of attention too.   ;D

Heidi braids = french braided pigtails?

I really like the french braided pigtails. Today, I took the pigtails and sort of looped them around each other in a sideways figure 8 at the back of my head, and pinned them down with bobby pins. Not bad! DH seemed to like them quite a bit.  :)

Valerie, have you ever tried 'odango'?
There are two variations, but I've only tried the little ones like small buns on top of my head.

When I think heidi braids I usually think of something like this: http://whatshotrightnow.blogspot.com/2007/07/earlier-this-year-people-magazine-rated.html

I pull my hair into a low ponytail, make 2 braids and then pin them around my head.  I usually put a scarf over the ponytail base and then wrap that in front of the braids.  If I just do half my hair like that and leave the rest down (so the braids are like headbands) I get a lot of compliments, or rope braids seem to make even old styles seem cooler.   ;D

I haven't done any real french braiding in ages.  Definitely on the list! I have also done heidi braids with my french braids.  They stand up great to 5 days in the back country! 

I haven't done the odango yet--I'll have to give it a try.  I have been thinking of making some sock bun do's, using my sons outgrown socks.  ::)

Ahh. I've seen Heidi braids around, yup.
I can't personally do them m'self, though.  :'(
The layers make my braids fuzzy, and they taper too much at the tips and make the area where they cross at top look silly.

I hear you on the sock buns! I keep meaning to do these, but I'd have to destroy a sock. I'm ashamed to say that even though I have tons of old socks, I can't bring myself to cut into them. Maybe it's nostalgia or something. Silly, eh?  ;D

On another note, I found a link to an interesting video, where the girl makes Mickey Mouse ear hairstyle and a kind of wrapped braid using the curly kid's no-tie laces. Kinda interesting, maybe I'll give them a try some day.
http://squiggyflop.tripod.com/id20.html

Hi!

Another fun thing to do (since you already know how to do a topsy-tail braid) is to make a braid like that, then flip the end over again so that the tail is tucked under the original ponytail/braid.  Did that make sense?  It's like you flip the ponytail through, make a braid, then loop the braid through the same hole in the same direction.  And pin.  Your hair is so long that it might even loop twice.  This is a fun one that's easy, and for me it will stay all day.

Since my hair was wet today, I started out with just a pretzel bun with two claw clips.

Got bored with the style around lunch time though, and put my hair up into two Kirsten's braids. You know, Kirsten Larson, from the American Girl series?  ;D I used my claw clips instead of ribbons because my hair is too slippy for ribbons, and they worked pretty well!

Unfortunately, my hair is quite a bit longer than it was the last time I tried (like a decade ago) so the loops kept hitting my shoulders and deforming. So I had to take 'em out about an hour or two later. Will have to try them again, though!

I had a pretty good attempt at a french roll with a bun at the top that lasted all day.  I'll keep working on that one since it was very professional but also comfy with distributing the weight. 

I had never heard of the Nautilus bun before and I looked up some how to's and found one that was stickless! (and pinless)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZs5o6MKjUM


I'm feeling how you are too, and have been for a few months now.  I can't wear my hair down bc it's just too long and I have been having problems with knotting, so I can basically only wear buns.  Have you tried a sideways infinity (figure 8) bun with a stick?  It keeps the stick vertical, so you wouldn't poke anyone with it, and it's one of my old trusty standbys.  It's easy, takes 2 seconds, and looks much more special than a regular bun.  Here's a video. (This woman is using a really long stick, I use a shorter one for non-poking, so it just barely sticks out on either end)

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-style-a-figure-8-bun-238141/


If I ever get too sick of it, I just start braiding it and doing weird things with it.  I'm a new fan of the rope braid, and I always go to the Victorian braid for fancier do's.
http://www.dreamweaverbraiding.com/images/Examples/Other/Vic3braid02.jpg