Hello everyone. I hope one of you can help me with my hair dilemma.

I have very thick, medium texture, moderately long reddish-brown hair (2" circumference ponytail, 26" hair). It is quite healthy and almost perfectly straight. I love the way it looks when I am able to wear it down (which is rare) and I've found some innovative ways to put it up (usually with hairsticks, though I do occasionally settle for ponytails) for day-to-day wear.

My problem is this:
I do a ton of salsa dancing, and none of the 'up' styles I've thought of last for longer than one dance. My hair is so heavy that when I spin the weight of it pulls it out, no matter how I have it up. This is a problem for two reasons: first, it blocks me from spotting (which makes it hard to dance well) and secondly, it's long enough to whack the poor guy I'm dancing with pretty forcefully in the face. Which doesn't make me very popular on the floor.

Hairsticks are out for dancing due to their potential to become projectiles should the weight of my hair pull the style out mid-spin and because the ends that stick out can get snagged during moves that bring the hands close to the head (guys have no idea about things like that). I haven't ventured into the land of hairspray (I hate styling products) but all of my ponytail holder and bobby pin creations have either failed me in the middle of a dance or become sloppy enough after one or two dances that I have to retreat to the bathroom to put them back up. The result is a lot of annoyed dance partners and a lot of sitting out some really good songs while I redo my hair.

Do any of you know of any really, really, really secure updos that only make use of hairbands and pins (not sticks or scrunchies)? The best I've been able to do is a low braided bun with a ponytail holder at the base of the braid and about 20 pins, but even that hasn't been much of a match for my heavy hair and the centrifugal force of a triple spin. Also, all of my hair makes for a gigantic bun, and I think that maybe a slightly more complex style that doesn't try to compact all of my hair into one blob would distribute its weight better and look more appropriate for clubs. Any thoughts?

My first thought is braids, french, dutch with classic, pretty much anything will stay all night.   

If your hair isn't long enough for a figure 8 bun you could probably fake one by making 2 ponytails either on top of each other, or side by side, and bun each one, wrapping the tails around the opposite bun.   Then pin like mad. 

What kinds of pins are you using?  I find that the large bobby pins work well for me if I need to hold a bun for quite awhile without any hassle.  Catching the pony tail holder with the pin helps it stay up and distribute the wait I think. 

Good luck!  Let us know what you find works best.

Salsa dancing - what fun! 

The only suggestion I have for you would be to try to find a product called "hair scroos".  These are hair pins that have a spiral twist to them that you twist into your bun or do.  They do not tend to work their way out like a straight pin.  I've even found them comfortable to sleep in!

Unfortunately, I've not been able to find them in a retail store - I've only purchased mine through a group order online with another hair group.  I'm sure they are sold somewhere - I'm just not sure where.