Looking for an idiotproof updo for just about shoulder length hair

[didireallysaythat]

I've just tried 3 youtube updos and I have no idea how two carefully placed bobbypins can keep all your hair in place. I need a simple (I'm not completing with the wedding party) updo which with the careful application of a can of hairspray stands a chance of playing in place... I'm out of my depth here - can someone point me in the direction of a bobbypin manual ?

Lurking...

Have you tried doing it with dirty hair, it's so much easier! And use dry shampoo with your head upside down before you commence styling.

Low side bun using s dohnut. YouTube its simples.

What up do are you attempting? I have no idea what to do with my hair (mid length) apart from a ponytail!!

barleysugar - two kids, full time job = dirty hair. I have it in a ponytail most the time to try and hide it...

Imflabulous - I don't think I have enough hair for a dohnut - unless you can buy mini dohnuts... I'll check out youtube...

You can buy v. small doughnuts, I use them to put 7 year old DD's shoulder length hair in a bun for ballet.

I find small spin pins (little spirals of metal) far better for holding a bun together than normal grips. I copied one from a mag last week where you put it in a ponytail, split it in two, tied the two halves into a knot then pinned the ends in, that worked well, but might need hair to be longer.

I agree it works better dirty or with dry shampoo, also mine stays up better if it hasn't been brushed or combed through the lengths (I just smooth the top with a brush before starting).

i have 2 fail safe up do's.

one is a low bun but at just shoulder length your hair may not be long enough.

the other is so simple. You will need a clip like this the arc ones are best due to the gap between the clip and the fastening.

wash hair and dry it off roughly with head upside down to about 80% dry. use a volume boost spray.

flick hair back and gather it up into a pony tail, then twist the pony tail up so its flat against your head with the top of the pony sticking up....put the clip into the twisted bit of the hair and then fan the top bit out and back comb....it falls into a sort of pony tail but looks great from all angles (use a mirror to view the back and side, back comb to make it full)

i think pull bits down with a tail comb, i have a long fringe so i pull it down and a few wisps at the side....you can even curl it for added glam....
its kind of like a clipped up upside down pony tail. takes 30 seconds and stays put hours. my hair is fine, and just below shoulder length. i would link a pic but i darent - i did this for my DH posh works dinner and it really looked fab - i also do it with less back combing for work.

Mini donuts are available. You can make them with socks. My hair is very fine however I can wrap it around a massive one and it looks very professional. I agree that hair should not be freshly washed. I use dry shampoo and tangle tamer brush to add height. I don't need pins, just spray.

Vicar, please do a mirror sulfur or get someone to take a pic of just your hair. It sounds lovely.

Roll the hair from the top and you don't need pins, I promise. for daytime I don't use a Bobble and keep it messy. I like a sleeker finish for evenings.

Also I divide my pony in two before I wrap it down and then spread it out on the donut/sock.

Selfie not sulfur

I have fine hair, but lots of it. I have a witches dip and a cowlick (man, I sound attractive!) so I have no fringe. At the last cut the hair dressor talked me into slight long layers - my hair just about makes it to my shoulders but isn't long enough to curl up on it. I can get all my hair up into a pony tail. I'm half tempted just to go crazy with mousse and dry my head upside down and just go for the big volume thing which is an asset for me...

I've been looking at the pull-back-loosely, curl up over the bobby pins and pray it stays in place kind of updo. If this evening is anything to go by, it will last about 3 minutes and if I move my head at all, passers by will be hit by dozen of pins falling out...

I may just buy a wig.

I've been looking for an old thread (but couldn't find it) where a MNer described an updo that she used for work and that I used for a while on my fine, shoulder length hair.

You part your hair horizontally just above your ears and put that bit in a ponytail, then take smallish sections of the lower bit and twist them into ropes one at a time, then pin them upwards into the ponytail. Finally twist the ponytail into a bun and pin a bit more, or add another band to hold it in place, or clip it into place. It's all about the twisty lower section to give a bit of interest really, but turns out abit softer than a bun IME.

I'll keep looking for the thread, but I think it was in early 2012!

I cannot get the roll down the hair from the tips over a sock/doughnut for the life of me, I have tried and tried but I just cannot get all the ends to tuck in and mine is well past my shoulders, I think it might be because I have layers (shortest is shoulder length) and they escape.

a bit

ok - ive just done it now to show you - its rough but i will link some pics and one from when i actually had a big night out.....

bear with me a mo....

Vicar - I think I've seen a youtube of something similar. A pony tail clipped up (the video used a butterfly clip) and then they bobby pinned the end of the tail back down over so you couldn't see the clip. I had a go but once I've got the pony tail I've got about two inches before the shorter bits of hair finish with the long bits finishing around four inches. In my first attempt the short bits "spiked" up from the clip, while the longer bits did fall back down - I think my hair is too short at the moment (because it's fine it needs length to get heavy if you see what I mean).

AaDB - not sure I've quite understood. And please forgive me for being slow off the mark here. I pull my hair into a pony tail, post that through the middle of the (small) donut) and then tuck the ends back under the donut (without clips?). I'm going to need a 10 page manual for this.... the wig is sounding pretty attractive. I could get a bright red one to go with the red red dress I bought for the wedding (was I drunk ? who the h* thinks that looking like a letterbox is a good look ? oh well...)

It was Henry the Cat and this thread

Hang on - I may have something. Two low pig tails (not tied), twisted and then tied together below the nap, then roll up the ends to cover over the elastic and put one of those bloody wonderful bobby pins. Ok, so a lot has fallen out of the sides because of my layers, but I think I can stuff that back in. Low rolled updo here

pic 1

pic 2

side view

or low bun
low bun classy!

hope this helps - the twisted up do ive just done now in 30 seconds in my pjs! obviously it can be done better for a night out!

My super quick and easy one is this:

Tie your hair in a pony tail.

Twist it round roughly into a bun and tie that with a bobble

At the top of the ponytail poke your fingers in to make a hole to make a kind of pocket and then lift the bun and kind of flip it upwards into the hole.

Looking for a pic of what my description looks like I discovered it has a name - the Gibson tuck - here's a tutorial

www.mumsnet.com/Profile?nick=VicarInaTutu - thank you ! I was half way there in my head. Do you mind me asking how long your hair is ? If I clip mine in about the position you've clipped in the pic 1 I have about 1 cm of hair sticking up. I could probably stick a feather in there and call it quits !

The donut bun is a lifesaver. You need one of the donut mesh things you can buy from accessorize, boots etc, or you can cut the toe end off an old sock and roll it up into a donut shape. Tie your hair in a ponytail, then feed the ponytail through the donut and push the donut back through the ponytail so its flat against your head. Then tilt your head forwards and fan your hair out over the donut, so it's completely covered with hair. Then get another hair band (I tend to use post office elastic bands for my jazz students, they hold better) and tie it around the donut like you would a normal ponytail, so you're tying all the hair down over the top to cover the donut. You should be left with a bun, and then the ends fanned out around the bottom of the elastic band. Start from the top of the bun and wrap the hair around the base of the bun, tucking the ends underneath and pinning down with bobby pins to hold in place. Alternatively, you can plait the ends around the base of the bun and pin them down, but you need fairly long hair to do that. Either way it holds brilliantly.

i used to do that updo when my hair was just bob length. just position the clip a bit lower so you have more hair to fluff up, or clip it high, get some height at the crown and fluff up what you can by backcombing. when you have it twisted into the clip pull it - you can get more length through the top that way.

my hair is now about 2 inches past shoulder length, but was a chin length bob a year or so ago. from the moment i could get the bits at the nape of my neck into a clip ive used this updo.

the bun one will prob be no good if your hair is shorter. i was gonna link a pic from my big night out but it shoes my fizog so i thought i would spare you....