If you have long straight hair

[NewjobOldme]

How do you style it?
Can anyone recommend simple up styles or any ideas what to do.
My hair is very straight and longer than it has been in years because of lockdown.
I usually have it in a ponytail but I'm fed up with that. It doesn't look great just down, I think it's too long and flat.
I have no patience and bad co-ordination so curling/waving hasn't worked for me.
I'm late 40s. Has anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks

If only you had posted this, and had some helpful responses, a couple of days earlier.
I’m slightly regretting hacking 3 inches off mine and putting a load of layers in it this afternoon.

I do mine half up half down when im bored of always having it in a ponytail

I use the Revlon hot brush to do a slightly more “done” look, however I’m not very good so sometimes it works great and sometimes I end up having to straighten it afterwards. I think it takes a bit of practice.

Right now I’ve got roots down to my ears so it looks crap whatever I do to it

Can you French plait? I just plait normally because I cant French plait. I do it when it's been washed and towel dried then take it out when its dried, mess it up a bit with some sea salt spray and it looks quite nice and it's really easy.

I'm usually a ponytail or a messy bun.

Most of the time mine goes into a French pleat held in place with a pencil

Thanks for the replies.
I'm really hopeless- I can just about manage a regular plait. I've watched countless videos but I can't get the hang of a French plait.
I sometimes do the half up look but it looks very school girlish on me.
I think the extreme straighteness is my problem. I'd love artfully dishevelled hair.

A french plait is easy, once you know how.

Get someone to do it for you but guiding your hands as they do it, or have a mirror behind you and in front of you, so you can see what your hands are doing.

updo: hold hair in a high ponytail and twist it round, then put a hair tie or hair pin to hold it in place.

Hot rollers. Honestly, they work a treat for adding body and wave.

When mine was long I would twist it round and round and tie it in a topknot before bed while slightly damp. Gave it more volume & body and a slight wave in the morning.
Dry it upside down then style with a more exaggerated side parting for a more interesting look.
Unfortunately plaits & stuff just take practice!

French plait - I can only do it on myself as I do it by touch!
I start by pulling the top half of my hair back as if into a pony tail and split it into three strands.
I do the first one, right side over middle, left side over middle.
Next I pull in a bit of new hair and join it into the right strand, then that goes into middle. Repeat with left side, new hair into strand, over into middle.
Continue until you have no lose hair left and then it’s just a normal hair.
It takes a bit of practice- but I’ve got it down to a couple of minutes now. It makes me feeling very ‘finished’ on zoom work meetings 😊

The dressing gown belt curls thing is great on my long straight hair and really easy to do. Do it on damp hair and sleep on it, wake up with amazing curls.

Normal plait, not normal hair!

@FeckTheMagicDragon that's so helpful thank you. I love french plaits but can never do them! Is it possible you can send a video or photo how you do it, I never know how to hold the three strands in one hand. Thank you

I'm v similar age, and my hair has grown ridiculously long over the last six months. I end up with it in a chignon or messy bun 9/10 days. It's v boring, but if I don't blow dry it straight, the frizz is awful, so this hides it.
Sadly I'm in harems and a hoody with that chignon, not pencil skirts and silk blouses, a la Gillian Anderson!

I think this French braid YouTube video is probably better than any I could do @1stimeboymum

I do a french plait most of the time at the moment.
I taught myself to do a french plait on my own hair when I was a teen. I remember my arms aching a lot back trying it out. It takes me no time at all now.

You just have to get used to the hair between your fingers and taking a bit from each alternate side. I start half way down the back of my head as opposed to at the top. It's quicker, easier and looks better.

I am currently enjoying a kind of simplified Gibson tuck

Space buns. Leaves a nice wave after.

Thanks for the suggestions. I understand how to French plait in theory but I can't seem to get it right.
The Gibson tuck looks promising so I'm going to try that too.

Thank you for starting this post, I need some inspiration... A loop-through pony tail looks good and is easy - make a low pony tail, make a part in the hair above the hair band, and loop the pony tail through

Thanks for posting this, OP. I have poker-straight hair, which is just shoulder-length now, as I last had it cut into a short bob before the first lockdown! Mine is also ridiculously fine and quite thin. I aspire to a messy bun, but my hair isn't long enough or voluminous enough. It doesn't do artfully messy, just thin straggly messy if I get caught in the wind! I absolutely LOVE that gibson tuck thing though - will try it with a roller like she suggests for fine hair. She has beautiful hair though.

Have you tried doing a Dutch braid? I find them a lot easier to do on myself than a French braid? And definitely start halfway down - your arms won’t get as tired! Maybe YouTube and a practice on a bar or doll or a willing child?

If you need to practice on yourself maybe just section a smaller part of your hair at the front?