Help me make my hair look nicer for work (pics)

[splishsplash3]

Attached is the pic of how my hair normally looks at work, scraped back and tight. In the photo it's in a high bun but a lot of the time I keep my parting visible and scrape it into a low bun. It's still tight to my scalp and not all swishy and nice looking.

The other photo is to show the length and style of my hair so you can see what I'm working with. It's been curled in the photo but they've dropped out quite a bit.

How can I achieve a better look? I don't know exactly what I want but just for it to look better.
My hair needs to be tied up with no hair below my collar for infection prevention purposes.

Many thanks in advance! Any suggestions welcome.

Forgot the pics!

Honestly your first picture looks fine. Professional and off the collar. Job done ☑️

However and alternative that might look nice is a twisted ponytail held in at the back with a large banana clip- so the top bit goes out like a palm tree… God I am awful at describing hair dos.
Will try to find a photo.

Like this- but with the bits of hair fanned out at the top to look a bit more casual and less “prim”.

I understood you! Thank you I'll give it a whirl although I haven't had a giant clip like that since the mid 90's!!!!

Used to love a banana clip to turn my frizzy perm into an updo in the 1980's. In those days we wore hats though, and even though I hated them they did hide a bad hair day.

I think your hair looks perfect as it is, but could you look at accessories to do a quick french pleat?
If you are a side sleeper, you could try sleeping with you hair in a pony tail and putting half a dozen bendy rollers in, so that you have curls in the pony tail in the morning.

I side part my hair with an offset fringe piece combed separately for definition. I then tie it back in a mid pony tail and use a bun ring. Added bonus is that it then looks lovely and curled when I take it out 😂. That worked for ten years in the police so I could wear the stupid hat without appalling hat hair later. Still do it now for safety in my current role.

I'm following this thread for tips really but I think a chignon style looks smart but is still up.

Your hair looks lovely, up & down. I don't think I'd change a thing.

You could do a high 'topsy-tail', where a pony tail is pushed back through itself. You could pin the loose ends down if needs be.

Thanks for the kind responses! Some good suggestions I'm going to get practicing!

When I do a high bun I leave out a triangle of hair over my brow (the section where your fringe would be). I usually part it and twist the two sections back loosely (sometimes just sweep it all to one side), then pin the ends around the bun to hide the elastic.
It feels less severe than being scraped back and it's less likely to give me a headache.