An advantage of growing your hair long is that it gives your free rein to attempt a wide variety of hairstyles for different occasions. Long hair provides you with a bigger canvas, so to speak. You can put your hair up to achieve an elegant updo, or you could just let it fall on your shoulders and flip it to catch the attention of others, as girls in movies and sitcoms are wont to do. Short hair bobs are pretty much already styled on their own, thus leaving less room for innovation.
Updos for those with long hair need not be done by a professional stylist in an expensive salon. There are a lot of styles you can do yourself at the comfort of your own home. However, one advantage of salons is their vast collection of hair lotions, hairsprays, and other setting agents to keep your hair from blowing all over your head. They also have a collection of appliances made especially for hair, such as the flat iron for straightening, curling iron, rollers, and blow-dryers. In addition, you can be assured that they know what they’re doing, and, in the case of popular stylists, you can even get their recommendations as to what will best suit you.
But not all of us are blessed with the time and the money to spend on these salons. In addition, it can even curtail your creativity. You can always experiment on your own, test out what look is best fit for the occasion and the company you’ll be keeping.
Long hair updos range from the classic updo that celebrities like Audrey Hepburn have popularized, or the “messy” ones that seem to be the trend in hairstyles nowadays. When planning what updo to apply to your long hair, it helps to visualize first what kind of style you want. Do you want the updo to consist of sleek and straight hair pulled elegantly to the back of your head, or would you want curls to soften the appearance of your updo and make it appear ‘messy’ and romantic?
The right updo requires proper preparation. If you want your updo to be sleek and straight, invest in setting agents, lotions, and a flat iron to tame hair. For soft curls, you may use rollers or a curling iron to create curls with just the right amount of volume and size of the curls.
One basic style for long hair that you can do yourself is the classic updo. First, apply a flat iron to your locks and put on some anti-frizz agents to keep your hair smooth and tamed. Pull your hair to a ponytail and secure it with a hair tie. Twist it until tight, and wind it around the spot where the hair tie is. Pin it in place with bobby pins and other discreet clips. If the hair tie still shows, you may want to cut it. Add a few spritzes of hairspray to hold it in place and make it look shiny.
If you would like your hair to appear somewhat ‘messy,’ instead of using a flat iron, use curlers or rollers instead. Follow the steps for a classic updo, but leave out the hair tie. Because this style aims for your hair to be ‘messy,’ tying it into a ponytail will only make the look unnecessarily severe. Proceed immediately to twisting your hair and winding it in a circle. If you want, you can add fringes to frame your face. This will make it look more romantic.
There are a lot of other updos that you can try. Those complex-looking styles you see on celebrities are the results of variations that hairstylists have been doing over the years. You can experiment on your own. Find out how you can get the most out of your hair and get people talking about your updo.