Hair Problems!

[paloma]

I have a lot of trouble putting my hair up. It is really thick and whatever the length, my bun is like a knob sticking out from my head, and the look is unattractive, especially for performances. I see others with quite large, flat buns that sit close to the head and give a nicer line. How can I achieve this look?!

[Mazenderan]

Have you tried a braided bun? They're secure and easy to make lie flat to the head

[Arizona Native]

One thing I've seen those with thick hair do is separate strands and coil them separately -- lends a flatter, "sweetroll" kind of look. The other thing is to use your fingers to widen and spread the bun, securing it with a chignon hair net (they have them at "Sally's" beauty supply).

 

Good luck!

[Balletlove]

Something else to try if your hair is not too long....(about shoulder length is probably the limit)

Tie it in a ponytail, tuck the end of the pony tail under and secure with a grip at or near the elastic, pop a bun/hair net over the top and secure with bun pins (you know the split type) if it is a little lopsided you can use a bun pin to even it out with the net on.

 

Good luck

[swantobe]

I also have thick hair and I have found the "splitting" method to work well for me. Tie your hair in a pony-tail and then divide the hair in two. Coil and wind the first half as you would a normal bun and secure with bun pins (I tend to use smaller ones here because this is a smaller bun). Then coil the second half of the pony-tail around the first "bun" and secure with bun pins so you have a large, flat-ish bun. I also always use bun nets.

 

Lately, I've just been doing the "normal" bun method and I've found that if you squash the bun a little after you've put the bun net round it but before you put the pins in that it tends to make a flatter bun.

 

Good luck! It took me a long time to be able to consistently make nice buns and even now I have "off" days.

[Redbookish]

Paloma, you might find this thread helpful. I remember it had some really useful tips and links to "How to" videos

 

Hair!

[irishprincess]

If you have thick long hair, like me, you can do the split idea -with- the braided idea. (It also makes the bun REALLY secure.) Make a ponytail. Split the ponytail in half. Braid the one half into a smaller braid, then the other. Weave the two braids around each other, and use pins in a spiral pattern, one right next to the other. It works really well!

[Niina]

There are lots and lots of videos on the internet with very good instructions on doing a bun. I find them easier to follow than written instructions because you can actually see how everything is done. You can start by searching "ballet bun" on Youtube, there ought to be enough videos to get you going!

[je danse dans ma tete]

I have long thick curly hair and can achieve a nice flat bun instead of what I like to call a "muffin bun". I sometiems do the split bun mentioned above, but usually I simply roll it and before pinning I loosen it up a bit and then place a hair net over and use about 10-12 hair pins around the bun's circumference. You might also try a french roll or chignon, which still gives a beautiful clean line but does not require the hait to lay flat. There are many other options as well, you'll learn as you go. If you see someone with a bun you like, ask them how they did it... most will be happy to share their secrets

[sjp2153]

I found this video to be helpful: http://www.youtube.com/user/anaheimballet?...h/1/7ywgUDBpnX0

 

They show a bunch of different hair types.

[odile53]

My hair is waist length and very thick. I do a Balanchine bun.

 

Put your hair into a mid high ponytail and secure. Split the ponytail and comb both halves out. Coil one half tightly and twist it around the elastic and pin securely. Coil the other half in the opposite direction and arrange it in a figure eight below the original bun. pin securely, and cover with a chignon size hairnet. Tuck in all wispy ends, spray some hairspray on your hands and pat along your hair to keep everything in place.

 

This is more secure, looks more elegant, and is more comfortable than a single bun.

 

By the way, I want to put in a plug for the Bunheads 3 inch hairpins. They are about twice as heavy as standard hairpins, and worth their weight in gold for security. Nothing else out there approaches their performance.

[dancemaven]

Oops! A Young Dancer wandered into the Adult Student Forum by mistake her post linking to a personal blog was removed pursuant to BT4D policy:

 

http://dancers.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=54250

[TemptressToo]

My hair is very long, and I do the braided bun thing. Except I use those "spin pins" and they hold very well. Only takes two to get it done.

[Roseweave]

I'm kind of worried about this. My hair is short-ish currently, in a bob cut. I used to have it longer bit it was a bit bedraggled and would be hard to put up into an attractive bob. I also have a fringe(and need it due to a slight widow's peak). I'm not sure what I can do with at the moment. I'm thinking of just wearing a headscarf or something, I've seen girls wearing some sort of wig-cap kind of thing and I always assumed I'd have one of those for practice.

[LaFilleSylphide]

In our class, we had a lovely transgendered woman visit before - she also had a bob cut with bangs, and what she did was wear one of those stretchy elastic headbands. It seemed to help. Her bangs weren't long and in her face though, they were just across her forehead. If you have long sidebangs that tend to fall into your face, I'd suggest you clip it to the side or tuck it under one of those headbands. Wearing a head scarf sort of thing might get kind of hot.