Cotillion Hairdo's

Two of my friends went to a cotillion for Viennese Waltz this weekend in DC and they enlisted me to do their fancy do's.  The pictures are not that great since they were taken with a phone, but bear with me....

Andrea

In progress shot.

Completed back.

Completed Side.

Andrea's hair is naturally straight, falls just past her bra-strap; her hair is about average thickness in a ponytail, baby soft and very pliable hair which is great for styling, but fly-away prone.

The front was parted to the side and swept back, combed smooth for the tiara.  Originally I had planned to give her romantic side twists, but time constraints didn't allow me to jazz up her hair more.  =(   Her hair was swept into a mid-high pony tail and then twisted into a series of pincurls that were then pinned on their sides to give a pooled effect instead of a rolling wave effect and a few were twisted as they were pulled from the ponytail to give a slight blossoming effect.

With her length and volume of hair you get a medium sized spread for the curls with a low profile.

Pros: (1) Sturdy; unlikely to fall out on you; (2) works on most hair-types and any length shoulder-length and beyond.
Cons: (1) Fly aways -- requires some pre-prep for fly-away prone hair; (2) density and length of hair determine the side/spread of the style.

Codie 

Side shot with (massive) tiara.

Back shot.

Codie's hair is naturally curly, falls just above her shoulder blades; her hair is thick, but reasonably pliable.

Codie found this for me to do on her hair -- this very simple hairstyle gives a very classic and fairy-tale effect on longer hair, and on shorter and less-dense hair (Codie's hair in a ponytail is almost a full thumb-forefinger around) the shape is abstract and unique.  It requires loosely twining hair from multiple ponytails, which gives it a particular ovoid shape when done along the back of the head with the most loft along the center of the head.  With Codie's particular hair, the curly nature of her hair gave it a certain amount of natural loft without pre-prep.

Pros: (1) Simple; (2) Works with both curly and straight hair; (3) allows for unique styling of front -- was kept reasonably simple for this example due to tiara
Cons: (1) Requires a large number of pins; (2) Shape can be irregular

Chignons

I found out last year that a lot of people buy clip-in buns that are matched to their hair color so you can have a beautifully styled bun in seconds.  Put your hair in a ponytail and clip your fancy little piece over it and pin it down and tada, you're done!  Some examples pulled off Google:

I found Jessica Simpson created one of the more popular chignon's on the market. (Please note the Photoshop on Jessica Simpson's face in the top left two pictures.)

I have too much hair to use a chignon clip-in (it would be the size of a small bucket to contain all my hair) so when I am feeling fancy, I'll take fifteen minutes to braid my hair and do something like this:

Parted my hair into three sections and french braided them completed, secured the ends with plastic hairties.  I separated out two small bunches of hair behind my ears before I did this and left those loose.  I crossed the two side braids under the center braid and pinned where they crossed and brought them out and around to form the oblong shape (low to accommodate a cover), pinned the outward-most points and coiled them in to the center to fill out the bun, pinning as necessary to secure.

Using the third braid, I folded it over, pinning the loose end to the center to form a loop.  I then flattened the loop left to right to fill in the center of the braid and hide the ends of the braids then pinned it down.  Taking the two pieces of loose hair, I twisted these into ropes and wound them around the base of the braids, pinning as I arranged each around the braids.  This was to give the braids more structured chignon/bun like look and also better anchor the hairstyle (for those of us that have dense/heavy hair, this distributes the weight over more space).

You can see fly-aways at the nape of my neck, these are easily handled either with hairspray to smooth them to the chignon or with a a few bobby pins by tucking the hair and pinning it.  A style like this takes 15-30 three-inch long bobby pins depending on (1) how well it is pinned, (2) how well the braids are done, (3) how long I'm expecting it to stay up.

Long Time No See

Cotillion Ball Pictures (Hair) will be posted sometime soon; I'm doing two ladies, so you'll have a little variety.

Bun Variations

NEWS: Six weeks is looming near -- as a result you won't see much on here until exams are over.


I don't have any great pictures (I need my camera back, sigh.) but I've been snapping a few pictures when I do variations of the "standard" styles.  (Please note, all pictures are adjusted to show the styles better.)

So what your standard bun should look like (yes, mine is huge and looks like it's going to eat my head):

Standard, Basic or "Cinnamon" Bun.
The edges of this bun should be pinned flat to your head
so there isn't any gap that shows your hairtie (which also
helps keep it in longer).

"Corkscrew" -- or two-coil bun.  I've noticed when this is done right
it lies neater than a normal cinnamon bun.

"Medusa" -- not really a variation, but a fresh take on a bun

Infinity -- Twisted Variation; the left side was lower making it look
lopsided; I repinned it to be even and look more symmetrical.

Gibson Roll -- when done right it tends to be a little more secure,
lies a little closer to the head naturally (pins are still required) and
I don't usually need extra pins to tuck my ends in.  (And yes, I
fixed the crooked bobby pin.  =P)

Preview: French Cradle

I finally managed to get pictures of (what I call) a French Cradle!

A 2/c in my company had one last week, but I missed snagging a picture of it; bummer since it came out really neat and she has awesome colored hair.  I got lucky though and one of my Youngsters did her hair tonight and I managed to snap pictures this time!

This style is great for shorter hair, though it can be done on hair
that is well past shoulder length if your hair isn't as thick as mine!

This shows the low profile (while still staying off your neck),
which is good for keeping your cover sitting pretty.

TUTORIAL FORTHCOMING!


Coming soon: PLEBE EDITION (and for you short-haired sisters)!

Trial Run: Flower Bun

[I had a plan to build this blog from the basics, nice and orderly, but -- like life -- sometimes it's hard to color inside the lines.]

This hairstyle is really brought to you by a friend of mine -- when I ran track I asked her how she did her hair, which was always done in this beautiful (and neat!) bun.  I remember watching her show me thinking "My hair can't do that..."  Turns out, it can, but it doesn't look quite as nifty on my hair.

(TOP) Picture taken from the wedding website, The Knot.
(BOTTOM) My version; not quite as awesome (sadly), but
hopefully with some more practice with pin-curls (the last time 
I did them was on Codie's hair for Ring Dance, eek. =C ) it'll 
look a little neater than this.

The hairstyle involves a technique called pin-curls.  While it is more difficult for my hair due to it's thickness and dislike of being in tight coils, it is possible.  It is, also, deceptively simple -- though pin-curls can take some practice to get exactly right.  This style can be done at a variety of hair lengths, which is also a perk.

And you can tell this bun -- on me -- is huge because of the thickness of my hair.  Most of you will (lucky you!) have smaller and tidier buns with better defined sections.  =)

TUTORIAL FORTHCOMING!

Note: If you have as much hair as I do and your bun is as large as mine, your cover won't sit properly.  Sigh, hair wins on this one.

Infinity Bun -- Tutorial

Not what I promised, but something just as fun!

Presenting my current favorite "Everyday" Bun -- the Infinity Bun.

Instructions below!

Tools + Products

What my styling arsenal looks like:

From left to right.  Back -- Products : Small spray bottle, Aerosol hairspray, Pump hairspray, Moisture spray, Smoothing Gel, Conditioning Oil (NEW), Small Mirror.  Middle -- hair accessories: (Back) Mini bobby pin, regular bobby pin, "industrial" roller pin, hair pin, Magic Grip pin (NEW), Hair Hook (NEW); (Front): 100% silicone hairtie, cloth hairtie, flat silicone-lined hairtie.  Front -- tools: Comb with wide and fine sides, Boar-bristle brush

Click below for details and storage ideas!

Looking to the Future

Thank you all for the support -- I am trying to get tutorials up as soon as possible, but it will not be by the end of this week as I was planning (sad).  Rest assured, I have some awesome things planned!  That said, this blog is for YOU (Boys, you'll have your chance to shine here as well, promise!) so please send your suggestions in!  And if you see me around the Yard, feel free to chat me up!

I've also decided to start up the Hair Hall of Fame.  I saw a plebe (!) with really well done lace twist braid today and I was in such a rush catching someone, I didn't stop to ask her if I could take a picture -- or how she did it.    Well-kept hair should be celebrated (and recognized), so here's what I propose:

If you see someone with AWESOME hair (nifty, neat, and professional), take a picture and send it to me with their name; if it's MMbM caliber awesome (and I know you're out there!) I'll make an honorable mention at the end of the week or if it's possible I'll feature them and a tutorial on how to get their awesome 'do.



Everyone be safe over Labor Day weekend!

Look forward to (starting next week!):

1. Braid Basics -- Dutch, French, Fishtail Braids -- tutorials + tips for finishing them off
2. Buns -- how to make yours "of steel"
3. Tools + Products -- what I use to style my hair

The hair is the richest ornament of women.  ~Martin Luther

Hurricane = Lame. Crown braid experiment = Less lame

I love crown braids -- don't ask me why, I just do. I pulled this image off Google to give you an idea of what I'm talking about (this version shows a lot of nifty detailed patch-working which I also want to learn).

 Pretty right?  But my hair -- lovely, lovely hair -- doesn't bend and I end up with a MESS of clumps of hair sticking out in every direction.  Well this weekend when everyone was panicking over the hurricane I was perusing online when I found a tutorial for a girl with a similar hair type.  Hrrrrrrm......  I finally had a chance to play with it this weekend and after two hours of fiddling around I came up with this:

Experimental crown braid -- SUCCESS.  =)

Hoorrrraaay!  I will have to practice more, but once I get a solid braid down, I will post instructions with my tips.  =)

Eye-Candy

No hunky boys, but for now, to give you an idea of things I will be showing/showcasing for my tutorials, I'm posting a few pictures of my inspirations and past hairstyles I've done on myself and one I did on a friend for Ring Dance.

Enjoy!

INSPIRATIONS:

I haven't figured out how to do this on myself, but this is something I'd like to clean up and figure out a graceful way to tuck for school.

 Click to see more inspirations and some of my handiwork.

Hair Model?

27AUG -- THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED.  Please check back soon for more openings.  =)


Interested in being featured on MMbM as a hair model?

I am looking for at least 5 women with DIFFERENT hair types, and lengths!

Leave a comment below with contact information! (Or message me at m124962@usna.edu!)

Name
Company
Alpha
e-mail
cell phone #
Texts?  Y/N

[This offer is only valid for female MIDN who are enrolled at USNA for the 2011-12 Academic Year for reasons of availability]

My Hair + Hair Care

If you think you see white hair, you do!  =P

Someone said I should show my audience my hair and explain what I do -- this feels vain, so I'll keep this short as possible:

Picture gives you an idea, but specifics:

• Classifier: 1b, C, iii
• 1b -- straight with slight body wave
• C -- Coarse/Thick --in hair type (the strands themselves)
• iii -- I have a high volume of hair (in a pony tail, my hair is more than 4 inches in circumference

Haircare:

• Washing: Modified "No-Shampoo"
• JUST Shampoo, 1x a week
• JUST Conditioner, 2x a week
• Shampoo + Conditioner, 1-2x a month
• "Deep treatment" for dry ends -- 1x a week (apply conditioner to dry ends, let sit 5-10 minutes, rinse out with cold water.)\
• NOTE: I shower 1-2x a day and wash my hair with a scalp brush, but don't soap my hair every time I'm in the shower
• Trims: every 3-6 months at Waves (I'm cheap).
• TIP: to keep more length and still have healthy ends -- borrow/buy hair scissors (best to use real hair cutting scissors, you can buy a cheap pair from CVS, a beauty store, or online) and go through hair in small bunches and trim off the split ends in small groups

[I won't detail more here, but if you're interested in making the transition, send me a message or Google references under "No-Shampoo Method."]

According to MID Regs, 5.10

Any new hairstyle I consider I want it to be (other than being in-regs):

• Speedy (15 minutes or less from start to finish)
• Bomb-proof (I don't want it to move or have to fiddle with it at lunch to keep it in or have to re-pin it ever 30 minutes)
• Sleek (I want it to hold as much of my wisps down without too much product or ends sticking out)

As far as regs go Navy Regs/USNA regs are listed below.
NOTE: there are additional constraints if you're interested in going Marines.

Click "Read More" for MID REGS:  5.10  Personal Appearance (Women)

Welcome!

This blog is intended to help female MIDN with their hair and provide some hair inspiration.

I have no idea if anyone will actually read this!  But if anyone does (and finds it helpful) please leave comments on how I can improve the site.  If there is something you would like to see or if you need pointers on something I haven't discussed, let me know!  =)

For hair:
Most of the hairstyles here will be for my hair type and length since with our busy schedules I rarely have the opportunity (or time, unfortunately) to play with other types of hair.  I will try to make notes in styles posted how other hair types may react.