How to Do an Updo

Updos -- intricate swept up hairstyles -- can take hours to execute, but they don’t have to. Stylists use shortcuts -- tricks of the trade -- to turn hours of tortuous twisting and pinning into a breath-taking updo that takes less than an hour to create. Many variations of updos exist; in fact, there are as many variations as there are women since most stylists create their own piece of artwork when they do a style for a formal occasion. However, two techniques are easy enough for anyone to do at home.

Things You'll Need

• Thermal styling spray
• Hair clips
• 1/4-inch curling iron
• Teasing comb with rat-tail end
• Bobby pins
• Firm-hold finishing spray

Instructions

Curled Elegance

1. Spray all your hair, from the roots to the ends, with thermal styling spray. Don’t be afraid to use a lot. It takes a great deal of thermal spray to keep curls looking fresh all evening.

2. Pin up most of your hair with hair clips, leaving an inch or so wide section of hair hanging free at the nape. Comb the tangles out of the loose section of hair and leave it hanging freely down your back.

3. Divide the section into 1/2-inch ribbons of hair. Curl each ribbon of hair with a small-barreled curling iron. Leave the hair wrapped around the curling iron for at least 20 seconds to lock the curl in.

4. Pull down another section of hair at the nape and curl it just like the first one. Continue pulling your hair down in narrow sections and curling until you get every last strand of your hair.

5. Mist your finished curls with more finishing spray. Allow a few minutes for drying before pinning your hair up.

6. Pin your hair up on top of your head by sweeping your curls back and up. Experiment with the placement of your curls. You can pile them all up on top, for example, or you can leave several curls cascading down either side. When you like what you see, place bobby pins in your hair to hold your creation in place. The more bobby pins you use, the better off you’ll be. You don’t want your style to move after you pin it.

7. Finish your style with a hefty amount of firm-hold finishing spray. Aerosol works best since it doesn’t wet your hair down like spritz.

French Twist

1. Build your French twist with a tightly teased foundation. Section your dry hair off into 1-inch or 2-inch sections. Hold each section straight out from the scalp. Insert the teeth of a teasing comb into the underside of each section and push the comb down toward your scalp. Repeat several times until you achieve a substantial cushion of tease. Tease all of your hair.

2. Smooth your hair back away from your face with the teeth of the teasing comb. Do not pull all of the tease out. Skim the surface of your hair until the smoothed sections hide the tease. Smooth the tops and sides, but leave the length of your hair hanging down your back.

3. Smooth the hair behind your ears, using an upward sweeping motion. As you do, comb the length of your hair to the center and hold it in your hand like you would if you were creating a ponytail.

4. Hold the length straight out from your scalp and start rolling it vertically toward the back of your head. Keep rolling until your hair is snug against your scalp and pin the twist in place with bobby pins. Use the comb to smooth away bumps.

5. Spray your twist with firm-hold finishing spray. Avoid the temptation to smooth after you spray. Patting and fussing with a twist after spraying creates helmet head.

Tips & Warnings

• Use silk flowers -- baby’s breath looks awesome -- or jewel hair accessories to add an extra touch. Many accessories are made with updos in mind. They feature a spiraled end that you can twist into your hair after your updo is finished.

• If you tease your hair, make sure you smooth your hair over the tease so no one can see it. Nothing makes an updo look haphazard and like a bird’s nest more than improperly camouflaged tease.

References

• Milady's Standard Textbook of Cosmetology; Catherine M. Frangie, Arlene Alpert, et al.

Resources

• UpDos.org
• Lots of UpDo links