no more pony tails!

[Zoe Girl]

I am not sure where this should go but we were talking wardrobe here. I grew my gray out a couple years ago and love it. I get more compliments on the gray than I did on the dyed hair I did during the years it wasn't very many gray hairs and I thought it looked bad. I am also just letting it grow, some trims, I really don';t want to put too much effort however with doing some legal mediation I feel it is really important to look professional. At work in the afternoon about the time the kids get out of school I usually pull it back in a pony tail. I saw myself in the mirror, no more pony tails!! I love gray but you can look really bad with unkept gray hair. There are enough homeless in my area, I don't want to be mistaken. Even though I may be coaching soccer or teaching sewing after school I am still the professional that everyone comes to.

So no more pony tail challenge. I am moving towards wash one day, dry shampoo the next. It feels weird so I want to pull it up but when I look in the mirror it looks good down. My hair is just past my shoulders without bangs and super fine. When I wash it I have to do a lot of gel, blow dry and curl to get some volume and body. It still only takes 15 minutes because my hair is so fine.

So other ways to put up hair that does not pull it straight back into a bun or pony tail that looks severe? Partially pulled up may work?

[catherine]

How about bangs? If your hair is just past your shoulders, maybe get a face-framing look with some side-swept bangs.

Alternatively, can you teach yourself how to do a French braid? I've done that when my hair gets past my shoulders. It's not that hard, and it looks much more put together.

How about a French braid + bangs?

[Miss Cellane]

The french braid would be a good start. Your hair is back and out of your way, but because it is braided, it is softer around your face.

Bangs would definitely soften the area around your face, but if you have really thin, fine hair, bangs may just lay there limply on your forehead. (Ask me how I know!) It would probably take a good stylist to cut your bangs correctly, and a bit of product to keep them looking good all day.

Experiment with different ways of putting your hair up in a bun. There are spiral hairpins now that make putting your hair up much easier than using bobby pins or hair pins, and they have the bonus that you don't need to use as many, so you can create a softer bun and leave more of your hair looser around your face when putting it up.

There are tons of websites showing how to do cool braids and updos, but most of them are for women with thick or wavy or curly hair. Very few ideas for those of us with fine, thin hair.

One style you might try is the one I've linked to. I have no idea what it is called, but even my hair would look good like this, back when it was longer. http://www.ebeautyblog.com/2010/07/2-minute-updo-for-work.html

And there are some ideas that might work here, depending on the length of your hair: http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/five-minute-hairstyles-for-busy-mornings?sub=2570234_1610174

Poke around on YouTube for updos and you may get some ideas. Pinterest has a lot of updos, as well.

[Float On]

I don't like to wear a pony tail out in public but I will take the sides and loosely twist them and clip it at the back over the rest of the hair. Always get complements when I do that.

[JaneV2.0]

With fine and thin hair, you might want a small clip-on hairpiece that you can work your hair into.

[Tradd]

Zoe, I have very fine hair, and I found a longer cut (even a bob) really weighed it down. I've had a pretty short cut now for years, but it actually has some wave to it when it's not weighed down, being longer.

You might actually want to splurge a bit on a good haircut and see what options you might have. A good cut can make all the difference. I actually can get by without doing anything to my hair, other than combing it into place (while damp after towel drying), and it looks very nice.

[kimberlyf0]

I have fine hair too, and not much of it. I know a ponytail isn't my best look, although it is better if my hair is the shortest it can be and still go back into a ponytail. If I work to get some volume in my hair I can pull just the center up and that looks nice. I won't use dry shampoo; after using it for about six months I started getting bald patches (alopecia areata) and while I was told it was autoimmune and not related I am not willing to risk it happening again! But I understand where you are coming from; the only way to not wash my hair the second day is to put it in a ponytail or use dry shampoo. I don't even have oily hair, but with fine thin hair the same oil that isn't enough for a person with coarser hair will slide down our strands.

[Lainey]

Zoe, I have very fine hair, and I found a longer cut (even a bob) really weighed it down. I've had a pretty short cut now for years, but it actually has some wave to it when it's not weighed down, being longer.

You might actually want to splurge a bit on a good haircut and see what options you might have. A good cut can make all the difference. I actually can get by without doing anything to my hair, other than combing it into place (while damp after towel drying), and it looks very nice.

Tradd - my hair is the same. It's fine and thin but has a natural wave in it that several hair stylists have complimented, and more than once have been envious that it's basically wash and wear. An $8 box of hair color and a $10 cut every 2 months is all I really need to do. I've got great sympathy for my female office counterparts who need to spend many minutes every morning fixing their hair before they go out the door - if there's one thing that is a life-long timesaver, it's a simple hairstyle.

[Zoe Girl]

float, i like that idea, i did something like that today with the dry hair shampoo and it lasted all day. i also found a cool pronged comb thing where you can put up your hair in a loose bun. It is better than those plastic clips that stick out. it actually seemed to hold my hair and when i took it out my hair was wavy instead of the pony tail lump you can get.

I have tried shorter hair, tends to stick to my head, so it is more work to get it to look good short than a mid or longer length. The balance of professional and easy, at least i have been mature enough to not dye the underpart a nice silvery blue, that would look great with the white hair, not good for the legal work (i would totally do it if my only career ambition was the education one because i work in the city after all)

[Songbird]

I am about half grey and it blends nicely with my natural color dark blonde. My hair is fine too and I found it looks best at shoulder length, all one length, no bangs or layers. When I was working it was easy to look professional just with a nice outfit or skirt/dress, keeping my hair always clean and putting it back behind my ears with nice but simple earrings (less is more) and a lipstick that complimented both my coloring and my outfit. A nice but simple pulled together look. And now that I'm retired my hair is still the same and is a great look for my casual lifestyle too, although I should add that frequent trims and good shampoo/conditioner has always been the key to my hair looking good.... I have learned how to trim my own hair successfully and I stock up on my shampoo/conditioner at a once a year big sale at a local beauty supply store here in town. So it is frugal hair care for sure.

[ctg492]

I joke that I have been growing my bangs out since 1965. Last year I was to busy and did not cut my hair for a year, hats were my saving grace. I had a trim all the same lenght. What you dream of with your hair is not always what you want I guess. So then last month I had it cut to my shoulders all the same lenght. Super easy to care for, what is a styling product? But now, I feel like I have no style, one of those old ladies with straight long hair. Oh the stress of what to do!

[Gardenarian]

Thanks Zoe Girl - you inspired me to wear my hair down today :)

I really could use a cut. My hair is long and I get it cut every 1-2 years (sometimes less) and I trim my bangs myself.

I have very thick wavy/curly hair and usually twist it up messy and use one of those claw clips - not the most professional look. (But sadly true to librarian stereotype.)

If I can find the time I'll try to get it cut before I start my new job, and make a practice of wearing it down (or at least with just a barrette.) Probably time to do something about my eyebrows, too.

[19Sandy]

I tend to pull mine back because I can't stand it hanging in my face. Short cuts don't work with my hair's texture. I could switch to barettes though instead of scrunchies to look better. My hair is at that half and half of gray and brown (naturally that way not from hair dye), so I need to dye it. It isn't long enough to cut off the brown either. I have the hair dye just haven't the time to infest in it right now. It is on my to-do list (pun intended). I used to curl my hair and put on makeup but don't do that either anymore. I need to invest in some self-care I think.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm one of those "old ladies with long straight hair." I'm at least the third generation in my family to wear my hair pulled up in a knot--a no-fuss solution to a flyaway mop. I'm spared the mess and maintenance of dye, as well. It's all about simplicity, isn't it.