that's really pretty - i keep meaning to try doing one but i kept forgetting to try - i'm not sure if it will work - it looks really neat though

EXCELLENT! ::clap, clap, clap::

That 's a perfect example of a figure 8.  You hair is growing in quite thick - congrats.

A figure 8 bun is quite easy when your hair is long enough to make at least 2 complete wraps/buns.  Twist your hair for putting into a bun and stack the second bun/turn on top of the first one.  Then take that bun and flip it up or to the side (for an infinity bun), then secure with pins or hair sticks.

I've found that I let the twists stay a bit looser, so they take up more of the length.  My ends are rather thin, so I can make a few wraps under the base bun without it being noticable.

Bikerbraid,

I think maybe you're able to leave the loops a little loose because you're a wavy. If I didn't have it completely and evenly tight, the whole thing would be loose, and the weight would make it flop around and pull it down quickly.

Kate,

This is the first time I've done this. I'll probably try an infinity bun in the future, but I think it might take some doing to get it centered. I might have to start the bun off-center in order for the middle of the bun to be in the middle, and I wouldn't want to wear it starting in the middle and pinned up next to my ear.  That would be too weird, and I have an image to maintain.  8)

The deal with the hairpins is that the styles I make need very little strategic pinning to convince them to stay up, as they're pretty snug already. So when I make a bun, I twist the tail tight, wrap around the center, and wind. The ends get forcibly tucked under the bottom coil, and I anchor the coil over the ends to hold them in place by using 4 small hairpins, which catch the surface coil near my scalp, weave through the scalp hair, and go right back into the coil. I also will use one or more very large hairpins to reinforce the stability of a regular bun, and I have to do this first if I'm going to be trying to keep it flat, rather than double-layered.

In this case, I constructed the double-layer bun right up to the point where I would have inserted pins to finish, but instead of pinning, I flipped the top loop up. As I said, this added a little tension to the structure. Actually, it was a little like bending a wire, so the upper half of the 8 wanted to stay, and I only had to use a couple of pins there to keep it close to my scalp.

Hairsticks are very attractive, but they aren't secure enough for my hair without additional hairpins to keep the ends in place and distribute the weight evenly. So when I get rich, I'll buy some, but even then I'll be using hairpins to invisibly complete any style.

Here's a picture of the hairpins I use:


The top ones are by Bunheads, the dance people. You can buy them at a dance store. You can see that these are curved, which is very useful, as you follow the curve of your head with them while pinning.

The next two down are from a black hair website. The ends aren't smooth, so I don't use them so much. You have to put them in carefully to keep from catching on your hair.

The ones at the bottom are the kind you get at the supermarket or drugstore. The one at the bottom is very fine. I don't find them too useful, as they do bend easily. The one above it is heavier. I use these so much that I need to run out and buy more right now.

The smallest ones are about 1-1/2", the largest are about 3".

Hairpins are used for fastening together two levels of hair by weaving between the two. There actually is no tension going on that would pull the pin out, all the tension is perpendicular to it.

Bobby pins are only useful for securing a small, errant strand of hair. Otherwise, the tension from using them will pop them right out of your hair.

EKatherine, your hair is beautiful!

My hair isn't nearly long enough to do anything like that yet. (In fact, if I attempted it, I would more that likely get a figure 6 bun...with the top part of the "6" being poky-out bits. LOL)

You inspire me to keep on growing!!

Ok, thanks eKatherine.

I think I'd better practice using hairpins on my grandma's hair when I go for a visit in October. Her hair is classic length and she always wears it up. It's fun to play with hair! 

/Kate