Tight Up-Style for a Bride

Q: My name is Kathy, and I am doing an up-style hair for a bride. I am going to do this trial tomorrow, but I would like some tips as I want to achieve the best for her.

Could you please tell me how to do a firm, high, tight up-style "with a bit of tomatoes" on the top? That is what this look was called in the earlier years. The girl's hair is shoulder blade length - quite long and thick.

Could you please take me through the steps of producing this? All hair pushed back with a big bun on top. Please help.

A: The closest thing I can picture to what you are describing is a variation on the French Twist style. Carefully brush the client's hair back from the face until the hair is smooth and tangle-free. Gather the hair into one hand and comb/brush the hair until you have smooth, even tension on the hair and are holding the hair directly behind the head and are gripping the hair at about 1/3 of the length away from the scalp.

Use a snag-safe ponytail elastic to secure the hair at this point. Beyond the elastic holder, separate the hair into two halves. Backcomb the hair slightly to create some fullness and rejoin the halves smoothing the exterior of the ponytail to create a soft look.

Grasp the hair just past the ponytail holder and create a loop over the thumb of one hand. Twist the loop like a key and wind the hair into a smooth twist with the loop sticking out at the top of the twist. Anchor the twist with bob pins, tucking any stray ends of hair into the twist.

Gently spread out the loop at the top of the hairstyle and pin it into a bun if desired, or leave as a loop and incorporate other accessories into the hairstyle.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

Photos of up-styles

Techniques for updos

Wedding hairstyles