[embodiment, movement] suggestions for hair styles?

[kaberett]

As I mention, er, occasionally, I have fairly long hair that spends most of its time done up in a bog mummy braid.

This is great for most things -- gardening! cooking! cycling! washing up! -- but it turns out that it's not ideal for, specifically, Pilates, during the execution of which I want to be able to both lie on my back with my neck straight (rather than propped up on a substantial bun) and lie on my front while I wiggle my torso around, and spend time on my hands & knees, without my hair flapping around and annoying me.

Currently what I'm doing is braiding my hair as for bog mummy, spiralling and unspiralling (and arranging around me on the floor) as required for each exercise. I'm not holding out much hope that there are any better options (by which I think I basically mean "bog mummy, but on the top of my head not the back" or "shaped more like a bun that rests along my neck, but, like, without flopping from side to side when I'm not lying down")...

... but having described those hypotheticals I have at least one to try, heh, and if any of you immediately go "ooh, but how about--" then please do say!

Comments

[ninetydegrees]

High buns are the only things that work for me when doing yoga and "High Bun Updos for Braid" gave some results that might be doable. This one in particular seems to work for very long hair: https://691superlonghair.blogspot.com/2013/02/upside-down-french-braid.html but may not be easy to pin depending on thickness, etc...

[ghoti]

perhaps center braid + princess leia buns on the sides?

[alexseanchai]

I was envisioning something like that, yes

[wildeabandon]

That was also my immediate thought.

[fyreharper]

My immediate thought was “bog Leia buns?” but that does sound like a lot of work.

(Also Proper bog mummy hair done on the side of the head likely would have diagonal-hairline issues. I sort of fudge the process by not braiding the side pieces, just adding them in to the center braid after plain-braiding the center braid for a bit, which might work out sliiiiightly better on the slant?)

[davidgillon]

Bog mummy rotated 90 degrees sideways?

[ewt]

I would probably go for two braids (one either side), possibly quite high up so they can be rolled into buns.

I have also found that wearing a headscarf or cap can be useful for keeping my hair from doing too much flopping into my face.

[oracne]

This is reminding me why I have short hair now. When I was a kid and had hair down to my butt, it had to be in a single braid when I played softball, because if I had two braids, when I threw the ball the braid would whip tightly around my arm.

[jenett]

So, I have waistlength but very fine hair (which means tiny braid once it gets below about bra strap length). I also sometimes do stuff where I want my head flat on the floor, or don't want bulk.

My usual options these days are to bun it up with a scrunchie (fabric around an elastic) and change where that is depending on what I'm doing.

- Base of my neck (so that when I lie down, the hair is in the curve of my neck). Downside: this is the one most likely to aggravate migraine issues.

- Right on the curve at the back of my skull (makes it impossible to lie down with my head flat)

- When sleeping, I do a very very high ponytail (coming off my head just behind the crown) and so all the bulk is before where my head hits the surface below me.

I sleep with a CPAP machine, and I also sleep in a cotton sleeping cap, becuase otherwise a) wisps get in my nose and b) I have more hair damage that annoys me), but the cap might also be a solution for wisps and compressing hair in useful ways so it stays put.

I'm also wondering what doing an infinity-sign loop (rather than up and down the head) might do for you. Might require different pinning structures: I've found short hairpins work pretty well there.

either at the base of my neck (so that when I lie down, the

[taimatsu]

Plaits crossed on the top of the head so the back of the head is flat? Requires annoying quantities of hairpins though, in my experience.

[ludy]

Prolly inevitably I’m wondering about some kind of headwrap/covering?
Obviously I have very short hair under my wrap but plenty of other headcoverers have long hair and either put it in a loose bun under the wrap or just stuff their loose hair into a shaper or under-cap (people with very long hair usually take out most or all of the stuffing from any shaper). Could anything like that work for you?

[lebannen]

Can't speak for Kab, but I have long hair and if I do 'hastily stuff it into a buff to keep it out of the way', it inevitably ends up unevenly balanced, uncomfortable to lie on, and usually falls out when I don't want it to. Possibly it would be less likely to fall down from something a better shape (ie with a closer-fitting bottom edge), but I imagine the chance of ending up uneven/asymmetric/unbalanced would be similar.

I'm thinking it might have to be something more like the Leia Variation described above - I've never worked out how one person can have enough hands to do the twisty-twisty bits, so like fyreharper above I just do a little bit of braid on the central section then plait it all together, which is presumably quicker.

... possibly on a different tack, something like the hair taping styles that I saw on a video by Morgan Donner could be a thing? Two plaits wrapped and secured, and if you wrap them upwards first there might not be too much to get in the way at the back of your neck? Sorry no link, I couldn't find it in thirty seconds and am being asked to step away from the keyboard and do Something Useful....

[fyreharper]

Probably this link! https://youtu.be/dpT86z93Ec8

[indywind]

When I had (thick, straight, wispy) long hair and did a variety of active things that also involved laying down on/wearing gear on various parts of my head so needing minimal or carefully distributed bulk, my go-to styles were
1. high, doubled chignon with very strong elastic. pros: quick to do if I hadn't much time to deal with my hair much before doing the thing, only requires one elastic if it's a good one - no pins to lose, keeps hair out of my face and back of neck even while sportsing. cons: doesn't keep it tidy, it's on the top of my head so no good for headstands or things involving helmet.
2. french braid with the tail threaded lengthwise underneath/inside the column of the braid. pros: not a lot more work than a regular braid and very secure; takes only one elastic and maybe one other fastener -- flat clip or pin; keeps hair relatively contained as well as out of the way; no giant lump in one or two spots. cons: a long line of thickness up the entire back/top of the head. better for helmet or handstand but still not great. takes practice, and at least a good 20 minutes to do up and undo.
3. french braided coronet or half-coronet (start 2 french braids center back, each working toward the forehead on its own side, cross the tails above the forehead) with the braid tails woven through the frenched part. cons: takes quite a bit of practice and at least half an hour to do up and undo, very fiddly, a giant pain in the ass, still a significant line of extra thickness on the sides, front, and maybe back of the head. pros: takes one or 2 elastics and not usually any other fasteners, keeps hair contained as well as off face/neck, no big knob anywhere, little extra bulk at back or sides of head and none on top (great for headstands and laying on the back, terrible for helmets & functional hats.