I’ve been rocking the ballerina bun for years. Sure, not always in the same polished way that the fashion world’s perfected over the last couple of years, but as an actual ballerina- I knew approximately 37 ways to tame ruthless hair into a bun that my ballet teacher, Mrs. Reddick herself, would be proud of. There was always a smattering of bobby pins scattered in the bottom of any bag I was carrying, and I had more bottles of hair spray than anyone I knew. These days, I use the ballerina bun a bit more sparingly, but it’s still an absolute staple for me! More often than not, I use it as a passive way of curling my hair- I’ll forego the hair donut and will simply twist my hair into a simple bun while it’s still a bit damp, and then an hour or so later, voila! A bit of curl without ever needing to plug in an iron. But if I’m going for something a bit more professional/dressy/cute, I’ll go ahead and use the donut. It takes a bit of getting used to, but after finally learning how to stuff my too-long hair into one, I kind of love it! I found the Braids, Bun & Twists book at PaperSource a few months back and have had way too much fun experimenting with different styles. One of my fun goals this year is to try to style my hair differently for each wedding I shoot- so far, I’m doing well. And guess what? Lucky for you, I have an extra one of these books lying around and I would LOVE to give it to one of my sweet blog readers! So leave a comment telling me your favorite hair style, product, tool, whatever- I’ll pick a winner on Monday at 12 noon. Happy commenting!
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© ABBY GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY 2024
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I love all kinds of braids! – french, fishtail, side braid… They never fail 🙂
Oh Abby I love this! I wear my hair in a bun almost everyday and I would love to spice it up a bit!
This crazy Florida humidity means my flat ironed hair ends up in a crazy messy ballerina bun by the end of the day. I would love to start off my day with something more chic that doesn’t just say “Whoa. Humidity doesn’t agree with her.”
So fun! I am in that stage right now where my hair feels, blah. I’m so tempted to just chop it off, but I know I’ll regret it, haha! I’d love to try new hairstyles to keep my loving these long locks ;]
My favorite product is Redken’s CURVACEOUS WAVE AHEAD – TEXTURIZING MOUSSE FOR WAVY HAIR!! Such an amazing mousse that doesn’t dry crunchy! I buy them 3 at a time! http://www.redken.com/products/curls/curvaceous/curvaceous-wave-ahead 🙂
Since I got a wave perm, my hair has been the easiest thing in the world! I can literally get out of the shower and go, letting it air dry through the day. I do try to be a little more put together for weddings though–hah–and often add in a braid or a donut bun. My favorite though is just straight up curling my hair, brushing it out, and hairspraying lightly. With the perm, the curls last for days!
My hair is so long it’s hard to find good hairstyles that work well! Braids and buns though are perfect for the hot summer days to get it up and out of my face though. My favorite product to use is heat tamer leave-in spray. So on days I do need to use a hair dryer or flat iron my hairs soft and protected!
This is awesome, Abby! Ever since you posted this book I’ve had it on my wishlist!! My favorite style is a side braid — it’s perfect for work or going out. You can make it traditional, messy, or fishtail (which I am admittedly still working on!). But anyway,
I love it!
With the number of shows that I do these days, I feel like I spend more time doing hair than any other non-professional hairdresser really should. For the opera I just did, I did twelve girls hair every night in pinned braids with ribbons and loose flowers. I love getting to experiment with fanciful buns and braids and how to make them read from stage. My personal go to hairstyle for auditions (and, increasingly, everyday) is a french braid that starts just behind my hairline that I wind into a bun at the nape of my neck. Hairspray and a tremendous collection of bobby pins are pretty much my constant companions.
Love the blog, Abby. Thanks for sharing!
oh mrs reddick :] the good old days where having a slick bun meant avoiding being called out! i know little to nothing about hair, but i’d love to know more :]
YES! I love that you did a post on this. I stink at these buns, but my hair has LOTS of layers. I’m a huge fan of beach waves and am always trying new ways to make them look more natural. So recently, I just twisted about 20 sections of my hair, pinned them up, and let it dry. I finger combed them out and had a wonderful beach look for a day 🙂
Your hair is amazing and you do such wonderful things with it! Love you!
I’m not so good at the whole doing my own hair thing (seriously, how does anyone french braid their own hair?!?!), BUT when I bought a curling WAND instead of a curling IRON, it changed my life. It’s so so so much easier to use and I always get tons of compliments. My favorite was the bridesmaid who told me I had “mermaid hair.” 🙂
My fav thing to use in my hair is flax seed. No joke. I boil the flax seed then strain them and it comes out like egg yokes. It’s the greatest gel for my curly hair.
Oh my do I WISHHH I could do that with my hair! So, so cute! I’ve been trying to pull off the french braid on the side, but all my layers keep poking out so awkwardly…! Maybe this book will help me some new skillz and learn some groovy new braided do’s!
The french braid. A nice sideswept one looks so fancy and totally hides unwashed or unruly hair! Awesome giveaway, thank you!
Would love to learn how to do braids, buns and fun stuff to my 8 year old daughters hair! I am hair clueless! I have said for years they should have a class for Mom’s of girls to teach us these great things!
I love the bun too! My hair is always in one.:-) wish I was good at whipping up cute styles tho quickly. I think you should do a post about all your wedding hairstyles.:-)
I love wearing my hair in a top knot!! However, my usual style is wash, dry and go- not exciting at all and I need to spice it up a bit! 🙂
You look gorgeous, Abby! That is such great bun style. And, I love your fun goal of a different hairstyle for every wedding! 🙂 I’m just entering into the world of wedding photography and I definitely need to build my repertoire of hairstyles. As far as my favorite hair style, I guess I would have to say loosely curled and down when I have the time (and inclination! Haha!). My best hair trick that I stumbled upon this year, is to wash my hair at night and while it is still damp, braid it into two side braids and sleep on it. In the morning, I wake up with beautifully wavy hair that’s still slightly damp which is perfect for adding a texturizing spray. This super easy go-to hair style has saved me SO much stress and time!
I love beach waves: it’s low maintenance and laid back.
What a fun prize you’re offering!
I love that my flat iron does double duty and can straighten and curl.
so fun!!!! i’m so bad at doing my own hair. i can do my kids at school, but not my own!
You are adorable! And after seeing a few photos of myself from this year’s weddings, I need to do something other than wear my hair down. Because by the end of the day, it’s a mess. And not a cute mess! My “favorite” (mainly because it’s easy) is a side chignon at the nape of my neck. It’s easy and simple and keep my hair out of my face and out of my shots! But I’m totally open to trying new things and this book would be super fun!
my favorite product is Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle!
My favorite tool is a 1 1/2 curling iron–gives such a pretty bounce.
Oh, I am terrible with my hair! I never know what to do with it… What product to use or what tools. It’s kinda naturally wavy, but not enough on its own to actually look good jwithout either drying it straighter or trying to curl it, which I’m hopeless at so straighter is my default. But then my hair curls up in humidity, so while working a wedding in the Virginia heat, it goes crazy on me!
Woah that looks like an awesome book! I love putting my hair in buns and braids, but, don’t know that many styles… and the older I get the thinner my hair is, so, it is looking rather drab lately. I could use some fresh ideas, for sure!
My favorite hair product is the Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream. It is the ONLY product that has ever really tamed my often frizzy half-curly, half-wavy hair, particularly on really humid days. This is it: http://www.amazon.com/MoroccanOil-Hydrating-Styling-10-2-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B002CMLS50
I’m doing a top knot at least once a week if I need to run out with the kids and have to do something with my hair. My 2 year old loves Frozen so I’m sometimes able to give her “princess hair” pigtails. I’d love to have more options at my fingertips!
I love classic buns, and the added braid in yours! I’ve been experimenting with braids – French braids, Dutch braids, waterfall braids, side braids. I’ve been meaning to pick up bobby pins for some styles, too, but keep forgetting!
Love the post/blog! Keep up the great work. =)
I love the hair tutorials on the blog Cup of Joe. Topknots, chignons, buns, braids…you name it, they’re on there with easy to follow steps and pics. Some of my recent hair favs came from her blog. Highly recommend it! And my go to product is sea salt spray…body, texture, wave. Bleachy fun!
More like beachy fun! Oh autocorrect…
To quote a young man who once visited our home “I feel totally inadequate for this conversation.”
My hair has JUST gotten long enough to do interesting things with! My hair is crazy curly so I usually wear it down, but I like a topknot/messy bun when it gets warm outside. And I’ve recently begun wearing it in a boho side braid on some occasions. Longer hair is SO much fun!
I was inspired to do a sock bun this weekend for my wedding instead of my usual ponytail thanks to you 🙂 I felt spiffy 😉
As a dancer, I have to wear a bun alll the time and I’m always looking for new ways to style mine 😉 Love the idea of this book!