| Party Updo For Long Hair |
| Patrick Cameron |
| Date: 10/2/2001 |
Introduction
 Patrick
Cameron is considered by many to be the king of long hair
styling. When it comes to creating beautiful updos and styles
for longer hair Patrick really is a master. (All photographs by
Alistair Hughes)
Patrick has been a
favorite of the HairBoutique.com since the very beginning. One
of the first products that we sold in our original e-store was
Patrick's long hair styling videos. Although we loved his two
books, it was not practical to sell them at HairBoutique.com because
of the cost to ship the books (which are quite heavy) from overseas.
Whenever he has new
photos, Patrick has been great about sharing them with us. His
gallery here at HairBoutique.com demonstrates some of his best work
over the past few years.
The
Cordelia Updo
Patrick's "Cordelia"
style is a fabulous look for any party of special event like a
Homecoming dance, Wedding Prom or dressy party. HairBoutique.com
presents this fabulous style with special permission from Patrick's Dressing
Long Hair 2 Book which is now available from Thomson
Learning.
Note:
All photos included in this article are copyrighted by Patrick
Cameron and may not be copied without express permission.
For more
fabulous long looks check out Patrick's long hair styling videos and books
that are chock full of styling ideas.
Instructions
 Patrick's
Cordelia style is
designed to work best for hair that is shoulder
length or longer. Hair that is fine or thin may not adopt well to this
style. Curly or wavy hair will need to be temporarily
straightened before the Cordelia look can be successfully
created.
If possible, create
this look on hair that is not freshly washed.
Step
One: Starting
at the back of the head make a part right down the very center as
shown in the photo above.
 Step
Two: Spritz
with a good hair spray like Wella high Hair finishing spray, Vain
Hard Up or Edwin
Paul Shaping Spray. This will help to make the hair more
manageable as you style. Using a good hair spray will always
make hair a lot easier to work with.
Step
Three: Make the
first of three high ponytails that are all the same thickness, size
and position.
Step
Four: A "hair friendly"
elastic or fabric covered hair band should be positioned as close to
the scalp as possible to hold each of the ponytails in place.
Step
Five: Ease the ponytail down from the scalp when you are
finished creating it. Try not to drag hair down. Repeat
this process until you have three equal ponytails in size and position
on the scalp.
Step
Six:  Take
the first "center" ponytail and make a secondary or
"sub" ponytail
from the main ponytail. This will create a fourth ponytail that
is created from the first and center tail.
Keep applying hair spray as you work and remember to keep the
"hair friendly" elastic
and ponytail close to the scalp.
Step
Seven: Pull a piece of clear
nylon thread (that is slightly longer than the ponytail) around the
back of the ponytail. Carefully tie the nylon thread to the top
of the ponytail where the hair is gathered by the elastic band.
When you are finished you should have a piece of clear nylon thread
tied around the top of each ponytail with a long strand of thread that
actually extends beyond the length of each pony. In essence you
will leave a long end
dangling. It is very important to repeat this step on all of the 4 ponytails. The thread
will eventually be braided into the plaits that will be created.
Note:
It is important to use clear thread since
it will be part of the finished updo. If possible use dark
thread if you have dark hair. Consider the color impact to your
style before you select the thread. In most cases clear works
best. It is ultimately best to not let the thread show through the style.
Step
Eight:  Divide each pony into
three equal chunks of hair and do a simple three strand over
braid. Remember to braid the loose nylon
thread as part of the braiding process for each of the individual
ponytails.
Step
Nine: Repeat this process
one by one until you have braided all four of the different
ponytails. All ends of each finished braid should be
secured with "hair friendly" elastic or fabric bands to
protect and close the ends from unraveling. If you prefer, select
bands that match your hair color.
 Step
Ten: When
you are finished braiding you will have four plaits, each with a longer piece
of nylon thread still hanging down from the finished braid. Carefully push the
braid from the ends towards the scalp while pulling gently on the
nylon thread.
This will create a
"scrunchy" type of effect on the braid and will draw them closely to the
scalp.
Step
Eleven: Using the four different pieces of
nylon thread, pull the "scrunched" plaits to an
upright position along the scalp. The ends of the plaits should all be pointing
upwards to the sky. Depending on how you created each braid
you will have either a little or lot of "hair tail".
 Step
Twelve: Position each of the braids in place
on your head with large pins or clips.
Carefully tuck
away and pin the remaining thread ends from obvious view.
Either pin down the "hair tails" for a smooth elegant look
or tease them up for a more feathery look.
Add
a little styling wax for a more edgy look. Decorate the finished style by adding a
gorgeous fresh flower, a tiny crystal headband,
hair snaps, magnets or jeweled clips.
 If
you prefer wear this beautiful style without any adornments.
When
you remove the style do so carefully to avoid getting the string
tangled. Take out one plait at a time.
If you would like to
see more of Patrick's wonderful updos and dressy styles for hair check
out his long hair styling books and videos.
A special thank you to
Patrick for sharing this gorgeous updo. |