Come on everyone! Let's all do the upsweep!

I received such great feedback from my last post asking about the specific ways to do the upsweep. I'm happy to say that creating the upsweep is easier than you think. Creating the upsweep takes only minutes. You only need a couple of hair pins and you're on your way to creating a beautiful, no-hassle hair style.

I personally use the upsweep as sort of a "leftover" hairstyle. By leftover, I mean that I put my hair in an upsweep when a few days have passed since my last wash and I don't feel like bunning. Whenever I need to look stylish without putting in much effort, I go for the upsweep.

The reason why I call it the uspweep, is because the hair is not as structured as a prom hair or a bridal updo. The look is loose and casual. If every strand of hair is not perfectly in place, who cares!

So lets get started!

In my opinion, the finished product will look its best when the hair has some sort of curl pattern. How much curl does not matter. Loose curls, tight curls, it all depends on what you prefer.

You can use flexirods, satin-covered sponge rollers, steam curlers, pincurls, whatever.

If you want to be intentional in creating the finished look then you should use the right curling method in the beginning. For instance, if you want to create the look below, you might want to use flexirods for tighter curls before you sweep up the hair. Sometimes I might do a flexirod set, wear the hair loose for a day or two, then freshen up the look (when the curls no longer look as good) by creating an elegant upsweep.

For a look similar to Jessica Alba's you need to create looser, less defined curls. So I'd probably use larger curl creating tools like a Caruso steam setter or large satin sponge rollers.

When creating the upsweep, all you are doing is putting the hair in an updo that allows the curls to be on display. So you pull the hair up and secure the length with hair pins or a banana clip. Once you are done creating your upsweep, you are free to accessories as you please.

The most basic variation of this hairstyle is simply pulling the hair up and securing it in place. If you want to get a bit more purposeful, you can create a sidesweep with your bang or implement the use of a stylish head band. One of my favorite ways to doing this style involves creating a "hump" with the front section of my hair and securing the back. I never go wrong when I attempt this.

The look below is one that I sport regularly. Sometimes I don't even bother to create a curl before styling my hair like this.
I start by creating my bang (if I want one) the loosen up the hair just behind the bang to create the lift you see in the picture. I pull the rest of my hair up and pin it in place. What I don't do is leave the ends loose like you see in the second picture. I usually take the ends (the ones you see stick out), tuck them into the hair and pin them down.
Hair looks good, ends are protected!

Because the upsweep may require a little more manipulation than the simple bun, you want to keep a few things in mind.
*Use hair pins that go in and out of your hair easily without any chance of breakage. I always use these pins.

Another step I use to avoid breakage is finger styling. I rarely use a comb when creating the upsweep because I am not going for perfectly structured hair.
Whenever I am creating this style, I always rub a little coconut oil through my hands before manipulating. This step is crucial because the oil protects the hair and adds shine.

Like I said before, having some sort of curl in the hair helps with the overall look but if you are on a low manipulation hair diet, may I suggest pincurling the hair with your hands the night before as an alternative to curlers, rollers, and such. One thing you definitely want to do is avoid direct heat at all costs (do not even think about breaking out your curling iron for this style). Direct heat is so unnecessary because of the myriad of other ways you can curl your hair. If you want, you can create the style without the curl. It's up to you.

I tried to make a video but I'm technologically deficient and have no idea how to convert the video from my digital camera to a format I can post on this blog. In the mean time, I've linked a couple video tutorials to help provide a visual.

This is a one minute video demonstrating how to pin the hair into an updo.

In the next video, the style is a bit more intricate for those of you who are a little more adventurous.

Best of luck ladies!
Let's share a toast to Fabulous hair!
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  1. nice blog and nice posting too. thanks for sharing this blog.