For most of my life, I’ve had long hair. Part of this is because I figure I might as well enjoy having plenty of thick, Rapunzel-style hair while I’m young and can really pull it off, and part of it is simply because I adore having long hair. Short hair just doesn’t feel like me.

Long hair can be so much fun.

Even so, there are days when I get annoyed with my long hair! It can be frustrating to manage and style long hair. It gets frizzy and holds a ton of static during some parts of the year; it falls in your face and gets in the way; it tangles and knots; the hair breaks… all kinds of problems can arise when you try to style long hair. It’s tempting to just put your hair up in a ponytail and be done with it!

But instead of going with the same old boring ponytail, why not try a different way to style long hair?

Paper bag curls: a personal favorite.

Here are six great ways to style long hair:

1) Paper bag curls. You knew this would be on my list! I adore paper bag curls. It can take a while to twist each section of hair up into the strips of paper, so I like to watch a movie or TV show while I’m doing it. Unravel the paper bags the next morning and your hair will be a gorgeous mane of bouncy curls!

2) Up in a clip. I like this look for more professional occasions. It’s super fast, too: just twist your hair, bring it up alongside your head, and clip it in place. You can do this in the space of about 10 seconds.

Princess-style hair.

3) Left long with the side parts clipped back. This is a nice way to style hair if you just don’t want it getting in your face. Pull your hair back and clip it in place with an embellished barrette, and you’re done!

4) Pin your hair back at the sides. This one works the same way as #3 above: you’re really just working on getting the hair out of your eyes. Use a few bobby pins or tiny barrettes to pin the hair up and back.

The clips don’t have to be perfectly even for this look.

5) Twist it into a sock bun. You almost need to have long hair for this hairstyle—which makes it the perfect way to style long hair when you don’t want to deal with it! I like doing a low side bun since my hair is very heavy, but you can also get more of a ballerina look by doing your sock bun on the top of your head.

6) Braid it on one side. This is a fun look, and you can actually do three separate hairstyles after you’ve braided part of your hair! Click here to find out a few ways to style your hair after you’ve braided a section of it.

A fun way to style braids!

What are your favorite ways to style long hair? Have you tried any of the above hairstyles? Share in the comments section below!