24 Formal Hairstyles for Medium Length Hair That Hold All Night

Medium length hair is the length formal styles were built for.

It reaches the pins for an updo and holds a wave without dragging, and nothing has to be faked with extensions or hidden under a clip.

The only question is what the dress and the room call for. A chignon at the nape suits a wedding, and loose waves suit a dinner. A half-up style covers anything in between, and most of them hold through a long night.

The low chignon is where most women begin, because it looks finished from every angle.

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Low Chignon

Hair rolled and pinned into a smooth coil at the nape, with the crown left a little lifted and the sides swept back clean. The chignon is the formal style medium hair was made for, since the length reaches the nape with enough to roll but not enough to bulk, and it holds all night.

Tie a low ponytail and twist it, then coil it around the base and pin it with U-pins. A mist of hairspray and a smoothing brush finish it.

Hollywood Waves

Nothing says you dressed for the evening like a deep side part and waves that ripple in one smooth sheet to the ends.

Every curl bends the same way, so the hair moves as one piece rather than separate ringlets, and medium length is where the waves sit closest to the face.

Curl each section in the same direction with a large barrel and pin the curls while they cool, then brush the whole head out with a paddle brush. A shine spray finishes it.

Half-Up Half-Down With Curls

Women who want their hair down for the photos and off the face for the dancing land on the half-up with curls.

The top section is twisted back and pinned at the crown, with loose curls falling below it and two pieces left out at the front.

Curl the hair first, then pull the top back, since pinned curls give the crown height on their own.

Leave the front pieces smoother so they frame the face rather than spring away.

Soft Romantic Updo With Face-Framing Pieces

There is a softness to this updo that a sleek bun never has, with the hair twisted up loose at the back and two curled pieces falling at the front.

It suits a garden wedding or a dinner more than a gala, and medium hair gives it enough to pin without the bulk. Curl the hair before pinning so the loose bits look like curls rather than strays.

Pin the twist with a few large pins and pull sections out until it looks relaxed.

Side-Swept Curls

Sweep every curl over one shoulder and the other side of the face opens up, which is the whole appeal.

It gives the look of an updo without pinning anything up, and it shows off a strapless neckline or an earring. Curl the hair away from the face and part it deep on one side, then brush everything across.

Pin the light side flat behind the ear with bobby pins and hide them with a small clip. Hairspray keeps the swept side in place.

Sleek Low Ponytail

It is the formal style that takes ten minutes and still looks like a decision.

The hair is brushed back smooth with gel into a low ponytail at the nape, with a strand wrapped around the elastic and the length left straight or curled at the ends.

Medium hair gives a tail that sits at the shoulder blades, which is long enough to swing.

Straighten the hair first so nothing bumps under the elastic, then brush it back with a boar brush and gel.

French Twist

The French twist has outlasted every updo trend because it does the same thing to every face, which is lift it.

The hair is gathered at the back and twisted upward against the head, then pinned so the ends tuck inside the roll. It suits a long neck and a high collar, and medium hair rolls into it without leftover length to hide.

Backcomb the crown a little first for height, then twist and pin with U-pins. Smooth the outside with a brush and hairspray.

Braided Crown Updo

A braid circling the head like a crown with the rest tucked underneath looks right at a garden wedding or a long table. Medium hair reaches around the head in two braids, one from each side, pinned where they meet. Split the hair into two sections and braid each one, then wrap them around the head in opposite directions and pin.

Pull the braid loose a little with your fingers for softness, and tuck a few flowers in if the event calls for them.

Twisted Half-Up With Pearl Pins

Pearl pins pushed along two twists are what turn a half-up into a formal style.

A section from each temple is twisted back and pinned together at the back of the head, with the pins in a line along each twist and the rest down in soft waves. The twists keep the front off the face and the pearls catch the light in photos.

Wave the hair before you twist and pin, then push the pearl pins in last so they sit straight.

Bouncy Blowout With Curled Ends

Hair blown smooth and full with the ends curled under in one bouncy sweep is the formal look for women who want nothing pinned.

Medium length is where a blowout bounces most, since the ends sit at the shoulder and curl without dragging.

Blow-dry in sections with a large round brush, lifting at the root and rolling the ends under, then set each section in a roller while it cools.

Take the rollers out and shake. Hairspray at the roots keeps the lift.

Knotted Low Bun

Two knots tied in the hair at the nape and tucked into each other make a bun with more texture than a coil.

The knotted bun looks woven rather than rolled, and it needs no elastic, which suits women who want no hardware in an updo. Split the hair into two sections at the nape and tie them in a knot, then tie a second and tuck the ends under.

Pin the ends with bobby pins and loosen the knots with your fingers.

Soft Waves With a Middle Part

A center part and loose waves falling to the collarbone give a formal look that still moves.

The middle part is cleaner than a side part for a dress with a high neckline, and the soft waves keep the hair from looking severe.

Wave the lengths with a wand away from the face, leaving the ends straight, and alternate directions so the waves do not match. Smooth the part with a comb and a little serum.

A light hairspray holds the waves without crunch.

Braided Low Bun

Three braids wrapped into one bun at the nape have the texture a smooth bun misses.

It suits a bride or a guest who wants something that looks good from the back, and medium hair gives braids long enough to wrap but not enough to overflow. Tie a low ponytail and split it into three braids, then wrap each one around the base and pin.

Pull the braids a little loose for softness and tuck the ends under, then set with hairspray.

Sleek Glass Hair With a Middle Part

Hair flat ironed to the collarbone with a sharp center part, shining like glass, is as formal as straight hair gets.

The look needs the hair smooth from the root to the ends with no bend anywhere, which is harder than it sounds.

Blow-dry straight with a paddle brush first, then flat iron in thin sections with a heat protectant and tuck the ends under a little. A drop of serum through the ends keeps the shine, and a flat brush keeps the part sharp.

High Ponytail With Curled Ends

Hair pulled high and tight to the crown with the length curled into soft spirals makes a ponytail dressy enough for a reception. The slicked base keeps the front clean and the curls give the tail some movement, and medium hair reaches the crown without a clip-in. Brush the hair up with gel and tie it with a thin elastic, then wrap a strand around the band.

Curl the tail in sections with a medium barrel and shake the curls out so they fall together.

Twisted Side Updo

All the hair twisted to one side and pinned in a loose roll behind the ear, so the neck shows on one side.

The side updo suits an off-the-shoulder dress and a long earring on the open side. Brush the hair to one side and twist it from the nape up, then roll it in on itself and pin it behind the ear.

Pull a few pieces loose at the front and curl them. Hairspray keeps the roll in place.

Half-Up Top Knot With Waves

The top half twisted into a small knot high on the head with soft waves below it looks formal from the front and relaxed from the side. It keeps the hair off the face and leaves the length showing, and the knot adds height at the crown that medium hair lacks on its own. Wave the lengths first, then section the top half from the temples back and twist it into a knot.

Pin the knot and smooth the sides with a little gel.

Tucked Faux Bob

A bob for one night, with medium hair rolled under at the nape and pinned so the ends disappear and the length looks cut at the jaw.

It suits a vintage dress and anyone who wants a short style without a haircut, and medium hair tucks under without the bulk long hair leaves. Curl the ends under and roll the length up and in at the nape, then pin it along the roll.

Spray the roll and smooth the outside with a brush.

Low Bun With a Ribbon Bow

A long satin ribbon tied in a bow over a low bun is the party accessory of the moment, and a formal night is the place to wear it.

The bun sits at the nape, smooth or soft, and the bow covers the base so the hardware disappears. Black satin looks most formal.

Tie a low ponytail and twist it into a bun, then pin it and tie the ribbon around the base with long tails. Lay the ends of the ribbon down the back.

Pin Curl Set

Soft, uniform curls set in pins and brushed out into one wave pattern give medium hair the finish of an old film still.

The pin curl set holds longer than a curling iron does, and it suits a vintage dress or a wedding with a theme.

Wind damp sections into flat coils against the head and pin each one, then let them dry under a hood dryer or overnight.

Take the pins out and brush the curls into soft waves, then set with hairspray.

Silk Press With Curled Ends

Natural hair pressed smooth to the shoulder with the ends curled into loose bounce swings through a whole reception without losing its shape.

Black women book the press the day before the event so it settles, and the curled ends keep it from looking stiff on the night. Ask for the ends curled with a flat iron or a wand so they hold, and the part set where the dress wants it. Wrap or pin curl at night and keep the hair away from steam.

Flat Twist Updo

Flat twists running in neat rows from the hairline back into a twisted bun at the crown look sculpted in a way loose hair never does.

The pattern suits natural hair at medium length, and it holds for days after the event with a scarf at night. Twist each section flat against the scalp with a cream, then gather the ends into a bun at the crown and pin. Smooth the hairline with edge control and tie a scarf over it to set.

Jeweled Headband With Waves

A thin band of crystals sitting an inch behind the hairline over soft waves is the formal look for anyone who does not want to pin anything up.

The band does the dressing up, so the hair can stay simple, and medium hair with a wave gives the band something to sit in. Wave the hair, part it in the middle or on one side, then push the band back so a little hair lifts in front of it.

A shine spray finishes it.

Fishtail Side Braid

Woven in thin strands over one shoulder, a fishtail braid looks like it took an hour and belongs at a formal table.

Medium hair gives a braid that reaches the collarbone, long enough to show the herringbone pattern. Split the hair into two sections over one shoulder and cross thin strands from one side to the other, repeating to the ends.

Tug the braid wider once it is tied so it looks full, and pin a small jeweled clip at the top.