186.Wishes for some hair advice!

Apolgies for the terrible expressions

The eye make-up was just something I was trying out for an upcoming fancy dress party(thinking of going as a hippie-that's if I go at all,still not sure?),but it wouldn't come off easily for the photos and I was being lazy. The actual topic in hand is my hair.So many people have mentioned how long it is,and I'm coming to realise that a year and a halfs worth of not going to the hairdressers has really payed off.I planned to grow it out long,so that I could kind of be like my mum in her younger days.My mum also has red hair,and she was kind of part of the hippie movement....very long middle parting hair :D

So I've been wearing it curtain style, sometimes with the odd little braid and thats about it. I plan to grow it for another year,then get it chopped off after next summer. But with it at this length it starts to get difficult to manage.On those greasy bad hair days,I hate to leave it down but I feel like there is no updo I can do other than a plait. I really want to try out some other things,french braids,ballerina top knots,ect ect? So any suggestions? Anything I could do with it? Any interesting intricate things I should master to make wonderful hair? Any tutorials you would reccomend?
Advice? Anything would be very much appreciated!
Sofie