A must for any style repertoire, the bun is sure to lend an elegant feminine touch to your look, but is also suitable for the everyday. Whether you choose a simple style for the daily grind, or something more sophisticated for special occasions — for work, your best friend’s wedding…or even your own — you can’t go wrong with a bun. Worn low or high, artsy or chic, messy or tight — the hard part is simply choosing. We’ll leave that part up to you!
One foam hair donut, two hair elastics, fringe pins
TIP
If you have shorter hair, use some hair spray just before making your bun to improve hold, and then afterward to prevent flyaways.
1 Make a high ponytail, securing with an elastic at the base.
2 Pull the ponytail through the center of the hair donut.
3 Spread your hair over the entire hair donut in order to hide it.
4 Place an elastic around the bun.
5 Wrap the remaining hair around the base of the bun underneath the hair donut and secure with fringe pins.
A brush, bobby pins, fringe pins, one small clear elastic, hair spray
TIP
If you have shorter hair that tends to slip, place the elastic high up rather than toward the ends to make it easier to twist up your hair.
1 Brush all your hair to one side, then clip it into place in a vertical line using bobby pins. (You will flip your hair over this line in the next step.)
2 Attach the small elastic toward the ends of your hair, then flip the tied hair in the opposite direction as you brushed it to create a twist.
3 Conceal the end by folding it down into the bun, using your fingers to twist.
4 Tighten the twist as you tuck the remaining hair inward, then secure from top to bottom using fringe pins. Spritz with hair spray to set in place.
A brush, two hair elastics, fringe pins, hair spray
TIP
Experiment with this style by varying the height of the ponytail or setting the chignon slightly askew.
1 Brush your hair and pull it into a low ponytail. Secure it with an elastic.
2 Separate the ponytail into two sections and twist the sections together, securing at the end with an elastic.
3 Wrap the twist back over itself and around the first elastic.
4 Secure the whole chignon in place with fringe pins and spritz with hair spray.
A brush, two small clear elastics, fringe pins, hair spray
TIP
If you have very long hair, wrap the full braid several times through the small side twirls in order to conceal the elastic at the end.
1 Brush your hair, separate out two small sections, and twist them before bringing them together in a half ponytail. Secure with a small elastic.
2 Now separate your hair into three sections, incorporating the half ponytail into the center section.
3 Braid the sections as you would normally and finish with a small elastic at the end.
4 Flip the entire braid up and insert it back into the rest of your hair, between the two twirls, until you’ve achieved the desired chignon look.
5 Secure with fringe pins and spritz with hair spray.
A brush, three small clear elastics, fringe pins, hair spray
TIP
To add volume to this style, divide the middle section into two separate braids, or use clip-in hair extensions.
1 Brush your hair into three separate sections. Braid the left section starting from the temple and secure with a small elastic.
2 Braid the right section starting from the right temple and secure with an elastic.
3 Braid the remaining center section and secure with an elastic.
4 Wrap the central braid over itself into a bun and secure with fringe pins, then crisscross the two side braids underneath.
5 Wrap the side braids around the central braided bun, secure with fringe pins, and tuck the ends under to conceal. Spritz with hair spray.
One foam hair donut, one hair elastic, several small clear elastics, fringe pins
TIP
Depending on the length of your hair, wrap the final section of hair either forward or backward to conceal the ends.
1 Make a ponytail high on your head and braid six or seven small bunches of hair out of this ponytail, securing each with a small elastic.
2 Pull the ponytail, including the braided portions, through the center of the hair donut.
3 Spread your hair the entire way around the hair donut in order to hide it, and space out the small braids over the bun.
4 Pull the hair elastic around the whole bun and secure underneath.
5 Wrap the remaining length of hair around the base of the bun and secure with fringe pins.
Two hair elastics, fringe pins, hair spray
TIP
If you have fine or unruly hair, using hair spray, hair gel, or fixing mousse to texturize it will help stabilize the bouffant.
1 Make a ponytail high on your head, using a hair elastic at the beginning and toward the end.
2 Flip the length of hair toward the front to create a sort of pouf.
3 Sticking your fingers underneath the first elastic closer to your head, grab the elastic holding the other end, and pull underneath.
4 Wrap the remaining length of hair around the first elastic to conceal it, securing with fringe pins. (This will be visible from the back.)
5 Fan out the pouf portion left and right, secure with fringe pins, and spritz with hair spray.
A brush, a hair straightener, one hair elastic, bobby pins, fringe pins, hair gel, hair spray
TIP
If your hair slips out of place, put small clear elastics at the end of each lock of hair, making it easier to pass through the large elastic without slipping.
1 Brush your hair and straighten it with a hair straightener.
2 Pull your hair back into a ponytail and secure loosely with an elastic.
3 Using your fingers, flatten out a lock with some gel and make a curl shape.
4 Stick the end of the lock into the elastic and secure against your head using a bobby pin. Repeat this process for the rest of the hair in the ponytail, creating flower petal shapes out of each lock.
5 Reinforce the bun using fringe pins and spritz with hair spray.
One hair elastic, two small clear elastics, fringe pins, texturizing spray or powder
TIP
If your hair is long enough and you want a messier look, tease some strands and pull them through the center section several times.
1 Spray texturizing spray or powder over your hair to make the strands stick together. Then, using your fingers, make a low ponytail and separate it into two sections above the elastic.
2 Pull the length of hair over and through the partition, allowing a twist to form on each side.
3 Make small braids or twists with the remaining hair, securing them with small elastics.
4 Pull all these through the center and arrange to your liking, securing them to the two initial twists using fringe pins.
