How to Do a Messy Bun

For those bad hair days, you want something easy, chic, and fast to do with your hair. The messy bun is the perfect choice with its playful appeal, fast knotting, and best of all, you don’t even have to have clean hair.

Following are ideas on how to do a cute messy bun for long, medium, short, thin or thick hair with bangs and scrunchei plus additional tips and tricks to make it more stylish

Creating the Perfect Messy Bun

Since the article shall be going over numerous sections, this first segment shall look at how you can create that messy bun that’s just right. Then for the preceding sections, they shall build from this method. Let’s begin!

Step#1 Gather the Necessary Tools

When you begin making your hair, you want to remain seated and relaxed until you accomplish your hair goals. Hence, start by gathering your favorite hair products so you won’t have to constantly move up and about in search of them. You can include;

  • Hairpins/ clips
  • Hairbands
  • Decorative hair clips with flowers and studs
  • Styling gel
  • Hair mist/ moisture/ mousse
  • Wide-tooth comb
  • Sheen spray

The above products are just examples, you can opt for others, such as creams, depending on your preferences. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, sit behind a mirror and get started.

Step#2 Prepping  the Hair

If you want the best outcome, ensure the hair is two days prior to your wash day or after your wash day. Then, the hair is plump and will appear better and with much more volume than if from the salon or after washing immediately.

  1. From your hair products selection above, use a lightweight mousse to allow for easy pliability. You want the hair to look moisturized,  but also soft and natural. Thicker hair products will make the hair look too oily, which doesn’t produce good results.
  2. You can also use a volumizing agent from any other hair product so the updo can look subtle and full.
  3. Spray on hairspray to keep the hair looking fresh for the entire day. The choice of spray is solely yours, but opt for something with thin moisture, so as to accumulate as little build up as possible. This way you can reapply for some time before the need to clean it out.
  4. In case you have freshly washed hair, apply dry shampoo or salt spray to add texture to the hair and also give it an edgy look.

Once you’re satisfied with how your hair looks, move to the next step.

Step#3 Creating a Messy Bun

  1. Begin by combing your hair upwards to hold it into a loose ponytail using a hairband. You can also use your fingers to slightly comb through the hair to the back or side of the head. It can be as high or as low as you prefer.
  2. Alternatively, you can flip your head upside down to help you accumulate the hair without combing. Don’t worry if there are bumps, the hair is meant to be messy.
  3. Start twisting/ rolling/ spinning your hair from the base of the ponytail. Keep wrapping it till it forms a bun that you’ll tuck beneath it. You can also leave your tail out at the end.
  4. Leave a large bouncy loop so to can pull the hair further into a bigger bun and also, to allow some hair strands to fall back down – creating the messiness.
  5. Secure the hair with an elastic pin/ bobby pins/ clips. Ensure it’s not too tight.
  6. From the sides of the hair, gently pull the edges out to widen the radius of the bun. You can also tug the midsection of the bun to give it a more appealing U shape.
  7. Tuck any unwanted hair strands as you add more bobby pins for a stiff look.

Note: If you want a high bun, your initial ponytail should be high as well, and vice versa.

Step#4 Finishing the Look

You can turn the messy bun into something sophisticated by brushing your edges, adding a matte spray, or accessorizing with clips that have flowers, studs, bling, or jewelry. You can also add a headband at the front section of your hair (plain or decorative) to complement an outfit or hold the front hair back.

How to Do a Messy Bun with Long Hair

Long hair is that which is two or more inches past the shoulder. They are easier to form a bun with since the hair can easily be held and tucked into a bun.

Messy bun for long hair
Long hair

Following the simple guideline above;

  1. Start by texturing the hair. You still want the hair to have some volume, even though it’s long.
  2. After holding the hair into a ponytail, start to loop the hair and hold it with an elastic band. You’ll have to create two loops since the hair is long.
  3. Create the first loop by tucking the hair. Follow with the second loop by feeding the first loop. Hold your hair in place to avoid it from detangling or loosening from the ends. As you close the second loop, the first one will eventually get tighter.
  4. If that’s too much a task, simply twist and hold with two elastic bands so the hairs are held securely.

Note: Longer hair only needs more holding pins/ clips/ bands than other hair types.

Short Hair Messy Bun Step by Step

Even if your hair is short, you can get up a messy bun. The trick is to add more texturizer to your hair to give it more body. Next, spray on some dry shampoo so it can be easier to hold the hair.

The dry shampoo will give it grit and hold to capture as much hair as possible. After that, simply follow the instructions above by holding the hair into a pony, scrunch it, and twist into a bun.

Messy Bun with Bangs

You can add some style to your messy bun by incorporating a bang. There’s the front bangs, side bangs, and French bangs. They all complement different head shapes to give off a modern, casual, and contemporary look.

  1. Tie the hair upside down into a pony. Make sure it has some volume.
  2. Partition the hair to leave off a section at the front. Loosely tie the bun.
  3. Comb the bangs to the front lying on the forehead to almost cover the front section. You can comb it straight, or allow some bumps to complement the messy look.
  4. You can loosen hair around the edges. Allow then to lie free, so the front bags don’t look sharp.

Side Bangs

Side bangs are also sassy and elegant. It’s a versatile hairdo that can be used by just about anyone. It can either be formal or casual for parties and cocktails.

  1. After texturizing the hair, partition the hair from the center. Tie all the non-partition sections with an elastic band. Maintain a  height that you prefer.
  2. After you have clipped the messy bun using bobby pins, let the bangs fall onto one or both sides of the forehead.
  3. You can curl that hair or let it be. Spray for a longer appeal.

French Bangs

Yet another very prevalent type of bang – the French bang. For an often formal look, it will go hand in hand with a braided bun.

  1. Partition the hair from the center again. Leave a considerable amount of hair to be braided.
  2. Braid it very loosely and align it along the nape of the neck. The aim is to braid it to the other side of your ear.
  3. Play with the front and side hairs and let them fall so it’s messy.

Messy Bun for Medium Hair

Medium hair is on or slightly above the shoulder by an inch. It offers one of the best messy buns look since most hairs from the front and back edges will fall back down once you try to tie it into a pony.

Using the simple method above, ensure to securely hold it in its initial stages and add a spray after you finish so it can stay throughout the day.

How to Do a Messy Bun with Thin Hair

Thin hair suffers from a lack of volume. Hence, the first step is to add volume/ body to the hair. You can use hair mist, moisturizer, creams, or whatever other hair product you have. After that, here are a few tricks you can utilize to get your perfect messy bun;

  • Use dry shampoo – as mentioned earlier in the text, dry shampoo will texturize the hair hence, even with a volumizing agent, it will still be able to hold up to a pony.
  • If you want a neat yet messy bun, then you better brush through your hair with a comb to level the hair up as you’re holding it. This way if you want to rough it up, it will look more natural.
  • Take care of your roots. With thin hair, it’s easy for the dirt and buildup from the hair to get noticed. This is why it’s best to keep your hair moisturized before you do the hairdo.
  • Use many clips especially if your fine hair keeps slipping put, regardless of how right it is.
  • Try and incorporate different other hairstyles to remove focus from your thin hair.

How to Do a Messy Bun Without Bobby Pins

To hold the messy bun down and secure, you need the bobby clips. But here’s a case you don’t have it, so what next.

  1. Start by gathering what to need. Instead of using the bobby clips, use hair bands and a comb/ brush only.
  2. Pull your hair up into a pony, use elastic bands to keep it in place before you begin twisting.
  3. Wrap your hair from the base to form the messy bun then secure it using a scrunchie or a hairband. Ensure the band is tight enough to hold the hair securely.
  4. That’s it, you’ve accomplished a messy hundred without the bobby clips.

How to Do a Messy Bun with Thick Hair

Thick hair has more volume than you’d want. It’s quite hard to hold it all in one place and start to twist it out. Hence, follow these steps below.

  1. Apply a texturizer to help with holding the hair. There are unlimited options for this.
  2. (Optional) Apply a volumizing moisturizer from the roots to the ends of the hair.
  3. Part your hair down into two sections. Tie them separately. You can braid or simply knot it at the top of the head.
  4. Hold both sections of the hair securely to ensure one doesn’t slip out when you begin rolling them into a bun.
  5. Keep knotting the hair until it’s secure. Use bobby pins, clips, or anything else you have.
  6. If you have shorter pieces of your hair, turn them into bangs. Then twist the remaining sections to form one bun at the midsection. It can be as high or low as you want.
  7. Spray lightly with mist to keep the hair put for longer.

Thicker hair may need some braiding out if you intend to keep the hair throughout an entire day. Braid the ends of the hair so they don’t keep slipping as you’re knotting. You can choose to untie them once the bun is done.

How to Do a Messy Bun with a Scrunchie

A scrunchie is a hairband with a sleek appearance. It can be used to hold the hair into a ponytail, replacing the elastic band. What’s great about the scrunchie is that it adds volume to the hair – especially to the base of your bun. Want to know how to use it?

  1. Hold up your hair and tie with a scrunchie.
  2. Place a pencil at the center, right through the hair and to the base and hold it up.
  3. Twist the pencil to form a bun with the scrunchie still in place at the base. Using the pencil will add to its symmetry making it look sophisticated.
  4. Remove the pencil and hold the bun using clips or hairpins. Pull the sides for a better look.
  5. Finally, spray the bun and accessorize with whatever you have.

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