Let’s Talk About Buns, Hun

Now that the weather is warming up and Maryland is getting steamy, I’m always searching for ways to keep my hair back without looking like I just crawled out of bed. Last year, my ‘go to’ look was to clip my bangs back with a barrette and do a French braid that fell over my shoulder. This year, my hair is a little shorter – due to a major chop session last fall – so my French braid is kind of stumpy and sad.

Which brings us to buns, hun.

I have three different (super simple) buns that I’m kind of loving right now, so I figured I’d share them with you along with the tools I use to get each look.

Bun #1: Using a Hairpin
Tools: Aluminum and Pearl hairpin (I have this one)

This is the easiest bun for those of you with long hair – all you do is grab your hair and hold in a ponytail, then wind it around into a circle. Then, you just stick something through to hold it — I typically use a pencil, pen or chopstick. When I want to be fancy, I use this pretty hairpin I found on etsy to make the bun look much more ‘on purpose’ than shoving a pen in there.

Bun #2: Using a Clip
Tools: Kimono Fabric Hair Clip (I bought mine at an accessories store called Lou Lou, but they don’t seem to have it online. I found some similar styles here and here)

For so many years I tried to do a bun with one of those little claw clips, only to have it loosen and fall off my head within a few minutes. When I found this clip at the mall, I almost swooned… it is THAT fantastic. It holds all my hair securely, even when going for the ‘messy bun’ look. I followed the same steps as with the last bun, but instead of using a hairpin I just shoved the clip into place.

Bun #3: Using a Sock
Tools: Two ponytail holders and a kids sock with the toe cut off.

Yeah, that’s right… I tried a sock bun. I wanted something with a little more volume, but I didn’t want to go for the full sock bun (which can look like a huge hair fascinator stuck on your head). To make the bun smaller, I switched out the typical-sized sock for one of Jack’s and it gave me just enough puff. I purposely chose a dark colored sock so that it wouldn’t be as noticeable in my hair.

Here’s how I made this one:

• Pull hair into a ponytail and secure with a ponytail holder.
• Put sock on the ponytail.
• Wrap hair around sock to cover it up as best as you can. Secure with the second ponytail holder.

What do you think, am I pulling the sock bun off? This is my first time trying it, so I think I might need a little more practice before I leave the house with a kid’s sock in my hair. Hmm… that is an awfully weird sentence.

Are you a ‘buns’ girl? What is your favorite way to get the messy-pretty bun look? Were you singing Sir Mix-a-Lot the whole time you read this post?