A bun or chignon is a classic hairstyle that never seems to go out of fashion. But forget just twisting your hair into a simple chignon.
Today’s knots come in the form of the braided bun, the messy bun and the twisted bun. And taking its cue from the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 runway shows, this easy-to-adapt hairstyle is always evolving. “With lots of patterns going on with clothes for this season, it’s important to not have as much going on with your hair,” says Matthew Collins, L’Oreal Professionnel artist and co-owner of Brennen Demelo Studios. “Also, we are getting into a lot of high collars with jackets so the total look is much better with the hair up in these cases,” he says.

Collins cites
Elie Saab’s slick bun, Valentino’s regal-inspired low braided bun and Rag & Bone’s graphic inspired messy bun, all spotted for 2013/2014, proving that the bun is a hairstyle that’s right on trend this season.

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3 easy updates on the classic bun

Updating your bun is easy. Here, Collins provides instructions for achieving the look for three of his favourite buns:

Hair tips: The braided bun

Whether you want it high or low or off to the side, pull your hair into a very slick or loose messy pony. From that pony, make one or two braids. If keeping this look messy, pull the braids out a little bit for more texture and volume in the bun. For a glossy look, just leave the braids clean. Then twist the braids around the pony and fasten with bobby pins. This look is sure to never fall out.

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Test our the twisted bun and the messy bun on the next page …
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Hair tips: The messy bun

This hairstyle is best done with already worn, semi-dirty hair. Slightly backcomb the whole head and gently pull it to the top or low and create a very messy undone pony. Next, pull some pieces out around your hair to create a very airy feel. With what’s left in the pony, backcomb and now softly wrap around the pony leaving pieces out and not making it clean (the secret to an ideal messy bun is to keep it not too perfect). Don’t work too hard at this as to leave the whole look free and airy.

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Hair tips for getting the look

To get the best results, Collins says not to work too hard at creating the perfect bun. The hairstyle, by its very nature,
should be quick and simple. “Too much work will make it look too contrived and it needs to have a very soft feel,” says Collins. If you’re going for a slick look or a messy look, he says the most important thing is fastening your ponytail properly and pinning it properly. “For a tight pony as a base, use a strong elastic and put a bobby pin on either side. This will not move and keep everything in place. When pinning the pony up into the bun, make sure to not put a lot of hair in each pin,” he says. Too much hair in one pin will make it pop out later. If your pin feels like it’s going to pop out, cross it with another pin to keep it in place.”

Whether sleek or messy, a bun is a chic and stylish hairstyle – and we love it because it’s a look that can be achieved in mere minutes. And on lazy days, we also love the fact that
hair that’s a little dirty is optimal for creating the messy bun look. “Generally, one-day-old hair that has some texture from a curling iron or from your natural curl is always the best base to start,” says Collins. Does that mean an extra half-hour of sleep in the morning? Sounds good to us!

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