How to achieve the perfect messy bun

Whether you’ve missed your alarm and need a quick fix for your unruly hair or you simply like the carefree appearance of a less-than-perfect looking bun, you’ll be able to whip up that top knot in no time. While you may think there’s no exact method to the madness, there are a few steps you can follow to ensure your messy bun sits just right…and stays that way too! Choose what kind of messy bun you desire and let’s get started:

High messy bun

Also known as the “bird nest”, this type of messy bun takes mere minutes to perfect. This style should even stay in place without any trusty bobby pins. Its sleek appearance makes it a great sophisticated style – for the office or for a night on the town. This style works especially well with textured curly hair.

Step 1: Mist your hair and apply gel such as göt2b® Chillin' Light Hold Gel as you brush your hair up into a ponytail, but don’t tie it just yet.

Step 2: Smooth down the sides to keep any flyaways in place. göt2b® Flex Insta Hold Hair Spray is just the product for this slicked down look. It smooths down the sides and doesn’t leave any stickiness or residue, perfect for letting the bun itself be in the spotlight.

Step 3: Twist the ponytail into a messy bun.

Step 4: Wrap a hair tie around the bun several times to secure it.

Low messy bun

This style is great when you want to leave some bits loose at the front to frame your face. It’s a bit softer than some of the other styles we’ve mentioned.

Step 1: Pump some volumizing spray powder into your roots for extra volume. We recommend göt2b® Volumaniac™ Bodifying Spray Powder for an intense volume boost minus the usual stickiness.

Step 2: Leave two sections of hair loose at the front. You can decide how thick you want them.

Step 3: Tie the rest of your hair up into a loose ponytail where you would like your bun to sit.

Step 4: Twist your ponytail so that it curls up on itself to form the messy bun.

Step 5: If you want, you can also pull out some strands at the sides to make the style even messier and to soften the look.

Messy bun for fine hair

If you have hair that stays in place easily, then great, but sometimes that’s not always the case. Some hairstyles that work for certain types of hair, don’t work so well for fine hair. Luckily the messy bun can also be achieved on fine hair, it just requires a few tweaks along the way. By the way, if you’re looking for other inspiration for your fine hair, we have an article dedicated to haircuts for fine hair.

Step 1: First things first, start with clean, combed hair. Try dry shampoo such as göt2b® Fresh It Up Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo for a fast refresh.

Step 2: Brush your hair up high onto your head and secure with a hair tie.

Step 3: You could clip in some hair extensions to achieve a bigger bun or simply twist your ponytail as it is into a bun. Tip: Tease your roots slightly and spray some göt2b® Volumaniac™ Bodifying Spray Powder on them – this helps the extensions stick better.

Step 4: If strands do fall out, simply pin them back with bobby pins or leave them be for a more natural look.

Step 5: Once you’re satisfied with how your messy bun looks, a quick squirt of göt2b® High Insta Hold Hair Spray will keep it in place.