5 Steps to the Perfect Messy Bun

Today we are talking about one of my favorite hair looks, the messy bun. If messy buns are wrong, I don't want to be right. Whoever invented this lazy hairstyle was genius, because I'm pretty sure I'd never survive a late morning without this go-to hairstyle.

Messy buns often get a bad reputation for being a lazy hairstyle that takes no effort and looks sloppy, but I think mastering the messy bun is an art. Just about every day after 6pm, I put my hair up. I really don't like to have my hair in my face, and I find that the bun does does the trick. There are also days when I choose to wear my hair up in a bun as my style for that day, and believe it or not, I get the most complements when I wear my hair in a messy bun. I'm not sure what that has to say about my regular hair-do, but I'll take it.

Today I'm sharing 5 simple steps I take to get a great hairstyle with little time and effort.

1. The first thing I do is spray my hair with dry shampoo and sometimes a little hairspray. I have fine hair, so this gives my locks a little texture and some volume to make sure that my bun has some volume as well. 
2. The type of elastic you use is also very important. I find that the thin black hair ties like these are the best for messy buns. They're much more flexible than the thicker bands. 
3. Next, you want to make sure you place the bun as far back as you can while remaining on top of your head. That might sound a little confusing, but it is important that it not be too high or too low. 
4. Make sure not to get your bun too tight. Unless you're going for a ballerina look, I would suggest only wrapping the hair band 2 or 3 times. It's better to leave it loose than have it too tight. We are going for an easy and effortless look, so once you've got the band tied, use your fingers to loosen up the bun without pulling out too many hairs from the bun. Leave some pieces around your face to soften up the look. 
5. Finally, wear a pair of bold earrings like these. I always wear earrings when my hair is up, because I find that it adds a bit of style and dresses up my look. It also seems to soften my face and draws attention to something other than my ears. Whatever you do, don't skips this step! 

Ultimately, mastering the messy bun is going to take some work, but with a little practice, I'm confident you'll be rocking this style and getting complements left and right. If you'd like to see a tutorial for this look, let me know in the comments!

Love, Emily