Ah the messy bun, the perennial cool girl hair style du jour. What should be considered effortless is not so much the case here. In fact, its borderline psychotic how long we've spent in the mirror perfecting our ideal iteration. Thankfully, we have celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton herding us back to hair safety. In a 30 second clip on TikTok Appleton shared his fool proof method for achieving the look. And seeing as the man has tended to some of the most famous tresses in the biz we won't put up a fight here. Yes, it's true the messy bun is important, but what makes it such a stand out?
@chrisappletonhairThis is perfect for anyone with fine hair that wants to make there messy bun look triple the fitness in a few mins 🌪♬ Talking to the Moon - Bruno Mars
The background of the messy bun
If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you couldn't go past seeing a fashionable assortment on your screen. Picture this, you flick on your TV screen pop in your worn out copy of Clueless on VHS and watch as Cher Horowitz waltzes into a high school Val party dressed in her vintage red Alaia. The outfit is a statement of course, but it's the top knot effortlessly twirled on the crown of the head that pulls focus. Just enough strands pulled out for effortless effect. The 90's may have been the banner decade for the look, but since then we've seen how this look has been transformed for a new generation. From the taut normcore styles adorned by the girls in Euphoria, to the classic French girl aesthetic, tendrills dreamily cascading down the nape of the neck.
What makes this style so effortless?
Well, aside from it being so simple, it can hide a multitude of sins. Whether you're on your fourth dry shampoo day or you're running late for a special occasion. A quick bun can be the answer to all of your last minute beauty woes. Slick, or piled high with volume each style can be achieved with very few tools and zero heat required. Not to mention those of us here in the Southern Hemisphere who dread the humidity
How do you do the messy bun?
To achieve this look its Appleton starts by combing back the hair into a high ponytail, then pulling the hair at the front to slightly loosen it for the desired softly effortless look. He follows up by pulling the ponytail in two parts, tying the two separate sections into a knot. Creating an extra knot with the remaining hair, he pins any flyaways to the bun. To complete the look, Appleton combs back the baby hairs on the hairline, using Color Wow’s Cult Favorite Firm + Flexible Hairspray, But of course any texture spray with hold will do the trick here.
If you're feeling so obliged to give this look a try at home, we've thrown together a few of our favourite looks for good measure. Now, when are they planning on bringing back spaghetti strap dresses with feather boas?
The low bun
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Follow the lead of Hailey with the inclusion of a chic head scarf to secure the look.
The curly bun
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The curlier the better, allow for the tendrils to cascade loosely ala Zendaya.
The French bun
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The edition of sultry bangs can elevate this look into a whole other stylish dimension. The messier the better here.
The 90s bun
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A twist on the annoying baby hair problem, try taking the leftover front strands and plaiting them into cute braids from the base of the crown.
On the viral beauty TikTok trend train? Take a look at our roundup of the ten best fragrances to try here.
