A slicked-back bun seems easy. In concept, you create one by simply pulling your hair again and twisting it right into a knot. Voilà: prompt model-off-duty class, proper?
In actuality, you’re standing in entrance of a mirror a half hour after you had been speculated to be out the door with a mysterious bump and numerous flyaways. Your entire level of the type is for each strand to look deliberately (and impossibly) in place, which might make attaining it really feel like a check of each persistence and upper-body power.
Regardless of the frustrations that include creating one, a really modern bun would not require rising a 3rd arm and relentless yanking of your strands. The suitable styling merchandise and instruments from prep to complete will do a lot of the work. We spoke with hairstylists and Attract editors who recurrently put on their hair within the updo about what makes the distinction between a easy, polished bun and a messy, uncooperative lump. Forward, they break down precisely which merchandise to make use of at every step, with ideas tailor-made to totally different hair varieties.
Meet the consultants
Prep
To get the most effective outcomes, you may’t simply bounce into yoinking again your strands. If you happen to prioritize the prep course of and tailor it to your hair sort, you may assist guarantee a smoother expertise with much less injury. Hairstylist Chris Russell recommends first spritzing your strands with a heat-protectant spray, then rough-drying your hair. (The Bumble and Bumble Warmth Protect Thermal Safety Hair Mist is considered one of our favorites for decreasing frizz and defending towards breakage.) Then he suggests working a thermal brush (just like the Sutra IR Infrared Thermal Brush) by way of your hair, saying it helps guarantee “even texture, managed shine, and a seamless end earlier than pulling your hair again.”
Our resident slicked-back-bun professionals and Attract editors don’t all attain for a scorching instrument after drying their hair. Attract content material director Sophie Panych, whose hair is of course fantastic and straight, will sometimes contact issues up with a flat iron. Social media supervisor Bianca Richards, who blew out her thick, naturally wavy hair earlier than creating her slicked-back bun, says she reaches for the Wavytalk Thermal Brush for added sleekness. Commerce manufacturing assistant Hailey Roy, who has 3C curls, truly skips a scorching instrument altogether. “I’ve at all times achieved slicked-back buns with my pure hair,” she says, including that she tries her greatest to maintain her strands away from warmth.
