Styling a bun

[fivefour3twoone]

I often wear my hair back in a mum bun but it's a crap one! I wear it low but it never has that messy scruffy look to it, my hairs quite smooth and shiny and that doesn't tend to work for a good lucking bun! Any tips on how I can achieve it please?

have you tried to back comb your hair first?

How are you doing it? a ponytail then making a bun? I f so that will make it look quite smooth/harsh.

I would suggest grabbing the hair and either twisting into a bun and secure with a grabber clip and a couple of pins or piling all the hair and kind of folding it back on its self before you put a bobble in, then pull out some bits and pin.

This is a lot easier to do than explain ;)

I think I pull it back into a ponytail then just tuck the very end under the hair band. It just looks like a shiny knot on the back of my head!!!

I think you need do do more ruffling (is that a word?) like grab the hair and fold it back to make a bun and then pin.

Have a look on YouTube for tutorials. You need it higher and teased. I put mine in a ponytail but do the bobble a few inches away from my scalp then pull it tighter with the hair, so the roots are more puffy, if that makes sense?
Then I pin the ends loosely, not bothering if some ends poke out.
Sometimes I use salt spray for texture.

How long is your hair?

Do a loose pony with no hair brush, scrape it with your hands, put bobble in, give hair a twirl and wrap it round the bobble, secure with Bobby pins.

the small things blog has some good tutorials

Thanks everyone, I think my hairs just too thin and shiny to achieve these :-(

Can you take a pic of your best attempt so that people can see where you might have gone wrong? I didn't think that I could 'bun' my hair as it's very fine, but then a friend who's really good with hair came and taught me some tricks. Mine is easier when my hair is in need of a wash and been treated with dry shampoo.

YY to the Small Things blog. She has a fantastic messy bun tutorial.

You need a good dry shampoo and a proper back combing comb. Plus good hair ties.

I've been trying (and mostly failing) to master this for years..
Would recommend Kalyn Nicholson on YouTube for a tutorial that's quite easy to follow. Search her name and "messy bun" in YouTube (i don't know how to link!)

Thank you I'll take a look at that I'm wondering if id be better with a swingy hoggish ponytail instead, am I too old for a ponytail (late 30's)

High-ish not hoggish!!

Pinning it with bobby pins instead of using a bobble works better.

I have quite short fine hair but can get a nice hipster top knot out of it! Hair in a ponytail as high as you can get it. Use kirbygrips to pin up any short bits at the back. Once it's up, back comb the ponytail as much as you can in sections. A narrow back combing brush works best for this. Then use the back combed hair to make the bun. Secure with a hair band and some extra grips if necessary. Hairspray too if you need it. I can do the whole thing in 5 mins now on days when I can't be arsed to wash my hair.

I usually just twist my hair onto the top of my head and add pins-but then again my hair is already a bit frizzy. Maybe you could benefit from some 'texturising' spray?

Wow, that lady's two step bun is going to be my new weekend at home hair! (I've not previously had weekend at home hair).

Dry shampoo,day or two day-old hair, maybe some texturizing spray or salt spray. These help add grip and volume to a messy bun