Last Updated on February 18, 2026 by Eve Dawes
How to do a messy bun 5 ways: Easy everyday styles
How to do a messy bun? There’s an art to making a messy bun look effortless but cute and it took me a while to figure it out. Messy buns make 2nd day hair easy to deal with and are a cute option when short on time. I’m sharing how to do a messy bun 5 ways because who doesn’t love easy hairstyles? These effortless, cute messy bun tutorials take less than 5 minutes each and you’ll get quicker with practice. Number 5 isn’t messy but a chic chignon perfect for work, date night or if you’ve got a wedding to go to for a more elegant look. I added it to these hair tutorials as it’s fast and easy to do and saves you searching in another place for how to do it. My niece whose a hairstylist in London shared this one with me, so thank you Jade.
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Are messy buns in style
Messy buns and sleek buns are both still in style. I tend to go through long periods of time of doing either one or the other. However, I know a lot of people are concerned about the traction of doing a sleek bun all of the time. So doing a looser, messier bun and/or leaving some hair down around your face will help with that.
So now I’m trying to save my tight buns for working out and in damp or humid places and do looser styles whenever I can. As if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll know I suffered with post covid hair loss and the road to recovery with Philip Kingsley which effective is a slow one.
The easiest messy bun tutorials
Here are my favorite 4 ways to style a perfect bun and 1 way to style a chignon. It used to take me ages as a ballerina to get every hair in place so I love these messier super cute buns for a change that are more relaxed and so much quicker to do. Plus they tend to make you look like you have more hair than you actually do.
In this video I’m sharing the following. Feel free to fast forward to the style you want to try or try them all.
- Braided bun 0:29 (starting with the one that takes the longest but is so pretty).
- Rolled round bun 5:21
- Twisted bun 8:22
- Flip it, tease it messy full bun 9:00
- Chic chignon 9:56
Don’t worry if yours don’t look exactly the same as mine; they’re supposed to be loose and messy and you can make them your own. They tend to come out slightly differently everyday anyway.
These 4 cute messy buns are all different so hopefully you’ll find one you love. If you have shorter or finer hair, using a Poofy Pony volumizing hair styling tool will really help cheat some volume for both ponytails and buns. I try not to back comb mine for volume to be kinder on my hair. As brushing out backcombed hair afterwards is always a nightmare.
If something doesn’t make sense in these how to video’s just drop me a comment or message on Instagram and I’ll try and find a better way of explaining it. I want you guys to be able to do the perfect messy bun quickly and easily.
What you’ll need to do a cute messy bun
These are the items you’ll need to do your messy bun hairstyle. If you don’t want to fork out for a Mason Pearson brush, look for a smoothing bristle brush.
Pro Tip: If you find you have flyaways still around your hairline, parting or the base of your neck, spray a new toothbrush with hairspray and use that to smooth down any stubborn hairs. Obviously, don’t use it on your teeth afterwards. Keep that one in your hair kit.
- Hair elastics as close to your hair color as possible
- Clear hair elastics (1500 for $6)
- Brush. I used a Mason Pearson brush. It’s a bit pricey but they last forever. I’ve used it ever since my ballet days as the bristles get your hair super smooth.
- Rat tail comb for those baby hairs and partings.
- Hairspray – Pureology makes a cruelty-free, vegan hairspray with max hold.
- Mirror to see the back of your messy bun and sculpt it how you want it to look.
- Dry toothbrush (just for hair not your teeth as well!) to get in those baby hairs for a super sleek bun, especially #5.
- For cheating volume Poofy Pony. This makes the swishiest pony and cheats more volume to ponytails and buns.
Thanks for watching lovelies, I really appreciate you. Don’t forget to come and say Hi and tag me in your messy bun and chignon photos #glamourandgains
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