100 Degree Hottie: Braids and Buns

100 Degree Hottie: Braids and Buns

So I'm a hardcore fan of buns. High buns, low buns, messy buns, big buns, braided buns... all the buns.

So I really wanted to show you how to do a messy bun for hair that's at a medium length because I think a lot of people get hung up thinking you have to have a long and enormous ponytail to pull it off. I'm here to tell you, that's not even close to being true.

So here's how I do it, and just to make it fancy, I added a braid.

Hairstyle breakdown:

-This is for any length of hair, ideally medium to long.

-With the braid, this hairstyle is actually semi-difficult without the braid it's insanely easy.

-Great for people who want their hair out of their face, are laying out by the pool, etc. HOWEVER, it's not super great for swimming.

So starting with clean hair, I added a little dry shampoo for some "oomph" and then pinned my bangs away from my face. You can skip this if you don't have bangs, or keep it if you want a little volume in that area (great for people who have rounder faces).

Clip away the top half of your hair to keep it away while you braid. (Or not, yolo. I ain't your mother, do what you want.)

Tip your head over and brush the hair up to help you get ready for the braid.

Begin the braid, going up towards the crown of you head. This, for me, was super difficult because my curls kept getting in the way and it was hard to take clean sections without looking at it. This is more do-able if your hair is straight or long because it'll stay the hell out of the way.

I AM NOT SO LUCKY.

Take out the top clip and put the whole thing in a pony-tail. I fluffed up my braid just a tiny bit because I like when my hair doesn't look glued down to my head.

I teased my pony for maximum volume.

 Now if you have medium length hair like I do, here's how to fake the bun. 

-Fan your pony out so hair is going everywhere.

-Grab a small (1 inch?) section and stick the ends in a bobby-pin (like in the first photo)

-Flip the ends under so they're going back towards the base of the pony. (photo 2)

-THEN SHOVE THE PIN INTO THE PONY BASE. BOOM. DONE.

And repeat all the way around to create the bun shape.

(If you have long hair, just make a messy bun by either doing a rope braid and then wrapping it into a bun, or teasing and pinning it down, or you can use one of those foam donuts.)

So here's the finished look. I usually pull a little at the hair not in a bun to give it a looser texture. (Fun fact: I have a small head for my body, so when my hair is slicked down it looks even smaller).

All in all, with the braid, I think this hairstyle was like 8-10 minutes. Without the braid, I think it's probably around 5 minutes because I pick at it when it's done- but I've done it in 3 minutes before.)

Time for some iced coffee in the sunshine,

-SamanthaK