4 Gorgeous Messy Bun Hairstyles

Messy buns are the ultimate up-do – relaxed, a little undone, but still totally put-together. They’re perfect for adding a bit of volume, keeping your hair off your face, and giving off that effortless 'I woke up like this' vibe. Read on for our expert tips on how to perfect the messy bun for any occasion.

1. VIRAL MESSY BUN

This is the messy bun that’s all over your feed – and here’s how to create it: 

1. Skip to step 2 if you have type 1 (straight) or 2 (wavy) hair. If you have type 3 (curly) or 4 (coily) hair, spritz your wet hair with a heat protection spray like the CLOUD NINE Magical Quick Dry Potion. Then use the Airshot Pro hair dryer to dry your hair straight, followed by straightening with the Original Iron.
2. Apply our Magical Quick Dry Potion as a heat protectant, then section your dry hair using Croc Clips. 
3. Set your Curling Wand to the perfect temperature for your hair. To discover your hair’s ideal heat setting, head to our online Temperature Calculator tool.
4. Use your Curling Wand on each section at a time to add a curl – these curls will drop out to form waves, adding some texture to your hair. 
5. Once cooled, run through your hair with your fingers or the Luxury Dressing Brush to loosen the curls.
6. With your fingers, gather your hair into a high ponytail, twist it gently, and wrap it around itself, securing it with a silk scrunchie. Silk is perfect for reducing friction and breakage.
7. Finally, tease out a few face-framing tendrils and give your hair a once-over with a light mist of hairspray to keep your style in place without making it stiff.

Tip: If you don’t have a Curling Wand, you can create curls or waves with your straighteners. Check our guide for more ideas on how to create waves.

2. CLASSIC ROMANTIC MESSY UP-DO

For this iconic Pamela Anderson-esque up-do, follow these steps:

1. Start with a generous spritz of Magical Quick Dry Potion, then blow-dry your hair straight using the Airshot hair dryer and a round brush.
2. Add extra volume using the Curling Wand.
3. Spray a texturising spray over your hair to encourage more volume and set with a light mist of hairspray. It’s important to get as much volume in your hair as possible before putting up. 
4. Take the front of your hair from the top of the crown (top of your head) to the top of your ears and place this hair forward, so it drapes down over your face. This is just to move this section out of the way temporarily.
5. Next, gather the hair from the crown (behind the section you’ve just moved out of the way) and bring the hair from next to each ear to meet at a point just below or above the occipital bone (at the back of your skull), depending on where the style you want. Gently tie this hair into a ponytail using a snag-free hair tie or bungee. 
6. To create the volume, use a Croc Clip to secure the ponytail out of the way on the top of the crown, while you turn your attention to the section of hair left out in step 4.
7. Gently split this section of hair into two. Take the left-hand side and wrap it round the right hand side of the pony to secure it with a bobby pin.
8. Next, take the right hand side of the loose hair and wrap it around the left section of the pony, leaving the ends to create shorter layers and texture.
9. Then unclip the ponytail, split it into two sections, and twist each section, pinning where the bend of the hair twists to create a looping effect.
10. Next, take the other ponytail twist and repeat to build the shape, leaving out the ends to create a soft tousled look.
11. To finish off the look, gently tug out some soft face-framing tendrils and take these backwards and sweep up under the looped hair on each side.

3. RELAXED, UNDONE BUN

This style is the go-to for effortless elegance and is perfect for all hair types, but particularly if your hair has a natural kink, wave, or curl. Here’s how to achieve it:

1. Start with wet hair. As always, apply a heat protectant like our Magical Quick Dry Potion before you use any heated styling tool.
2. To bring out your hair’s natural volume, use the Airshot Pro hair dryer with a diffuser attachment. Head to our guide to using a diffuser for more detailed information on how to define your curls or waves.
3. Gather your hair back loosely. Instead of twisting too tightly, let some sections fall naturally for that soft, romantic feel. 
4. Secure with bobby pins (or a silk scrunchie if your hair is on the longer side) and let a few strands frame your face. 
5. Quickly run over the tendrils with the Slim Iron for a little extra polish.

4. HIGH PIGTAIL DOUBLE BUN

This playful take on the classic messy bun up-do is fun, flirty, and perfect for nights out when you want to make a statement. Here’s how to achieve the look:

1. After blow-drying using the Airshot hair dryer, style your hair with the Original Iron or Curling Wand.
2. Split your hair into two high pigtails and tie them with snag-free hair bobbles or silk scrunchies.
3. Lightly backcomb for a little added volume, then gently twist each pigtail into a messy bun and pin in place with bobby pins. 
4. Finish with a spritz of texturising spray for an undone edge.

Whichever going-out style you choose, make sure you protect your hair by using a heat protectant like Magical Quick Dry Potion, setting your tools to the right temperature for your hair – via our Temperature Calculator to check which heat setting works for you – and styling with silk scrunchies or snag-free bobbles.

Share your gorgeous messy bun looks on our socials where you’ll find inspiration and advice from the CLOUD NINE community – TikTok, Instagram or Facebook.