Josselin and her five signature buns

– Bun X Braids –

My bun is sacred to me and if I show up at the office with loose hair, I get looked at strangely. No, without my signature, I’m actually just not recognizable, so I decided that my signature needed to be expanded with some variations. Youri and Melissa from The Building were going to help me with that in the Express Bar. The bar where you can get a ‘good’ hairstyle in twenty minutes. Or actually a super cool hairstyle, because 'good' is not good enough for them. But those buns. Five incredibly cool buns that you can make yourself in no time. Read and learn.

This is of course the happy hipster bun look everyone is sporting. But just a little more fine-tuned and with a touch of boho.

Step 1 – Apply products to dry hair to make it a bit stiffer. Think of MoroccanOil mousse or Redken's Fashion Wave salt spray. When you blow-dry it afterwards, it becomes much stiffer because it is activated by the heat.

Step 2 – Tease the hair a bit. This makes it even stiffer. And that's allowed because you're working on a hipster bun.

Step 3 – First, make a ponytail. It should be as high as possible on your head, because too low makes it look frumpy. From that ponytail, twist a bun that you secure with U-pins and from which you pull out some strands. Neatness just doesn't belong to this look.

Step 4 – With a curling iron, create some loose curls. Definitely not too styled, just really very loose. Between the loose hair, make some small braids. Tiny thin, but very cool when you start waving your hair.

Step 5 ­ You can definitely run your fingers through your hair. The undone feeling is totally allowed. So messy baby hairs are also permitted.

Youri immediately crowned me a style icon because he thought my bun was so cool that he didn't really need to do much more to it. To spice it up a bit, he used a hair accessory here.

Step 1 – Prepping is very important. It makes the hair stiff and creates a much more exciting texture in your hair.

Step 2 – Make a very messy bun. It can all hang a bit loose, as long as the bun itself is tight so it doesn't sag too quickly.

Step 3 – Pull small strands out of the bun and braid them. Then secure them back to the bun. The strands don't need an elastic. You can just tease the ends, and it will stay in place.

Step 4 – A nice ribbon finishes it off. Tough, but also feminine. Tie it beautifully, secure it with a bobby pin, and ready to go.

I admit; this is probably the hardest one. Maybe it's because I can't make a fishtail braid on myself, let alone on someone else. But looking sweetly at a colleague or friend might help too.

Step 1 – I'm repeating myself, but I'm back to prepping. Stiff hair is the basis for really keeping those braids in place. A salt spray is therefore essential.

Step 2 – You make a high ponytail and create a fishtail braid in it.

Step 3 – You then twist the fishtail braid into a bun that you secure with pins. You can also pull out some strands again to make it extra messy.

Step 4 – Finish with a good hairspray. Then everything stays in place.

From the front, it looks like a standard bun, but no, it’s really not that easy. Melissa conjured up an amazing braid at the back.

Step 1 – Prepping, prepping, prepping.

Step 2 – Braiding upside down is much easier. Make an inward braid, because then you can beautifully grab all the other strands of your hair as well. Braid all the way to the end and then put an elastic in.

Step 3– You take the braid together with the rest of your hair and make a bun now. You wrap the braid around it a bit, so you also hide the elastic. Secure everything with some pins.

Step 4 – Fashion dust (powder) is very nice to use for this look. It can make it a bit stiffer so the braid doesn't sag, and you create a bit more texture on your head.

When Melissa started, I said I felt like a little bride with this look. But she shook her head; well, we'll make it a bit cooler and edgier. Brides can sometimes be so frumpy. So voilà, I surrendered and was delighted with an incredibly cool result.

Step 1 – See all the other first steps. Seems like a logical story.

Step 2 – You divide your hair into two. In the left section, make a very loose braid down that you secure with an elastic. In the right section, do exactly the same.

Step 3 – The two braids come together in a bun. Very loose, very messy, and especially very low is beautiful here.

Step 4 – If you haven't braided your bangs or fringe, then blow-dry it a bit into shape. Melissa had beautifully blow-dried mine to the side, making it present but fitting the somewhat romantic picture.

Get it fast, make it last

Were you paying attention? Great, because I love to see well-bunned people on the street. If you’re not quite getting it yet, no worries. Youri and Melissa run the Express Bar at The Building, where they create this and many more looks for you in 20 minutes. You don't have to get up an hour earlier and you get it thirty times prettier than usual. And... tadaaaa, October is a special month to enjoy that. On Wednesday and Friday mornings, they are open from 8 to 11, in addition to regular opening hours. You can nicely join in for a lovely look to last all day, along with a croissant and ginger tea for a small amount starting from €15. I say: hopsa, let’s do it!