5 x the coolest buns

– Bun X Braids –

My bun is my holy grail and if I ever show up at work with my hair down, I get stared down by everyone. See, apparently without a bun people hardly recognize me and so I’ve decided to branch out with the style of my signature bun. I headed on over to The Building, a hair salon in Amsterdam, where two of their employees, Youri and Melissa, worked their magic on my hair in their Express Bar. If you’re ever in Amsterdam and you’re in the need of ‘a great do’ then go here. You’re in and out with the best hair in just half an hour. But alright, back to the bun. Here are 5 new ways to pimp it. Read and learn.

This is the happy hipster bun you probably see everyone walking around with. But then a bit more fine tuned and a little more boho.

Step 1 – Make your hair stiffer and rigid. Think of products like MoroccanOil or Redken’s Fashion Wave salt spray. Apply it and then blow-dry your hair since the products get activated by heat.

Step 2 – tease your hair a tiny bit. This will make it even stiffer and that’s okay since you’re working on a hipster bun.

Step 3 – Put your hair up in a ponytail. And try to have it as high up as possible since a low ponytail is a bit too civil. Use that hair and twist it to turn it into a bun and use U-pins to keep it in place. Pull out a few strands of hair here and there, cause this up-do isn’t supposed to be a clean cut.

Step 4 – Use a curling iron to curl your loose ends. Not too fancy, keep them a little nonchalant. And add a couple of thin braids too.

Step 5 – Use your fingers as a comb and go through your hair. The ‘undone’ feeling.

Youri immediately labeled me as a style icon since he said my bun was already so cool, it hardly needed an extra ‘oomph.’ So to just spice it up a teeny tiny bit, he used a hair accessory.

Step 1 – Prepping is key. Your hair needs to have a stiff structure to make it more exciting.

Step 2 – Make a really messy bun. And don’t worry if you’ve got a bunch of hair hanging out, as long as the bun itself won’t sag.

Step 3 – Grab some small strands of hair out of the bun and braid them. Once they’re braided, put them back in the bun. The ends of the braids don’t require any hair ties by the way, just tease the ends.

Step 4 – Use a pretty ribbon to finish the look off. It’s cool, but also very feminine. Use a bobby pin to keep it in place and you’re good to go!

I have to admit; this is the hardest one of the bunch. Probably because I’m incapable of making a fishtail braid in my own hair, let alone in someone else’s. Use your puppy eyes and kindly ask a friend or a colleague to help you out.

Step 1 – I repeat, don’t forget to prep your hair. Stiff hair is the solid base you need when working with braids. Therefore a bit of salt spray is essential.

Step 2 – Put your hair up in a high ponytail and turn it into a fishtail braid.

Step 3 – Wrap your braid around your bun and fasten it with bobby pins. Feel free to pull out a few strands of hair if you want it to look a little bit messier.

Step 4 – Finish it off with hair spray. That way it’ll all stay in place.

From the front it’ll look like your average bun, but it’s anything but average. Melissa worked her magic and added a killer braid in the back.

Step 1 – Prep, prep, prep.

Step 2 – It’s easier to braid with your head upside down. So add a braid and use a hair tie to tie it down.

Step 3 – Grab the remainder of your hair and put it up in a bun. Use the braid you made and twist it around your hair tie. Use a bobby pin to keep the end of the braid in place.

Step 4 – Use Fashion dust (powder) for this look. It’ll amp up the stiffness of your hair to make sure everything stays in place and it adds a bit of texture.

As soon as Melissa started working on this look, I immediately told her I felt like I was going to look like a bride. She shook her head and said we’ll make a bit more badass. And voilà, the result is very cool.

Step 1 – See all previous first steps.

Step 2 – Part your hair into two. Make a loose braid on your left side and keep it in place with a hair tie. Repeat this step on the right side.

Step 3 – The two braids will come together into one bun. A loose one, very messy and keep it low.

Step 4 – If you have bangs, use a blow-dryer to give them a bit of shape. Melissa opted to blow dry mine to the side to give it more of a romantic look and feel.